A Golden Birthday

We traveled to the city to celebrate Brit's birthday with her brother. Could SF have been more perfect? We arrived Friday night and for about 20 minutes before actually arriving, all I could smell was the scent of flowers. I actually turned to Brit at one point and asked if she had brought along her flowers she had received that week. What an amazing way to begin our weekend but to be wrapped in the scent of fresh flowers! We are fortunate to have friends who have a place in the city and so we spent our first night at their apartment, nestled into the beauty of old buildings with character flowing from the walls. Brit loves old buildings, having grown up in an old home most of her life, and so this was the perfect spot to start her b-day weekend. As we walked the few blocks to Bry's place we were amazed by the warmth and the continuing smell of flowers. The sun had set before we entered the city and so we were unable to distinguish just where this fragrance was coming from. We soon headed down to Telegraph Street and were surrounded with the sights and smells that we have come to love. Foods from all over the world surround you in this city and the smells are like no other! To choose! We were all hungry and all in the mood for something easy. I grabbed an outside table for us and we then all proceeded to scatter and meet back with food that suited each of our cravings. After our hunger had been satisfied, we set off to see the sights. We had always walked this city in the light of the day and exploring it now by the lights of night was beautiful! We walked over campus and traveled up the many flights of stairs to see Bry's studio and the space he was now spending so much of his life. He allowed us to go through his work. The progress he has made in such a short amount of time was amazing to each of us! He beamed as he showed us all about, even pointing out the couch he uses to try and catch a few minutes of sleep before classes. We were taken up many more stairs in order to arrive at a lookout that was magical. We were in awe as we stood and watched the city in all it's beauty! We could see the bridges across the Bay and all the lights of SF sparkled as we stood gazing. We wandered a bit more through campus exploring new sights and old ones. Amazing how magical these old buildings look at night.

Morning came and we packed up and headed to a tiny bakery to buy a beautiful Thank You for our friends. We then moved our belongings to our new residency and met up with Bry to make the trek into SF. First stop on our list of things to do was China Town. Brit was excited to see it in all it's glory! We had arrived at a time when the Chinese New Year is being celebrated and so were happy to see the beauty of this already amazing spot.

The smells of China Town are unique to themselves and we love to spend time surrounded by the scents and sights. We wandered through shops marveling at the beauty of the textiles and Brit was taken by the candles and incense as usual. Bry was excited to see that "Happy",in the pic to the left, was set up and talking to those that would listen! "Happy" is a regular on campus and one of the many activists Bry hears as he wanders from class to class. After leaving China Town Bry was set to give us a tour of the architecture in the business district, and that he did! I was not quite prepared for what was to come. Of course I assumed the buildings would be lovely but was taken by their feel and by the feeling that flooded me as I stood at the base of some of these amazing pieces of art! We walked and walked as Bry pointed out the sights. He then took us up some stairs and surprised us with a spot in the center of the city and perched on top of a building! A park!! A green spot filled with grass and gardens. Fountains and benches were all about. A lovely "green" space in the center of the city for people to spend their days or perhaps just their lunches. The only problem was that except for a couple of men eating lunch and another sleeping on a nearby bench, this lovely park on the top of this building was going unused. Bry says these places have not caught on and that most people do not even know that they exist. What a shame to have this space sitting empty. Here are just a few of the beautiful examples of architecture we were able to see on our walk.

Then off to the Embarcadero and down to Fisherman's Wharf we walked. The smells of the water are like none other! This is a sight and smell I hope to never quit longing for. The water is such a blessing for me as I gaze out across it. To be here with my family, celebrating the birth of my daughter! What a perfect way to celebrate her life. Brit's main request for this birthday was to spend it with her brother. And as it was not possible for him to head home because of studies, what a better way to fulfill her request than to hit the road and come to him and all that is in his world. Wayne and I love the city and are fortunate to have two children that love it just as much! The smells, the people, the energy of SF is something that we long for. We spent the rest of the day by the water. We walked and walked over areas that have become so familiar to us in just the two short years that we have lived here. We know what to find and what we will see. We know the sights and the smells of this part of the city so well. We walked to the end of a pier and sat forever soaking in the sight of the Bay and the warmth of the sun! We walked and walked and talked and laughed and spent the day as a family just as Sissy had requested! We were happy to have Jacob join us later in the day and went in search of one of our favorite restaurants. He had been traveling all day and had sat in traffic galore just to catch up with us and spend time with Brit on her golden b-day. How nice to share with him one of our favorite spots! Tarantinos sits on the water and as we leisurely sat and ate some of the best seafood you can get, we talked and laughed and watched as the fog rolled in over the Bay. We ended our day with a long walk back to the Bart to catch our train back to our place. We were happy to find that our place this evening was just as old and quaint as the pictures had alluded to. Brit and Jacob went off in search of hot chocolate and some quiet time to spend togethor as the evening came to an end. Bry wandered off in the direction of his place and we nestled into our beautiful little room.

We woke the next morning to sit and have coffee downstairs in a beautiful sitting room as we lazily read books and nibbled at goodies displayed in the solarium. Bry caught up with us as did Brit's friend, Jackie who wanted to wish Brit a happy b-day before she headed off to family to celebrate. We then hit the streets and were off to shops. Jacob and Emily caught up with us and we wandered in and out of shops until we were ready to sit and have a bite to eat. We all poured over menus and looked at tables around us as we tried to narrow down our choices. What a lovely way to share our lunch with friends and family, in an outdoor space filled with plants, sitting spots, and beautiful fountains. Our day came to end before I was ready for it but as always it was time to say our goodbyes and climb back into our car to head back over the mountains and on home. What a lovely weekend and what a grand way to celebrate with my daughter the day so many years ago, she had joined us. She has grown and changed so since she first arrived. It has been a joy just to sit back and watch as she has grown into this beautiful young lady.