Sunday 11 September 2016

Last day...planking on a tram :)

Wings were picking us up at lunchtime so we literally had JUST enough time to get the MUNI into town, ride, hang off and plank a tram UP the hill.... and then DOWN again ...before flying home.
It was the perfect end to a wonderful holiday.
San Francisco, you were fantastic.
Chris and Emily, THANKYOU SO MUCH.
Children, Where to next?














Let's go GIANTS! AT&T PARK.

It was turning out to be a brilliant day.

Alcatraz...
a super burger from the Ferry Building...
 the Ghiradelli chocolate shop...
a selection of tee shirts...
an hour in the sun..

AND THEN THE BALL GAME!
OH. MY. WORD.

What a brilliant end to a brilliant day.

It was milder than it had been all week so there was no need for all the layers we had taken.
The turkey and cranberry carvery was AWESOME.
The beer was delicious (at that price per pint we tasted every sip)
Nem was called Plain Jane for having a salt free pretzel. 
Giants lost.
Arizona D-Backs won.
We didn't care.
It was all so so brilliant.
I can't even think of a word to tell y'all (!) how brilliant it was.

(FABFABFABFABFAB)




They were filming outside the ground when we arrived and I was going to nip behind the presenters to get on tele....


but I went ONE STEP BETTER!!!!
This is ONLY the absolute superstar Rich Aurilia!!!!


 (I had to Google him haha)


Look at where AT&T Park is situated, what a beautiful setting.

















Saturday 10 September 2016

Alcatraz





Break the rules and you go to prison, break the prison rules and you go to Alcatraz.


I have no idea where Nem stole the penguin from but on arrival at Alcatraz she would have had to strip off and walk through these showers....


....before being taken to her cell.



#dontbenaughty


 Bells went to visit her.


I went to visit her too.


AS DAD  SAID
"ALWAYS GO THROUGH LIFE TRYING TO DO THE RIGHT THING"


We nearly didn't make it to Alcatraz.
It was actually the day we ALL jogged along the Embarcadero.
We were on the MUNI by 8.10am for a 9.10am ferry but when it stopped and the driver said
 "Everybody OFF!" at Mission Rock we had to RUN FOR IT.

Thank goodness Husb's calf muscle was firing again.
Thank goodness the Bellies were in trainers not flip flops.
Thank goodness we didn't have much to carry.
Thank goodness we are a fit family.
Thank goodness we just made it at 9.09am.

It was so worth the exertion. 

The only disappointment was we weren't able to see the recreation yard so there were no planks.
(But don't forget we had had to run to get there.)





There was an interesting installation in one of the prison out buildings.
The Number Pi
made up of 100 NFL football shirts hanging on hemp rope with a large 3.





 The 100 NFL shirts hang on hemp rope- a reference to non violent drug use. The 3 on green astroturf refers to the phrase "Go on the green carpet" ie "Go to court." Long sentences are often called "football shirts".


There was a happy ending to our visit.

 Even Nem was allowed to leave Alcatraz.



MUIR WOODS and roof terrace BBQ



Yes, but, it wasn't just a tree was it, Ali?
These were the magnificent redwoods.
The tallest trees in the world. 





 John Kent bought this forest to protect the Redwoods and to prevent the Water Board from damming and flooding the valley. However, he wanted no credit for it, just because he was rich enough to be able to afford to buy it, so the forest was named after his friend William Muir, another naturalist.









It isn't the easiest of places to get to but we sweet talked Antony from City Sightseeing Buses to let us buy an "Add-On" which basically meant we got a ferry to Sausalito and then  hopped onto Bwormer's Muir Woods bus. (After a second Sausalito fish and chip lunch) 



These trees can even survive fire.
Although this tree stump in the middle looks burnt out, there was enough life in its roots underground that new shoots grew and are now the surrounding trunks.




Nice trunk!








We made it all the way up to Camp Alice Eastwood...well, we like climbing, and it was so peaceful amongst these beautiful trees. 



It really wasn't "Just a tree"


The Muir Woods shop is ace but we had a bus to catch and a ferry after that so we had to be quick. There's always time for a Bear Pic though.






And after the ferry back to San Francisco...


...it was Barbie-on-the-Roof Night. 

YET ANOTHER FANTASTIC DAY :)