When I lived in San Francisco (many years ago) the Mission District was coming up as one of the cool new neighborhoods to live in. The neighborhood was much rougher then. Now it's a blend of the new wave of people moving in and the folks that have lived there forever. Don't get me wrong, it's not all fancy lofts and boutiques. In fact, it's much better. It has a tremendous amount of character, a unique blend of residents, good food and lots of amazing murals. You can read all about its history here. A few days ago, we met our new friends Gina, Jasmine, JJ, Stella and Bodie for a playdate in the Mission (they live in the neighborhood). We let the kids run wild at the playground for a while and treated them to frozen fruit popsicles.
Next to the park is a community garden. The kids hunted for and ate strawberries and goose berries and ate carrots straight from the ground. They watered plants and gathered limbs. Finnian and I watched the bees fly around the lavender.
After the garden they played more- their energy is astounding to me by the way because it simple never ends! Jasmine did manage a few minutes of quiet time on her Mom's lap though.
Next up was lunch and a walk. Finnian stopped me at one point and asked me to take his picture. His sweet face just melts me.
After more play at a second playground, Gina took us on a tour of Balmy Alley. It's one alley completely covered in amazing murals. Here's a virtual tour for you.
This next one is my favorite!
And, finally, our motley crew all together for a photo. I tried my best to get all 6 to look at me and smile but, of course, that would never happen. So, I did my next favorite thing. I got them all to scream for me. The other alley walkers got a big kick out of it I have to say.
Aric Hoek says:
OK. The image of the mother giving birth is a bit disturbing.
(07.26.10 @ 01:01 AM)
Isn't Heart's Desire the best name for a beach? Or almost anything for that matter? Heart's Desire is a little hidden away beach in the Tomales Bay State Park. It's perfect for kids because the water is a little bit warmer than the ocean water and there are no waves at all.
Finn declared it "the best beach ever!". This declaration was because on that day, on one end of the beach, there were a bunch of washed up jellyfish. After finding out that they didn't sting, the kids spent the rest of the day gathering them, throwing them around, digging holes and burying them. One child, NOT MINE, even put one on their head.
They took a few jellyfish breaks to hunt for cool rocks with barnacles, make sandcastles, bury themselves in the sand and so on but it was pretty much all about the jellyfish.
As for the adults, we supervised the jellyfish effort from afar (ew!), snacked, talked, read books and relaxed. I enjoyed the overcast skies and took pictures.
Alex says:
You guys should come to Newfoundland - there's Heart's Desire, Heart's Content, Heart's Delight... and of course, Dildo Run. hahaha. Beautiful pictures, Farrah. :)
(07.25.10 @ 11:20 AM)
Claudia Eubanks says:
Beautiful pictures!!!!!!! Wow. Makes me want to go.
(07.26.10 @ 10:06 PM)
Rachel says:
I love looking thru these photos and remembering all my fond memories with you and your boys :)
(04.27.11 @ 02:17 PM)
I do have work a little while I am here but, for now, it's all about fun. Today we just played at the park- all day! I hardly took a single photo either. I certainly don't mean to rub salt in the wounds of our fellow Houstonians but we were outside playing for 5 hours today (wearing jeans too!). I even have the sunburn to prove it. The sunburn snuck up on us because it isn't hot so you don't even think about it. The boys played themselves ragged at the children's park and then we had dinner at a really cool spot in the Mission called St Francis Fountain. Finally, I put my super filthy boys into the bath. It's one of the best bathrooms ever by the way. I'm seriously going to miss it when we leave!
Tomorrow I promise to take more pictures! For now, I'm dragging my sunburned self off to bed!
Sabrina @ Southern Grace Photography says:
WHAT A BATHROOM, I agree!!! I can see why you will miss it so much!!!
(07.15.10 @ 02:55 PM)
A few days ago we went to the San Francisco Conservatory of Flowers. They have a special exhibit going on all about carnivorous plants. The boys loved it!
Venus Fly Traps!
The Conservatory is in Golden Gate Park, which is an amazing place as well. It's HUGE! It has paddle boats, a children's park, carousel, museums, BISON, a lake and so much more. It's right in the middle of the city too. It's like Central Park, only bigger and better! After the conservatory we sat outside and had a snack and let the boys have a chance to just run and play. I look over to see what they're up to and it looked like this.
They had created a game where you stand apart and run full force into each other and fall down. In the middle of all the beauty...craziness and destruction! The next round went like this, one person stood still in some sort of funny pose while the other came running up to them in slow motion and crashed into them.
and now the crash!
silly boys...
Note to child protective services: no children were harmed during this photo shoot. The running was done in slow motion. :)
Sendy A. says:
great pics!.. The crash pictures are sooo funny i laughed out loud :D.. Finn is getting so tall!
(07.14.10 @ 07:49 PM)
Fort Point is one of my favorite places. It doesn't seem like much to some I'm sure. I think most everyone can appreciate it's jaw dropping view of the Golden Gate Bridge and some may revel in the military history part of it. Certainly, you get a sense for how BIG the bridge is when you look at it from below. I mean it's really an amazing perspective!
When you are up on top of the fort and the wind is blowing against you (BRRR!) you just pause and think about how amazing it is that they built this bridge! The water is choppy and cold and the elements are all against you. I mean, just the fact that they paint this bridge blows my mind.
(Finnian, looking so small, standing where the cannons used to be mounted on the top level of the fort)
I don't care much about the military history to be honest and the exhibits are sort of ho-hum if you ask me. I do love how it's all cold and formidable. It's super windy and usually foggy, which adds a nice touch. I also love that it's weathered and has an amazing patina over everything. It feels empty and you can easily imagine seeing a ghost if you looked hard enough. But, for me, it's really all about the angles and the light.
The kids were oblivious to the amazing shadow play all around them but they loved it in their own way. Basically, the whole day looked like this:
They loved running around and we played lots of rounds of hide and seek. They loved the cannons that are on display and Sayer even took part in a re-enactment and got to load one of the cannons. He totally acted the part- complete with a full salute before loading. They screamed and ran and laughed and enjoyed themselves. They even
played along while I took pictures.
I could have stayed longer and would have loved to have shot some film!
When you are up on top of the fort and the wind is blowing against you (BRRR!) you just pause and think about how amazing it is that they built this bridge! The water is choppy and cold and the elements are all against you. I mean, just the fact that they paint this bridge blows my mind.(Finnian, looking so small, standing where the cannons used to be mounted on the top level of the fort)I don't care much about the military history to be honest and the exhibits are sort of ho-hum if you ask me. I do love how it's all cold and formidable. It's super windy and usually foggy, which adds a nice touch. I also love that it's weathered and has an amazing patina over everything. It feels empty and you can easily imagine seeing a ghost if you looked hard enough. But, for me, it's really all about the angles and the light.
The kids were oblivious to the amazing shadow play all around them but they loved it in their own way. Basically, the whole day looked like this:They loved running around and we played lots of rounds of hide and seek. They loved the cannons that are on display and Sayer even took part in a re-enactment and got to load one of the cannons. He totally acted the part- complete with a full salute before loading. They screamed and ran and laughed and enjoyed themselves. They even
played along while I took pictures.I could have stayed longer and would have loved to have shot some film!So, my friends, if you are ever in SF, grab your camera and a hoodie and go see Fort Point. I'll be curious to hear what you think about it.
Claudia Eubanks says:
I can see why you like it so much. Beautiful shots.
(07.16.10 @ 04:29 PM)