Walk #4 Russian Hill South

Our hearts were saddened/shocked at the unexpected loss of a dear co-worker at Malibu today. John 'Walkabout' Sisson passed this morning from a brain aneurysm. John was 44 years old a character and a half!! This guy could have been a stand-up comedian. He lived life with a passion and will never be forgotten. We decided today would be the perfect day to lift John's family and friends up in prayer while surrounding ourselves in the beauty of our Creator, and our life Master. When it is my time, I'll request to be placed in John's area of heaven - since his arrival, it will be known as the LAUGHTER ZONE, I'm sure!!!

The walk begins at the corner of Polk and Greenwich. We took the bus to about .50 mile from the starting line but could have easily walked the mile from our home - just thought we'd save our legs in case the stairs gave us a beating! Thankfully, they did not.

Our first set of garden stairways were on a little-known stairway that I found STUNNING! It was a GREAT time of the year with many flowers in full bloom - even my favorite - the Clivia!!

Known as "one of the most attractive FERN gardens!" Beautiful! Felt like a jungle.

By far, this photo is my favorite. These were all taken with my iPhone 4G!! Amazing huh!? I did not use any app to touch any of them up either. Love the purple flowers in this one, signifying LIFE, 'knock and the door shall be open unto you.' Luke 11:9

In the book, they suggest you turn around at this point and walk back due to 'uneven footing'. Yes, the cobblestones were difficult but we decided we would be OK and continued through to Taylor.

Love the lighting, God was with us....that's a lot of steps!!

We saw the next set of steps on Broadway and we each had a different reaction!

Dick counted 162 steps. The RunKeeper app calculated an elevation change from

194 ft above sea level up to 390 ft! That is an INCLINE!!!

While on Broadway, this gate caught my eye. It was saying:

'Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise.

Give thanks to him and praise his name.' Psalm 100:4

Saw this flyer. Seriously? Um, YUP!

Here is the house. Man not included.

So many beautiful doorways that are grabbing my attendion today.

Once the home of the Folger family....as in the coffee!

Ah, at the end of the road, ICE CREAM!!! Perfect!

Swensen's ORIGINAL! It's been at this location since 1948.

A total of 2.22 miles for the route in the book. We decided we had enough strength to make it home so we walked home giving a total of 3.54 miles walked. I really enjoyed the beauty of the gardens on this particular walk. I love how the gardens feel like secret little secluded areas of a big city. Again, as other gardens we've seen, these gardens are maintained mostly by the residents in the area. I just love that!

Please keep the Sisson family in your prayers, live each day to its fullest and make sure to express your love to the ones you love! Thank you!

A PR for me at the pool!!

Yup, FINALLY tried it and I was successful!! Funny thing about me that I discovered in this particular event.......I don't do things unless I KNOW inside that I will get the results I am trying to achieve. Interesting.

So today Dick and I ran to the pool - just a short 1/2 mile. I entered the pool feeling really good. I decided after the first 20 lengths that I should try to swim 1 mile without stopping, adding fins or a kick board. I set the pace, kept with it and finished the 64 lengths in 30 minutes. I liked that!

Also when entering the pool, I set the goal of swimming for 1 hour straight. I put the fins on, did 20 with the kick board, 20 freestyle with fins and wanted to finish the rest of this second mile freestyle without fins. After swimming 10 I had to got potty. I got out of my lane, went to the bathroom, came back and an older man was swimming in my lane!!! Should I ask them to swim 3 in a lane or just leave. I chose the later. He was an older man, I didn't want to cause anything so I picked up my fins, kick board, flips, goggles and swim cap and headed back to the locker room. Ah well, not 2 miles in the pool but 1 ENTIRE mile, non-stop in 30 minutes! I'll take it!! Anything extra was, fluff!! YEA!!

Then, took my favorite long way home. I really enjoy the hills of San Francisco. I know. Weird huh? I LOVE the challenge they give me in my walks/runs!! I really feel it in my legs and I know 'THIS must be good for me!!" ahhaha!!! So, I walked the Lyon St. stairs - TWICE and headed over on Green St. I don't usually take Green, but wanted to give it a go. The flowers are in bloom right now so I needed to check out the Green Street gardens! And were there HILLS!!

