August 15
My dad and I have made a tradition of going to San Francisco for a few days every summer. We stay with my dad’s childhood friend George and his beautiful girlfriend Nancy (Yes, that is their jaw dropping victorian purple home as pictured above). We set out for the drive around 10 am to avoid any traffic and make sure to always stop in Casa De Fruta to pick up some yummies and stretch our legs. Back in the car and an hour later we reached our destination. We were greeted with open arms and wide smiles. One of my favorite parts about visiting George and Nancy is sitting in their garden, eating some snacks, and catching up on life. Since I only get to see them once a year due to my busy schedule and the fact that I live eight hours away, we have plenty to talk about. Dinner that night consisted of pasta for the vegan (myself) and clam linguini for the adults. We all had a long day and decided to head to bed for an eventful day to follow.
Game day! Luckily I got to sleep in, I am the best at sleeping in, and slowly got ready. We enjoyed fruit for breakfast as well as an avocado english muffin. Soon George’s friend David arrived and we headed out to the bus stop in our Giant’s gear. We then took the BART over to the stadium where our tickets were scanned and we headed to the bleachers to find our seats. What a beautiful day for a game! It was sunny, however, there was a cool breeze to keep your body at the perfect temperature. After a couple innings, I remembered I hadn’t eaten lunch yet and began my journey to find a vegan hot dog. After a couple laps, I finally found it! I returned to my seat to enjoy the rest of the game with my dad, George, and David. It was the last inning and everyone was on their feet. Then a roar of applause and cheers occurred as the Giants took the win!
Since it was a perfect day to be outside, we went for a stroll instead of taking the BART and enjoyed the fact that we could be present in the moment. Once we all agreed that our feet were barking, we hopped on the train and headed back to the house where I made salad and everyone else had some local pizza. After a long discussion over dinner about the fact that I had never seen Casablanca, George found the movie on OnDemand and insisted that we watch it. Life changing. I could write paragraphs on how this movie exceeded my expectations or we can watch it together (this gives me an excuse to watch it again) and then discuss how much our minds were blown.
It’s always so bittersweet packing my bags and saying my goodbye, actually, see you later. I do enjoy sleeping in my own bed and being at home, but I think I enjoy being on the road, traveling, meeting new people, and catching up with old friends even more. George and Nancy are planning on visiting OUR house next in a couple weeks and enjoying long days by the pool. I can’t wait 🙂
Thank you to George and Nancy for opening up your beautiful home to me and my dad as well as feeding us and making sure we felt loved!!!
Exploring the World 