The reason for the visit.

The whole reason  I was in San Francisco in the first place was so I could help my sister in law through her birth.  Well, her son had a different idea, and showed up the day before I was supposed to arrive.  He is born on the same day as my husband (who is SIL's brother) so it could be worse.  I have to say, he was trying to be a Cinco de Mayo baby to honour his Latino side, but it wasn't meant to be.

After some 32 hours of labour, my newest nephew was born via Cesarean.  Mom is recovering really well, and baby is seeming to adjust well to the rigours of life on the outside.

Here are a few photos I have permission to post taken by his parents.  These photos are copyrighted by Erin Caton and Dustin Diaz of Flashbullet.  On a side note, check out their website

Agent Caton Callister Diaz

Being a dad is hard work

Proud mom

 He was awesome to be around (even when he was grumpy and gassy), and has a wide range of facial expressions, although I suspect many of those are currently due to gassiness.  I was allowed to hold him several times, ramping up my baby fever about 150%.  Hopefully extended baby time has translated into increased fertility :)

Because Agent's dad works at Twitter, we went on a show and tell mission into the wilds of downtown San Francisco.  Alright, it wasn't so wild (especially for someone who grew up in Montreal), but it was fun.  Surprisingly, the Twitter building is very non-descript.  If you didn't know it was there, well, you wouldn't know it was there (just call me Captain Obvious).

To prove that I was there, I have a picture.  Camera batteries were dying, so it's not the most awesome...but I was there!

This is me at Twitter, with my free Twitter coconut water

I still don't have pictures of my San Francisco yarn, but I will soon, once it stops raining and I can take pictures outside.

San Francisco, now with pictures!

I had a case of camnesia while I was in San Francisco, so you'll have to excuse the lack of certain pictures.

I learned that drivers in San Francisco are somewhat crazy, and are mildly likely to run you over.  Also, parking is a nightmare.  If/when I go back...I am going to stick with public transportation.  The Bart takes a little getting used to with their payment options, but overall simple enough.  It also takes you to many of the touristy places.

I took a day "off" from helping the family and got my tourist on.  I wasn't sure how I would enjoy being a tourist on my own, but it went pretty well.  I left my bed and breakfast and boarded the Bart at 24th and Mission.  Erin had given me instructions on how to get where I wanted to go, and they proved 100% awesome, and I managed to make it to the Embarcadero unscathed.  I basically followed the crowd a little ways and found the landmark I had been looking for...the Ferry Building.

I walked myself down to Pier 33 1/2 and purchased my ticket for my Alcatraz tour.  I had a few hours to kill, so I took some more random photos as I walked the length of the Embarcadero a few times.

Coit Tower

Then, I discovered a tourist trap.  There were people selling pearls on the boardwalk, and had a bucket of oysters in water.  You got to choose your own oyster and open it up.  If there was a pearl inside, you paid $15 for it.  No pearl - no money.  How could I resist?

My first pearl!

After a while, it was time for Alcatraz!  I am somewhat of a history nerd/buff, and this was one of the things I definitely had to do.

All I can say is it was amazing.  Their audio tour was fabulous, well executed and informative.  They had several educational videos regarding the Native American occupation, as well as the history of Alcatraz Island.

Here are a few highlight photos (not super awesome...my batteries were dying.)

Watchtower and building.  Burnt down.

Main prison building.

Note the graffiti.  That is from the "Indian Occupation" that occured after Alcatraz prison was shut down

Confinement on D block.  They would be left in the dark for days at a time.

Gun gallery.  None of the guards had weapons (or weren't supposed to, many carried saps) on the floor.  Guards with guns would patrol the gun gallery.

What a cell could look like if one respected the rules of Alcatraz.  Note the crocheted table cloth!  You knew fiber would make it in here somehow!

In the middle of the picture, you can see the gas canister in the dining hall.  They were never deployed, but always threatened.

Throughout it's history as a fort, then a military prison and then as a federal penitentiary, many layers of flora were added by the people who lived here.  Garden archaeology, if you will.