I took a few pics along the way.....

I LOVE this garden! Shrubs in the front, and inside each shrub is a yellow Clivia! Amazing!!

Only in SF here. REAL 'blown Easter eggs'!! Individually hung on their shrub. Unreal!!

Spring is here, truly my favorite time of the year! Enjoy!

Walk #1 from Stairway Walks book

After completing two of the walks in the book, we decided to "start at the very beginning, a very good place to start!" :-)

But, before we started out, Dick went on our morning run, and I took Gabby for a nice long walk instead. It was a glorious morning and she needed to go to her favorite spot. Here are some nice shots along the way.

The morning sun on The Palace!

Gabby isn't paying attention to the swan!!

We decided to take the bus to the start of the walk. It was about a 1/2 hour bus ride, always interesting.....We thought we would grab some lunch during our walk but we were hungry as we walked from where the bus dropped us off to our starting point. We passed 'The Andersen Bakery' and the chicken sandwich was calling our name so we stopped and shared a sandwich. GREAT decision!! It was so good and we wouldn't see another food place that we would want to jump into until the walk was OVER!

We walked to the starting point and began the route of:

Yerba Buena Cove, Telegraph Hill and Chinatown.

The Union Bank, originally he Bank of California, founded in 1864! We were hesitant to walk in because we were dressed in our running gear. Glad we did!! The 'doorman' was so sweet and welcomed us right in!! He wanted to make sure we saw the artifacts and invited us downstairs to the museum to see an even larger display! We enjoyed the items in the lobby and thought we'd wait until we had Tay or another 'coin collector' with us to spend more time in the museum. It was absolutely beautiful and elegant! Notice the CEILING!!!

As our first set of steps approached, I think I heard Dickey gasp! Oh my!! According to my RunKeeper application, we started at 160 ft above sea level and ended at 220 ft! It doesn't sound like much but that is some hill right there!!
But, the view was speechless!! Transamerica Pyramid and Bank of America building. Gotta love it!! It was a little cloudy over here. At our house it was blue skies!! Come on sunshine!!!
How did we do as a couple and directions? Well........let's just say, we had to have a THIRD opinion. God sent him at the PERFECT time!! Thank you God!! We disagreed and here came this man/angel. He works in the financial district and eats his lunch up here most days. He gave us the correct directions while sharing a little of his life!

Him: Did you guys go to the end of Calhoun?

Us: Well, instead of doing a U-turn at the end, we just looked down the way.

Him: Oh Ok, that'll work.

Us: So do we go this way, back up to Montgomery to get to the 'Filbert steps'?

Him: Yup, that is what you'll do. I like to come up here, or over to the steps one block up to eat my lunch. It breaks up my day.

Us: What do you do?

Him: I work at a firm. I am in charge of creating the files for our clients retirement portfolios. It really doesn't define ME because it is a really boring job. But, it pays the bills for my family. I can show up to work like this! (Points to his clothing while wiping the sweat off of his forehead) Yea, everyone else in my office are 'Suits' but not me. My boss is cool with this. (Shows clothing again)

Us: Well, thanks a lot for the directions! Enjoy your lunch!!

Him: Ok. Thanks! Bye!

In the book it states that we'd come across friendly people, willing to help, and we did!!

So, onto the Filbert steps! Get READY!!!

This pic is looking into ONE of the many little private entry's along the descent.

Picturesque!

Yes, we STARTED at the top and walk the stairway down. You've got to do it to appreciate it! Can you see the stairway in that greenery? Pretty well hidden and spectacular!!

Right before the last set, we saw this bench. Funny because while walking through this JUNGLE, I said to Dick, "We aren't in Kansas anymore!"

This was taken looking UP to where we started. It says in the book that people REPELLED on this hillside in order to plant all of this vegetation!! It also states that usually there is one person, or the neighbors that maintain the gardens and the city supplies the water. Can you see the purple?

At the end of the walk, we pass through the heart of Chinatown. Here, in Portsmouth Square is the "outdoor living room of Chinatown.' Chinatown is a 25 block area. In this area is the first tent swelling in Yerba Buena in 1835!

