Lemme tell you how a day with Greta goes. You get up. You think about doing something, but you talk instead. You go to breakfast and talk until the coffee’s cold. You look at the clock, and it’s two, not eleven like you thought. A very little while later, it’s suddenly six pm, and you don’t know how that happened. I have experienced the Time Flies syndome many times in my happy leetle life. But yesterday was ridiculous. I wanted to dig my heels in and drag. It was going TOO quickly.
And Greta? Everything you would think, everything you would guess. She makes me want to talk more slowly, to feel the words in my mouth more fully. She makes me appreciate color. She smiles as much as I do. And she is the BEST storyteller, giving me goosebumps no less than six times yesterday. She brought me the most thoughtful handmade gift that I won’t even ATTEMPT to describe right now, but I’ll show it to you later, after we do our next photo shoot.
Oh, we had a good time. Here we are on the way to the City. We had been going to take the ferry, but it was a little cool yesterday and threatening rain, so we hopped BART after a FABULOUS breakfast, eggs brady with smoked salmon for Greta, eggs benedict for me, and wonderful looking pancakes for daughter-bird.
Once we trundled under the Bay, we arose into the lovely light rain and grabbed a cable car up and over the hills. It kinda broke down at the top (we didn’t ask) and they let us off right at Lombard.
This is for Em:
Daughter-bird wanted to eat lunch at Hard Rock Cafe. G and I were still full from breakfast, so we decided to do dessert and drinks instead. Yes, we had drinks:
Oh, my merciful lord, their dessert nachos are insane. Seriously. Like to have killed me.
And darling Greta got a shortcake sundae.
When we left the restaurant, this is what we saw (I’m convinced the City put on its Special Sparkles for the return of one of its favorite daughters):
We went to Longs, to the BIG one, the 24 hour one, the one that when asked to swear an oath, I swear by. (That doesn’t happen too often, actually….) In the process of looking for a pencil, we found a bean bag that will be PERFECT in my new place (this Longs sells clothes and furniture and plants and even has a yarn section!). This is NOT an attractive photo, but it cracks me up, so hard.
Oh, and she spotted a rug, too. The problem arises, with my small car: How do we fit us and all the stuff in? (We had to put the top down to get all their luggage in when I met them at the train on Thursday night, driving the highway at two in the morning, wind in our hair.) But hey. Shopping with Greta goes like this:
Daughter-bird is IN that car, I’ll have you know. She’s a trooper, just like her mama.
Now, they’re off again, and I’m back at work. I feel horribly let down, after such an eventful (and extended) weekend, to be back at work. Deep sigh. But Stitches next weekend will help with that feeling, I’m sure. And I’m going to paint my new place! Orange! Or rust! But I’ll leave the living room yellow, ’cause I love that. Happy weekend to you.
(Oh, that Guestmap is fun, but it’s eating people. If you’ve been gobbled off the map, I apologize. But I know where you are, and I love ya. Mwah!)
What a fun day – you did SO much! I must say, that photo of the beanbag in your car is the BEST! Looking forward to Stitches West – I have Monday off too, so it will only be 3 torturous days in the office until the show!
Yay for happy times with wonderful peeps. Thanks for the vicarious fun!!
What a fun day! I am so envious of you meeting Greta and her daughter. She is fast becoming a huge inspiration to me. The pics are awesome. I, too, love the one of the beanbag in the car with daughter-bird in the car..somewhere! Have a good day at work and think ahead to Stiches. 🙂
Looks like a fun time was had by all. I love the yellow in the new digs, but I am an even bigger fan of orange. I have the most wonderful shade called Poppy Glow in my hang-out room. It’s delish!
What a great, great day!!!! And I love the beanbag chair. The 24 hour Longs sounds rather fascinating. I can spend hours in our small one just spacing out and looking at all the weird little things! Glad you had fun.
Hooray! I’m saving those pix — can you send me high-res versions to get prints made? AS one who’s reveled in the five-hour brunch with G, I know what delights you’ve experienced. Happy VD!
Wow. That’s all I have to say, about your day and moving and all. I’m tired just thinking aobut it. 😉
I loved the photos! It looks like great fun, and I can’t tell you how homesick it makes me for my City… born and bred there and it gets under your skin. My alternative life always involves fantasies of moving back Home. Too bad Greta can’t stay for Stitches, but I hope we will be able to meet up!
It sounds like you had such a fun time, but that it went way too fast! 🙂
O>M>G> was my reaction to the decadent desserts! Could they have been any BIGGER?! (Looks like my kinda place 😉 Your life is way too fun lately Rachael, meeting all these dynamic blogging women, and moving into your new fab place!
So glad you held delight for a moment, such is the stuff of memories to carry us through the less than easy days packed with pulls on time energy and finance which always seem to follow delights such as this time you spent with Greta and Daughter-bird. Be gentle on your self and just hold up those smiles each time you feel the grey encroaching and I know your heart will sing.
You ‘talking’ of Greta and stories made me think of something I read recently which at the time reminded me of her and you so I’ll share it now as thank you and in expectation of more stories from your heart in the future :0)
“When we started telling stories we gave our lives a new dimension: the dimension of meaning – apprehension – comprehension.
Only those who have lived, suffered, thought deeply, loved profoundly, known joy and the tragic penumbra of things tell truly wonderful stories.
Stories do not belong to eternity. They belong to time. And out of time they grow. And it is through lives that touch the bedrock of suffering and the fire of the soul, it is through lives, and in time, that stories – relived and redreamed – become timeless.
The greatest stories are those that resonate our beginnings and intuit our endings (our mysterious origins and our numinous destinies) and dissolve them both into one.” Ben Okri
As a HOMO FABULA: a storytelling being, I thank you and Greta for your generosity.
Wow. Wowie wow wow! You know, I’m not jealous anymore, because it’s a mean emotion to feel for such an incredible experience you all had. LOVE the pictures you took, esp. the first one with the three of you–what fun! Thanks for the WoO pic–yay! (woo!) I’m gathering up a pretty nice collection of those, aren’t I?
For all future reference: DIBS on the beanbag!
Yeah, your guestmap ate me. Something against Canadians? 🙂 Thanks for the photo diary of your visit with Greta! And your new apartment is looking fabulous too.
Love the pictures! That dessert looks evil.
Fun, fun, fun! I am not as noble as Em…I’m a little jealous! It sounds like such a blast. And you have Stitches West coming up! Yay for fun friends and shopping and gigundo desserts and knitting. And thanks for the happy warm fuzzies on a Monday morning. 🙂