The Palace and Some Princesses

This is a painting done by
Colin Campbell Cooper in 1915.

The Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco is a monumental structure originally constructed for the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition (World's Fair) in order to exhibit works of art presented there. It was held in San Francisco between February 20 and December 4 in 1915. Its ostensible purpose was to celebrate the completion of the Panama Canal, but it was widely seen in the city as an opportunity to showcase its recovery from the 1906 Earthquake. The fair was constructed on a 635 acres, along the northern shore now known as the Marina.

One of only a few surviving structures from the Exposition, it is the only one still situated on its original site. It was rebuilt in 1965, and renovation of the lagoon, walkways, and a seismic retrofit were completed in early 2009.

It is just so beautiful and so immense and so European! Our family loves it here. So do many others and there are many events held here including private weddings in the rotunda. We visited here on Thursday and I took a few photos as the girls ran around and enjoyed the Palace as only four little princesses can.

This is how it looks today.

Love the urns

Love the Details

Love the columns

These pink blossoms are so pretty.

The Ceiling of the Rotunda

I wonder what these ladies are looking at, don't you?

Growing in the gardens right now

The Family!

One of the angels

The lovely ladies of the Palace

And one of the lovely little ladies that came to visit!

Jewels sitting on the dedicatory seal

in the center of the rotunda.

The Little Critters

One of the things we like to do when we go on our day trips is find fun places that don't cost an arm and a leg to take the kids when they come out to visit. Imagine how much it would cost to get 3 or 4 adults in some place and four kids. Our exploration could be limited. So when we found the Randall Children's Museum a few months ago we were happy.

Since then Jim has been back with my brother Steve and his grandson, Sebastian, and we also took our grandies there last week.

Steve and SeaBass as we call him!

There was something there for all the kids. Piper and Julia enjoyed looking at the inner workings of a real beehive behind glass and playing with an earthquake simulator they have at the museum. The little girls particularly enjoyed the animals.

Another thing that makes this a great place is it is small enough that it does not take all day to see it. A 45 minute visit is sufficient and enjoyable for the kids before their attention span lapses.

The Ravens

You can't see the caged critter very well
but the one peering in is pretty darn cute!

Here's the bunny that held her fascination!

The star fish from a few months ago!

This time they had broken the huddle but are still there.

Who says squirrels aren't smart?
If you had a tail like that you'd use it for a blanket too!

This guy was a little unnerving
roosting on a shelf just above our heads.
So glad he was tethered
he did not look too friendly!

Hazie telling the guinea pigs
something important I'm sure!

This one was loose too and looking right
down at Hazie and following
her every move from his perch!

Some California Poppies to brighten our day.

Did you know it is against the law to pick them?

And of course the beautiful views
atop the mountain are lovely!

Good Night San Francisco!

When the girls came to visit over Easter break, one of the fun things we did was to find this book about San Francisco. Then we used it to find places to visit and take pictures of them there. We felt that that would make it more fun for the kids to remember their trip while reading the book. I just fell in love with this little board book. It is so simple and yet so comprehensive. It includes many of the wonderful sights in The City. And it can be enjoyed by any age.

You can order it online if you are interested in one for your grandkids, kids, or even for yourselves. One went home with the kids and then I ordered one for our guest room. Here are a few pages from it and our corresponding photos.

The Cliff House and Ocean Beach

Chloe and the Sea

Sisters and the Sea

The Golden Gate

Piper resting on the ferry with
The Bridge out the window
in the background.

Historic Ship~The Balcutha

Julia and Piper at the helm of the Balcutha!

The crookedest street in the world!

Piper squinting into the sun while having
her photo taken like the kids in the book.


Driving down it!
Driver: Eyes on the road
Passengers: Enjoying the view
and tickley feeling in their tummies.

Chlo-Jo @ The Giant Windmill near the beach.

Julia @ The Conservatory of Flowers
in Golden Gate Park

The Palace of Fine Arts

Family in the Rotunda

Muir Woods

Hazie with the Baby Bear

Gramma and her Jewel!

Good Night and Good-Bye

Jen, Piper, Julia, Chloe, Hazie and Molly!

Flickr

This last photo was not taken by us but is so beautiful and I wanted the girls to see what it looks like at night. This little book, Good Night San Francisco has become a new instant treasure and a constant reminder of fun times with our little grandgirls and Jen. I want us to do the same things with all of the other grandkids when they come to visit.

We sure hated to wave good-bye to the family. But the nice thing is, every single time they come it is really a special time. Thanks Jen and Lowell, for making it happen. And thanks for the heartwarming memories!