the weekend.

[our sweet boy.]

We had a busy weekend.

Friday night we went out for burgers. Of course, you can’t just get a burger around here. You have get a BURGER. Like, would you like beef, chicken, tofu, or ahi tuna? Okay, would you like 1/3lb, 2/3 lb, or 1 lb? Great. And what are your 5 topping choices, out of these possible 20? And for a sauce — any of these 15, none of which are ketchup. What about a premium topping? Hmm? Oh, those are the ones that cost $1 each, on top of the 5 you’ve already chosen. Now, what kind of bun would you like? Wonderful! Now, moving on to our french fry options…

Ohmygoodness. Just give me a burger with pickles, ketchup, and mustard, and let’s be done!

We stumbled across a used bookstore that was having a storewide 50% off sale. Sweet. I found a couple of “Intro to the Orchestra” sorts of books, with CDs included. And a National Geographic pictorial history of the 20th century. And a book on immunizations that Ryan thought we should have. And a few very old, very sweet chapter books that I can’t wait to read. And stuff like that.

Poor Jameson. He can barely sit through Good Night Moon, and I’m already ready to have him sit through an entire CD of opera.

Moving on…

Saturday, we got out promptly and headed to San Francisco! I was dying to go and explore a little bit. From where we live, deep in the valley, we can see the awesome fog from the San Fransisco Bay billowing over the mountains that separate us — and those mysterious clouds have peaked my curiosity! Although Ryan and I went for a super-fast visit to the city last time we were here in California, we didn’t see much, and so I was ready.

First: the bridge.

Goodness, it was freezing! We knew enough to dress in pants and layers for a visit to San Fransisco, but being on the bridge was more than just cool — it was frigid! Of course, once we got a distance away, and I could see the cloud we’d been standing in, I understood why the arctic weather.

I’ve gotta say, that bridge deserves all the hype it gets. The view of the city, the tempestuous Bay, and of course, the ominous Alcatraz, and all covered in fog, is just about as dramatic as it gets.

As we headed for some shopping off of Castro St, we were delighted to discover that beneath all of that fog was a beautiful sunny day. What a funny city.

So, we strolled and had bagels and bought one of these (yes!), and, then had our fill of rainbow flags and the people who parade them, and headed to Union Square. We went here. Cool, nice store, helpful people, but not the hippest. You know. I was thinking something more like this.

We passed by a few “buskers” on the street (musicians), and although they were terrible, they found a rapt audience in Jameson. I have noticed a complete fascination with stringed instruments. He loves to play the piano, and I’m sure a drum set would intrigue him, but he stops dead in his tracks when Aunt Julia or Papa or Aunt Liana pull out an instrument with strings. So, we happened upon a violinist and a guitarist, and he loved them both. (Babies are so kind about overlooking severe lack of talent!) There will be pictures of that soon, but I’ll wait and let Ryan post them, since he already knows which are his favorite. :)

We ate dinner at a totally boring spot, but after walking and walking and not having a clue of where to go for some food, it worked. And then we drove back home, away from the cloud that hovers over the bay, away toward a moon just rising, with a serene reflection on the water… Breathless.

And then…

Sunday, after church, Ryan felt it quite necessary to drive to Gilroy, Garlic Capital of the World. This is where your garlic is most likely grown. It’s what Gilroy does. In fact, as you step out of your car and the breeze hits you, you will know without a doubt that you have reached Garlic City. The third weekend of July is when they hold their annual Garlic Festival, where you can try things like chocolate-garlic ice cream, or if you prefer something a bit more standard, garlic-chicken stir fry. The food is HOT with garlic, and yes, you can taste the garlic in the ice cream.

However, as novel as all of that sounds in a guidebook, it’s NOT WORTH IT! We drove in terrible traffic on a blazing hot Sunday afternoon for well over an hour, only to find ourselves in a vast, dusty field, still quite a hike from any festival. When we finally reached the tents, we found that there was food, and, well, that was it. It was just a huge fair with garlic stir fry instead of cotton candy. Hot, incredibly dusty, and dehydrated, we quickly purchased a garlicky lunch and headed back towards home.

I had to laugh at Ryan, who looked like he’d been riding a horse all day. His jeans were just covered in dusty dirt.

Are you still reading? If you are, my apologies. This is getting less and less inspired of a post. So.

Since all I can think about is making dinner, I’ll go attend to that. And I’ll leave you with these.

2 Comments the weekend.

  1. diane

    I really love reading even your “less inspired” writings of travel around CA. Brings back memories of an endlessly sunny, hot and dusty summer I spent in San Juan Bautista. I even played an extra in the movie “Big Faust and Little Halsey”, with lots of motorcycles and desert terrain. How I longed for a good north country thunderstorm. Your little man looks like great company and antidote to lonesomeness. Your quest for adventure will keep you enthralled with the mystery and foreign land-ness of west coast. Your house looks like your home already. How’s the church search going? That will no doubt take longer. With all your life spent with one church family, a small miracle will be required to replace that. I only say that knowing that our God specializes in miracles and He is faithful. I’ll pray for that! God is so good! Can’t wait to hear how he delivers! Thanks for your writing! Love, Diane

    Reply
  2. LisaCriscitello

    Thanks for sharing your adventures with us North Country folk who can only imagine those beautiful mountains and all their wonder!
    Sounds like you are all doing well.
    And Danica, stop apologizing for long, detailed entries. Has anyone ever asked you to please wrap it up because they were tired of hearing about you guys or thought you were being too lengthy in your posts? No.
    SO WRITE LIKE THE WIND, GIRL!!!

    Reply

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