Tuesday, April 21, 2009

San Francisco Through Our Lens

10 inches of snow in Highland on the morning we flew out:
This was the first stop on our tour. It was some sort of weird but cool theater. The women up top are said to be weeping for the lack of arts or something like that.
Another photo of the same thing plus someone's head.
This is the Golden Gate Bridge. We were told that the weather is rarely clear enough to get photos like this, so we lucked out. On the way back the bridge was mostly obscured by fog.
Without too many native weeds, the landscape is very handsome. Here is another of the same basic shot:
Haight & Ashbury. Psychedelic colors. So, what? Most cities have their drug problems. San Francisco's drug culture is nothing to be proud of. There are still hippie people walking around Haight dressed weird and acting mentally ill.
A tugboat towing a freighter under the Golden Gate Bridge (photo taken from the bus):
A 5,000 piece jig-saw puzzle or just another one of our photos:
With the horrible economic problems, the bridge really is for sale. Just kidding.
No LDS churches were seen while touring the city. This Russian Orthodox church was interesting:
Oceanside from Twin Peaks:
Bayside from Twin Peaks. The view is 360 degrees, weather permitting
Sea lions are dogs of the sea. There were a lot of large jelly fish. There were people swimming in the cold, jelly fish infested waters. They must have been navy seals.
This is not the bird man of Alcatraz, but probably just as crazy
This sea lion that came up to us looking for a hand-out. It had a damaged left eye, but no shark scars.
Jen, sailboat, and Alcatraz
At the museum near Fisherman's Wharf we found an article about extreme brutality that happened on ships in the 1800's. A warrant for arrest was issued for a F. Ryan and J.W. Robbins for some of the brutality. This is not kind of geneology that most people hope to find (the photo is poor because it was taken through thick museum glass).
The Rainforest Cafe: a cool place to eat.
A lovely resort island (Alcatraz: island of the sea birds), which housed the worst of the worst. It is indeed possible to swim the 1.5 miles from Alcatraz to the mainland. Note: the bridge is behind the island in the photo, but the fog had rolled in and obscured it.
This was cell block "D" for isolation.
A spacious exercise yard, complete with a view and hopscotch:
A healthy breakfast was a must for Alcatraz prisoners:
This is Jennie looking thrilled to be visiting the Muir Woods, the only remaining coastal redwood forest on the planet. It was only about 8 miles after crossing the Golden Gate Bridge, leaving San Francisco.
These pictures don't show how incredible these trees are. One tree that had fallen was cross sectioned and a time line was drawn on its annual rings. The thing was over 1,100 years old, but there were trees that were twice it's diameter.
Even the clover was huge in this forest. It was about the size of your hand. The words "Fee, Fi, Fo, Fum" came to mind and I almost expected to see footprints in the 20 foot range and maybe a table the size of a house.

Sunday, April 5, 2009

Sacred Moments







Why is the Holy Spirit so strong at baptisms, sealings, and ordinances? D&C 84:20 "Therefore, in the ordinances thereof, the power of godliness is manifest."

Saturday, April 4, 2009

Space Derby




For those who haven't done this, the space derby is like the pinewood derby only with balsa wood rockets and propellers. Its fun stuff. It is probably more fun to make these things than race them. Trevor across the street and his son Mayson, who is almost the exact same age as Andrew invited us over when they were building their space derby. The rockets are supposed to be built by the scouts, but everyone knows that the dads are the ones that put most of the work into them. This build was no exception, but Andrew and Mayson were allowed to do some of the finish-sanding (some of it). Savannah learned that there was a space derby project going on and had to be included. She never leaves a good question unasked. She asked me "why dads never do projects like this with the girls". I didn't have a good answer for this, so I might be buying her a space derby rocket as well. I think that the teenagers who listen to their parents' counsel are the ones that had parents that spent time being their friends during the younger years. Kids are the first to see when someone does or doesn't care.