Room with a View: View from Potrero Hill

"Room with a View: View from Potrero Hill"

San Francisco, CA

5" x 9" Ink and watercolor sketch

Bob needed some flute repair by an expert and he wanted to take a couple Argentine Tango lessons at Metronome Dance Collective, in San Francisco. After searching for reasonable hotels in SF, of which there was none (I don't consider $300 to $400 a night reasonable, even for 4-star places), I decided to try Airbnb.com that we used in Venice Beach to rent a room or cottage from a private homeowner. We found a lovely spot on Potrero Hill, just a half mile walk from the studio. Take this link to the listing. We enjoyed the locale, the wonderful restaurants, Fran's hot tub, our private deck, and  many walks around the neighborhood. No gym needed here. Just walk those hills. We got their via Caltrain and hoofing it up the hills. We used public transit to get to Pacific Heights for the flute repair.

Intrepid cyclist descends 24% grade.



Oh, yes, it's steep.



Fabulous art in front of a home.

Views in all directions and the city center is a roll down the hill.

Breakfast is a treat at Plow Restaurant.

The Wednesday morning clientele enjoy breakfast at Plow.

There are many good restaurants on 18th Avenue, including Plow, described as Midwest farm boy meets Asian city girl. The owners both began chef careers at a top notch East Bay restaurant. A couple of kids later, they live on the Hill and opened this place where you can wait in line, especially on weekends. We lucked out and got two seats at the counter where we enjoyed watching the chef activity.

We also ate at Goat Hill Pizza, really full Italian, which my late husband and I frequented in the 90s while staying on our boat next to the Giants stadium that did not exist then. Chez Maman was a treat, and small Thinker Café on 20th street offered a lovely local experience for breakfast. We got a kick out of the kids ready for school and the city dogs patiently and quietly awaiting their owners. Coffee at Farley's on Monday evening had us tagged as locals -- maybe it was Bob's debonair hat and sport coat, or could it have been my leather jacket and scarf? The sweet little Christopher's Books is still there. This is city life at its best.

A visit to Christopher's Books is always a treat.

Welcome Home

Room With a View: Sutter Creek

 

 

"Room with a View: Ye Old Church in Sutter Creek"

Ink and Watercolor

 

We took our first mini trip in the new year to Sutter Creek, in the foothills of the Sierras. It was gold country. Today all the mining is done of tourists. We were there for a performance by one of the premier Ragtime artists, Mimi Blais, from Montreal. She performed at a private home, Skunk Hollow Victorian Gardens, joined by Tamas Ittzes from Budapest, Hungary, a young violinist and pianist. They played a combination of Ragtime and classical music. Tamas runs the International Ragtime and Jazz Festival in Hungary, now in its 23rd year. Bob's sister Marilyn is a Ragtime pianist and student of Mimi's, and told us about last night's performance. The evening was outstanding. Today the performers headed to San Francisco to continue their tour.

 

We stayed in a simple Day's Inn, but Bob treated me to a delicious dinner at Hotel Sutter Restaurant and spent more for it than for the room! I have to admit that to paint my view from the room would have required a great deal of artistic license, so I chose to expand  my view to the tiny preserved church down the street. Bob took a few photos and I just referenced the camera shot. We had taken a nice walk around town yesterday afternoon.

 

This morning I walked about town for a bit of exercise on my own. I was fascinated by the old cemetery surrounding the small Catholic church. The gravestones tell such stories of the area. Many were from the second half of the 19th century. Some people lived long lives, but many died young. I was especially touched by a plot with a mother and two young children, one who lived one year and one day. The mother outlived both by decades. There were numerous stones for young children. Many of the families were Irish and proudly named their home country.



This morning we returned to the home where Chip gave us a tour of his collections of Lionel trains,  railroad lanterns, and old fashioned home radios in the large basement. The home itself is a real treasure, a huge Victorian set amidst beautiful gardens. Chip is assembling a reproduction of the Tehachupi Loop where a long train passes over itself to lessen the grade. He has done everything to scale. Bob and his sister are both train buffs, having come from a long line of railroad people in Chicago. I found the hour and a half we spent talking equally fascinating. One intriguing set was a Girl's Train made by Lionel in flashy pink. It didn't sell. I supposed if a girl really liked trains, as Marilyn does, she would want the same train that boys had. The failed set is quite the collector's item.

