If You're Going to San Francisco...

be sure to... go see Beach Blanket Babylon and let the show remind you... to wear some flowers in your hair. Wildly hilarious, oft poignant, only a wee bit risque. To sum it up in one word -- outrageous. Each singing, dancing, musical, comedic actor displayed more than anyone's fair share of talent. We were amused and amazed by the costumes and the hats, most of all the hats. We loved it. Can't thank our son, Nathan, enough for getting us tickets to a show in San Francisco about San Francisco.

Before the show we toured the Bay area, crossed the Golden Gate Bridge with the convertible top down. What a view! The day was gorgeous, sunny, warm and slightly breezy. Myriads of boats dotted the bay. Colorful sailboats sped along driven by wind. Kayaks, powered by the brute strength of paddlers, navigated the sea. And right out in the middle, jutting up through the watery space, stood the rocky island of Alcatraz, cold, severe, foreboding. Way over there, Fisherman's Wharf, a much happier place. You can't see everything from one spot...unless you're really high up...so we snaked our way up, up, up the mountain stopping at various lookout points.

Each view proving more incredible than the previous. (All this after the fabulous mountain top views in Colorado. Our senses were on overload, delightfully sated, but we kept drinking it in.)

Enough feasting the eyes, we had to find a place to fill our hungry stomachs, and then off to the show. After Beach Blanket Babylon we found our way to the top of Lombard Street and drove the serpentine roadway with all its hairpin turns back down to the city.

This picture isn't ours. It was dark when we were there, which added to the thrill of driving straight up and zig zagging down. After that we headed for San Jose where we spent the next 3 days sight-seeing, meeting Nathan's friends, going to his church, resting and relaxing at the pool of our hotel.

Here's the worship team practicing an anthem for special music. It's a big church, taking up a third of a city block, and there is a community center in the basement. Grace Baptist Church is a welcoming and affirming fellowship of believers. We felt right at home and enjoyed seeing Nate in his element welcoming the church family, reviewing the announcements, and leading the congregation in the song portion of worship.

Meeting Room

Our Hotel Pool -- refreshing, relaxing, offering time for regrouping,

On Sunday evening we went to Nathan's pastor's home for dinner. Pastor Daryl's lovely and beautiful wife, Tatiana, is from Russia. She served us a fabulous dinner complete with one authentic Russian dish that I can't remember the name of, but my tastebuds long to try again.

Monday was a drive along Highway 1 to the Monterey Bay and beyond. We stopped at a beach and ate our picnic lunch... which a couple of seagulls eagerly hoped we would share.

The Pacific Ocean, the left coast, with its rugged coastline, beautiful pieces of real estate, resort homes, rocky cliffs, beautiful bays...we got a glimpse of all that on our day trip along the Pacific Coast Highway.

The Mustang convertible touring car and our chauffeur.

And of course, the city of San Jose, which is much, much larger than San Francisco. Who knew?

And now we're back in our own little corner of the world. No skyscrapers, metros, city traffic -- home to us is a small town with a charm all its own. No dramatic coastlines, snow capped mountains or Red Rocke Park. The sky here isn't as blue as the Colorado sky, our little town lacks the glitz and cultural advantages of city life. But we have fields, a beaver pond, pastures and French Creek, which we love. And we are content with what we have. Even as we spent a week marveling at another world, a world different from our own, wonderfully diverse and fascinating, we are content to return home.  This is where we live, and breathe, and laugh and love...serving the God who made us and all people everywhere and lavishes his love upon us all. It isn't heaven. But it's a foretaste.

The beaver pond, over yonder in the south forty.