The Orlandos' Visit
California was true to form this week, giving my visiting parents an accurate glimpse of what our summer life here is like. They arrived last Tuesday evening, and the week quickly grew hot. Making things worse is the fact that the AC in our Volvo is not working; so driving around on Wednesday was uncomfortable to say the least. But I took them to Babies R Us—their first time in the store—and we all got wrapped up in the voluminous world that is baby merchandise. Then they took me shopping for new maternity clothes, as I am now getting very close to being enormous. Dad helpfully calls me “Fatty McFatty,” assuming that I will not suddenly develop a weight complex in my fragile pregnant state. Fortunately, I do not feel a weight complex coming on. Wednesday evening was nice enough for us to cook dinner and eat outside, overlooking the redwood tree.
Thursday was brutal. It was in the high-nineties, and even being in our AC’d house was uncomfortable; my pregnant body seems to react to the heat even if I’m inside. We went to browse in a used bookstore in the afternoon (we bought three new kids’ books), then met Andrew for lunch. We cooked again Thursday night, but ate inside this time.
Friday was, once again, ghastly hot. In the morning, I took Mom and Dad to Denio’s (the flea and farmer’s market), which unfortunately is only a fraction of its usual size on Fridays; but they got the sense of what a treasure trove it is and were suitably impressed even with the reduced number of farmer’s stalls. Friday afternoon, Andrew left work early and we all set out for San Francisco, on what proved to be the Drive of Doom.
It was near 100 degrees, relentlessly sunny, and we were trapped in our non-air-conditioned car for an hour and a half. Traffic was, mercifully, light. But about halfway down, just outside of Fairfield, we saw smoke billowing in the sky; then smoke began filling our car; then we could barely see the road for all the smoke. Then, by the side of the road, mere inches from cars in the right lane, we spotted flames among scorched, blackened grasses. A fire Jeep was sitting idly near the flames, not doing much, which made us suspect it was a “controlled burn”; but who knows. Flanking the wildfire were endless shopping plazas and housing developments. Traffic going in the opposite direction had been stopped for at least forty miles, thanks to two big accidents. Even my mother, who usually chastises me for complaining about California, was forced to admit that this was pretty awful. And we were all so very, very hot.
Finally, finally, we arrived in San Francisco, where it was actually chilly outside—perfect for exploring. Friday night we walked a bit around Union Square, then went to dinner at the Nob Hill Café. As we walked from there back to Union Square, we spotted the San Francisco Twins on the street! They were walking together in matching leopard print capes and cowboy hats. Very exciting. The other exciting thing we saw as we walked was a tiny hummingbird—and we watched as it alighted on a branch overhanging the sidewalk, where she fed her tiny babies in a tiny nest. As we watched, two other people joined us—and another tiny bird flew over and landed on the man’s shoulder. It was pretty crazy. Then we went to see Away We Go, which was really cute, then collapsed from our long day back at the hotel.
Saturday was a day of exploring. For brunch we went to Sears Fine Food, where Dad had arranged to meet up with a former Geibel student. Then we went to the SF MoMA, where there was an exhibition of Ansel Adams and Georgia O’Keefe. From there we walked through Chinatown; had a snack of dim sum; took a trolley to Fisherman’s Wharf, where we saw hundreds of sea lions; walked through North Beach; browsed at City Lights; and had dinner in North Beach. It was a full, nice day, and I’m so glad my back didn’t hurt after all that walking. (As long as Andrew’s not reading this—Andrew, who was annoyed that I insisted on doing so much walking—I can say that, actually, my back was and is still presently killing me.)
Sunday we met a cousin for dim sum brunch in Richmond, walked a bit on the Golden Gate Bridge, then headed out of the city to Muir Woods. Our final CA-centric stop on the way home: In N Out Burger.
It was Mom and Dad’s first time in San Francisco, and they of course loved it. It’s always so much fun to be there.
Thursday was brutal. It was in the high-nineties, and even being in our AC’d house was uncomfortable; my pregnant body seems to react to the heat even if I’m inside. We went to browse in a used bookstore in the afternoon (we bought three new kids’ books), then met Andrew for lunch. We cooked again Thursday night, but ate inside this time.
Friday was, once again, ghastly hot. In the morning, I took Mom and Dad to Denio’s (the flea and farmer’s market), which unfortunately is only a fraction of its usual size on Fridays; but they got the sense of what a treasure trove it is and were suitably impressed even with the reduced number of farmer’s stalls. Friday afternoon, Andrew left work early and we all set out for San Francisco, on what proved to be the Drive of Doom.
It was near 100 degrees, relentlessly sunny, and we were trapped in our non-air-conditioned car for an hour and a half. Traffic was, mercifully, light. But about halfway down, just outside of Fairfield, we saw smoke billowing in the sky; then smoke began filling our car; then we could barely see the road for all the smoke. Then, by the side of the road, mere inches from cars in the right lane, we spotted flames among scorched, blackened grasses. A fire Jeep was sitting idly near the flames, not doing much, which made us suspect it was a “controlled burn”; but who knows. Flanking the wildfire were endless shopping plazas and housing developments. Traffic going in the opposite direction had been stopped for at least forty miles, thanks to two big accidents. Even my mother, who usually chastises me for complaining about California, was forced to admit that this was pretty awful. And we were all so very, very hot.
Finally, finally, we arrived in San Francisco, where it was actually chilly outside—perfect for exploring. Friday night we walked a bit around Union Square, then went to dinner at the Nob Hill Café. As we walked from there back to Union Square, we spotted the San Francisco Twins on the street! They were walking together in matching leopard print capes and cowboy hats. Very exciting. The other exciting thing we saw as we walked was a tiny hummingbird—and we watched as it alighted on a branch overhanging the sidewalk, where she fed her tiny babies in a tiny nest. As we watched, two other people joined us—and another tiny bird flew over and landed on the man’s shoulder. It was pretty crazy. Then we went to see Away We Go, which was really cute, then collapsed from our long day back at the hotel.
Saturday was a day of exploring. For brunch we went to Sears Fine Food, where Dad had arranged to meet up with a former Geibel student. Then we went to the SF MoMA, where there was an exhibition of Ansel Adams and Georgia O’Keefe. From there we walked through Chinatown; had a snack of dim sum; took a trolley to Fisherman’s Wharf, where we saw hundreds of sea lions; walked through North Beach; browsed at City Lights; and had dinner in North Beach. It was a full, nice day, and I’m so glad my back didn’t hurt after all that walking. (As long as Andrew’s not reading this—Andrew, who was annoyed that I insisted on doing so much walking—I can say that, actually, my back was and is still presently killing me.)
Sunday we met a cousin for dim sum brunch in Richmond, walked a bit on the Golden Gate Bridge, then headed out of the city to Muir Woods. Our final CA-centric stop on the way home: In N Out Burger.It was Mom and Dad’s first time in San Francisco, and they of course loved it. It’s always so much fun to be there.
Comments