Our return trip included a stop off route in Ione, another cute town where Dave Brubeck's mother gave piano lessons. Note the music theme here? Life with Bob is filled with music. I love it!

Room with a View: Christmas 2013

"Room with a View: Downtown San Jose"

Christmas at the Fairmont Hotel

13" x 10" Watercolor



Because of the Big Sur.fire, we cancelled our plans for two nights at Big Sur Lodge and went downtown to upscale Fairmont Hotel. There are real bargains on the 24th and 25th. We had had Bob's family Christmas early and my sons live in Vermont, so we change it up for Christmas.

We arrived via bus and light rail, saving $42 in parking fees, and it took us about 45 minutes to get there. The afternoon was beautifully warn and sunny so we went to the San Jose Museum of Art, just past Downtown Ice, across the circle of palms from the hotel. Can you imagine skating outside in 70 degrees?



In front of San Jose Museum of Art

viewing Downtown Ice and the Fairmont Hotel

We had a beautiful Christmas Eve walking through Christmas in the Park. We were amazed at all the families that crowded the displays and partake of children's rides.

A very old tradition in San Jose

One of the animated displays at Christmas in the Park

We enjoyed choral singing at Trinity Lutheran Church. On Christmas morning, we had brought our gifts in luggage, so we enjoyed the Vermont celebration. We took in a movie and had dinner at a nice restaurant. The following morning, we returned home.

I created my painting at home from a photo Bob took at breakfast through the hotel window.





Room with a View: Venice Beach

 

'Guesthouse"

Venice Beach watercolor sketch

 

 

"Guesthouse Fireplace"

Venice Beach watercolor sketch

 

I should really say view of the room. For my birthday, we flew to Los Angeles and stayed for two nights in Venice Beach. We had a lovely time taking in "Lion King" live in Hollywood, strolling the beach and canal areas, and doing a progressive restaurant tasting with a group. We rented a place off airbnb.com, where private folks list rooms and houses for rent. We had the loveliest place. The hosts are wonderful, non-intrusive, but helpful. They left me a birthday card, two bottles of wine, cheese, and crackers, and the place was well stocked with staple items and cosmetics. One day the owner invited me to sit in front of their outdoor fireplace while I painted these two little sketches. He went off on his bike while his wife was working from home. The Venice area is very interesting these days and enjoying a renaissance. I can highly recommend the accommodations!

 

 

 



The evening before going to LA, on my actual birthday, we enjoyed a Christmas party for IBM retirees, where we danced and had a lovely meal.

My Scotsman bought us a corsage and boutonniere.

Room with a View: Journaling in the Carribean

"The Pitons"

St. Lucia, Caribbean
5.5" x 8" watercolor

 

Recently Bob and I took a 14-day cruise with two other couples on Celebrity Eclipse in the Caribbean. The weather was outstanding -- 80s and sunny everyday.  We visited eight islands, going as far south as Curacao, which is off the coast of Venezuela. I took along a Strathmore 5.5 x 8" visual journal and my tiny Koi watercolor set with brush pen. I found the quality of the paper to be quite inferior to my standard Arches, and should have stayed with known supplies.

 

Our journey started with a flight to Fort Lauderdale, and a couple days later we boarded the ship in Port Everglades, strangely named because it is in Fort Lauderdale, not the Everglades. This was our view from our veranda as we prepared for our 5 p.m. sailing time.

 

 

"A Room with a View: Port Everglades"

 

We spent the next few days at sea, eating at different venues, taking in shows in the evening, doing dance classes, swimming in the pool, reading, and attending culture talks. We thoroughly enjoyed sitting on our veranda, where we often enjoyed room service in the morning.

 

 

"A Room with a View: The Veranda"

A Day at Sea

 

Our first stop was very predictable -- St. Thomas, the US Virgin Islands. There were a half dozen boats in port. This is the view from our veranda at the dock.

 

 

"A Room with a View: The Port at Charlotte Amalie"

St. Thomas

 

Bob and I decided to go our own way and took the local open air bus up over the island to Red Hook where we boarded the ferry to St. John. The Waterfront Bar and Grill is very colorful as you approach the island, so we immediately went and had lunch.

 



 

"Waterfront Bar and Grill"

St. John, Virgin Islands

 

Bob, a fan of locally brewed beers, ordered the Virgin Island beer. He chuckled when he read the label -- brewed in Portland, ME. That's okay. We've enjoyed the microbrews from that lovely small Maine city. We wandered the small town, visited the local Lutheran church, and learned about the native and European cultures and history of the island at the National Park Headquarters. This set the theme for understanding the exploitation of natural resources and people on the islands.

