Conservatory of Flowers, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco

I was walking inside the Golden Gate Park when a motorist slowed down and asked me for the direction to the Conservatory of Flowers. Although I am a frequent visitor to the park, this is the first time I heard of this place. I later referred to a map of the park to pinpoint its location
and the following day I went to check it out for myself. It is an OK place to visit but it pales in comparison to the nearby De Young Museum, the California Academy of Science or even the Botanical Garden for the admission fee it charges.

This dahlia garden is a stone's throw from the observatory and equally interesting.

View in front of the observatory

2010 Orange International Street Fair

The International Street Fair at the City of Orange has been going on every Labor Day weekend for more than 30 years now. My first visit was 25 years ago but for some reason, I have not revisited till this year. It is not a question of time or distance, there are just so many attractions and events in Southern California this one slipped by me for a quarter of a century without even realizing it! When they say Time flies, it really does LOL.

I came early, just half an hour after they opened, things were just stirring up but the temperature was already at 85 deg. F (29.4 deg. C) and for a Southern Californian that is already outside the range of comfort unless you are at the beach. They conveniently set up a cooling station (shown below) where you can walk in and cool down a bit before moving on.

It is best to come at night when there are more music and dancing from various ethnic groups and the crowd is livelier. However, I came to check out the various ethnic food available - they were there alright but I find them overpriced and so-so in taste. There are just so many ethnic restaurants and food venues in LA and Orange counties you developed a sophisticated and discriminating taste after some time - you know when it is good, in taste and in value LOL. The fair is still worth a visit, it is free and you can find free street parkings a short distance away, if you do not want to shell out 10-12 bucks to park near the entrance.

Four dollars for an ear of roasted corn! You can get six of them for a dollar at your local grocery! The Fair is held to raise fund for various charities. The people manning the food booths are volunteers, quit belly-aching and loosen your wallet LOL.

ATMs available in case you run out of cash

Is that enough toilets for you?

Surfing school and fishing

I was comfortable with the surfing school my visiting grandson from San Francisco was going to attend after I checked it out, but my wife and I wanted to make sure that his swimming skill is good enough for him to surf safely. We hired a swimming instructor to put him to a test of his swimming ability and endurance and the verdict was he needed improvement in both areas LOL.


His swimming instructor giving him a workout

His surfing class warming up

The surfer meets the sea

After a week's lesson, he is already looking like a pro....yeah right!

Had enough for the day?

My other grandson living just a mile from us and the surfer dude wanted to learn how to fish so I bought them fishing rods and showed them how to cast at a small lake just across from where we live. This lake is regularly stock with trout during winter and catfish during summer so I figured we'll at least catch something.

I observed how serious and patient they were waiting for a fish to bite. Too bad the fish were probably not hungry or were vacationing somewhere. We went home empty-handed.

I wanted them to experience the thrill of their first catch so I decided to take them to a private lake about a 90 minutes drive away where fishing is less challenging but you have to pay for each fish you catch. It is still a good deal overall.

His first catch of the day!

Look at the smile on his face at his catch - the $3.75 trout is worth it.

We fished at this "lake", one of three in the ranch. A larger lake is exclusively for bass and it is "catch and release" only. It cost $17 to fish all day from the bank or in a float tube. The third lake is stock with trout with a 5 fish limit for $17. Lures and all kinds of bait are allowed here, except live minnows.

I'm afraid these guys are now hooked to fishing for life LOL.

Summer!

I went to the beach to check out the surfing school that my grandson was going to attend the following week. I wanted to make sure he will be in a safe environment and there will be sufficient watchful eyes to keep track of him. He has a tendency to stray away and to ignore instructors/authority figures whether at school, in his swimming class or anywhere else. He just do his own thing when he feels like it. Very frustrating to me at times. Kung nasa atin siya, palo na ang aabutin niya - that's how my father disciplined us when we were growing up in Pinas. It worked with us. All of us grew up to be professionals, responsible family men and women, and a big plus to the society we live in.

On my way to the beach from where I parked my car, I ran into this guy showing off his biking skill for the loose change he can get from the appreciative crowd.


A view of the beach from the pier


A closer view of the beach

A much closer view

Beach volleyball

Rock climbing for the young and not so young

Early comers for a beach concert entertaining themselves to kill time

Tricycles for hire for the lazy

Cops on beach patrol neutralizing a couple of rowdies

Contest for the young at heart

Contestants have to do a somersault, then grab a bottle of water and drink the content while running to the next station.

They have to get a fresh bottle of water and pass it on to their waiting partners and so on......until they complete three laps. It was fun to watch the participants having a ball competing. It was also fun watching some of the spectators...hehehe. Btw, I found the surfing school before I hit the road home LOL.