Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco

So many areas around the California Bay Area used to be some type of wetland. I had no idea growing up that the land under my house probably used to be part of marsh land. As I explore more of the Bay Area and specifically San Francisco, I am learning what the land looked like before its urban development.

The weekend after I finished my first semester of graduate school I took a trip I’d been meaning to take for months. Even though it was December, the weather was warm and sunny but chilled breezes required that I layer up – nothing new in The City. I took a bus to the Palace of Fine Arts which was a place I knew nothing about.

Gorgeous Redwood

Unsure whether I’d find a museum of art or something else I walked around the area and quickly learned that the name was a little misleading.

So the area was a nice space to enjoy a walk or picnic, it had gorgeous landscaping done around a lagoon and the architecture was great sight. On that day many people came to take professional photos among the gorgeous backdrop of the “Palace”. I still didn’t know what this place was and why it was there. Eagerly, I found a map hoping it would enlighten me, but it had minimal information about the area. It did lead me to a few information stands placed around the lagoon. One of them focused on the local wildlife so I bee-lined.

Many birds, especially ducks, frequent the lagoon and surrounding vegetated spaces. I saw turtles, juvenile herons, a bird of prey, tons of ducks, and some squirrels.

The next information stand gave more history of the Palace. It was built as a temporary attraction used to house art during the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition. Apparently the building was widely considered the most beautiful structure at the Exposition, and it was built by a Californian, Bernard Maybeck.

The view from my journaling seat on the lagoon’s edge.

People wanted to keep the building standing after the Exposition was over. However, because it was intended as a temporary structure, the building wasn’t seismically sound. Therefore, through fundraising and campaigning the people of San Francisco made sure the Palace of Fine Arts was restructured to withstand earthquakes and time.

I spent about two hours at the Palace. Earlier that day I had packed a simple lunch, so I found a bench and ate while some models posed nearby for a photoshoot. Then I took a seat in the sun near the lagoon’s edge to write. While there I saw a newly engaged couple dance to a live guitarist, I heard another couple get engaged across the lagoon, and a couple quinceañera parties taking photos.

Finally on my last quick look around the Palace before I left for the bus stop I found this information stand. I was surprised, and then not so surprised to learn that the land used to be a wetland. The lagoon I sat by was preserved from the original natural lagoon of the wetland. I was kind of blown away.

It is no wonder that over 90% of California’s wetlands have disappeared. They naturally occur near the ocean, an area where many people want to build and live. It’s so picturesque, and people are naturally drawn to oceans. But I wouldn’t mind living next to a wetland instead of the ocean.

Wetlands are gorgeous. They invite fascinating birds to forage and rest, they protect me from storms and erosion, they keep my ocean clean and my air fresh.

Grocery Shopping is the Hardest

Today’s sky was falling in on me. Fog settled on the Bay earlier than forecasted and as I stepped out of my car I could feel tiny drops of water touching my face. If  I tried, I could see them swirling around in the air like snow. Quickly I walked through the flurry and into Safeway for some quick ingredients to make a salad.

This was the first time I had shopped for produce in a Safeway…really for anything in a Safeway. I was disoriented. Prices were high for the produce, I was surprised. Just earlier as I was driving there I told myself: “You can always afford produce.” I don’t know if that’s true. I quietly grabbed what I needed and tried to ignore the unfamiliarity of the store.

At the register, as I approached the cashier a sudden sadness dripped over me. It quickly spread over me, and at first I wasn’t sure what happened. It was as if I just woke up from a daydream. Then I realized, it was the plunge into ice water, the hard hit of reality: Jason was not around to go grocery shopping with me. It was what we always did together because I liked to spend time with him on weekdays after he had been away all day at work. Or it was the relief of leisure and time on weekends when we ran into the store to grab treats or meal prep ingredients.

It was just a hard hit of “I miss you” that I didn’t see coming. And now that I think of it, I’ve felt this before while grocery shopping, alone, but today I was able to put together what that thump was.

From San Diego to Solvang, CA.