 

The following morning we docked at St. Maarten, a island shared by two nationalities -- the Dutch and the French. We were on the Dutch side of the island. The rest of the group took off to the beach and we went on a bicycle tour. Some of the participants were a bit taken back by the 18% climbs we did on the way to an old fort. I was the oldest woman to make it up the hill on the bicycle without walking. The island is very clean and colorful. The border was decided by a foot race in which the Dutchman drinking Dutch Gin did not make as much headway as the Frenchman drinking French wine. However, the Dutch pride themselves on owning the area with the sea and air ports. The border is completely open and determined by the oldest standing treaty in the world (the Treaty of Concordia in 1648).

"Biking  in Phillipsburg"

Dutch St. Maarten

Now the distances between islands are very modest, about 100 miles, so the next morning we docked in Antiqua. The port was very colorful. This lady was selling jewelry to the tourists.

"The Jewelry Lady"

Antigua









Bob was needing a time out (vacations can be exhausting), so I went off with the other four on a taxi van tour of the island. Bernie, "King of the Road," stuffed a dozen of us into the van and off we went, to the old Nelson Boatyard, the fort, views of homes of the rich and famous (such as Eric Clapton), and banana groves. The King managed to deliver us all back safely on a tire missing a huge chunk of rubber, which I was thankfully not aware of until exiting back at the boat.

 

We sailed on overnight and landed at St. Lucia. The six of us took a private van tour of the island. The sketch at the top of the post features St. Lucia's notable landmark, the Pitons. We passed them enroute to their smoking volcano. The island has lush jungle and treacherous winding roads climbing over the mountains. Everything is so colorful.

 

 

A photo of the Pitons

 

 



A restaurant in the mountains of St. Lucia

 

To be continued.



 

"Room with a View: Sunset at Jupiter River Park"

7" x 9" Watercolor Sketch

 

 

I celebrated a significant birthday in Jupiter, Florida with my family from Vermont, including my oldest brother and his wife. Days filled with sunshine, boat rides, the Lighted Boat Parade, swimming, an adventure in the Everglades, and visiting cousins on Merritt Island marked the occasion. We went to the Melbourne gallery/studio of Derek Gores who taught collage here in San Jose. I now own a small original and each of the family members purchased a print. One night we walked by the water near the house just as the sun was setting, depicted in the scene above. We flew down Thursday and home on Tuesday. It's the most time my sons, Jeff's wife, and I have had together in years. Bob enjoyed himself, too.

 

I received a beautiful family photo on canvas.  The granddaughters are often depicted in my art.

 

 

Jeff, Jamie, Kelly, Beth

 

Jason gave me an IPad because he knows that it would take me another 3 years to get around to treating myself to one. While waiting in the airports, I did sketches on it. I can see this will be a great addition to my art.

 

Today, I will be doing plein air on the coast with the watercolor society.



Room with a View: Paris

"Room with a View: Paris"

3" x 5" watercolor and ink sketch

Bob had never taken the Chunnel train between London and Paris, something I had done with my son Jason in 2000. Thus our departure point to return home would be Paris. We enjoyed the very fast trip and going under the Channel is quite a non-event, but definitely an item on any train buff's bucket list. We arrived about noon and checked into my favorite small hotel, Hotel Michelet Odeon, just off St. Germain, a block from the lovely Luxembourg Gardens, and walking distance to the Louve, the d"Orsay, and Notre Dame Cathedral.

Across the plaza of the Odeon Theater from the front door of the hotel.

Rain had just stopped when I took this photo.

We were nearing the end of the trip and slowing down, so we took it easy during our two-night stay, did quite a lot of walking, visited the museum at the Gardens, had dessert at the tea house in the Gardens, and enjoyed a couple small cafes near the hotel.

Luxembourg Gardens

Paris

Our view from our modest room was of narrow side streets and classic French row houses. So that's what I painted.

Our trip home was excellent because I booked economy and used miles to upgrade to business class. I am now so spoiled that it will be tough to travel internationally any other way. Huge legroom, seats that recline completely for sleeping, and great food. Can you believe this is the appetizer for an airline meal? More like traveling in the old days of flying.

