Friday Ferry Ride With Frida to Frisco

Yesterday was one of those perfectly wonderful days that will live forever in my memory. From start to finish Annie and I (including Billy, and the city) just had so much harmony and fun together. So much so that I didn't even snap a picture after this one while we waited for the ferry, and one on our way home!

We recently rented The Parrots of Telegraph Hill for movie cuddle night and decided afterwards to make a pilgrimage to see for ourselves this beautiful flock of parrots, at their home base on Telegraph Hill, which turns out, is just above where Papa works! So we caught the ferry across the bay all bundled up against the wind, with Annie sporting a full "Frida" unibrow, and took Bill out to lunch before we mounted the staircase up the hill. I don't know how many stairs there are to get to Coit Tower, but we climbed each one of them, along the way we were "buzzed" over and over by the red-headed flock, squawking up a storm as they passed by overhead. What a gorgeous day! And what beautiful neighborhoods and gardens surrounds the famous staircase. Plus, the higher you climb, the more stunning the view becomes! From up at Coit Tower, you can see the whole of the beautiful Bay (not to mention the amazing murals!), with sailboats, cargo ships, and for some reason, the Blue Angels flying through the sky. (I think there is an air show in the area?) Wow! It's well worth the climb.

We made a point of getting a pressed penny for Annie's collection, before we headed down the staircase to catch the 2:00 ferry, and we were running late! My legs were jelly as we started our decent, and Annie was claiming that she couldn't take another step or she'd die, so thankfully, as we neared the bottom, I spotted a wonderful bicycle taxi and hailed him down. By that time we only had 4+ minutes before the ferry left, or we'd have to wait another 2+ hours to get home, so the driver (cyclist) took off and gave us the wildest ride of our lives! We hooped and hollered as he sped along, and Annie kept thanking him for taking care of the earth by using human power rather than gasoline. He weaved in and out of traffic and pedestrians, ringing his bell constantly to warn people, and he got us to the dock, just as the gate was closing! We made a run for it and were the last people to get on the ferry, and it pushed away from the dock even before we found a seat! We were so giddy and turned on, and we recounted the highlights of our day over and over as we headed home.
One thing Annie said as we talked that really touched and delighted me was this, "Mom, when I'm a mother, I'm going to tell my kids about our day today, and all the things we did together!" Mmmmmm! What a beautiful feeling that links Annie and I, and me to my mother, and LaLa and I, and my mother to her mother, and all the perfect days we've all had in this beautiful city.