Saturday, September 10, 2011

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.















26 comments:

  1. Anonymous2:39 PM

    What a joy to spend 'days' with you. Thank you very much for this journey. Please have a good Sunday you all.

    ReplyDelete
  2. beautiful pics one after another
    like the title

    ReplyDelete
  3. Great shots all! Love that 2nd dog.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Carmen, you got some great shots. The steeple shots are amazing. And, you pretty much hit all the memes :D Did I really have two waffles? I don't remember and I didn't even drink. Had a fantastic time on Friday. From Waffles to a Catholic church to Sexual chocolate and a Buddhist temple, we pretty much covered everything.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Looks like you had a great day. It's always a lot of fun with a friend.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Such a beautiful tour Carmen, thanks for sharing it with us.

    Beautiful photos.

    Pussy Cat, have a blessed Sunday!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Lovely shots! I can see that you've had a great time :)

    ReplyDelete
  8. Great collection of photos for all the memes. I love the cute doggie. And the flowers are all gorgeous. Thanks for sharing, I hope you have a great Sunday!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Wow! You and Jo had a very productive photo walk. Great places, great shots.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Beautiful shots of the church and everything! LOVE the wine photos! And the puppy photos! Lots of stuff to delight the eyes here!

    ReplyDelete
  11. What a fun time and I, too, would have had to taste the "Sexual Chocolate"!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Lovely. I enjoyed my trip!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Anonymous9:23 AM

    Great tour of the neighbohood side of San Franciso. Thanks for sharing & good luck in your busy days ahead.

    ReplyDelete
  14. What a lovely tour - I'm especially in love with those bright yellow doors.

    ReplyDelete
  15. ρομπερτ -
    How lovely of you to come all the way from Athens to visit my fair city. I always enjoy seein you here.


    Kristin - The Goat -
    Isn't it amazing what something so simply as adding brightly colored doors can do to a house. I was totally blown away by those bright yellow doors myself! No one could ever miss your house!


    ceodraiocht -
    Noe Valley is one of the nicest neighborhoods in San Francisco - regular folks - and I always enjoy going there! Thands for stopping by.


    Vidya Sury -
    Soon, I'll be traveling about India and seeing much more of your country than I did on my short ten day visit in 1997!


    i beati -
    We saw a really interesting dog on our Friday walk - my friend, Jo, got a picture of me with her. She was a Korean Jindo. I'd never heard of them but I read about the breed on Wikipedia...really fascinating.


    Jidhu Jose -
    So glad you stopped by to see a little bit of my city!


    sm -
    I've lived in this area 34 years now but, never a day passes, that I don't see something else that makes me love it. I am sure I will feel that way about India once I'm there. I do hope we meet in my six months as a resident!

    Cheryl -
    So glad you stopped by - I wish I could have been quick enough to get a shot of that huge poodle that was, briefly, at the water dish. I forget that come in that size!


    Poetic Shutterbug -
    It was one of our best days ever together - and
    we have really had some great ones. Do you think you'd remember where SoSo's father lived? I think we should go back and volunteer to dog sit sometimes and we could take him to the water dish at Cafe Noeteca. Jeremy tells me the K & L Wine Mercants place is a block from his apt and they carry "Sexual Chocolate" -
    I want some for my birthday ( $17.95 ). I'm thinking to get a bottle for S & J...yes, we were very good about spreading ourselves all over SF - but we could have included a Southern Baptist church ( surely there is one ) - I could go for good Gospel music.


    Sharkbytes (TM) -
    Jo and I always have fun together. We certainly don't hike like you do and our outing usually begin or end with food and alcohol...but she is wonderful company and we do a lot of laughing - and we usually get great pictures.


    SG -
    Though Jo and I only live about 7 miles apart, we get together only about once a month. We really make the most of our time when we see each other.


    chubskulit -
    Hey, girl, good to see you here, as always!


    eileeninmd -
    It was so good to take a break in the madness of packing and preparing for my India trip! I am nearly crazy, to say the least. Glad you enjoyed the photos!


    Tara R. -
    People who listened to us must have thought we were speaking a foreign language as we called out, "Look, Mellow Yellow" ... "Hey, here's a good Shadown Shot"..."This would be good for Pink Saturday"


    sheila -
    We were running around like we had imbibed more than breakfast and good French dark roast coffee. This blogging stuff has made us frantic with the camera. It was a really great day for us! I did restrain myself and have only one glass of that very good Sexual Chocolate wine...but I have already found a store that sells it and will soon buy a bottle - though it is now out of my price range!


    Welshcakes Limoncello -
    Oh, my gosh, how I wish we could get together and share a bottle of Sexual Chocolate. It would be wonderful with an Italian meal, that's for sure!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Very nice post and photos.

    Regards and best wishes

    ReplyDelete
  17. Tatjana Parkaceva -
    I am pleased that you enjoyed your San Francisco visit. I think I went a bit overboard with all the pictures!

    ReplyDelete
  18. "We figured we could each have our own separate living space but still be close together."

    This line is great and sweet.

    ReplyDelete
  19. oh, you have such a beautiful day with Jo, Carmen, isn't it great to be doing together activities that you like together with friends? those houses are cute.

    ReplyDelete
  20. rainfield61 -
    Jo and are great friends and we could probably share a home but, hey, if we win the lottery, that house with the yellow doors would be perfect for us. That way, we could decorate in our own style, be separate when we want and, with that delightful Cafe Noeteca half a block away, we would never have to cook unless we wanted.

    betchai -
    Jo and I talked about getting to San Diego next time you all have a meeting with your pals. I can't leap into the air or do trek but I could certainly toast to you as you do it!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Great pics.

    I'd love you to share your pics with me at Walkabout

    ReplyDelete
  22. I love all the photos, from the church top to all the flowers and critter. You and Jo had a wonderful time.

    Just do what you have to do, Carmen, and take care of yourself.

    ReplyDelete
  23. I love Noe Valley and I am particularly fond of Dolores Street.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Wow! Your shots look like a spread for Sunset Magazine! They are beautiful. When the sun is shining in SF, the colorful building shine too! You're moving and going on a trip to India...wonderful. Have a terrific time and I'm looking forward to lots of shots when you get settled back in. We should try to get together at some point during the fall/winter. Things slow down a bit for me then for me then. Enjoy!

    ReplyDelete
  25. Beautiful photos. Sigh, a long, long time ago I used to live in Noe Valley. I did love that time and cherish it always. Not sure the farm girl in me could go back but I did leave part of my heart in S.F.

    ReplyDelete