American Airlines

The nice thing about the return is we arrive the same day because California is nine hours earlier than Paris. We left Paris around noon and walked into our home at almost midnight. We would have arrived home a couple hours earlier, but there was a delay in Chicago. We spent the next five days readjusting to West Coast time and pulling together the last of our remodel. That wraps up our 2012 European adventure: three weeks, five countries by plane, trains, buses,vans, a boat, a ferry, taxis, and foot, rotating between two currencies.* Notice this time there were no bicycles involved.


*I am counting Northern Ireland, Scotland, and England as separate countries, which technically they are not. 

Pushing the Darks in Pastel and Room with a View: Glasgow, Scotland

"Time for Pears"

"Room with a View: Glasgow"

Glasgow's classy shopping street

 

Monday drawing class and some new challenges. We worked two days on the piece shown. Bob wanted us to get over being timid about darks. The still life was backed with dark fabric. Bob first had us use charcoal to take the tone of the paper to the proper value, like an underpainting in oils. Then we applied charcoal. He also challenged us not to rub the pastel into the surface, especially in the last layers. I am addicted to rubbing, so this is a good challenge. If you love that left pear, I can't take full credit. Bob sat down to add a few finishing touches to show me how to achieve that wonderful texture and light without rubbing!

 

Back to our September travels in Europe. Glasgow was our first resting place in Scotland. We took the train from Belfast to Larne, then a large ferry across the Irish Sea to Troone Scotland. It was raining en route, so the views were muted as we approached the shores of Scotland. It was also late and as we searched for the train station, we watched the train head off to Glasgow. Fortunately, another would be along in an hour. Our chipless US credit card was pesky and the machine would not take it. A fine young man bought tickets for us and Bob gave him a generous couple extra pounds.

 

By the time we arrived in Glasgow and walked to the hotel, it was approaching 10 p.m. Rick Steve's, the travel writer, says it's a gritty city, but we loved it. Really pretty, a practical working city, and lots of culture. We got a smoking deal at a 4-star Carlton hotel because I couldn't find a  B&B to my liking. We got a complimentary bar in a handsome room, and breakfast at the beautiful rooftop restaurant.

 

 

Glasgow from the balcony of the rooftop restaurant

compliments of the waiter

 

 

However, the room viewed an inner air shaft, so not much going on. We were charmed by the Scottish plaid in the bathroom, and my sketch is just that. We stayed until late in the day, taking a Hop-On, Hop-Off Bus and enjoying a lovely lunch at a pub in our hotel. The misty rains continued.  Bob tried the Hagis stuffed chicken, but I don't do Haggis (it's a mental thing).

 

One final note on my previous post of the collage. My granddaughter was so amazed that she asked to use the painting as her Facebook profile pictue. It was fun reading the comments of her friends who were trying to figure out if it was a painting or something else.





Room with a View: Belfast, Ireland

 

"Room with a View: Townhome Living"

Belfast, Ireland

 

 

Murals from "The Troubles"

 

Our next stop was Belfast, via, trains to Dublin and Belfast, where we learned a surprising fact -- they are rated the second safest city in the world after Tokyo. We stayed in the Crescent Townhouse, turned small hotel, with a good B&B rate with one dinner. The room and bath was lavishly large in a country where small rooms are the norm. It was in the Queens University district. Across the street were well-kept brick townhomes seen above in my sketch.

 

 

The Botanical Gardens are lovely and a short walk from our hotel

The Chicago cow sculptures has caught on there

and we enjoyed a fall festival with locals

In the neighborhood

 

We had a lot of rain and chill, true of our entire trip. Our tour of town by Hop On Hop Off bus took us to Shankill and Falls Roads where something akin to the Berlin Wall and many political murals remind us of the troubled times when Catholic and Protestant neighbors fought for their ideals, and the region remained in the UK and separate from the Republic of Ireland. We were told that many people in the Republic have never visited "Ulster" as it is know in the UK, a mere 2.5 hours by train from Dublin.

 

Of interest is the Titanic Museum because the ship was built in these mighty shipyards. Compromises were made that caused despair among the designers. Unfortunately, our attempt to tour it without a reservation was unsuccessful, the museum is that popular. A bonus was seeing a road race from the bus.

