on a walk

Beautiful sky on my walk this morning. Makes you wish you were camping. Or maybe that's just me.

road tripping: high hand, part two

If you missed it, I introduced my love of The High Hand Nursery in Part One.

In addition to the gorgeous nursery and it's natural beauty, seen here: 

So pretty!

High Hand features a beautiful restaurant called "The Conservatory."

Lunch Time!

If you decide to make time for lunch at the Conservatory, I recommend making reservations, as it is a very popular lunch spot. They specialize in using fresh, local ingredients, some of which are grown right on the property. I had a very nice Caprese sandwich, which was fresh and delicious, accompanied by an ice cold glass of lemonade. The Conservatory is essentially a greenhouse, and can be quite warm on a hot day, but large fans and plenty of shade keep things pleasant inside.

Stay tuned for Part Three, where we'll go inside the fruit sheds and enjoy the boutiques within!

The Conservatory

day out: the city

I had a somewhat rare opportunity to work in "The City" (San Francisco) on Friday, and took the opportunity between work and meeting friends to do two very important things. 

First things first, I visited The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf to pick up my beloved Vanilla Ice Blended--a holdover addiction from my SoCal days. Have you had one of these? Highly recommended if you find yourself either on Market Street just East of the San Francisco Centre, or on pretty much every street corner in Los Angeles, San Diego or their surrounding areas. Please do not branch out into other flavors your first time out. The Ice Blended is to be experienced in vanilla. Vanilla!

From the Stockton end of Maiden Lane

Then I took my lovely drink on the road for a trip down Memory Lane, in the form of Union Square's Maiden Lane. Every Christmas season, my family made a pilgrimage to Union Square to look at shop windows, have lunch out and generally feel like suburban rubes in the urban jungle. My favorite things to see were Macy's shop windows, the huge tree through the middle of Neiman Marcus, the old Crate and Barrel store (that no longer exists) on Grant Street, which felt like it was seventeen stories tall with a new exciting thing around every corner and up every staircase (I was a kid, why did I care about housewares?), and, last but not least, Maiden Lane. 

Britex Fabrics

Union Square is loud, bustling and can be a little hard on the senses, but making the turn into Maiden Lane, the city crowds and noises fade to the background. The lane is closed to traffic, and is a great pedestrian throughway between Stockton and Kearny.

Xanadu Gallery

There are a few cafes and a few shops, chief among them Britex Fabrics and the back entrance to Gumps. I also recommend taking a stroll through what is now called the Xanadu Gallery. The gallery is the only Frank Lloyd Wright building in San Francisco, and it's worth a trip. The tan brick facade hides a beautiful swirling interior that will remind you of Wright's Guggenheim Museum, but was built first! 

Mostly, though, Maiden Lane is a lovely respite from the sounds of the city, and a fun place to window shop. It runs between Stockton and Kearny one half block North of Geary, adjacent to Union Square.

Looking down Maiden Lane toward Union Square
and the Westin St. Francis

road tripping: high hand, part one

An antique truck welcomes
visitors in the parking lot

A few years ago, I was introduced to the High Hand Nursery in Loomis, California. Ever since, whenever I'm passing by on I-80, I am tempted to stop in. This July, I made sure to pass through town at lunchtime, so I was not only able to enjoy their lush nursery and ever-expanding collection of boutiques inside the fruit sheds, but also have a lovely lunch in their conservatory.

The High Hand Nursery is located on Taylor Street in downtown Loomis, adjacent to the historical fruit sheds, in which the Loomis Fruit Growers' Association members packed their fruit for shipping all over the country, starting in 1901. (There is a great history of the building on the Loomis News website.)

If you only have time for a quick trip, especially on a hot day, I recommend getting yourself an iced coffee or tea and finding a shady spot under the misters in the nursery. The combination of the plants, the fine mist coming down from above and soothing music wafting throughout offer a respite from the heat and noise of the "real world," even on the hottest days. Around every bend in the path that winds through the nursery there seems to be an inviting bench inviting you to sit. Even if you only have fifteen or twenty minutes to spend, I am willing to bet you will leave feeling restored.

Plants are displayed on antique trucks,
stoves and in fruit crates.

I have a notoriously black thumb, and most plants that have the misfortune to come under my care leave me barely clinging to life (and go into the hands of my sister, who rescues and resuscitates them). Even I, however, am tempted into plant ownership and care when I walk through the nursery. The plants are arranged in striking color combinations and with a sense of whimsy. As a visual merchandiser, I can really appreciate the effort that goes into making creative and inviting displays, as well as a fun and relaxing environment in which to shop.

