In my lifetime, I’ve crossed and recrossed the Yolo Causeway many, many times. But last week was the first time I actually stopped to explore the surrounding wetlands, now designated as the Vic Fazio Yolo Wildlife Area. I wasn’t precisely sure what to expect when Google told me I had arrived at my destination — and I’ll admit I was […]
On my most recent trip to the San Francisco Botanical Garden (formerly the Strybing Arboretum) last August I discovered a fascinating bit of history just along the southeast edge near the main gate. Tucked behind the library, there is a quiet little patio surrounded by a collection of medieval stone blocks. These stones have traveled a very long way from […]
Rounding a curve of Highway 1 in the town of Point Arena, I noticed a series of small signs attached to the Bishop pines lining the road.
Although it runs the length of California’s coast, once north of San Francisco State Route 1 becomes a scenic two-lane roadway that dips and climbs as it snakes its way across rivers (like the Russian, the Gualala, the Navarro, and the Noyo) and through a lot of small towns, one of which is Point Arena, population 473. It’s all too […]
The Point Arena Pier was closed to the public during our first visit in November of last year. This time around, the pier was open and we were able to walk out to the end and have a look around. Things still seemed a bit quiet — but maybe that’s because we’re so used to seeing tourists teeming around Bodega […]
The Chinese Pavilion is a fairly recent addition to Golden Gate Park, perched at the east end of Stow Lake’s island. The structure was a gift to San Francisco from her sister city of Tapei, Taiwan, in 1976. Dedicated in 1981, Golden Gate Park received the Chinese Pavilion as a gift from San Francisco’s sister city, Taipei, Taiwan. The Pavilion […]
We decided to venture a little bit further north on this coastal trip, to southern Mendocino County. As our base, we chose a small but comfy Airbnb not far north of the Arena Point Pier, with easy walking access to the Point Arena-Stornetta Public Lands — perfect for early morning hikes. The Big Guy was searching for some new fishing […]
This post was originally published in June 2018 as Memory Monday, Week 72. My post is running a little late today; Memory Monday turned into Migraine Monday unfortunately! This week I have a few photos from a road trip my parents took to the Oregon coast. I’m not sure what year it was but I’m guessing late 1940s or early 1950s. Notes on the back indicate the two images side by side below are of a bridge “not far north of Redding,” and the photo on the right depicts the east end. “The guard rail doesn’t match very well but you can get the idea anyway (I hope).” Next week I’ll start in on some of the many photos my dad shot while he was stationed in Japan during the Korean war. Quite a few of these I’ve been unable to identify — but they’re pretty cool anyway!
Tucked away in a shady corner of the San Francisco Botanical Garden’s Temperate Asia section, I found this rock commemorating a visit by the Emperor and Empress of Japan in October 1975.