San Francisco, June 10-11

Dear Friends and Relatives,

Just letting all of you know that I have made it to my first summer destination, San Francisco, which for the past two days has been registering 96-100 degrees Fahrenheit during the day, but cooling off quite a bit at night.  Tomorrow, however, has been predicted to be cooler, so I will be looking forward to that, as Maureen does not have air conditioning

I left on Monday, June 10 at 4:00 a.m., as I had a flight at 6:00 a.m.  The hour was ungodly, and yet the circumstances were even worse.  On June 9, at about 1:30 p.m., Hart and I were eating lunch when we noticed how menacing the sky looked—dark, billowy clouds which boded no good.  We had barely eaten the pizza we had ordered when a torrential rain descended, along with straight-line winds.  At one point, the building was shaking and a whiteout of about 30 seconds occurred.  I was sure my car had suffered, and was wondering where we could hide if conditions proceeded further.  Finally, after about 10 minutes, the rain and winds stopped, we walked to my car (which was intact: thank God!) and drove home, noticing all kinds of tree branches draped over houses, power lines, cars, etc.  Threading our way back home to Hart’s house, we saw a few downed tree limbs, but also discovered that the electricity was out—a condition that persisted through the rest of the afternoon, through the night, and into the morning of my departure.  It was odd trying to wash, dress, and pack in the darkness, with only the light of the flashlight to guide you.  Note to self:  buy at least 3 flashlights, as I would have been totally in the dark had I been at my apartment!  

Most of the Dallas Metroplex was without power when the Yellow cab picked me up at 4:00 a.m., but Dallas Love Field was lit and flights were taking off.  I was truly happy to get away from that calamity and see the friendly skies of San Francisco beckoning to me at the end of the 3 hour, 16 minute flight.  I retrieved my luggage and was out by the curb in about 10 minutes when Maureen swung by to pick me up. It is so good to see her again, as she is now bionically outfitted with a new pacemaker.  She seems her old self, and aside from tiring a bit more easily than usual, she is doing very well.  

I was absolutely famished, having had nothing since the night before, so Maureen fixed us both omelets, English muffins, orange slices, and plenty of strong coffee, which revived me tremendously.  We spent the day examining the apartment complex she lives in.  She has a one-bedroom apartment, and has created a wonderful nest for itself, culminating in a balcony featuring plants and a Norfolk pine, and a view of an inner courtyard consisting of a fountain, roses, hydrangeas, agapanthus, alstromeria, bromeliads, and ornamental grasses.  She drove me around South San Francisco’s downtown, to a large construction site which has obliterated a lovely seaside restaurant we had patronized last time I was here—now replaced by the multiple high rises of the Genentech Pharmaceutical Company.  We stopped and bought some sourdough bread for the evening, and then came back for a lunch of cold squash/zucchini soup, followed later by a dinner of homemade chicken, sourdough bread with a dipping of olive oil; sliced tomatoes, and fresh rapberries and blueberries.  After that we watched a full episode of Ken Burns’s incredible documentary of the Roosevelts, focusing, in this segment, on Theodore Roosevelt.  A small dish of mango sorbet and chocolate chunk ice cream rounded things out, and as the evening proceeded, it got cooler and we were able to drift off.  

This morning, Maureen made French toast and sausage patties, and afterwards we got ready to go to the de Young and the Legion of Honor museums.  At the de Young, we saw an exhibit on Gauguin entitled “Gauguin—A Spiritual Journey.”  It was the first exhibition at the Fine Arts Museums dedicated to the work of Paul Gauguin (1848–1903).  There were more than fifty Gauguin paintings, wood carvings, and ceramics from the collections of the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, Copenhagen.  Along with these pieces, Oceanic art and Gauguin works on paper from the Fine Arts Museums’ permanent collections, were presented.  The exhibition explores Gauguin’s inner quests and imaginings—his spiritual journey—and how his intimate relationships with his wife, other artists, and people he encountered during his sojourns shaped his experiences, his work, and his development as an artist. 

We also visited a gallery of “Fans of the 18th Century” before driving along the Pacific shoreline to a former bathhouse (Beach Chalet) containing incredible Art Deco murals which I had photographed on my last visit to SF two years ago.  The top floor has a restaurant and a fine view of the ocean, and there we had burgers for lunch.  Maureen told me all about her dad and mother and their adventures, and we passed the hours pleasantly before leaving for the Legion of Honor and three exhibits there:  (1) “Early Rubens,” focusing on what was arguably the artist’s most innovative period of production, from 1608 until about 1620 (see the amazing “Medusa’s Head” in my FB inclusion today); (2) “Small Inventions: Artist’s Books by Charles Hobson,” featuring books as physical embodiments of their textual concepts; and (3) “Fantaisie Francaise:Nineteenth Century Prints from the Vanderryn Collection,” showing the creative energies of printmakers’ studios in France during the 19th century.  

After our museum jaunt, we decided that we needed some ice cream and headed for Humphrey Slocombe, where Maureen had an ice cream which had an almond milk base and I had a Blue Bottle Vietnamese ice cream—both scrumptious and refreshing.  We came back home late afternoon and both took a nap, after which we  had the rest of the chicken salad and soup before watching the second half of the Burns documentary on the Roosevelts.  Must wash dishes before that happens, so good evening to all!  Please check my photos on FB, if interested!  As ever, Sylvia