Art, tea and architecture...

Yesterday, we went to Fresno, to see Tiffany's one woman show in ceramics. Tiffany Schmierer is a former art student of mine, who moved to San Francisco about ten years ago and received her MFA at the San Francisco Art Institute. Reina drove the long drive from San Fran to Fresno, we stopped half way in Los Banos a small town to eat at a Mexican restaurant for lunch. We had artichoke enchiladas, all three of us are vegetarians. The enchiladas were delicious and they had spicy green chilli sauce for corn chips along with guacamole. After our leisurely lunch we were back on the road again towards Fresno. The long three hour drive allowed us all to get caught up on each other's lives. It had been three years since I had see Tiffany, and since then, she and her husband had bought a house and she is now a full time art teacher at a local community college.

We finally made it to Fresno and Tiffany's art show didn't disappoint us. Her work is thought provoking and whimsical at the same time. I was very happy to see how well Tiffany has blossomed from that young sixteen year old artist I met sixteen years ago!

We drove back to San Francisco, I took a nap in the back seat, and let the two young women catch up. It's very heartening to see how well Reina and Tiff get along with each other.

We ate dinner at an Indian restaurant called Clay Oven, the food was prepared in a similar manner to the way we cook at home. After dinner we took Tiffany home and enjoyed seeing her eclectically designed house.

This morning we woke up late, yesterdays driving was exhausting. We decided to eat at a local Vietnamese restaurant. Eating light was a good plan, since we had reservations at Lovejoy's a local restaurant serving authentic high tea, with scones, cucumber and cheese finger sandwiches. After tea, Reina and I went to an antique store to find a tea cozy for my teapot. I came across the most perfect tea cozy; it's a handmade with lace and dupioni silk. My wonderful daughter insisted on getting the tea cozy for me. It will be a delightful reminder of my visit to San Francisco!

San Francisco, the city by the Bay!

So, here we are my daughter, Reina and I in San Francisco! We got here yesterday and today spent the day going to old haunts Reina used to frequent while she lived here.  We had a great lunch at Chesters in Berkeley. I think, I would enjoy living in Berkeley, very bohemian! After our potato pancakes we headed towards the Golden Gate Bridge, I wanted to be at the base of the bridge looking up at this impressive structure. Lately, I have been interested in digital photography. I enjoy taking pictures from unusual angles. My daughter indulged me and found a way to get us to the base of the Golden Gate Bridge. I was not disappointed, the view was magnificent, and yes, I did get some spectacular shots of the bridge. We also visited a museum by the foundation of the bridge, it is called Fort Point, it's a historic site. We saw numerous cannons and wished my son, Mahesh, who enjoys historical sites and all things related to warfare could have been with us too, to see this quaint museum with it's own bookstore. But, we did the next best thing, bought a great present for him so that he would know he is always with us in our hearts, even when he is physically away from us.

After, our sojourn to the Golden Gate Bridge, we went to an area near the Marina and stopped off to have an afternoon cup of tea with a pastry. Dinner was at Pad Thai-- an incredible Thai restaurant, another one of Reina's favorite places.

As I finish this entry, I am looking out of the window of our hotel, our room is on the 18th floor with a view of this bustling, energetic city. Tomorrow, we will go to Fresno to see the one woman art show of Tiffany Schmierer.