and enjoy your weekend, too.
:)

(part one here.)

After grabbing sandwiches at Lucca we drove down the crookedest street in San Francisco and took our lunch to the roof of the Art Institute.

There are great views of the city (above is the tip of the Transamerica Pyramid) and the bay from there (a gritty shot of Alcatraz below).

We then cruised the hallways to get a better look at things...


and found the mural done by Diego Rivera in 1931...


and stumbled upon my nirvana...

...which became even more so when one of the students offered to give us a tour of the lab. The list of equipment that can be checked out was enough to make me tear up but then we walked up a set of stairs and got to see the dark rooms and enlargers and all I can say is that in my next life I am heading straight to this heaven for schooling.

Next, group consensus took us to Musee Mecanique where the vintage arcade games and fortune telling machines whirred and clicked away but you know right where I headed don't you...

Twenty dollars worth of photobooth love with just a little left over for skeeball and gumballs...

Then on with the show...

Our next stop was for gelato and a wander through North Beach. Then off to buy kites, salty snacks and beer for a lounge and some kite flying on the Marina Green. With tired feet and happy smiles we then wound our way home from a perfect day.

This is the window display of the best Italian delicatessen in San Francisco. Mirrors, fake flowers, cheese wheels and striped awnings hide a narrow little interior brimming with hungry folk of all kinds who hold their plastic number and wait to order incredible sandwiches or fresh ravioli and sauce or coveted bottles of imported goods from the boot.

This was the first stop on the "Favorite Places Tour" that our friends Beth, Maggie and Annie invited us to partake in yesterday. There are many good stories and photos of the day but duty calls for now. Suffice it to say that there is an upcoming post filled with art schools and photobooths and kite flying and, and, and...

Ahhh, just to travel to L'autre Bout Du Monde right now would be such a pleasure.

Alas, there is the all important right-here-and-now of my life to attend to. So I will continue with my nose to the grindstone for now. But while I am at it I will listen to Emily Loizeau and dream of faraway lands and know that my future holds beauty and surprises and exciting adventures...

Alicia and Andy lost their beautiful dog Audrey on Wednesday. I lit this candle for her last night.

Oh friend, I am heartbroken.
I will keep you in my thoughts.

The patterned, dappled light through the deep afternoon trees.

_________________
more patterned selves here.

Look at this boy. About to turn thirteen. Barefooted. Dressed all 80's. Playing the drums in a rock band on the stage at the town and country fair.

How does this happen? You know, the growing up part? He is like a beautiful, shiny, perfect balloon pushing me further into my adulthood just by existing. How in the world?

...and then we went on the tilt-a-whirl...


...and then the Yoyo...


...and then the snowcones...


...and then I realized that this? This IS what this lovely, crazy life is all about.

Indeed.

This 'strip' was impulsive and silly and I love how it turned out. The digital booths are usually depressing to me but I messed around with this one and tried to navigate my way through the directions which were all in Japanese. I mean how could I really walk right by? Come to think of it, I AM getting low on my Japanese incense...might be time for another trip into town...
_______________________
Visit the queen of PB here and have a great weekend!

(vanilla bean cupcakes with lemon cream cheese frosting, pink sugar and fresh raspberries)

We made these little yummies last week. So funny how something so simple can bring such delight. They were very, very tasty but I have to admit I was even more enchanted by how they looked.

Vanilla Bean Cupcake
I 'cheat' and use Trader Joe's Madagascar Vanilla Cake mix for the cupcakes. I could do it myself from scratch but these are so good and so eeeeasy...just follow the directions on the box and make sure to let them cool fully before frosting with...

Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
3 TB butter, softened
1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened
1 (16 oz.) box powdered sugar, sifted
2 TB fresh lemon juice (or to taste)
zest of 1 lemon

Combine softened butter and cream cheese, beating until smooth and fluffy (I use my Kitchenaid mixer). Add sugar, lemon juice and zest in several phases until incorporated. This makes more than enough frosting for cupcakes but there is no such thing as too much right?

Decorate.
Smile.
Take photos.
Eat.
Smile.
_____________________
ALSO:

I just realized that I never shared my moo cards with you. I love how they turned out and cannot recommend them more highly. The card stock they use is thick and weighty. Combine that with the matte surface used and you have a very professional and hip little product. I have been using them as business cards and am close to needing more already.

This photo is taken on one of our grandest adventures of the Summer thus far. Bodie State Historic Park is out on the Eastern side of the Sierras and somewhere outside of time.
I love how the patterns in this old decaying wallpaper have imprinted through to the wall, how we could be the ghosts in the mirror.

"A genuine California gold-mining ghost town. Visitors can walk down the deserted streets of a town that once had a population of 10,000 people."


"Only a small part of the town survives."


"Interiors remain as they were left and stocked with goods."


"The remains of Bodie are being preserved in a state of "arrested decay". Today this once thriving mining camp is visited by tourists, howling winds and an occasional ghost."

This place is truly amazing, beautiful and even a touch eerie. Thank goodness there are no silly staged gunfights, or be-costumed people roaming the streets. Honestly several of the most satisfying hours I have spent as a 'tourist' in my life.

The whole photo set is here.

And everyone else's SPC patterns can be found here.

You may have noticed that new little blue box at the top of my sidebar. It shows the tracks that I have most recently listened to while working away. It is a good place to check for little musical hints but today I wanted to highlight some particular favorites...

Most importantly, Andrew Bird.


He lives on a farm in Illinois, writes brilliantly insightful lyrics, plays a mean violin (and this ain't classical music) and is an ardent supporter of the environment. Please do yourself a favor and watch him walk the streets of Paris (in the Montmarte) while singing and playing the song "Spare-Ohs" here. Goosebumps I tell you. And as if that isn't enough, he writes lyrics like...
"I dreamt you were across the room,
And the space between our chairs.
And I was a cartographer
To the tangles in your hair."
Mmm hmm, told you.

Other current stuff worth a spin:
Emily Loizeau
Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova
Feist
A Fine Frenzy
yummy one and all!

So nice to see you - I have missed you all.
Has your Summer been lovely so far?

It seems I missed some very exciting news on our lovely Andrea's photobooth fridayness! How incredibly cool is that? Congrats to you my friend.

I will be back in full swing next week with some of the fruits of me and my happy little camera's labor during my absence. We have been so busy while it has been so quiet around this little spot on the net...

Happy weekend to you :) Please do say hello.