San Francisco Meets Carrie Ann Hall, September, 2018

I am so excited to be included as part of the group of talented, fun, and kind bloggers known as Tales of the Traveling Tote. Today is the first time that I am participating with them. In September, Sweet Mister and I were thrilled to have the opportunity to escape to San Francisco, California, for a few days. I happily loaded my now familiar MacKenzie-Childs Courtly Check tote for our very first adventure as one of the Traveling Totes. My tote is named Miss Carrie Ann Hall, and she has become my constant companion.

 

Upon landing in San Francisco, Sweet Mister had our driver whisk us across the bay and up into the hills of Mill Valley for lunch at Mountain Home Inn.

The views were breath taking, and...

                            

Carrie Ann selected the perfect table for us.

                                             

I enjoyed a delicious lunch of fresh crab cakes, and...

Our waitress was kind enough to take a couple of shots of us with my camera.

After a trip back across the Golden Gate...

 ...our driver drove us through The Golden Gate Park.

  Carrie Ann insisted on stopping by the Ampitheatre.

She couldn't decide if she was better suited as an audience member, or...

...center stage, as a performer. I'm pretty sure she's quite the performer.

                               

Checked into our hotel room...

...we had a neat view of the city. After a short nap, it was time to...

...head to Fisherman's Wharf and...

...eat again! This was one of those trips where every time we turned around, it was time to eat again! Worked for me. This night we dined at Fog Harbor Fish House.

Alcatraz could be seen from the window, mysterious and sad.

It was a lovely restaurant with beautiful views, and the food was excellent. Give it a try on your next trip to the City by the Bay. It was a delightful, romantic evening.

Upon leaving the restaurant...

It was obvious that the wharf was just beginning to come to life for the evening. We'd had enough for the day, and we were happy to head back to the hotel for a good night's sleep.

Saturday morning, we actually slept late. Unheard of for Sweet Mister and a treat for me. We headed to downtown San Francisco for an early lunch at Tadich Grill, the oldest restaurant in all of California.

The food was delicious, and the service was impeccable. I highly recommend Tadich Grill. They don't take reservations, and it is perpetually busy. They open at 11:15, and 11:15 on Saturday is one of the best times to find a table available when you enter the door. 

Once we were back at the hotel, our driver picked us up once again and drove us to Palo Alto and Stanford. Our main purpose for coming to San Francisco was to attend the induction ceremony for the Stanford University Athletic Hall of Fame. Sweet Mister's prep school coach was being inducted for his career as golf coach at Stanford University.Sweet Mister and he have been very close for more than 50 years. He deserves a great deal of credit for the man that my Sweet Mister came to be. We adore Coach.

The induction ceremony was held at the beautiful Stanford Performing Arts Center. We had a delightful time.

After the induction, we gathered our things at the hotel and headed for a late flight at the airport. We had to cut our trip short because we were determined to be home for Beatrice Emaline's sixth birthday. It was a delightful trip.  I highly recommend eating your way across San Francisco!

Plus...I left my heart. It's a glorious town.

Remember our delightful MacKenzie-Childs Tote giveaway! Just check in with Jackie @ Purple Chocolat Home to enter and WIN!!!!!

Don't forget to stay up-to-date with us on Instagram: #talesofthetravelingtote

Be sure to stop by to check out the adventures with all of the members at Tales of the Traveling Tote!

Debbie with Miss Aurora @ Mountain Breaths 

Emily with Miss Courtney Childs@ The French Hutch

 Patti with Miss Kenzie @ Pandora's Box

Jenna with Miss Coquille @The Painted Apron

Linda P with Miss Lola @ Life and Linda

Rita with Miss Luna C @ Panoply 

Sarah with Miss Merri Mac @ Hyacinths for the Soul

Jackie and Miss Madi K @ Purple Chocolat Home

Ricki Jill and Countess De Monet @ The Sketchy Reader

Cherry Kay and Carrie Ann Hall @ Entertaining Women  

Please, stop by and leave a comment. I love to hear from you, and each comment means so much! Thanks for coming by for a visit. Cherry Kay

A Garden Friends Fix, July, 2018

Things have been hopping in the month of July.  Dinner with friends over the 4th, meant no tablescape at our house. With the exception of a few weekend trips, we've held pretty close to home. I've been blessed to welcome guests to gather around our table on several occasions. Today I'm eager to share a luncheon that I hosted for my Garden Friends Bible study group. 

 

With some of us away for a fair chunk of the summer, I set a table for seven. After I finished taking my pictures, we had a late addition, so the luncheon was actually for eight. Ahhh, about the pictures. I've been doggedly trying to wrap my head around shooting in manual with my trusty Nikon. I fear that the quality of the photos to follow will reveal that for me, it's going to be a very steep learning curve. I hope that you will bear with me. Right now my results seem to yield aces and spaces. Okay, that's my disclaimer, now on to the luncheon.  I find that since we redecorated the kitchen, I enjoy entertaining in the space more and more. Today we gathered for lunch in the breakfast room. Come on in and join us... 

For my dear Garden Friends, I wanted to sculpt a softly feminine, creatively colorful tablescape. 

It's hard to go wrong when your art work is framed by the Mottahedeh Cornflower Blue Lace charger. 

The Mottahedeh Tobacco Leaf is easily one of my favorite patterns in China Town. The colors are truly magnificent. 

The Williams Sonoma banded linen napkin was the perfect amendment with its aqua accent border. 

Making an appearance after the luncheon began, the Tiffin Minton luncheon plate was used for dessert. The coupe soup and underplate held an avocado cucumber soup as a first course.

The taller Pier One wine was purchased many years ago, and I've used it often over the years. The larger goblet was a recent purchase at Hobby Lobby on the clearance aisle. I found a full dozen, and they are a perfect color match. I think I will now use them even more.

This canvas was complete, and my guests loved the place setting. 

Two different pair of petite bouquets from Whole Foods Market were snipped and placed...

...in a quartet of green vases found at a local florist some years ago.

The vases surrounded a Mottahedeh tureen. The celadon background and the pink trim worked well with the colors in the Tobacco Leaf plates.

It was a blazing hot summer day out here on the plains. It was one of those days when no one wanted to eat anything heavy or hot. Following the chilled avocado cucumber soup, we dined on chicken salad, egg salad, and a fruit salad featuring a variety of summer berries and fresh peaches.

Dessert consisted of birthday cake and brandy ice.

When we finally stood to leave the table, everyone realized that they would need to rush right home. It was almost time for them to have supper on the table. 

Sweet Mister called with plans to take me out for supper, a wonderful ending to a fabulous day. Remember, if you're coming my way, give me a call, and I'd love to set a table for you.

This week I'm joining:

Tablescape Thursday with Susan @ Between Naps on the Porch

Inspire Me Tuesday with Marty @ A Stroll Through Life

The Scoop with Anita @ Cedar Hill FarmHouse