We're in the middle of a ten-day visit to California to get our grandkid fix. Oh, yeah; to see our children, too. We spent a nice weekend with John D. and his family, and now, we're making a stop in San Francisco to see Sonja and Peder. We got here in time to celebrate the first day of spring.

Union Square

We're staying at the Palomar Hotel at Fourth and Market.

Palomar Hotel Building

For my money, San Francisco just keeps on getting better and better. Restoring the old streetcars, not as a tourist attraction, but for everyday use as part of the municipal railway, is just perfect.

I picked the Palomar because it's a hundred yards from this place.

The Apple Store

We came here to do some serious shopping: computer goodies at Apple, camera stuff at Calumet, clothes at Orvis and yarn at Artfibers. Shoppers heaven!

San Francisco is... well... what it is. Where hotel maids are Chinese, not Mexican. Where sushi chefs are Mexican, not Japanese. Where, on the 31 Balboa bus, a guy looking like Rosey Grier got on and sat across from me, wearing a pair of engineer boots, a Minnie Pearl hat, lipstick, and an elegant camel cashmere dress. I didn't dare take his picture.