making a loop in california!

It's Saturday and you know what that means?

Both of my friends were off from work!

This was the first day that I would be in the company of both for nearly the entire time!

So, what to do on this fine day?

Well, a drive into San Francisco was in order, for sure, with a stop in Japantown first on the list.

Cathy was in search of a specific toy for her nephew and that seemed the most likely source.

After that... who knows?

Well, I know, having been out on our route most of the day, right?

Starting with the red balloon, we traveled clockwise along the blue line, ending at Romano's Macaroni Grill for our 6 PM reservation.

What a fabulous adventure!

First things first, though: a good brunch was in order!

Paul and I went to the local farmers' market to see what the possibilities might be.

Oh, my, Rainier cherries!!!

Oh, wow, fresh tamales, too!

He also treated himself to a rhubarb and poison pie and I got two blueberry turnovers for another day.

Then, after our meal, off we went on our expedition into the city!

Japantown reminded me of shops along Gate 2 Street in Okinawa, especially the toy shop with all the characters from the Pokemon movie I watched several times in 2019.

(Hey, Ryan Reynolds was in it!)

The Peace Pagoda was quite lovely and there were a lot of folks soaking up sun and solace in its view... including these two sweetie pies!

Unfortunately, even though we located the Pikachu, and in two different stores, it was far too expensive for an item meant as a toy for a boy.

We hit the pavement, in the car, of course, with Paul taking the route along the historic Fillmore district.

I kept hoping for some jazz in the air, but no such luck.

Another stretch of the legs was in order, and the Fort Mason Center had a craft fair going on - nice!

Well, for me and Cathy it was!

How fun it was to see the seals lounging on the piers amid all the fancy yachts!

What a treat to recognize the movie on the screen as "The Last Waltz", with heart-throb Robbie Robertson!

His voice and his eyes make my heart go pitter pat... and so did the ride Paul took us on next!

Was it a rollercoaster at the Six Flags Discovery Kingdom?

No, we drove past that much later.

I'm talking about the streets of San Francisco, and, just like in the tv show, they move up and down like a crazy dragon!

I'm so glad I wasn't driving!

And, as we continued along our circuit, I'm again glad I wasn't driving when we came to the Golden Gate Bridge.

That gave me the chance to enjoy the sight of the fog, already on its roll inward before 5 PM; and to catch this biker as we passed him; and to take photographs to my heart's content of the red beams rising all around us.

Magnificent!

Many thanks, y'all, for playing tourist with me today!

(smile!)