A VISIT TO THE BAY

I need to preface the original post with the note that we were in no way affected by the earthquake. We didn't even feel a thing. 

We have been pretty quiet on the blog this week as from Tuesday through Friday we were living it up in San Francisco. Andrew and I have been once and have seen some of the sights but there's lots to see up there so we were eager to go back with my parents. Although I have to say I wasn't looking forward to going back to the more English feeling temperatures! 

Tuesday we spent driving up and doing some exploring along the Pacific Coast Highway. The views there are stunning and we really enjoyed just staring at the California coastline. When we arrived in San Francisco we were staying just one block from the Golden Gate Park which was beautiful. 

Wednesday revolved around the West side of the city. We went over the Golden Gate Bridge and looked around the Marin Headlands. Then we had lunch at an amazing place called La Boulange. There was some strolling around the park and exploring the streets before heading to Leopolds for dinner. German fare. It tasted good. 

Thursday we went into the main part of the city by bus, WITH MAC! He loved the bus and was most happy sniffing all the people as they got on and off! Most people were ok with him, except maybe the bloke whose shoe he dribbled on. We walked around the piers and Fisherman's Wharf. We saw seals and Alcatraz. We did some shopping in Market Street and wandered around Chinatown and the Financial District. It was a long day but we saw a lot.

Friday we did a little bit more exploring before driving home via my great Uncle Steve's house who lives in between San Francisco and us. (That makes it sound close but its closer to San Francisco than it is us and that's still 2 hours away!) It was great to see family, even if I was a young teenager when he moved out here. 

Now we are exhausted after our grand tour. I still love San Francisco more than LA, although Pasadena and Santa Monica are nice. Here's a few snaps of the trip.
H

NOTES ON BLINDNESS

During the wet and cold days here I have managed to sort stuff out, or use them for reading or creating whilst often berating the fact its raining and miserable outside. Then I found this short film on one of the blogs I follow. This film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and won many awards.

The film follows the actual recordings from a tape diary of John Hull, a man who progressively becomes fully blind and records his thoughts and feeling via tape. It really made me value the gift of sight with respect to my love of creativity but also helps me to see into the extreme emotions which are attached to visual memories. I love the style its filmed in too. Definitely worth a watch though as a warning it might bring a tear.

A.