Will she ever stay home?

It’s true, I’ve been away more than I’ve been home during the last 5 – 6 weeks, but I am now home to stay. Last Thursday I decided to fly down to Walnut Creek to spend sometime with my best friend Kristy and her family. We had a great time, eating wonderful meals, sitting around chatting in front of the fire, and loving on her great dog, Raina.

On Saturday we went into San Francisco to see the exhibit of Amish quilts from the collection of Faith and Stephen Brown at the De Young Museum. It was an amazing exhibit and reminds me in some ways of the Gees Bend quilts because of the simple geometric shapes and the use of solid fabrics. So graphic and bold.

We had lunch at the De Young and their cafe boasts local and sustainable food. Kristy and I had a wonderful roasted fennel soup with bacon and tarragon that was divine. Kathy had this beautiful salad. The bright yellow pieces of fruit you see are curried apples. Yum.

After lunch we headed across the way to the California Academy of Sciences. This building underwent a major renovation that took about ten years. They received a platinum LEED certificate for sustainability with the new building. It’s pretty incredible. We mainly went to see the living roof. The whole roof curves and turns and these port holes open and close to regulate temperature inside the building.

While we were at the Academy of Sciences, we did go over to see the very handsome albino alligator. Isn’t he gorgeous? We also saw the leafy sea dragons but you are not allowed to take pictures of them. They don’t like flash.

It was a beautiful sunny day in Golden Gate Park. I just wanted to soak up every little drop of sunshine.

After a bit of a walk, we headed back to Walnut Creek to stop in at our favorite resale shop, Main Street Rags. I have found some wonderful pieces there over the years and this visit was no exception. I got this great sweater that I am wearing as I type. We stopped in to see Kristy’s new couch that is on order and then finished the day with some homemade baclava.

When we got home,  Kristy cooked curried meat pies for dinner and we watched the Notre Dame game. It really was a perfect day. Thanks girlfriend!