I got home from SF and found that Carnival Season has started! That means basically just one thing so far... KING CAKES

We have a new addition to our house... meet Luray.

 She's a nine year old beagle mix, very well trained, small, quiet and and calm. She's such a good dog, she almost seems like a stuffed animal. She fits right in.

It's been sunny and cold all week. Pretty, but chilly.

Amanda came to visit and spent the week with us. It's always fun when someone comes to town and we have the excuse to go out and eat and enjoy what New Orleans has to offer. We did a lot together, and she had a lot of "firsts," including her first oysters.

 

Another sign that it's Carnival time: spotting king cake / Mardi Gras wreaths on front doors and "Mardi Gras trees" (Christmas trees decorated in gold, green and purple) in yards. I can't wait for Mardi Gras!

I've been trying to hang on to my SF trip, and thinking about all of the places I'd like to see in 2014. I'm starting to plot!

San Francisco - Day four

I told you... there are a lot of photos. My last full day in SF, I went on a little adventure. Golden Gate Park was about an hour's ride from my hotel, so I hopped on the BART to see the park for myself. Mostly, I just wanted to see the American Buffalo.

The park was so beautiful. And so different from parks in Portland, Seattle or NOLA.

I started seeing some signs that I was close to the buffalo...

  

And then, there they were!

 

 

I sat there for a while. Really liked these guys.

 

 

Even though I told myself I wouldn't... I walked back to the hotel. About seven miles in all. 

I couldn't stop!

Painted ladies!

Had to take a photo. I mean...

 

San Francisco - Day three

So... I took a lot of pictures in San Francisco.

Like, a lot.  You've been warned.

My third "real" day in San Fran-- that is, my first day outside of the conference-- started out chilly & cloudy. Which was kind of a bummer, cause the previous days had been so beautiful. But anyway, I got up early and went down to Fisherman's Wharf for a latte & croissant & some sightseeing.

Fisherman's Wharf was actually pretty beautiful. I happened upon a few hundred barking sea lions.

 

From there on, I just wandered. Uptown and downtown. 

The clouds burned off by lunchtime, and I walked up to the Italian section of the city.

 

 I started walking upward, toward the Coit Tower and Telegraph Hill. Didn't see any parrots, though.

Next, headed to Chinatown. Really reminded me of being in Boston's Chinatown (of all things).

 

I really, really like this place.

Finished out at Ghiradelli Square on the way back to the hotel.

"The Girls Are Back!"

Also, I got my first glimpse of the Golden Gate Bridge!

San Francisco - Day two

Day two was much the same in structure to day one. I escaped when I could, to think and breathe fresh air. I am so glad I picked a city so different from where I live. I mean, HILLS. ARE. MAGICAL.

Here's a view of the back entrance of my hotel:

During long days like these, my main concern is always the same: coffee. I am my father's daughter. I did my best to avoid Starbucks-- not because I'm anti-Starbucks necessarily, but because it is just so boring. There are so many other options in a city like this, there's just no reason to go to Starbucks. It's hard to see in this photo, but at this little Italian joint, that's a menu of coffee drinks carved into marble.

 

 

San Francisco is so cute (and instagram-worthy), and it knows it.

 

 On Saturday mornings, there's a farmer's market on the pier, about two minutes from my hotel.

And inside, there's a market of stalls and specialty shops. This is where I stopped every day to pick up breakfast and snacks for the day.

It's hard to see, but this restaurant is along the pier, and has windows for walls, so you can see right out onto the water from every angle.

All in all, another good day. I found some lemons from Hawaii, and we ate dinner together at a delicious organic / vegan / whatever dinner place. I ate foods I can never find in NOLA (braised kale... beet salad... carrot juice... dreamy) and felt pretty great.