Picnic in the Park

From Collages

I've always been a sucker for a good picnic. When Nik and I lived in Omaha, I made it a point to purchase a cute picnic basket (a Pier 1 special) to use for all my future picnics. A picnic basket is a necessity for the serious picnicker; I always wanted to be a serious picnicker.

Over the years, I've definitely packed some great picnics. During Nik and I's first picnic, I introduced him to brie and he's loved it ever since. I like to keep my picnics simple with small, snacky dishes, and I always throw in some bread and cheese, perfect picnic food.

For today's picnic I had a lot of fresh produce hanging out in the fridge from our CSA box that I wanted to incorporate. The menu consisted of:

Fresh corn salsa with tortilla chips (basic pico de gallo recipe with fresh, blanched corn added)
Spring Mix and strawberry salad with croutons and strawbery balsamic viniagrette (recipe from Vegetarian Times with a few tweaks)
Baguette with brie cheese
Double chocolate brownies
Sparkling Italian white wine

The food was so pretty and delicious. Simple and elegant as picnics should be. Thanks to Nik we had a great secluded spot in Golden Gate Park to enjoy it all. He found a nice clearing, right off of Chain of Lakes. There may not have been any sunshine, but it was a perfect picnic.

SOMA Sunshine

From Drop Box

Summer and sunshine are two things that really don't go together in San Francisco, especially for me a resident of the western edge of the city, a fog shrouded neighborhood known as the Outer Sunset. Each morning I wake up to grey skies and chilly ocean breezes. I put on cable knit tights and sweaters. There is no sunshine and it most likely isn't warm. I make sure to bring a jacket and put gloves in my purse because that ocean wind can go rogue at any moment. I board the N-Judah and it whisks me away to a totally different world, the bayside of the city.

In the summer the bayside can be foggy too, but it can also be sunny and awesome and the complete opposite of what is going on in the Sunset. I take my lunch break from work outside because that California sunshine is too good to waste and too precious to let go when you live in the City. At the end of the day I choose my method of transportation, either the train or the bus. Lately, I'm totally into the bus because the train feels so claustrophobic at rush hour.

Taking the bus means waiting at the soon to be defunct Transbay Terminal, a place that really deserves its own post because it is just that crazy of a place. While there are times you will run into crazy homeless people screaming at nothing, it's usually pretty uneventful. It is also the last few moments I have to soak up some sunshine before heading back into the fog. Yesterday as I waited for the 71-L the sun was in full effect. Glorious SOMA sunshine is amazing and it definitely helps keep the SF summer doldrums at bay.

Saturday Matinee

From Drop Box

The small town I grew up in had a two screen theater, so the Balboa Theater is extra special to me. It's a hold-out in a world full of 30 screen multiplexs boasting digital 3-D and giant IMAX screens (not to say that those things aren't awesome in their own right). There is just something so charming and nostalgic about a small neighborhood theater. Not to mention Balboa has cheap tickets ($9) and popcorn ($5 large), and it is just a short walk across the park from our apartment. It's a great deal and a little slice of history serving up modern day flix. I absolutely love Balboa, even if the seats don't have cup holders.

Beyond Amazing, it's Jumptastic!!!

From Drop Box

Witnessed on Saturday, July 3rd, one giant jumper made to look like Scooby and the gang's Mystery Machine.

This jumper was so amazing that my husband came home from his run in the park and told me to get dressed immediately, so I could go see it for myself. Its glory was something that had to be witnessed in person. I must say it did not disappoint. The picture may not be totally clear, but this jumper had two compartments; one for jumping, and one that contained a giant slide. OMG!!! A jumper lover's dream come true.

Wide Open Spaces

So I'm taking a break from city life for a week. I came back to Kansas to go to my cousin's wedding and to visit with my family and friends. I always enjoy coming back. It's like a totally different world here. A world I spent 20+ years of my life in and love visiting, but one I think would drive me absolutely insane if I had to spend an extended period of time here. It's quiet. There is space everywhere, wide open green space. Unfortunately, it is totally land-locked. Below is a photo of my parent's yard/garden. They own about 1/2 of the block they live on.



Things are a little slower paced, not that I feel that San Francisco is particularly fast-paced, but definitely speedier than Iola, KS. Everyone drives everywhere. Wal-Mart is not only a store but a source of amusement and social interaction. There's a handful of fast food restaurants and a couple sit-down restaurants. People have yards. There is no public transportation. Diversity, not so much. People will always notice things and people that are different and usually have an opinion about them.

I don't say these things to be negative; it really just is the way things are. For some people, it works. For others, like me, a week is about all I can take. I miss the hundreds of restaurants in San Francisco. I miss my Muni chariots. I miss the ocean. I miss the neverending cast of characters I get to see on a daily basis. I miss things going on after 9pm, besides drinking and fornicating of course. I miss the anonymity. I miss everything I could ever want being at my disposal.

I will say, I do like the quiet here, and it's hard to find a spot where the stars are brighter at night. This place has it charms, and it will certainly always be where I came from; but being here always makes me miss San Francisco.

Grass, we don't need no stinkin' grass!

A glorious jumper sighting! Seen on the way back from the Mini-Ortega library branch (currently under construction, check out their construction blog under "All Things Awesome and Amazing").



The sidewalk jumper is just proof of how tenacious and resourceful San Franciscans can be. Don't have a yard, but want to throw an awesome birthday party...no problem, set that shit up on the sidewalk! It's all good.

Backyards Galore!

As promised long ago, this post will be delving into the strange and sometimes elusive creature known as the San Francisco backyard. Given the fact that I live in the Sunset, backyards in my neighborhood are not that rare. However, they are definitely a different beast than the backyards I grew up with in the Midwest. In small town Kansas where I was born and raised, backyards were expansive and green. A blessing in the all the recreation they allowed for, but a curse in the work they required to maintain. In the city, the backyard is not a given. It is a luxury this densely packed area does not give up lightly or cheaply. With more and more condos being built, it is an amenity that many will simply live without. Being lucky enough to have access to a shared backyard, I relish sunny weekends like this one. Weekends where going to the beach or the park would be awesome, but for some reason you don't even want to leave your own backyard because it is just that perfect.

So you might ask, what is so special/weird about San Francisco backyards? First off, they rarely involve grass. You don't see many yards that are just grass fence to fence. I'm sure this has a lot to do with the soil out here being mostly sand and not very conducive to growing grass. They usually involve a lot of concrete or brick, something to keep maintenance to a minimum and to create a nice are for hanging out. For those that have the time and/or money, they are often meticulously landscaped. Sometimes they are just a strange conglomeration of whatever will grow and storage sheds. I think our neighbor's yard falls under this last category.

You can also see just how carefully the land here is parceled out. With houses so close together and yards so small, you definitely want to make sure everyone gets their fair share. Every time I look out and see all the adjoining fences it just makes me think of some crazy jigsaw puzzle or tetris game.

When it comes to our yard, it definitely has a life of it's own. There are parts that have been carefully cultivated and other areas that have just been allowed to grow as they choose. Of course there is the designated lounging area to enjoy our chunk of California sunshine.

Next door on the other side is cat heaven. This shady yard with just the right mix of plants, grass, and concrete is a favorite of the neighborhood cats. They can often be seen soaking up some rays and being lazy back there.

This is just a small snapshot of the diverse backyards that exist here in the city, a subject that is of great interest to me. When space comes at a premium how exactly do people choose to use it?