On Sunday morning I had to say goodbye to Jason and my sweet Ruby. Spending three weeks with them in San Diego was pure heaven, and to have the added bonus of Scotty, my favorite couple, and Matt&Dan sweetened the entire visit. The unexpected happened, and it took me away a day earlier, but it was for the best. Ahalya and Mom drove down to San Diego for a quick trip. They welcomed me to hitch a ride back up with them. After considering all the items I’d collected since arriving in San Diego, stuffing everything into a car rather than an overhead compartment sounded more appealing.

Jason and Ruby walked me to the car. Ruby knew I was going somewhere, she saw me packing the bags and collecting my things. She was angry and didn’t want to say goodbye to me, so she didn’t. Her focus stayed on Jason. Perhaps watching Papa to see if he’d stop Momma from getting in the car. It wasn’t like that.

Since Mom was already this far in the south, she figured she would stop by Solvang, unbeknownst to me a popular destination in California. The Dutch town was “preserved” to look and feel like the close-knit Danish community it might have once been back when it was founded. While cute, I thought the place was kitschy.

There was nothing to do there but eat and shop, but even so, I was pulled in to the allure of blocks and blocks of small specialty shops. I could spend a day there max. No overnighting.

 

We left after an overpriced lunch. I was brought right to my car in the Bay Area and got to skip the drama of Monday’s widespread rainstorm. I will say, I’m very fortunate to have such wonderful friends in my life.

This photo perfectly depicts my mood while in Solvang, CA. The light caught the clock tower right

Wine Tasting Napa

I found myself in Napa for a wedding and was fortunate to have extra time afterwards for a leisurely wine tasting.

Jason and I helped the newly weds gather the last of their wedding decorations and pack them into our cars. It was still late morning so we decided to join them at V. Sattui Winery. I had never visited a winery or experienced a wine tasting so without any expectations I went along, eager to know what the fuss was about.

The tasting room, picnic area, and public spaces at V. Sattui were very rustic and beautiful. Every thing was set up perfectly for a family picnic day.

Jason and I on our dessert wine selections at V. Sattui Winery

Inside the tasting room was very large with several bars around the space. They sold all types of delectable foods which would make a great picnic with a bottle of wine. Also available was various wine paraphernalia and accessories. Jason and I decided on a six wine tasting – this was $30 and we only got one glass of each selected wine. I list our selection to the best of my memory’s ability:

2014 Zinfandel, Amador Ridge, Amador County
Fruit-forward with subtle hints of raspberry and spice followed by an earthy complexity and alluring sweet oak.

2015 Chardonnay, Sonoma
Beautiful apple and pear fragrances accent mouthwatering flavors of citrus with notes of toasted caramel and vanilla.

2015 Dancing Egg Riesling, Anderson Valley
Bright and balanced with guava and mango aromas with notes of pear and orange.

2013 Cabernet Sauvignon, Mt. Veeder
Ripe aromas of plum, black olive, and dried herbs swirl in the inkly depths of this dark Cabernet. Black cherry and cassis flavors add to an already soft supple finish.

Madeira, California
From our century-old Solera. Brandy-fortified. Caramel, toffee and nutty undertones.

Angelica
Nectar from the Gods… a honey chaser with notes of toasted hazelnuts and vanilla.

I remember enjoying all of my selections – the Chardonnay and Zinfandel. Jason’s choice of Riesling was good, very bright and perfect for a warm spring day. We weren’t sold on the overly strong Cab – it was the most expensive bottle on their menu. Both Maderia and Angelica were delicious, but any more than a few ounces would be too much. I thought they were both a sickly sweet, but perhaps I’d feel differently if I had them paired with some food.

Overall I think I would like to go to Napa for a day and have a wine tasting at one or two wineries. More than two might push it. I’d definitely need to bring some of my own food because I couldn’t be sustained on cheese and bread and oil while having wine, plus all the food sold there was rich and expensive. Going with some friends or on a couple’s date would be an ideal sunny Saturday.