Told ya, we were in the middle of it!! I love it though. I'll be back to shop in these stores!

I HAD to stop and listen to this guy! I have no idea what the name of this 'instrument' is but it has only ONE string. Very impressive! I gave him $2 to take his picture and he started playing, "Yankee Doodle"! hahahah!!!

Turning left on Grant to California. Old St. Mary's, the first Catholic cathedral in San Francisco, dedicated in 1854. It was rebuilt after being damaged, not destroyed in the 1906 earthquake. It is still an active parish!

OK, so this is NOT in the book, but HAD to stop and take a pic!! hahahah

We did not check this place out, maybe next time!!

I checked the iPhone for the #30 bus route back home so we walked over to the nearby stop 1.5 hours later, 3.64 miles walked and 700 foot combined climb!!! It was an enjoyable walk! Having it end at the church as our last 'attraction' was fitting because here we were, on this beautiful Monday afternoon, strolling through the streets of SF! Couldn't feel more blessed to have this time to share, laugh til my sides ache from the humor of Dick Nash while feeling the sun/son, shine down on our happy faces!

Go to the Symphony! Take a Roller Coaster Ride!!!

Today was a volunteer day with the Symphony. I was unable to attend last week and my co-workers were happy to see me this week! Aw, so sweet! So nice working with happy people!! Peggy and I were able to catch up. She attends MANY musical events in the city, is a graduate of Brown University and a character and a half!! We enjoy sharing adventures and making each other laugh. We were short one person at our table so all of us had to WORK today!! No worries, thankfully we enjoy helping others and accomplished our goals.

After glancing over the program, I was a little disappointed.....a piece from Larcher called 'Red and Green' (2010) - Not sure about you but to me NEW Symphonic music is mystifying yet peculiar.

We listened to Ronald Gallman, the Director of Education and Youth Orchestra give the lecture beforehand. He did an EXCELLENT job and was very knowledgeable and entertaining. After his lecture, he held a question/answer with the composer Larcher himself! Yup, this young man was present and discussed his musical background, where he gets his inspiration from and what he wants us to gain from listening to his piece. Next, appeared in the audience, took a seat right across the aisle from me, and opened a HUGE yellow manuscript of the music - this thing was 36" high and 24" wide, then he opened it and it doubled!! I could see the small print of each instrument, lining the pages! I thought, YES, we are in for a TREAT today!!!

In my 'notes' to talk to Peggy next month about were these:

Breaking Glass

Enormous FLIES

Enormous Bumble Bees

Amazing use of dynamics

An Accordion in the symphony? OK

Loud 'scales' no melody

Thousands of mosquitoes!!

Nerve racking

Annoying

Made me nervous

MURDER!

Needless to say, I was glad THAT was over!! One of my other volunteer friends, Dick, he is in his 80's and we joke with each other all of the time. Why do I just LOVE old men? Hmmmm....that is another blog.....Anyway, Dick happened to sit behind me. He tapped me on the shoulder and I turned around. He said, "What did you think of that?" I said, "Hmmm....not really my style. Felt like I was in a room full of mosquitoes, bumble bees and flies!!" He said, "Wait until the Violin Concerto!"
Not sure if it was planned to happen this way, but it did.....the next two pieces were extremely enjoyable. Was it because we had THAT to compare? Hmmmm.... Next on the list was Vaughan Williams - A London Symphony (1933). Still 'young' in the music world but very much enjoyable.

Then.......IT HAPPENED. I was moved to tears, once again by the San Francisco Symphony. It was a magical. It was angelic. It was heavenly. It was the most beautiful piece I have ever witnessed in my entire life. I know, I've said that before, but this one was REALLY THE ONE!!! It was Mendelssohn - Violin Concerto in E minor, Opus 64 (1844).

The Concertmaster Alexander Barantschik is the one that made everyone cry! We've heard him perform in the past and I think he made us cry at that time too. He played the "1742 Guarnerius del Gesu violin owned by Ferdinand David, who is believed to have played it in the world premiere of THIS Concerto in 1845!" This violin is in the Fine Arts Museum, "with the stipulation that it be played only by artists worthy of the instrument and its legacy." (Taken from the program notes - gotta give credit where credit is due right?)

