Day 14 :: Public Transportation

http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Cell-service-stays-
on-during-BART-protest-in-SF-2335111.php

BART is one of SF's largest public transport systems, running between SF and the East Bay.

I used to ride their trains to/from work all the time, but with 2 kiddos at different schools we finally gave in and got a second car a few months back. Our 10+ years of carpooling came to an end because practicality won out. {What we needed was more hours in the day, and not having to carpool anymore was a way to "buy" more hours. Or at least minutes.}

Today I'm reminded of the quote "you never know what you have until it's gone" because our BART system might go on strike, over disagreements about their new contract.

If a strike happens, the roads will be JAM PACKED with traffic. So today I'm appreciating the trains and how they keep lots of potential cars and their drivers off the roads. My commute will probably double in duration if all those public transportation riders are on the road with me tomorrow. Oy vey.

Day 13 :: Sushi

http://san-francisco.cityseekr.com/venue/
259183-moki-s-sushi-and-pacific-grill

Our neighborhood sushi spot is Moki's Sushi. We go there about once a week, usually for take-out. But on special occasions we pack up our supplies and head down there for dinner as a family. It's a 10 minute walk, which is nice because the trek there and back tends to tire the girls out. Always a good thing.

Some meals are better than others, in terms of my kids' behavior and our ability to actually relax and enjoy ourselves.

But the service and food is always spot on. We're creatures of habit (an understatement) and we order the same thing every.single.time.  Bernal rolls and BBQ ribs, baby.

And when eating there we tend to splurge and get dessert. Like banana lumpia. SO good.

Their sign out front is a fish, as you can see. When she was a baby, Emily used to make the cutest fish face whenever we passed by. I'm trying to get Charlotte to do the same, but no luck yet. Maybe we need to go more often?!?

Day 12 :: The Zoos

Living in SF we have our city zoo and the Oakland zoo within easy driving distance. We're members at both, but usually stick to the one in town since it's closer.

However, the Oakland zoo has elephants, so when one of us (Emily) gets a hankering for to see some pachyderms, we head over there.

Funny zoo story:

We once saw a brown bear at the San Francisco Zoo trying to balance a rock on his head. He was in the water, and using his clawed paws he was trying to get this brick sized rock on top of his head. He managed to get it up there, and it stayed for a good 5 seconds before falling off into the water. It was hysterical. We got a choppy video of it, which I still chuckle at from time to time.

Day 11 :: North Star

My little corner (or hill, to be precise) of SF is called Bernal Heights. We bought our house 4 years ago this month (!) and have been happy to call this 'hood home ever since. For city living, it's pretty much all we could ask for. Parks, cafes, a library, grocery store, kid's consignment shop, butcher shop, wine bar.

Another perk (since I'm a bit directionally challenged :: an understatement ), is the fact that Bernal's a hill. A small bump of yellow grass with a few trees sticking out on top. It's the only one of it's kind on the horizon, so I can see it from all over the city. That hill is my north star.

Source: http://bernalwood.files.wordpress.com/2013/08/bernalcaltrain0813.jpg

I especially love seeing it on my way back into the city after a long day at work.

As I inch closer and closer to home, I imagine my girls putting on their little shoes, getting ready for me to pick them up from school.

Or if my husband's grabbing them that night, I imagine them all sitting around the table eating dinner. (It would actually be a miracle if that was the scene at home, but hey - it's my daydream.)

Then I imagine them hearing me open the garage door and racing to the front window, their faces lighting up with smiles.

Once I'm inside we'll dance around to a Disney CD, bopping along to the "The Monkey's Uncle." Their favorite. Mine too. I love that hill.

Day 10 :: The Wild Parrots

 

When I got home this evening, I heard all about how today, while playing in our yard with Grammy and Grampa, my daughters saw our "green parrot friends" and heard them "squeaking" overhead.

 

(I love that wild parrots visit us from time to time. And Emily can even identify their "squeak" !)

These parrots are infamous around Telegraph Hill in the city, but they also make appearances in our neck of the woods. We actually hear them flying by quite often - they even landed in our spikey tree, a few years back. (Another rad thing about that tree!)

 

These are some pics I quickly snapped through our screen door when they decided to stop by. (I didn't want to risk opening it and having those curious creatures sneak into our house.)

 

After enjoying the view and breeze for a couple minutes, they up and flew away. Thanks for the visiting guys!

Day 9 :: Sunset

Check out the sunset from our deck. Not too shabby.

 

You can see the top of the birch tree in our neighbor's yard too! Now imagine hearing the swooshing of those leaves while staring at that gorgeous sky. And smile.

Day 8 :: Trees

To shift my attention from the fall landscape I'm missing back in Michigan, I've decided to appreciate the trees right outside our door.

Starting in our very own backyard we have a beast of a tree. A couple months ago we found out it's a Black Acacia. And it was out of control. (So much so, our neighbor requested in writing that we have it trimmed - he was worried it would fall on his house during a storm.) So we hired a few tree trimmers to give that guy some definition. He's a still a beast, but a more shapely beast.













We've also got what we've always referred to as a Spikey Tree (see below). I guess the technical name is Pachira quinata or Pochote, which we also learned from our tree trimmers. Apparently these trees are really rare, and tend to impress all the landscapers who visit our yard. !!

And while not technically ours, the neighbors have a Birch tree in their yard, which is a real treat since I've never seen any others out here. I love the shuffly sound the leaves make when they blow in the wind.

Over the weekend we went on a walk and Emily asked, "Uh, Mama do you know what that tree is? It is bamboo." Who knew she could identify those!? Not me.

Soon after that we passed by a Eucalyptus tree, and she plugged her nose and said "Eww, gross." (We have a million seeded Eucalyptus trees in the bay area, and rumor has it - it's a rumor because I'm too lazy to google it - that they aren't native to this area and actually have an aggressive growing pattern, which threatens some of our local greenery. Yikes.)

Come to think of it, Emily's good at pointing out palm trees too, and wondering about their coconuts.

Most of these trees I couldn't identify until adulthood. So it's pretty cool she's growing up thinking they're just a normal part of nature. Hopefully, with time, we'll help her appreciate how lucky she is to have them at her fingertips.

And there you have it. That's a round-up of our local trees.