Our trip started out bright and dark on Tuesday, April 17th....dark as in before dawn. We made it to the airport before 6:30 and we managed to get through security without any issues—we were ready for take off!

We knew it would be a long day of travel so we came prepared with things to read, games to play, wraps to keep us warm, and something to munch in case we started getting hungry in-flight. Oh, and coffee.

Other than a slight delay in Dallas, our trip was uneventful....just the way we like them!

UPDATE: One of the kind blog readers has clued me into the fact that referring to the city by the bay as Frisco is considered a faux pas. My humblest apologies. No slight was intended in any way. It had more to do with artistic interpretation than language. 

Hello, California! Finally, we're here!

The sketch above and below of the cottage is one of two I managed to actually do on location.
This is a sketch I did of the front of the "cottage" we stayed in. The wisteria was blooming at the end of the deck and wind chimes were constantly chiming as the wind was constantly blowing. Kind of like living next door to church bells.

I won't bore you with the details of having to learn to use CA's transportation system, getting stuck in the terminal while trying to get out or of going up the wrong (STEEP) hill to our cottage that nearly (but not quite) did us in.
Instead, I'll tell you about our stroll around the neighborhood....if you can call that strolling. I'm not sure. It took far more effort to stroll there than it does here, that's for sure!

Anyway, three things became very evident in short order—dogs everywhere; beautiful, gorgeous things blooming everywhere and cut flowers were available at every corner market!

You'll be hearing and see more about all of these as the story continues.
Above is a sweet pup named Chip, a small 4-month-old puppy with fur like silk! We decided he must be the greeting committee...until we realized he was far more interested in a dog walking on the other side of the street than he was in us. Oh well, cuteness makes up for a lot.

On our last night in town, we actually got to meet Chip in person and he couldn't have been any sweeter if he'd tried. And he really was that small in that big glass window.

Next up...a lesson learned from stopping in front of street maps, a trip to Chinatown and Fisherman's Wharf!