Farewell to a true friend

We returned to the Bay area on a somber (but joyful) note. Our friend Adrienne passed away on February 20th - she will be greatly missed.



She wrote a poem shortly after she found out she had kidney disease that illustrates the greatest reason we'll miss her.

Let's not wait until we're ready to die,
before we show our love and say good-bye.
But here and now, really try
to do our part and truly care,
by proving the love we do bear.
It can soften lifes blows and woes.
Let's trust in God and His Son who, all things knows
After all, He lived and died and rose
And filled the plan our Father for Him, chose.
And no greater love than that, could any ever impose.

South to see Granny

Granny made her annual winter trip to San Diego, so we made the trek to the sunny south. It's a little warmer there than it is in the Bay area...



And we got to do something new - visit the tidepools in La Jolla...





There were a couple mighty hermit crab hunters along...



And Eileen happened to be in the area; she convinced everyone to stick around for the sunset over the tidepools. It gets a little chilly when the sun starts going down - after all, it is February!

Hanging out with Parker

We had the privilege of hanging out with our 4-year old friend Parker for a couple weeks in January while he was waiting to become a big brother...I think he had fun and I know we did!





Bob and Parker explored the vast wilderness of Bernal Heights Park while Mommy and Suzanne took the easier trail route...



Parker wants to be a farmer, a fireman and a big brother... looks like he got 2 of the 3 this month!

Chinatown alleyways

Speaking of Chinatown, there's this whole dimension of Chinatown we just discovered! Suzanne had the opportunity to go on a tour of Chinatown's alleyways, with a little bonus tour of an SRO (Single Room Occupancy) apartment - the SRO isn't on the regular alleyway tour.

Chinatown is the 2nd most densely populated neighborhood in the U.S., Manhattan being the most densely populated, but Chinatown doesn't have high-rise buildings like Manhattan does. A key contributor to Chinatown's density is that a majority of its population lives in SRO's. Occupants of an SRO rent a single room, usually less than 100 sq ft in size, and share bathrooms and kitchens, usually 1 per floor... now that's compact living! Consequently, outdoor public spaces are the "living room" of the neighborhood. There are a couple large public squares and parks that are well used, but in addition to those spaces, the alleyways have become essential community spaces.



This map is in the middle of Waverly Alley. There are 41 alleys, and recently there has been an effort to enhance the usability of those alleys through lighting, seating, plantings, re-paving, etc. It's a fascinating, San Francisco original experience, complete with a stop at the Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory.

In with 2011

2011 started with a birthday celebration for our friend Adrian - it was also his baby daughter's 1 month birthday!



A couple days later, Ma & Pa came for a visit. In 2 days we gave them the grand, whirlwind tour of the San Francisco highlights including a short walk on Golden Gate Bridge,



...the classic SF view from Alamo Square of the "Painted Ladies",



...an exciting walk around Chinatown including some Chinese food and of course, a stop at a Chinese bakery for some red bean curd buns,





...and some spectacular sunset views of GG Park and GG Bridge.

The Paramount Theater in Oakland!

Who knew there was something in Oakland to write home about? But this is definitely worth writing about! The Paramount Theater in Oakland is a newly renovated, Art Deco theater built in 1931 complete with an organ, several lounges, plenty of plush public space and lots of Art Deco detailing. And they show old movies for $5 several times a month - we got to see "The Wizard of Oz" in Technicolor - along with vintage newsreels and cartoons accompanied by the organ.

Union Sq. the day after Christmas

We decided to brave Union Square the day after Christmas - mostly to check out the novelty of seeing people ice skate in a city that never freezes.





Oddly enough, it wasn't nearly as crazy as you'd think, mostly because so many people leave the city during the holidays. In fact, it's really the best time to visit because the city is relatively empty - not in an eerie way, just pleasantly so.