In the Embrace of the Bay

The thing I like best about living in North Beach is the proximity to the Bay. Crest any hill and there it is, sparkling like a jewel. The beautiful, blue waters nourish me, and the iconic bridges fringing its edges make me feel significant, like I'm on a movie set or in the midst of important events. On Sunday, my sister Jackie and her husband Paul came for a bike ride over the Golden Gate Bridge. After we crossed, we turned left up Hawk Hill. It was a hard pedal, but the view of the Pacific Ocean halfway up was worth it.
Looking back over our route after we got to the top, it seemed we had come very far. In fact, it was only about 10 or 12 miles. Our flat is a bit to the left of the tallest (dark) building in the distant skyline of San Francisco.
We coasted down the other side, my hands clamping hard on both breaks during the steep descent. We stopped by the Marin Headlands Visitor Center, which had charming exhibits, before riding through the dark one-lane tunnel to Sausalito. Once there, we enjoyed the music of Mal Sharpe's Big Money Jazz Band at the No Name Bar until the Ferry arrived. It was starting to get dark when we boarded the boat, and the moon was full and low on the horizon.

It was full dark by the time we got back to the Ferry Building and home sweet home.