Our first full day in San Francisco we were up early and headed in to the city before traffic was to heavy. We found a little corner coffee shop and I had rhubarb pie for breakfast. The perfect way to start your day!
The kids enjoyed the walk, particularly looking for wildlife and reading the signs posted along the trail.
Two notable discoveries were the deer:
and the banana slug:
I found it particularly interesting to learn that the redwood sorrel is so accustomed to low light that it closes if too much direct light filters through the trees.
On the ride home, we took a different path and crossed the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge for the first time.
I am going to go back to our California trip and try and put down a few thoughts, more likely though it will be a good deal of pictures. Since we have SO many pictures, I'll try and go day by day.
The kids were amazing on the long flight. They played lots of games, the favorite was probably using the old disconnected telephones as boats for their "guys". That took us through the last wiggly hour without any sort of meltdown at all.
Our first afternoon in San Francisco, we went down to Golden Gate Park and had a little walk around, to try and keep the kids awake so they could switch on to California time. They played hide and seek in the very different vegetation, which I couldn't help mentioning over and over.
We also stopped in for a snack and a visit at the de Young Museum's sculpture garden, where Eleanor and Henry made a good impression on the security guard by looking but not touching the sculptures. Eleanor even did a few sculpture impersonations herself.
We checked in to our hotel, which was perfectly situated slightly outside of the city but close enough to walk to Trader Joe's and a few other shops. And, everyone even slept reasonably well.
Eleanor: Dear God, thank you for our food. Thank you for our nice lives and... [long pause, eyes closed in thought] welcome home from California and I hope you have a nice dinner. Amen.
Henry: My turn. Dear God, thank you for our lunch. Thank you for my milk, and my bread and my lettuce.
Eleanor: Now you say "Amen".
Henry: Amen.
Then, a few minutes later...
Henry: Can I say "Dear God" again?
Me: Yes.
Henry: Dear God, thank you for our lunch. Thank you for my bread and my milk and my lettuce and my lunch [pointing to his pasta], and my other bread [pointing to another slice of bread], and my other bread [pointing to the first piece of bread mentioned] and this [pointing to an onion].
Eleanor has said some really sweet and thoughtful blessings lately. I have been meaning to write one or two down but I forget so quickly, so tonight with both of them saying prayers and a piece of paper handy, I just noted it down as it came.
After dinner was over, there was one other sweet moment that I thought might fit here as well.
H: I want chocolate goodies, Mama. E: I want a goody!