 

 



Titanic Museum

 





Room with a View: Galway and Connamara

"Grey Skies Over Connamara"

 

The real deal

 

 

"Room with a View: The Greyhound Stadium"

 

 

"...and watch the sun go down o'er Galway Bay"

 

 

A bus and trains took us to Galway where were the lovely Irish tune about Galway Bay ran through my head as we walked along the port and Bay. We took a one-day mini-van tour of Connamara, the wild and rugged mountains where many Catholics were forced into exile when Cromwell took his vengeance on Ireland. Today, most people have moved to the cities, leaving the spectacular scenery to a few farmers and some nuns who run the Kylemore Abby. Read the history of this intriguing structure. One of the more  famous graduates during the days as a boarding school is Angelica Houston, whom I cannot imagine living in such isolation.

 

Our Galway room was on College Road in the Ardawn B&B amidst an entire row of large homes turned into B&Bs. Great location for walking to transportation, the pedestrian area, and the port. The wonderful owners sent our laundry out and gave us beautiful breakfasts. Their tea service at breakfast instituted a new tradition for us -- brewed with loose tea and poured into the cup through a beautiful strainer. Mike is a Antartic explorer, having gone on an Irish re-creation of Shackleton's expedition with greater success, and a terrific cook as well.

 

We were right next to the greyhound stadium and that was our view from our room. The stadium is a very big deal in Ireland. My photo of my painting is a tad crooked and I will attempt to replace it soon.

 



Room with a View: Dingle, Ireland

"

"Charming Dingle"

5" x 3" Watercolor Sketch

"Rainy Day Over Conant Pass"

5" x 3" Watercolor Sketch

 

Dingle Peninsula is the Western-most point of Europe, so the folks who live in this traditional Gaelic area like to say "The next parish over is Boston." Fortunately, though all signs are in Gaelic, the people speak English for other mere mortals in "An Daengaen." The town of Dingle with about 2000 souls living there is the largest and very charming.

 

We like to stay in modest places with a down-home feel, so we use Rick Steve's books extensively. We selected small inns and B&Bs for the majority of our accommodations, run by owners who live in the home. We meet lots of interesting independent travelers and seem much less exposed to theft. The owners can give lots of good advice. In Dingle, I made arrangements by e-mail to stay in Eileen Conant's B&B. We took several trains to Tralee and then an hour's bus ride to Dingle, a trip of about 7 hours. The train transfers were all timely -- walk from one to another and go.

 

Above you see the view from our cozy room with traditional homes and the mountains. The second painting shows a view of Conant Pass from a photo I took through the rain from the bus window. You see the fields that rise up the hillsides. They were every shade of green imaginable and support herds of sheep.

We took an archeological tour in a mini-van given by Tim Conant, Eileen's retired Police Chief husband. We also took a boat ride and enjoyed the friendly dolphin Fungi who adopted the people of Dingle years ago. Bob bought a Irish low whistle and got to jam with local musicians. We visited two traditional music venues, one a church, and the other The Small Bridge Pub.



 Bob plays the Irish Low Whistle with Mike Herlihy on accordian and friend on piano

 

Mike is written up in the travel books and generously bought us drinks at the pub where he played.

A Room with a View - Dublin, Ireland

 

"A Room with a View: Yellow Doors"

Dublin, Ireland

3" x 5" Watercolor

 

Dublin has many lovely townhomes and we stayed in small Kilronan Guest House, not far from St. Stephens Green, made up of two townhouses. The view was of the Georgian townhouses across the street. One saw the individuality in the colors of the doors and the front yard uses -- a bicycle, a motor scooter, children's play equipment... I found myself imagining daily life among the townhome families.

 

We serendipitously landed amidst the best weather they've had all summer - cool and sunny for a couple days. Then we had some rain, a constant feature of this trip to the isles in September. We Californians find few places to visit with weather as good as ours. 

 

Visiting St. Stephens Green

 

We adjusted to an 8-hour time difference on the Hop On, Hop Off bus. Bob was on a mission to taste the whiskeys (Irish) and whiskys (Scottish) and the local beers. Jamieson and Guinness made the cut. Another day we enjoyed traditional music in a pub in the Temple Bar section, and we did a lot of walking around the Green, their beautiful pedestrian shopping street, Grafton, where we watched very talented street performers on Saturday night, and attended Even Song at St. Patrick's Cathedral (Episcopalian; there is no Catholic cathedral in Dublin in this most Catholic of Republics). If you enjoy attending church services, Even Song is a great way to go. The churches that often charge tourists, are open to attendees only during the services for no fee, though we make a contribution, and the music is beautiful. We were treated to children's choir.

 

We made our exit plans, booking train tickets to Tralee where we would board the bus for Dingle.