sea.{sun}.sand.sanity

 Friday.  

The day I broke the vicious cycle of busy before I let it break me. 

It went a little like this: 

slept in ~ spent 30 minutes looking for a bathing suit top ~ arrived 2 hours late (I'm on Filipino time) to get Mellissa for our Beach Date ~ listened to 90's on 9 aaalllll day ~ made the mandatory caffeine stop before we got on the road ~ grabbed an incredible lunch to-go @ La Boulange on Fillmore: portabella brie sandwich - Parmesan truffle oil fries...oh my!

to the left                                      to the front                                              to the right

Destination: Baker Beach, the weather was perfect, just about 68*, which is warm for this part of the Pacific Coast.

 Inland, where we came from was projected to be 100*+.  Save me now. 

A day with no agenda, no deadline, nothing on the to-do list...just what a girl needed.

“My soul is full of longing
for the secret of the sea,
and the heart of the great ocean
sends a thrilling pulse through me.” 
― Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

The beach was hardly crowded, a handful of people there, couples cuddled up against the breeze, dog walkers, mostly tourists with cameras in hand, gasping at the sight of the GG Bridge from this vantage point.  I had to smile and shake my head at myself, like I occasionally  often do.  Home is home for me, and living this close to such a great landmark and such a great city, well...until I'm reminded, I forget how beautiful my little part of the world is. 

After a nice little nap in the sun, we took a little stroll down the beach to see how close we could get to the Bridge.  Sans shoes, walking barefoot in the sand, we opted not to climb the rocks to crawl under the bridge.  It was windy, self-portraits were challenging, but that was hardly a complaint on such a great day.  Well, no complaints but let me just give you the one caution should you choose to visit: there is a small portion of the beach down near the rocks as you walk towards the bridge, that is "clothing optional" and by "clothing optional" I mean, "really, guy, how do you just let those shrivelly things just hang  all out in the direct sun and not burn them?" 

As we walked off the beach, I saw this little old couple sitting close and I had to sneak a picture of them. He had his arm wrapped around her, she had her hand resting on his knee.  They weren't talking, just sitting there with each other, looking content together and staring out at the sea.  These sights make my heart happy. 

“Because there's nothing more beautiful than the way the ocean refuses to stop kissing the shoreline, no matter how many times it's sent away.” 
― Sarah Kay

A look out point just near the Presidio and just south of the 101 Northbound entrance - these trees, that Bridge, the vastness of the Bay...I could sit and stare for hours.

Crossing the Golden Gate Bridge as seen out of my sunroof, a bucket list item for some, a quick day trip for me.  It's always an awesome sight no matter how many times I get to see it.

One of these days, I do believe I will have to create 

The Sunroof Series: A Photojournal as Seen from my Car in Motion 

I have a tradition, no trip to the beach is complete without stopping at Guymas for dinner, which is right on the Bay, a ferry port in Tiburon.  We timed it just right and hit happy hour: $2 oyster shooters, street tacos, and appetizers.  

A stroll through the Friday night street fair and a couple of wildberry mojitos  later, I couldn't help but notice that the drink must have gotten it's purple inspiration from the the colors that the sun was using to paint portraits in the sky.  

I simply cannot get enough of the sunsets/sunrises in the last few weeks.  

This picture is just as my camera took it, no filter, no edit, no added saturation.  

The sky is just incredible this time of year but a visit to the San Francisco Bay is good any day of the year.  

When the lights go down in the City
And the sun shines on the bay
Do I want to be there in my City

~ Journey