I’m back at home now in our cozy house which this time of year feels like a houseboat. Back with the girls, including Marta who managed to chew a few things while I was away and even this morning while I slept in, a package holding light bulbs. Outside it is grey, brown and wet. Also not warm. Through the bedroom window I keep my eyes on the line in the distance where the woods meets the pasture which works for me because I’m near sighted.

I spent two days in San Francisco (only?). Much of that time was on foot and now I’m thinking time must move differently in a car. One day walking around a city would be equal to a week traveling by car. On foot I only got a little lost a couple of times and since I was never really going anywhere in particular I don’t think it  counts. I wore the uniform of a tourist (map in one hand and camera in the other) and was largely ignored. There were lots of nicely dressed young people going off to jobs in the morning looking pretty serious, lots of beautiful dogs and I mean LOTS, also impossible to ignore the full sleeping bags tucked under bushes early in the morning, and later in the day the rough teenagers sitting on the backs of park benches with a bottle of beer. I took a quick look at one teenage girl with straggly hair and thought if I were her mother I could march over and say something like, “We are going home right now lady.” She gave me a quick glance back and it wasn’t friendly.

The first day was the best. Mary Ann, Linda and I met for lunch, had coffee and coconut almond cake with whipped cream and strawberries and coffee. Linda doesn’t usually bake and yet she made a cake that reminded me of home and she whipped cream for it. I was in a strange city and I have friends that know me. Is that not reason enough to write? Meanwhile, the light was amazing and we could see the ocean. Tom was there too and came out of the office where he worked to have a piece with us and to tease Linda a little. It was all good, every last minute of it. Just too short. We have our work to get back to but I can almost imagine living life in Richmond- being an artist, going for long walks and meeting friends on a sidewalk for lunch.

I got to see Mary Ann again the next day at De Young where she stood near a wall looking very elegant and patient. She sent me up to the tower which I told her when I came down was a trick designed to make a person fall in love with the city. I also went below ground to see Girl with The Pearl Earring which is stunning.  De Young has a nice collection and includes a much nicer version of a chair on which I sit in the morning for breakfast. Goodness.

I stayed with the daughter of friends on Hayes Street. The last nice surprise was that Megan ended up being as wonderful as her parents so besides making me feel welcome well beyond giving me a place to sleep, I found one more person I wish I knew better. We went out to breakfast  one morning and she ordered the French Toast Orgy. It was over the top and her reaction made my day. In conclusion: Good trip (good said with emphasis).