We had arranged to stay with our friend Kathleen in San Francisco as soon as we arrived and not pick up our car.
We managed not to accumulate any extra baggage on the trip and landed with the same bags we left with. We did, however, accumulate a few personal pounds after eating our way around Europe!
As I left the UK I had noticed some new floaters in my right eye and felt that my vision was a little different. Diane inquired of the friend we were staying with if there was some form of "walk-in" clinic for eye-care that we could access. Very quickly our friend Kathleen had organized a visit to the Ophthalmology Department of UCSF on an emergency basis. The bottom line, after a very thorough examination, was a small retinal detachment that was repaired that same afternoon. I was fortunate in receiving this attention, as it is apparently very important to catch these small detachments before they grow large and more serious.
On a much lighter note, we learned that there was an exhibition of over 60 Turner paintings at the de Young Fine Arts Museum and we paid a visit as the museum opened. This was a good strategy as the museum was not very crowded, so we were able to see the paintings up close. The works exhibited were Turner's later paintings as well as a number of unfinished works.
It does seem a bit odd taking photographs of original paintings, but the photos do serve to remind us of these remarkable creations.
We also saw these remarkable works of art, all wire sculptures. I was taken by the shadows they cast on the walls.
Ruth Asawa was the artist.
The view from the tower at the de Young.
Some graffiti as we drove by. You have to love San Francisco.
After a few days in San Francisco, we made our way to Berkeley to visit a friend who used to live in Ashland. We decided to take BART, our first use of the system. To get to BART we used Uber, another first for us. We used Uber and Flywheel with mixed results. The first trip was very good, the driver had worked for Uber for three years and was helpful in telling us about the Company. The next two rides gave us drivers we had some difficulty understanding, but we did get to our destinations.
BART was a bit of a disappointment. We were expecting something a bit better from one of the world's centers of Hi Tech. It did, however get us where we needed to be!
Our friend Jane and her lovely dog Tawny as she showed us around the Berkeley campus.
The campanile, which we were told, is the third tallest such structure in the world, and has a total of 61 bells. The tower was modeled after the campanile in Piazza San Marco, Venice, which is the world's tallest.
We also dined in the Berkeley City Club, which was built by the architect Julia Morgan in 1929. Julia Morgan also designed Hearst Castle.
Some iced latte's were in order!
Loved this building.
From Berkeley we once again took BART to Fremont where we were picked up by our daughter-in-law Pauline. We had a short visit with the family and picked up our car, which we had left with them while we were traveling.
A really nice farmer's market in downtown San Jose.
Flowers as well.
David suggested I try "sports mode" on my camera, which takes a rapid series of photographs and then you can pick the one you like. You can end up with a lot of shots if you are not careful!
It was very hot during our stay, so the grand-kids wanted to see if you could fry an egg on the back patio! (We left it a bit late in the day, so it didn't work this time).
We had a lovely visit with family and friends, but it was time to begin heading back to Oregon.
Next stop, Arcata, for a short stay in the cool.
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