The day began watching a professional class at Pacific Northwest Ballet . While I’ve viewed many classes, the dancers never fail to impress me with their flexibility, grace, and athleticism. Seemingly effortlessly, they get into positions I wouldn’t have been able to manage, even at age 5. Usually, Seattle is gray, misty, and overcast. But yesterday the weather was perfect—blue, … Read More
Seattle – Day 3
I was glad to have gone to the top of the Space Needle yesterday because today started cloudy and never cleared. It seemed a good day to do two of my favorite things in Seattle—go to art galleries and to the Pike Place markets to see the flowers. Pioneer Square has one of my favorite galleries – The Glass House. … Read More
Seattle – Day 4
The prediction was for a gray, chilly day. Fortunately, the forecasters got it wrong. Today has been sunny, though a bit cool. I’ve truly lucked out weatherwise, something to be grateful for in Seattle. I met an old colleague and friend Charlie, and his wife MJ, for breakfast. We hadn’t spent time together since pre-pandemic, so we had a lot … Read More
Super Bloom Road Trip — Day 1
Yesterday I flew south from Seattle to Ontario (just outside of Los Angeles). My friend Jeanne picked me up for a week’s adventure on the Pacific coast. She’s got a truck camper that gives us the freedom to meander and stay overnight in nature. Plus no packing and unpacking. We drove about 90 minutes to Castiac (still in LA county). … Read More
Super Bloom Road Trip – Day 2
Today we meandered on back roads heading north. We had to stay away from the coast because the recent torrential rains caused devastating mudslides. Many of the roads remain closed while crews make repairs. Even inland we saw evidence of both mudslides and forest fires. But the day was beautiful and the wildflowers profuse. There were lupins, Indian paint brush, … Read More
Super Bloom Road Trip – Day 3
Still driving inland because many sections of the coast road remain closed due to the recent flooding, we continued to make our way north. Rather than head quickly on the freeway to the coast and towns we’d both been in, we decided to explore back roads. Jeannie had plotted out a route by looking for the curviest roads she could … Read More
Super Bloom Road Trip – Day 4
As is often the case on the California coast, the morning was overcast and misty—very mysterious looking. We continued our journey north, stopping frequently to admire the view and take short walks. It was so windy, short walks were the most I could manage. At lunch time we arrived at Half Moon Bay, an area I know well because a … Read More
Super Bloom Road Trip – Day 5
Today was our first day of remaining within a small area. We drove to Freestone, a short distance from Bodega Bay. Our first stop was at Wildflour for breakfast. When we arrived the queue to buy loaves of bread, scones, cookies, and coffee was long. The line quickly grew behind us. I understand why. The aroma was exceeded only by … Read More
Super Bloom Road Trip – Day 6
Today was a day trip north from Bodega Bay, up Highway 1 – the Pacific Coast Highway through Sonoma County. It was a perfect day—clear, blue skies with visibility for miles. Because it is early in the season, there wasn’t much traffic. Most of the viewpoints had only a few cars parked at them. We stopped often to admire the … Read More
Super Bloom Road Trip – Day 7
The end of this trip is closing in. Today we headed back to San Francisco, my last chance to savor the gorgeous flowers, epic vistas of coastline and verdant rolling hills as well as more seal sightings. Route 1 heading south from Bodega Bay is not for the faint of heart. Not only are the roads narrow, steep, and winding … Read More