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It was no rest for the wicked on Day 2 of this trip. We started the day off with a walk through Japantown … (that tower to the right was a gift from the Japanese to the city of San Francisco - kind of a “Even though you put us in internment camps for years, let’s still be friends” exchange.)

But what we really had our eye out for was Postcard Row. Do you recognize it? Maybe this will help (wait for it… wait for it … yep, there at the end!) And do you want to guess how many times on this trip my husband sang the only four words to that intro he knows: “Whatever happened to predictability …” (and yes, you’re welcome for having that song stuck in your head now. WELCOME TO MY VACATION.)

You would think that row of houses just went forever, but nope - just that little block. We spent the entire morning trying to find it, hoping to get there early so I could get a shot without tourists. We arrived JUST in time for a tour bus of seniors to make an appearance. Thankfully, one of the fellas had the patience to take this shot with my 5D. From there it was on to Chinatown. I could have taken photos here all day!

Walking through an alley, we came across this cramped little factory where they make fortune cookies. A man who spoke about 4 words of English gave us some cookies then said — “You take photo — one quarter…” I took this shot, gave him a buck and based on his reaction, thought he was going to try to marry me off to one of his sons!

This guy just sat in his little barbershop playing the violin, with a sign that said he was (some guy) in Pursuit of Happiness. Having never seen the movie, anyone remember his character? I snapped this on the go, so I couldn’t make it out ….

They sell the craziest stuff in Chinatown; I tried convincing Nick we needed to buy what appeared to be a pound’s worth of fish scale patties, but he was having none of it.

We spent the rest of our afternoon in the North Beach area, where a lot of the beatniks hung out in the ’50s. Needless to say, the history and lit dork in me was in total heaven when we stepped in to City Lights. I could have hung around that bookshop all day!

I’ll try to wrap up these trip entries soon but I still have our venture to the Haight, our trip to Alcatraz and our bike ride across the Golden Gate to get in here, so stay tuned for more (you’re on the edge of your seats, aren’t you?)

Just a quick note to let everybody know we’re back from San Francisco! Whew … ever feel like you need a vacation from your vacation? As much fun as we had (and we had a TON of fun), it feels good to be back home and to pull in to a driveway that doesn’t have a 27 percent grade to it (sheesh..those hills were KILLER!)

In the words of Jerry Garcia (only too appropriate for the occasion), “Such a long, long time to be gone and a short time to be there.”

MANY more images from our trip to come. This is just one that stood out to me tonight while downloading. No question where we were, huh?

If you emailed, called, or posted comments, I’ll get back to you in the next day or two. For now, I have a mountain of dirty laundry and a few parched houseplants calling my name!

In typical procrastination mode, I’ve waited to the 11th hour to pack for our trip to San Francisco (and blogging about it this has, of course, been a convenient stalling technique). I don’t know what it is, but together, Nick and I are the worst (over)packers. BOTH OF US. Which means, when we head someplace where all you really need is a bathing suit, we bring enough clothing to outfit a sherpa. Ditto weekend trips to our in-laws where, if we wanted to, we could live laundry-free for about a week.

They say the temps in San Fran can change up quite a bit so LAYERING is key. Now, to me, that’s like just all the more reason to pack more stuff don’tcha think?

Our flight leaves tonight around 9:30 and we’ll be in the city through Sunday. I can’t wait to share more of our trip with you guys after we get back. I BARELY scored us tickets to Alcatraz and it was the one thing Nick requested we do there (apparently tickets to the stinky old place sell like hot cakes, so if you ever want to go, book, you know, MORE THAN A DAY IN ADVANCE). I’m hoping to snag some really cool images — of the Golden Gate, of Coit Tower, of Chinatown … can you tell I’ve got my trigger finger ready for that camera of mine?

The past few times I’d given my grandpa a hug, I’d noticed he seemed different. A little more down, a little less chipper than his usual “fit as a fiddle” self.

And so, when I answered my phone Wednesday morning and heard my dad say my name, I knew something was wrong. My stomach dropped as I asked.

“It’s your grandpa … he’s in the hospital.” Four hours later, he was gone. An aneurysm in his stomach burst. He was 86. Until the past few weeks, he had never acted his age. He was just one of those guys who was perpetually young at heart.

These past few days have been pretty hazy to me. I left work right away Wednesday — barely taking the time to turn off my laptop — and am just returning home, trying to get back in to the routine we call life as best I can.

Except, I keep finding myself coming back to the “shoulda, coulda, woulda”s … I should have stopped to see him last weekend when I was home (if only I’d known). I could have called him more. I would have taken some photos of him — the really great kind I’d been wanting to take and could picture in my mind — when he got over all the colds he’d had this spring and was up for it.

Nick tells me I need to stop this. And I know he’s right. We all go through these thoughts as part of our grief.

Instead, I’m trying to focus on the little things about my grandfather I loved best and will always remember — even as, right now, they bring tears to my eyes because I know they are no more.

The way he answered his phone calls with a “Heellloooo…” The smell of his aftershave. How he loved to tell stories and, while doing so, slap his hand along his thigh, a twinkle in his eye.

He was such a great man, and boy do I miss him.

I don’t smoke. Or drink (much). I’m not a gambling kind of gal. Nor am I one to play the lottery.

But darn it all if a bookstore doesn’t draw me in like a candy aisle calls to a diabetic.

When I was a kid, my mom and I would haul home two big canvas bags of books (of the children’s variety back then, mind you) on a near weekly basis. I have just always loved to read.

The older I get, the better I understand how that love is truly a gift. When people tell me there’s no way they could spend hours with a book, I nod my head like I understand them. But secretly, I don’t. Because a good book is my personal escape. The idea of spending hours with my nose stuck in one? Heaven.

And so, I suppose I can justify my need to fill my house with piles of novels on the basis that there are worse vices a person can have. What can I say … I’m a junkie for the written word.

Speaking of the written word, I have to share a few of them about two recent books I devoured (yes, devoured because at the pace I read them, that’s literally what it felt like!)

From the moment I started reading “eat, pray, love” I was just sucked in. Namely because I found the author had such a smart, soulful way of writing I felt  as if I was having a 300-page conversation with her. Having suffered a nasty divorce, she spends a year on a “soul-searching” mission through Italy, India, and Indonesia and her reflections on her life caused me at several points to reflect on my own viewpoints regarding spirituality, family and the concept of love.

There is so much I could say about “Loving Frank” I would run out of adjectives and still not do it justice. What particularly moved me about this story is that its based on the real-life affair between Frank Lloyd Wright and Mamah Cheney. I love Wright’s architecture and picked this book up on that basis alone (and it’s pretty cover … how many of us are suckers for a good book cover?) But oh my goodness - this book is just memorizing. In one chapter you can empathize with Frank and Mamah and in the next, you can loathe them for their decisions. And the ending … hold on to your seat. This would be a great book club pick!

Enough talk about books (but seriously, if you ever want to talk books, drop me a line - I am ALWAYS up on offering recommendations, discussing new titles and trying to sucker my friends in to joining Good Reads). I’ve got a fun session to blog this week of a cute mama, daddy and their little baby boy, so stay tuned!!!!