I was originally going to talk about quail, which is San Francisco’s official bird but unfortunately they are pretty much extinct around here, although I was just reading that they may be brought back to the area by the Presidio Trust. Since the last reported quail sighting was in Golden Gate Park in 2017, and since I had set the rule for myself of only posting about things that I could actually take pictures of, quail was off the list.
I love Google maps because I was able to find another “Q” that was actually much more interesting than quail (unless you are a bird lover, in which case, forgive me). Queen Wilhelmina’s Tulip Garden popped up as I was scrolling along. It is over by the Cliff House and the ocean at the tail end of Golden Gate Park.
Once again it was a Sunday when I went exploring and there were A LOT of people wandering around in the garden. Some were dressed really fancy and having their pictures taken with the tulips all around them. The message of “Hope” was spelled out with rocks right in the middle. The colors of the flowers were all so pretty. I’d like to go back there when there are less people. Not everyone was wearing masks so I didn’t want to get to close or stay too long.
Since I can’t talk about quail and I’ve been featuring two points of interest on all the other letters, I was hard pressed to come up with another “Q” and then I thought about “quirky” and I bet you can believe that there are some quirky things around San Francisco! Here are a few:
I fell in love with this “Dream” on the side of the hill. Graffiti is behind it but the letters are made out of little discs that move in the wind.
While my son took this picture, I’m using it because I was there! This is the Salesforce building peeking through the clouds. Where are the rest of the buildings?
This VW is just hanging out on this pole. Underneath the San Francisco it says, “All are welcome.”
All over the city are murals on the walls. This is one of my favorites.
I haven’t figured out what makes this happen in the streets around the City Hall. It was only for about a month when the weather was really cold in the morning. Some of the homeless people put tents up near them to keep warm.
And finally, this guy who is just stuck on the side of this building. Actually some of the carvings on the buildings are really remarkable. Wonder what he is thinking about as he watches all the cars go by?
Okay, made it through that tricky letter. The next couple are a little easier. Any guesses for “R?”
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Hi, Janet!
ReplyDeleteHappy Q-day, dear friend!
Yessum, I hope SF'S official bird, the quail, can mount a comeback in the city through the efforts of the Presidio Trust. Since you elected not to discuss quail, you could have devoted the entire post to Dan Quayle. :) As we wait and hope for quail to repopulate San Francisco, let's tiptoe through Queen Wilhelmina’s Tulip Garden. What a lovely spot! The pictures you took are stunning, and I can imagine how good it smelled to be in close proximity to all those blooms. I "HOPE" all visitors who take pictures at the attraction show respect for the garden and behave responsibly. I have read horror stories about tourists crushing plants and flowers underfoot in search of the perfect selfie to post on their social media accounts.
For your second "Q" topic, "quirky" immediately brought to mind Adrian Monk, the quirky San Francisco Police Department detective in the popular and long-running TV series. I enjoyed your collection of pictures showing quirky sights, signs, murals and mysterious phenomena around the city. Let us not forget those "Love Locks" over on the bridge.
Thank you for the interesting tidbits and smiles, dear friend Janet. Please give Benny a biscuit for me and I'll see you tamale for your R-day post!
Yes, I love Monk! He definitely was quirky! I should have found out where some of the spots were that they used and take pictures of those! There are more interesting things around town but I'm saving them for another letter! Have a great evening!
DeleteThe tulip garden is a beauty!
ReplyDeleteIt really was. Wish I could have gotten a picture of the whole thing without all the people!
DeleteSo many things popped in my head when I read this post! First, sorry to hear about the lack of quail there. We have lots of quail in our area... and it must be mating season because I hear their call more than I see them lately.
ReplyDeleteTulips are one of my favoritest flowers! I love the photos you posted of the garden!
I'd love to see the discs moving on that DREAM sign. That would be amazing.
"When the lights go down in the city" ... brought back memories of listening to music while jogging on Treasure Island. I'm not sure if it's still there, but they had a path for joggers on the outer area of the island, and I loved to listen to "When the lights go down in the city" as I ran along the edge of the island, looking across the bay to the beautiful San Francisco skyline.
Oh Trudy, that run around the island sounds magical. I am not a runner but I'd love to walk along that trail. It really is a beautiful city, as I am only coming to appreciate since doing these posts! The Dream sign is pretty cool too, although I've only seen it move once as it is something that I pass mostly during the daytime hours so it is still.
DeleteWow those tulips are impressive. It's bluebell time here so we might go and see some of those at the weekend.
ReplyDeleteOh, that sounds lovely.
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