A job offer Pete got at a school in the Bay Area gave us a chance to live in California for a year. We ended up in Pacifica, just south of San Francisco, where we rented a home and the kids went to local middle and high schools. I spent a lot of my time with my trusty Nikon P520. This is an extremely pared down collection with some crossovers in other galleries.

My first capture. So excited I sent Pete a screenshot from my viewer, missing subsequent breaches. So magnificent!

Technically after breaching, they're hard to capture when they're on their way up. 

Cheating: this is me, taken by Jess

You never know what you'll see in the city.

This view is from the Marin County side, towards the city.

There's never a bad view of San Francisco.

Everyone loves the water.

You're probably not supposed to climb here...

Baker's Beach is a haven for beach lovers of all kinds.

The lights from the dashboard made an interesting juxta here.

View from the Presidio side

These wall to wall Victorian homes are still in their glory, with some showing off exterior details of vibrant colours.

One of two blow up rabbits in front of the Civic Center by an Australian artist to depict the destruction of the environment by man.

Fun Fact: this is where the Enterprise bridge crew gathered to plan their rescue of humpback whales!

The statue of Columbus was removed in 2020 and put into storage as other emblems of colonialism met their fate around this time.

One of many indigenous representations on this incredible building. It was created as a non-profit to help support gender equality and social justice and includes housing for those in need. 

It's all about the music.

Kerouac Alley is home to this walkway between the Financial District and Chinatown, City Lights Book Store and the Vesuvio Cafe.

If I could, I'd have a blog just for murals. Art is everywhere in California, and San Francisco is home to many glorious pieces. This one is a marker for the Haight Street Market.

So many book and music and funky clothing stores. 

Haight Street message featuring George Harrison (anyone who can identify the blonde, let me know!)

The creativity is delightful.

Downtown San Francisco has many distinct sections: the Tenderloin, Financial District, Chinatown, Japantown, The Mission and Castro Districts and others, all reflecting different levels or economy, diversity and creativity. 

To remember those lost in the Orlando shooting.

Valencia caters to the trendier consumers.

Who doesn't love these beautiful shoes?

Nowhere is there not art.

It didn't take long for this to rust up.

From our house on the hill the morning fog would slowly burn off. 

Fun Fact: It was on this point that a scene from Little Big Lies was filmed; Shailene Woodley's character runs towards this cliff.

Pacifica has lots of biking and walking trails.

This was some intense exercise (for me). Fortunately tea and muffins awaited at the Chit Chat Cafe on the pier.

Always dramatic, any time of year. You can see one of the trails here that links to the next beach.

Spring showers bring out the greens.

At the top of Mori Point are a series of concrete dividers. Great for graffiti art.

Reminder of the ocean's wrath.

These were fairly common and announced on the weather apps. Some people will lose their lives underestimating the power of these waves.

The beauty is non stop and it kind of hurts

Tons of these little pink and yellow flowers are among the dunes. Unfortunately they are non-native invasive plants.

Fishermen on the pier would catch fish and crabs. Gulls always on standby.

This never got old.

Everyone has a dog. They have the best time on the beach.

Why not have a mural on a chunk of concrete?

These guys like to hide in the rocks at the beach.

This was one of those pull over quick moments, which we were able to safely do. There is a metallic element at play here that I love.