Anyway, the concerto opens with immediate entry of the solo violin. THAT is when I stopped breathing. This piece moves you! There are parts that are so sweet, then a time of extremely FAST, difficult runs, back to very romantic and moving. What a roller coaster ride!!!

When it was over, I turned around to see what Dick had to say. I said, "THAT. is my style!!!" He said, "And THAT is why they call it 'the song of the angels'! The reason why we are all here!!" Gotta love this guy!! WOW! Very well said!! I can only hope that when I die, I get to hear this all the while I'm in Heaven, God willing!

Priceless!

We went to Merced last weekend and we always feel so blessed when we travel back home. So fortunate to be able to make it down and spend some quality time with the ones we love. Truly, in all the world, nothing else really matters than having the time and energy to hug the ones that mean the most in this crazy world we all live in!

My list of memorable times would be:

1. Staying at my Mom's, sipping on coffee and having leisurely mornings with her. So thankful.

2. Coloring, hugging and dancing with our grandbaby Kaelyn.

3. Attending church and praising God with our long time, amazing friends, having lunch and celebrating a birthday of one of these friends.

4. Enjoying a movie, laughter, good eats and sharing love with Andrew, Erika, Grace and Kaelyn.

5. Kaelyn saying again and again, "You're MY MAMA!" over and over, emphasis on "MY" - melting my heart!! I love it!!!

6. Hearing Kaelyn say, "I want PaPa hold me."

7. While waiting for everyone to get ready for dinner, Kaelyn used my compact mirror and I took a few pics. A few are a little blurry but still precious.

As we left, of course there were tears.....I talked to Kaelyn about how we will see each other in a few days (not really until the end of the month, but thankfully she doesn't know 'time' yet). She calmed down and we were able to depart on a good note.

On Monday morning we left Merced after another leisurely morning with my Mom and Frank. We had planned to meet with one of Dick's BEST FRIENDS from elementary school. We met up with Randy in Stockton and enjoyed a 4 HOUR LUNCH!!!! 4 HOURS??? REALLY??? Yes! He is a GREAT guy - hmmm, surprised? A friend of Dick's and a GREAT person? Just for the record, my hubs has AMAZING friends and I am ever so grateful that they call me THEIR friend. What a blessing!! Randy began his career as an Episcopalian priest. He is married and has 6 children. After disagreeing with the Episcopal Church on many levels, and researching how the Catholic Church met his intellect and beliefs, he became a Catholic Priest. Now, you say, what? a Catholic priest that is married and has children? That cannot happen!! Well, it did and does happen. There are about 4 priests with this status in California and about 80 in the nation!

Our lunch began with the reminiscence of Kindergarten through high school memories, followed by deep discussions on Catholicism, religion, and the Bible, followed by more reminiscing of bygone years and of current events. He is a very easy going, easy to laugh, intelligent, love for God kind of a guy! Seriously, if neither of us had anything else to do, we'd STILL be sitting at Carrow's in Stockton TALKING!! Dick and I had to go to the bathroom soooooooo bad afterwards. We both agreed, neither one of us wanted to leave the conversation in case we would miss something!

We look forward to another visit, meeting his family and perhaps even hearing him preach on a Sunday Service. He is a priest for a lock down facility of 18 - 25 year olds in Stockton. Once or twice a month he will preach at a church in Stockton, outside of the facility. We'd love to take Taylor to one of his services too.

We had to pick Gabby up from her "shared custody" parents - David and Vasi. We arrived just in time for dinner!! Perfect timing!!!

Just a little lobster to begin, followed by a 5 cheese ravioli, and topping off with vanilla ice cream with Chocolate Merlot sauce.

Gabby hated to leave - always a good time with her "Big Mom and Big Dad"!

Today, we went for our daily run and I could not help but to stop and smell the purple blooms, looming out next to the incredible GGB.

Ah, life is precious. Grab a hold of it each and every day because in an instant it all can change. Thank you God for all of the blessings you've bestowed on us. May we use these blessings to help others.