To Frisco and Back in the Blink of an Eye

It was just a week ago that I was packing our suitcases for our trip to San Francisco but as I write the bags have already been emptied and the last of the holiday laundry has been washed and put away.  I’m not sure where the time went but I know we had fun.

We left the clouds behind as we sailed under the Lion’s Gate Bridge and out of Vancouver last Monday afternoon.

  

They say a red sky at night is a sailor’s delight and that proved to be the case.  The weather was perfect for the remainder of our trip.

After a lazy Tuesday at sea the cruise portion of our holiday came to an end when our ship passed beneath the Golden Gate Bridge and into San Francisco Bay on Wednesday morning.   

After checking into our hotel we spent the afternoon shopping.  Or rather, Alison and I shopped and the guys patiently tagged along.  A few weeks before we left for our trip I’d learned that ArtFibers was reopening in a new location, which just happened to be on the same street as our hotel.  It had to be a sign, I’m sure of it.

ArtFibers is not your ordinary yarn store.  It carries only its own line of yarns, which are wound onto cones and sold by the yard.  There are samples knit up in almost every colour of every yarn, along with suggested yardages for common projects such as sweaters and scarves.  If you like, you can indulge in a little “yarn tasting” and try out the yarns for yourself before you make your final choices.  There were so many beautiful yarns it was hard to decide but I finally narrowed it down to four.

  

Just after we arrived at the shop and began looking around I heard some familiar voices.  A quick peek at their faces confirmed my suspicions—it was Jenny and Nicole from Stash & Burn.  They were there checking out the new store and recording their next podcast.  I have been a longtime fan of their podcast and am a member of their Ravelry group so it was a pleasure to meet them in person.

The next day we went on a wine tour in the Napa Valley.  We visited four wineries in all and each had its own style and offered a different experience.  We tasted all sorts of different wines, had an amazing picnic lunch, saw grapes being crushed, and toured a vineyard.

  

That evening we had a delicious seafood dinner at Fishermans Wharf before heading back to the hotel to watch the Giants beat the Atlanta Braves in the first game of the playoffs.

We’d planned to go to Alcatraz on Friday but discovered that there were no more tours available until the following day so we did some other touristy things instead.

We rode the cable cars,

checked out the crookedest street in the world,

and spent some more time at Fishermans Wharf, where we did a bit of shopping and were thoroughly entertained by some California sea lions,

There was an airshow going on and we got a good look at The Blue Angels and a few other performers.

After another seafood dinner we returned to the hotel for our last evening.  Once again we tuned into the Giants game but this time they were beaten by the Braves in extra innings.

Saturday morning it was time to say goodbye to the sunshine and head back to rainy Vancouver.  As much as I enjoyed our holiday it was good to return home, despite the weather.  Tomorrow we celebrate Thanksgiving and I am looking forward to having the family together for turkey dinner.  With great kids, good health, and a grandchild on the way we have a lot to be thankful for.

And yarn, of course.  Every day I am thankful for yarn.