Sexual Chocolate and Other Things - September 10, 2011

What a wonderful day I've had, quite varied, filled with laughter and too
much food.  Blame it all on Joanne Olivieri, aka Poetic Shutterbug.  We
were like raving maniacs, too, taking pictures of everything - meme mania,
you could call it.  Sort of like a game of, "I spy". 

At 9:30AM, I pulled up in front of Jo's place, shivering, still chilled by the
morning fog.  We headed toward Noe Valley, the sunniest part of San
Francisco, for breakfast at Toast Eatery.  It was a cute little spot, very
small, with tables crammed in, and filled with happy diners. 

Picture on the wall

Toast Eatery has a huge menu but Jo ordered her usual - waffles which she

deemed among the top three best she has had in the bay area.   I had a

fabulous Sicilan omelette with fresh and sun dried tomatoes, pesto,

spinach, onions and feta cheese. It came with two slices of wheat toast and

hash browns.  The huge cups of French dark roast coffee were excellent,

too.  I can' believe I didn't get pictures of the food.  I guess we were just

too busy eating.

From the cafe, we went down the street to get pictures of St. Paul's Church,

where Jo's mother went to church and school.  Sadly, because of the

homeless problem in San Francico, the church is kept locked except

for services.  Jo will have a much more comprehensive series of photos

of the church which I hope she will post on her blog, "Poetic Shutterbug".

St.Paul's Church, Church Street, Noe Valley, San Francisco, CA

The Noe Valley area is one of San Francisco's nicest.  It was developed in

the years after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and many samples of

classic Victorian and Edwardian architecture - for which our area is so

famous - can be seen here.  I like them because many of them are more

modest than their Pacific Heights counterparts - though Dolores Street,

one of the Noe Valley borders has some very large Victorians.

Next to St. Paul's, we saw an interesting bush with pink flowers and

unusual fruits ( ? ).  Maybe one of you will know the name since I do not!

Good Pink Saturday post!

As we walked about the neighborhood, Jo and I encountered several

people who stopped and chatted with us.  We loved the friendliness of

the area and we decided that, after we win the lottery, we'll buy one of

those cute little Victorians and we'll open up some kind of little shop.

Blue Monday here!

Here's another Pink Saturday one!

Blue Mondy, for sure!

Ruby Tuesday!

Mellow Yellow Monday, I think.

Actually, Jo and I liked this two flat house which was for sale.  We

figured we could each have our own separate living space but still

be close together.  Now, if only we could find a rich benefactor.  And

to make thing even nicer, it's less than half a block to Cafe Noeteca

Wine Bar!

Speaking of the Cafe Noeteca Wine Bar, after driving past the place for

nearly two years, Jo and I stopped in since we were walking in the

neighborhood.  I looked at my watch, saw that it was noon and said,

"It's 5PM somewhere in the world...time for a glass of wine!"  After

all, we'd walked about five blocks.

Flower box outside - Today's Flowers, Mellow Yellow, Ruby Tuesday

Ruby Tueday

Cafe Noeteca Wine Bar - has already garnered many awards

Lovely inteior

Weekend Reflectons

Everything inside Noeteca is beautifully arranged and welcoming  Here an

old dresser is set up with coffee fixings in an artful way.  Be sure to check

out its website:  http://www.noeteca.com

Cute reverse of sign from the inside

From the minute we passed this on entering, I knew what Jo was going to

order.  It didn't matter that we'd just finished a huge breakfast less than

an hour ago and she'd consumed two Belgian waffles!  We'd walked over

three blocks and the waffles weren't dessert!

The wine list at Noeteca was  excellent and had some selections that

were new to me.  I liked that there was a good choice of both California

and international wines and a few dessert choices as well.  I could get

no further, though, than one called Sexual Chocolate, a San Luis

Obispo blend of zinfandel and syrah made by Cal Poly viniculture

graduates.  In honor of my youngest son, Jeremy, who was a decathlete

there ( graduating with a BS in kinesiology ), I felt compelled to try

the Sexual Chocolate.  That was dessert enough for me ( though I did

take the tiniest taste of Jo's fabulous confection ).

Another nice thing about Noeteca ( actually, we found nothing that wasn't

nic ) is that they offer wine in a small pour  ( 3 oz ) as well as a full 6 oz

glass and, also, by the bottle.  With the small pour, you can build your

own flights.  They have weekday happy hours from 4PM and bottomless

mimosas on Saturday and Sunday from 11AM to 2PM.

Oh, yes, not only do the great guys of Noeteca think of their two legged

friends, they put a water dish outside for their four legged neighbors.  I

found this so delightful as this is, definitely, an area of well loved pets!

On our stroll back to the car, we passed a few candidates for Shadow Shot

Sunday.

Hibiscus shadows

Jasmine shadows

We also saw an interesting truck that might be good for Color Carnival.  I

am not sure what it represent.  It looks like something from San Francisco's

Museum of Modern Art.

We also passed a dahlia that must have been glorious a few weeks ago but is now

on its last legs ( like me ) though still prettyl

Ruby Tuesday

We made on last stop in the Mission District so I could show Jo the

beautiful Buddhist temple I had visited twice in the past month.  It is

a respite for the soul, an oasis of serenity in this chaotic world.  This  Buddha

is only one of several at the temple but He dominates this hall in which

He resides.

Ruby Tuesday

As we were nearing Jo's neighborhood, we passed this huge yellow trumpet

vine!  I wonder what people think as we start snapping away at their houses,

plants, pets, etc.  So far, no one has come after us with a shotgun.  There's

still time, though!

Mellow Yellow Monday

I apologize to everyone for not posting as much and for being much slower

reading blogs and replying to posts.  With my deadline fast approaching for

packing and moving out of this house ( October 15 ) and the trip to India

set for October 23rd, it is all getting away from me.  Please do understand

and know that I am not gone, just slower than usual.  Also, I am getting old!!

My 67th birthday is less than a month away.  I'll do better eventually and you

are always in my heart, even if you don't see me!

This post is quite comprehensive, covering many of my favorite memes -

Camera Critters, Sundays in My City, Mellow Yellow Monday, Pink

Pink Saturday, Color Carnival, Weekend Reflections, Ruby Tuesday, Shadow

Shot Sunday and Today's Flowers, Blue Monday, Pets Forever.