On my next post, I'll describe the wonderful shops inside the former fruit sheds, and High Hand's restaurant, The Conservatory.

Looking at the historic fruit shed from the nursery.

on a walk

If I had my druthers, I'd be out on a walk every single night during "magic hour." Those few minutes from Sunset to Twilight are my favorite time of day. Something wonderful happens when the light turns golden and starts turning everything around you into instant nostalgia. Long shadows and a cool breeze on summer nights are heaven.

Okay, I admit I instagrammed the leaves, but Ruffin' the dog is au natural, I promise.

Should we make a pact to go out and enjoy the summer evenings more often? A walk downtown, an iced tea at a corner cafe, a great conversation with a friend or a stranger, an impromptu backyard barbecue with the neighbors--I've got the burgers if you've got the buns--I could go on and on and on....Happy Summer Nights to you and yours.

out and about: the presidio

A restored building near the Main Post Lawn

When my mom and I first visited the Presidio, I was in junior high school, and what is now a National Park was an active Army base. My mom took me on a tour she’d read about in the paper. I don’t remember being allowed into any of the buildings, but we walked around the nearly empty streets and learned when the buildings had been built, who they’d been built for and what they were used for at the time.

My mom and I have always shared a love of historic places and buildings. She loves to imagine the people who once occupied a space, their lives, their families, exactly how they used each room. I, on the other hand, like the broad strokes. I like to know the history, but I’m more interested in how to preserve that history while making a space useful now. Perhaps selfishly, every home I walk into, I imagine living in. If it needs refurbishment, I imagine how it could be accomplished. I decorate it, choose paint colors, and wonder if I could find historic photos of it in order to restore it to its former beauty.

So, all those years ago, the Presidio was a wonderful playground for my imagination, lovely homes in all shapes and sizes separated by lawns instead of fences, barracks that looked more like grand homes themselves, than rooming halls. I loved it.

A lot of the buildings were not in use, and even those that were inhabited were in desperate need of paint and TLC. Even then, however, the Presidio’s natural beauty was breathtaking. I remember the incredible quiet of the place. We ate lunch at a snack bar that overlooked Crissy Field and the San Francisco Bay, with views of the Golden Gate Bridge and the Marin Headlands beyond, and lovely as it was, no one was eating there but us! On a patio overlooking a Top Ten List kind of view of the city, we saw that almost no one was walking on the Main Post Lawn. Here was a place that had been built to be inhabited by hundreds, thousands of soldiers, and it felt abandoned. The Presidio was in a state of transition—no longer needed as an Army Post, but not yet sure what the future held. It left me with an impression of deep loneliness, if a place can be lonely. In retrospect, it was a place that wanted desperately to be inhabited, to be used.

 

Who wouldn't want to work here?

I’ve visited the Presidio a few times since, and continue to be excited over how much use and activity these beautiful spaces are getting now that it has transitioned from Army Post to National Park. It looks to me as though, little by little, the buildings are being exquisitely restored by The Presidio Trust and inhabited by all kinds of businesses and organizations. It feels a bit like a small town within the city of San Francisco. The quiet that I experienced as a child still exists, it is one of the most peaceful places I’ve visited in The City, but there also exists a sort of hum of use, of a space being occupied and enjoyed in this era while paying thoughtful respect to its past.

On my most recent trip, I was excited to see that most of the Main Post Structures are in daily use, and have been for a while. They now house the Presidio Trust and an information building for the Golden Gate National Recreation Area (which the Presidio is now part of), both of which have exhibits on the history of the park; and also the Walt Disney Family Museum, which I've heard great things about from friends, but have yet to visit myself. There are also restaurants scattered around the Presidio, ranging from a Starbucks, to upscale snack bars and lunch spots, to fine dining. 

 

The inviting front porch of the inn

Most notably, the beautifully restored Inn at the Presidio showcases a gorgeous restoration of the historical Pershing Hall, which once housed unmarried army officers and is listed on the National Register of Historical Places. The inn is a masterful example of mixing a painstakingly accurate restoration and seismic retrofitting of a historic building with the conveniences and luxury that contemporary visitors expect of a boutique hotel. I was thoroughly impressed by the entire place and immediately began an imaginary vacation there, which consisted mostly of wiling away hours at a time sipping lemonade on the front porch rocking chairs.

