One of the downsides of urban life is you can get so busy and wrapped up in things that you can find yourself falling out of touch with friends and neighbors. Jerry and Patrick live a short bike ride away from me, and yet I don't see them often. I made up for that a little on Saturday when I joined them for brunch in Alameda. Given the current situation in San Francisco the topic naturally turned to gay marriage, and they told me that they were planning to get married there on Monday. They've been together for about 20 years, and they decided they wanted to make the statement. Good for them!*
On Sunday Becky popped over from Pleasanton and we took my car into the city to meet John Sugden for brunch and general hangout time. We convened at the Seal Rock Inn (link: map of location), kitty-corner from where we parked on our beach walk last weekend. Brunch was delightful, albeit the most memorable moment was when somehow the subject turned to John and his girlfriend and I jokingly started insinuating what they do in the bedroom using a salt and pepper shaker to illustrate (John was pepper). Becky was laughing so hard her eyes were tearing up, and at one moment she chuckled so hard John commented, "We have achieved snort!"
We then adjourned to Clement Street where we rummaged through the vastness of Green Apple Books before migrating to Toy Boat Ice Cream. I had a concoction of ice cream and coffee that was pretty good...but I had to eat it very fast before the ice cream melted. Over this, we read through the fragmentary draft of my script "The Fish Who Cried Wolf", and John had a funny suggestion for the tag which I like a lot.
We parted company there, John off on his various errands, with the image of his girl as a salt shaker forever burned into his temporal lobes. Becky and I walked back to my car but took a side trip and explored Mountain Lake Park (map of location) (link: about the park), where Juan Bautista de Anza camped when he explored the area in preparation for the first settlers to come from Mexico. It's a cute little park with nice views of the titular lake, wedged between the houses of the Richmond District to the south, the Presidio Golf Course to the North and East. It would be idyllic but for the near continuous roar of traffic from Park Presidio to the west, something I suspect de Anza didn't have to listen to.
San Francisco seen from Fort Baker
As we were right by Park Presido and about two minutes from the Golden Gate, I decided to drive across the bridge and go down to Fort Baker (weblink: Fort Baker homepage), yet another of the long abandoned old defensive positions built around the entrance to the bay. This one is on the lee of the northern anchorage of the bridge, and gives great views up at it and of San Francisco, the Bay Bridge, and the various islands. There's a Coast Guard presence here, a little marina, lots of old buildings, and the cement skeletons of gunnery emplacements. Picturesque and quiet, it's a great place to watch the ships passing through the Golden Gate, and a picnic spot I'll have to remember.
There's a lot of renovation going on here, as the place is being turned into a cultural center and has a discovery museum, theater group, etc.
Weblink: page with many photos of the area.
Click here for a somewhat fuzzy picture of me at Ft. Baker!
Becky'd never been to Sausalito, so we drove through it on our way to the Richmond Bridge and back to the east bay. At least she can say she's seen it, even if she's not actually set foot in the place. Me, I've not been there in three years and I wasn't particularly motivated to stop. I'm sure I'll have reason to go again one day. Maybe if they have a decent margarita bar...
*Sadly, Jerry changed his his mind on everything and left poor Patrick in 2005.
