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.
The wine list at Noeteca was excellent and had some selections that
Another nice thing about Noeteca ( actually, we found nothing that wasn't
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!
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 ).
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 -