When I got home, I was so excited about the restoration of the inn that I did a little research and found a Youtube video that The Presidio Trust posted about the restoration process:

The Presidio is vast, and it feels like several visits wouldn’t be enough to uncover all of its quiet corners and stunning vistas. A park ranger at the Information Post suggested getting a lay of the land on the free “PresidiGo” shuttle, which I will have to save for my next visit when I have a little more time. This time, I contented myself with walking the perimeter of the Main Post lawn and taking in the views, and perhaps (mentally) moving into a few of the homes I drove by on my way back to the real world. Upon moving in, my first purchase would definitely have to be a rocking chair for the front porch. Until then, I'll just enjoy the views, the history, and the miraculous calm and quiet in the middle of a major city.

The Main Post Lawn, looking toward the Marin Headlands

out and about: the ferry building

I had one of those strange weekends where everyone I know seemed to be out of town or busy working...so I took myself on an outing.

It was an unoriginal outing, as the Ferry Building in San Francisco is one of my favorite places, but the amazing weather beckoned, as did the people watching opportunity--I arrived right around the time the St. Patrick's day parade was breaking up. 

I always worry over what to eat, with so many excellent choices, so I took the pressure off by shopping around a little. These beautiful succulents at The Gardener caught my eye. Everyone says they're the easiest plants to take care of, but I kill them just as easily as all of the other plants that fall into my hands, so, for me, they're best enjoyed under someone else's care.

Geez, I still love books. Yes, I have a Kindle....but I still love looking through and touching and smelling books. It always warms my heart to see how busy this store, Book Passage, is.

Ended up eating at Cowgirl Creamery. Can't go wrong with a grilled cheese with their apple chutney. 

Took another jaunt around, walked over to Embarcadero Center to see if there was anything I need at the SF Giants Dugout Store, and then realized I'd left without Gelato, and headed back over to the Ferry Building.

The crowds can be a little crazy after a while, so I took my Gelato over to the public walkway on Pier 1, next door, and enjoyed the incredible sunshine and a bench all to myself. My bench came with a great view back at the Ferry Building and a wonderful sense of calm, just what I needed to make it a perfect afternoon outing!

favorite things and places: heath ceramics

More and more, I find myself drawn to handmade, locally made goods, and in that vein, I've come to really love Heath Ceramics. Made here in the San Francisco Bay Area for over 65 years, these beautiful pieces are shockingly rich in color and feel great in your hands.

I cannot walk by their small stall at the SF Ferry Building without picking something up and holding it--every piece seems made to be held, if that makes sense. I love timeless design, and I love that it's all made here. Everything in their space seems cared for--carefully arranged, lovingly made. I don't know, it may be time to give in and feed my bowl addiction.

on a walk

On a walk this morning I noticed these flowers, who, only a couple of days ago, had just been weeds. Nature is cool. That is all.

around the bay

I recently had the opportunity to combine two of my favorite things: old buildings and a good old fashioned library book sale! I joined my sister and a good friend in San Rafael for a sweet little book sale in their Carnegie Library. I live a few blocks from a Carnegie Library and have come to really enjoy seeing them dotted around small towns in Northern California. I haven't done much research...I know for sure of one in Niles (Fremont) and one in Nevada City. Maybe I will make a project of finding and visiting more.

I always try to find at least one special book at each sale. This time I picked up this amazing little cookbook--a 1950 compilation of favorite restaurant recipes from around the country.

I was especially intrigued by this recipe for "Marshmallow Dressing" from the Nut Tree in Vacaville, CA. And I love the illustrations of each restaurant.

The Nut Tree was a roadside hotspot along I-80 that was still around when I was in college, though long past its glory days. Its name remains, but in its place stands a big box strip mall. Sad face. At least we can all still, um, *enjoy* Marshmallow dressing. In case you can't read the find print on this photo, yes, that sixth ingredient IS MAYONNAISE!! Yum! Oh Mid-century culinary trends, what would we do without you?

vintage find

vintage find!

Currently OBSESSED with my new dessert set. I found these beautiful dishes at the White Elephant sale in Oakland, which benefits the Oakland Museum of California. The sale takes place once a year in a huge warehouse and I always find a little something that I can't live without. This year these dishes jumped out at me, even though they're pretty close to the last thing I need. I spent $12 on the set of eight placesettings--not too bad, huh? They are marked Fortecrisa, Mexico. From what I've found online, which is very, very little, they're possibly depression era. Whenever they're from, they're gorgeous and I can't wait to have a few ladies over for cake and coffee! In the meantime, I treated myself to some coffee and cheesecake.