One evening we were out and stopped by Bernalwood to walk around the hill and enjoy the sunset. It’s located just north of us here in San Francisco. It was a beautiful evening.
The colors were gorgeous
We were slowly headed back to the car when I looked up and saw that Karl (The Fog) was moving in wispy tendrils along the top of Bernal Hill.
Karl was aglow
I must confess. I’m having an affair. Lastech is well aware of it and he even helps me to indulge. You see, I spent the first 37 years of my life in the desert. While the desert can be beautiful, fog, rain and greenery are NOT plentiful. I simply adore Karl The Fog. He is one of my favorite things about San Francisco. I pine for him when he’s off somewhere and happy when he comes back. He was in a hurry and moving fast that night. Lastech and I hopped in the car and raced over to Twin Peaks. It was worth it.
Now is the time to take a minute and look back on this past year, and the ways it affected the JBoD microcosm.
We spent much of 2012 watching sunsets and wildlife (fins!) from local beaches, but in April, we chose to visit the neighboring hill known as Bernalwood where stunning California poppies in full bloom awaited. On another more recent trip, amazing clouds treated us to an ‘air show’…
California poppies on Bernal Hill
In May, we finally managed a trip to see the California Academy of Sciences. The albino alligator named Claude is a real beauty.
Claude on his warming rock. He’s quite a handsome devil. Photo by Ron DeCloux.
I took a lot of photos, so it’s in four parts. One, two, three and four.
In June, a contractor working a few doors down from our home base cut into a gas line, resulting in a gas explosion and fire. Purely by chance, prevailing winds minimized the spread of the damage, a very good thing considering how long it took to shut off the gas. The kind of scene best left in movies, not real life. The Pointy Eared people weren’t amused…
Firefighters in action. The tan and brown building on the far left is where the construction was. The dentist office was in the white building.
Then in July, we lost our sweet, comical tyrannical food thief Kitsy to FIP. It was sudden and awful and I still haven’t been able to write a proper post for him. As for Lastech, he is still coming to terms with the possibility that the virus which took him might have been introduced by Miss Jenny. So little is known about FIP and no test being available, it remains a painful mystery.
The hawk was sitting in the tree just above eye level and only ten feet from the path.
A week or so later, we went exploring the Coastal Trail near the Golden Gate Bridge. We encountered another hawk, a couple of hummingbirds, a slug and a wonderful sunset.
Did I mention that hummingbirds like the pretty purple flowers?
We finished off the year by exploring the cliffs around Battery Mendell, a coastal battery that was built before WWI.
Photo by Rudha-an
That was our 2012 for the most part. Some was good and some was bad. Hopefully, 2013 will be an even better year.
Happy New Year from JBoD
Rudha-an, Lastech, Tito, and Miss Nightshade Jenny
San Francisco is famous for its hills. Bernal Hill is probably my favorite. As I mentioned in my last post, we went there to take a walk. The wind was pretty gusty so we stuck to the paved road that circles the peak. Usually we go to the South side of the hill as its closest to home, but this time we headed over to the North side.
Did I mention that it was windy? I don’t like wind. I really don’t like wind. I grew up in the desert and we had ferocious winds storms. Ok. I’ll shut up about the wind already. Here are some of my photos from the hill.
The blue flowers are Pride of Madeira (echium candicans)Red Valerian (Centranthus ruber) growing on the hillsideNudist treeRed Valerian and chertBernal chert with poppiesChert
No, there is no butterfly in the photo. However, like a butterfly, this little bit of artistry is fleeting. We went off to Bernalwood for a walk around the hill and I found this on a post next to the North parking area. I consider myself lucky to have seen it as the winds are brutal and it has probably blown away by now.
This isn’t the first time we have found what I refer to as Butterfly Art. It has taught us to really see what is around us rather than just taking things for granted.
The California State flower is the Eschscholzia californica. Known as the California Poppy or Golden Poppy, it is springing up everywhere. Here in San Francisco, it grows in the cracks of sidewalks and roads and can be found in all the parks. It varies in color from white to dark orange.
As most people know, San Francisco has a lot of hills. Many of those hills have parks and open space at the top. They make wonderful places to catch a sunrise or sunset, depending on location.
We started our morning on Bernal Heights. The area is nicknamed Bernalwood and is topped by a pretty grassy hill with a few trees and a microwave tower. It provides a beautiful vantage point for watching the sun rise over the bay. It also provides a great view of downtown and the Bay Bridge.
San Francisco and the Bay BridgeKiller skeeter of Bernalwood
After the attack by the killer skeeters, we decided to hop to another hill and visit McLaren Park.
Blue Water Tower at McLaren Park with San Bruno Mountain in the background
Looking back at Bernalwood from McLaren Park, I couldn’t resist another pic. It looks rather pretty in the morning light.
Bernal Hill just after dawn from McLaren ParkThese McLaren Park snails were having breakfast
The pond below the blue water tower was as smooth as glass.
This is the reservoir where the dogs go to swim and play on the weekendsPretty colors
