San Francisco Done

Hi everyone

Well we didn't get to the harbour cruise Wednesday as we got started too late (it's hard to get Tessa out of bed now she has retired!), so here's Wednesday and Thursday together.

Wednesday was a trip (no pun intended) back in time via the district of Haight Ashbury 1960's birthplace of the hippy culture that swept the western world. For those too young to know (that's most of you) Haight Ashbury was also the musical stomping ground for Jimi Hendriks, Bob Dylan, Janis Joplin, Jefferson Airplane, Grateful Dead, The Doors, Joan Baez, Sly And The Family Stone, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Joe Cocker, Santana and many more big names. (See photos attached).

There are still a few hippies there, and hippies at heart that haven't left that psychedelic district, lots of shops with 60's memorabilia including the biggest used records/Cd's store I've every seen.

So we got up early Thursday on the subway and old tram car to Fisherman's Wharf and finally, the 90 minute harbour cruise under the Golden Gate Bridge around Alcatraz and under the Bay Bridge. There was just the two of us on the cruise until we were joined by two hundred Kodak reps from Japan.

We had a nice lunch at Fisherman's Wharf, and then did some shopping which unfortunately ended up at a photographic shop where I enquired about my damaged Nixon camera (you remember the stunt man roll in Savannah, oh yes I've healed beautifully thank you for asking), unfortunately the answer from the store owner was it's gone forget it. I'm a little hazy about what happened next but I'm now the proud owner (once I figure out how to work it) of a bright shiny Canon SLR camera complete with telescopic lens plus the camera bag he also threw into the deal!

All of this was purchased at a super discount price previously unheard of, and as the owner of the store said (read major sales rep), it will be very useful for the thousands of close up photo's of my rose garden I'll be taking now I'm retired (read semi-retired).

It's Friday morning and today promises to be a full day of buying a new suitcase as mine is mashing up, washing our clothes, packing for the early morning departure to Hawaii, and the 101 course in operating my new camera. All for now, talk to you from Hawaii David & Tessa

p.s. Boy, I'm glad I keep the Hula skirt from the 70's, that's one thing we won't need to buy!