Not sure where this goes, and there were no signs, but it was a neat little door in the mossy brick.

Things I learned about Alcatraz:

The "Birdman of Alcatraz" actually never had birds during his stay at Alcatraz.  He had them at Levenworth prison, but when he was transferred, his birds did not accompany him.  That was a bone of contention for him.  Also, he knew several languages and was a math whiz.

No one was ever executed on Alcatraz.  A few people were murdered or comitted suicide, but no proper executions took place here.

After Alcatraz, it was time to eat some lunch.  Can we say chowder in a sourdough bowl?

Then it was time for the Aquarium of the Bay!  Erin had introduced me to another new person to the city, so she and I met up for the Aquarium.  It was pretty awesome!  Also, we got $2 off admission because I had  gone on the Alcatraz tour.

We arrived just in time for the smaller shark feedings!  That was pretty wicked.  My pictures aren't awesome, but too bad.

This starfish was eating something...awesome!

By the end of the day, my legs were killing me.  I still decided to take a walk down Valencia to see if I could find Princess Animal.  I did!  And I bought a wonderful skein of yarn, specially dyed for this shop called, well, Princess Animal.  I don't have any pictures of it yet, but will soon!

Next up...my visit to Twitter!

San Francisco - so far

Having been in San Francisco for 2 days, I figure I should jot down my feelings of this city so far.  I have been taking pictures, but don't have a way to download them, so you'll just have to wait until I get home for those.

1) SFO (airport) needs to make getting your luggage easier...I hoofed it all through the airport (following the baggage signs) only to miss it.  I did finally find it, but DAMN.  The conveyor belt walkway was awesome though.  I don't NEED to use it, but did because it looked like fun.  Also, having the BART show up right at the airport was very convenient.

2)BART overall, very similar to the Metro in Montreal (born and raised there, so no stranger to that) and somewhat similar to the C-train in Calgary.  They definitely need to fix their announcements of the stations.  I almost missed my stop (would have definitely been an adventure then!).  Also, similarly to Montreal, not very luggage friendly.  Why yes, I love lugging my luggage up stairs and escalators ;)  Could be worse, though.

3) Mission.  Wow.  I am so glad that I am staying here.  It is gorgeous!  Reminds me a lot of Montreal, only with less french and more spanish.  Tonnes of awesome little shops that I want to explore in a bit, when things are more open.  There is a little shop that carries a plethora of books, herbs etc that also has some very funky pottery things.  I might go home with a piece of that, we'll see.  The Inn that I am staying at is fabulous!  Very comfy, antique-y and cosy.  The view from the roof top (you have to climb a wrought iron spiral staircase to access it) is awesome, and the English garden is stunning.  I would very much like to thank my wonderful sister and brother in law (who shall remain nameless in case they prefer the anonymity) for choosing this place.  It is awesome!

4) Family.  My sister and brother in law just had their first child on Friday.  I was coming down here to be the birth (and perhaps post partum) doula originally.  Well, my nephew had plans of his own.  He was originally due on the 12th of May, making my visit timing awesome.  I got a phone call on the morning of may 5th from my sister in law telling me she was in labour!  Long story short, she had her baby on Friday, May 6th, one day before I arrived.  He shares my husbands' birthday, and he is a very sweet, good natured baby, and they let me hold him!  Holding such a new life is a rare and wonderful occurrence in our culture.  My role has now changed to being a post partum doula.  I will do the best I can for them.  My sister in law is a fabulous mother, and her husband is a wonderful father.  There is no doubt in my mind that this child is well loved and his parents are absolutely devoted to him.  I never doubted them at all, but it is awesome to see it happening.  Being there in the beginning to see the bonding happen is a very magical, humbling experience, and I feel blessed that they have allowed me to be here to see their family grow and unfold.

I miss my husband terribly, as I always do when we are apart, but I know he'll be just as happy to see me as I him when I get back home.

So far, San Francisco = win.