Bare Mtn Farm

Quotable Sunday 12/29/2013


The Farmers in San Francisco

In the seasons of raising flowers there are not too many days off where we can go many places.  However we like to make the trip to California at least one every other year to see Farmer Tony's family.  They live north of San Francisco in a suburb named Novato in Marin County. 

After a very gorgeous drive down to California, a lovely holiday of food, presents and family, we planned a trip into the city. That is what, San Francisco  is called, "the city"   The plans were to take the ferry from Larkspur to the city, see the Ferry Street Market, go to the Farmers' market there, go to the San Francisco Flower Market, have a lovely lunch at my sister-in-law's favorite restaurant and see the sights. But the plans didn't quite go the way we were hoping.  Here is the story with photos.

 Here we are leaving Larkspur on a beautiful sunny morning.  Meet Farmer Tony's younger sister Vicky.

Gliding past San Quentin prison and Alcatraz, former prison, the day is bright and my excitement is building. I love going to the city and with a new camera we are playing the part of tourists to the hilt.

Coming into the city, we snap a few gorgeous photos of the San Francisco Belle paddleboat and the Coit Tower in the distance.

The Ferry Street Market place, the docks and the beautiful city scape.

Excitedly we leave the ferry and head to the Farmers' market.....which we have been to before on a previous trip but for some reason we can not find this time.  After asking for information we set off to another locale where the market is.

 Bummer #1  Two booths do not make a market.  Turns out that the day after Christmas is not much of a market. Seems everyone is taking this day off.   Loads of tourists are milling around but there is nothing really to see.  So we are checking the phone for directions to the San Francisco Flower Market.  According to Vicky's phone it is walkable but a bit of a hike.  So still smiling, off we go.

Okay, it turns out that this walk is more a endless hike uphill, downhill and cross blocks that seem like miles. It is warm and we are getting tired but determined because I have seen photos of all the beautiful flowers and I so want to see it and share it with Vicky. 

So we walk and walk and walk...stop for a coffee and walk on.  What have I got us into I keep thinking.  But the payoff will be so worth it, gorgeous flowers everywhere.

Finally, the market appears but..... there is nothing there.  Bummer #2

According to the last vendor who was closing up, the market was technically closed the day after Christmas.  He said it was okay to wander around inside so we did, which only continued to bum me out more. A daunting hike to no flowers.

All the vendors I have heard about, followed and dreamed of seeing, were locked up and absent.  Crap, I am thinking, this day is not going as planned, can it get much worse.

So we make the looong hike back to the Ferry Street Market.  We encountered all kinds of people and all kinds of neighborhoods. But finally we were back at the water front, tired and hungry.

Bummer #3 It turns out that the restaurant that Vicky wanted to take us to, was also closed for the day after Christmas.  Three for three....strikeout.  Not the day I had planned.  

The Ferry Street Market turned out to be a lot of fun.  Lots of shops to poke through, lots of things to taste and lots of people having a good time.

So finally spending a bit of time in the bookstore and grabbing another coffee; it was time to take the ferry back home.  While the ride on the ferry took about 40 minutes to go to the city, the ride home took about 25 minutes.  Once we left the pier, we were really booking it on the water.  The wind was cold and the ferry was bouncing along but the sights of the city as we left were so magnificent. That was so fun!

 In the twilight of the evening, the city is gorgeous.  Despite the days' plans going awry, we had a good time.  Lesson learned.....come to California before Christmas and go to the city before the holiday. 
With the Golden Gate Bridge fading in the distance, and the sun setting at the end of a fun day,  San Francisco is wonderful place ....and  we vowed to return to the city when everything is open.

"The Bay Area is so beautiful, I hesitate to preach about heaven while I'm here. "
~Billy Graham