What better way to start your day than with a ride down the crookedest street in San Francisco? (I can actually think of LOTS of other ways to start the day, but what the heck?) Thanks to G**gle for the bird's eye view. We didn't have that vantage point. Snaking our way down Lombard Street made me ever mindful of the size our rented hoopty wagon! Felt like I could see us coming and going!
The beautiful landscape to remind all the tourists that people really do live on this street!
Poor stop sign. It has one job in this life.
Mr. Snark fulfilled a dream by driving down this street...in real life. He's driven down it thousands of times on a racing game. Not sure reality was as thrilling as video. But hey, strike it off the list!
Can you imagine being the fabricator who had to make the cut on this garage door? He was probably a good geometry student.
Our next stop was not really on my list of "SF Must Sees, " but my friend KHB issued a rather adamant request: "I better see a picture of you with The Painted Ladies." So off we went to find them. Along with LOTS of other folks. Turned out to be a really nice park at Alamo Square. We enjoyed a little stroll and the scenery and even got the picture for KHB.
WARNING: tree branch.
Our next stop, almost got omitted from our trip by accident. But in our trek away from Alamo Square, Mr. Snark saw a Russian flag flying and that jogged his memory. We are so glad it did! In all my searching for places to eat, I found a Russian bakery and cafe. Yippee-skippy!!! With each of my three short term mission trips to Ukraine, my love, appreciation and respect for that culture deepened. The food, the history, people, the language,..the food! I realize that Ukraine is an independent nation. I acknowledge and celebrate that. My travels were focused on eastern Ukraine where neighboring Russia has a strong presence in Ukrainian culture. The shared history has not been pleasant...days long ago or in days recently passed. I ache for friends...the reports of those unable to leave the war zone...the ones who left but have family that remained...those who find themselves on opposite sides of the conflict. As I enjoyed my visit to this little bakery/cafe, I prayed that Ukraine would once again enjoy peace; that communities would be restored and that a day would come that would see my return to a place that holds a special place in my heart. Amen.
Menu of Russian/Ukrainian goodness!!! I didn't quite no where to start.
I REALLY wanted to...but I didn't. I have tiny regrets.
Mushroom blintchkies. Basically crepes...stuffed with 'shrooms. 'Shrooms are huge in Russian/Ukrainian cooking. And of course, sour cream. YUM!
Pelmini. Little dumplings, like ravioli. Inside is a little meatball, seasoned with dill and onions and garlic and oh, my goodness!!! Anna was our cook/chief housekeeper when we were in Ukraine. And most anytime we ate at the mission house, she made pelmini. I tried to make them. They were good, but not like Anna's. These? It was like Anna was in their kitchen. But she wasn't, because I looked!
I promised him that he would enjoy his pelmini and he did.
Wallpaper in the cafe's bathroom. Matroyshka dolls! I giggled. To get to the bathroom, you leave the cafe, walk through the kitchen that is next door. That's when I looked to see if my Anna was there. She wasn't, but there was a kitchen full straight up Russians! I really wanted to spout a stream of Russian to thank them for my delicious meal and tell them what a joy their little bakery/cafe is. But what Russian I speak is limited to various and random words that I have learned hanging out with my Littlest Friend. The best I could have said was "Mah-lah dee-yetz," which is "good job!"
Maybe next time.
With our bellies full of good Russian food...so good that we talked about it for the rest of the trip and continue talking about it these many weeks later...on to the next point in our adventure. Mr. Snark was navigating particularly to Baker Street. And I asked him why that street was so special.
THIS is why Baker Street is/was so special! Behold,The Palace of Fine Arts Theatre. It was just so beautiful! And free! We didn't have time to stroll all through it, but it was gorgeous to just stand there.
And the whole time we were standing there, I kept telling Mr. Snark that it would be an amazing place for wedding photos or senior pictures.
And I want you to know, there was a wedding shoot going on! I was positively gleeful! Sweet, young Asian couple. She looked like a fairy tale princess.
The wedding director in me was ITCHING to get in there and fluff her train and smooth back her wispy hair. I really wanted to tell the photographer and his assistant that the reason the wind would not pick up her veil is because it was too short and too heavy. But that would have been way creepier than me just standing there...staring, right?
And, off we go!
I am very thankful that Mr. Snark loves to drive and that he is so very good at it. Traffic in San Francisco is NO joke. I didn't drive the first mile on this trip. I didn't even move the car from one parking place to another.
Our view from The Marin Headlands
I think this is where I first uttered the question that followed me during the entirety of our trip:
"Whose life is this?!"
Given where I came from...the pretty desperate times that marked my childhood...to see where my life has taken me has a rather dizzying effect. And it makes me oh so very grateful.
So, we're standing in line to use the bathroom and she came roaring down the hill. Clad in a leather jacket that looked more like a second skin that mere outerwear...extremely fierce and slightly frightening...like the villain from a "James Bond" movie.
I cannot tell you the last time I heard that song. Sister and I watched that show every week. And I didn't miss a single word as I sang along. My water bill will probably be late getting paid, but I could sing every word to a song I haven't heard in more than twenty years
Me, too, Steve. Me, too.
Getting to Jenner, California is like getting to SMALLtown, Georgia. You have to mean to be going there. What's so special about Jenner? It is the home to Fort Ross. What is Fort Ross? I am so glad you asked! Click here to find out! Yep, more Russians! Oh, and we drove through the Russian River valley to get there. Sooooo beautiful!
That book is a telling of the Russian fairy tale "The Firebird." This summer, a few friends and I came together to rally around another friend who just needed support and encouragement. We started referring to ourselves as "The Firebirds." There will be trials in this life and fires come...God uses them to refine us and make us more like the image of Christ. What comes out of the fire is more beautiful and stronger than what went in.
Random clusters of these very pretty lilies were all over the grounds of the fort.
I couldn't help but overhear part of a conversation of another group of visitors. One of the ladies was telling how her grandparents came to America from Russia. She was probably my mother's age, so her grandparents would have been in Russia at the time of The Revolution. The lady said that any time her grandmother would start to talk about life in Russia, her grandfather was quick to quiet her or change the subject.
Looking very long and tall in his L*vi's!
We didn't properly attend preaching on this Lord's Day, but we did offer a grateful prayer in the little chapel. Mr. Snark rang the bell as we left.
It was a very sweet, little chapel.
The fort is right along the Pacific Coast. I love the smell of the sea.
Big, shaggy eucalyptus tree. Not native to California and rather an invasive species.
Along the Russian River.
Comments
Post a Comment