We just got back from Sonoma. We were in Wine Country for 5 days; my vacation before heading back to work on Monday. I took many pictures and will spread them out over the next few posts. Although I took my art supplies with us, I did minimal, and I do mean minimal, artwork. I painted a few pages in my journal to work on at a later date.

When you are in Sonoma and/or Napa Valley, nature puts on such a show of its own that any artist, no matter how talented, just cannot compete with! Well, this artist has known that for the last 20+ years...

Anyway, here are some of my humble photos - starting with the grapes. Everything seems to start with the grapevines.

Our 1st destination was San Francisco. Here is a shot of the Palace of Fine Arts. I took many shots of the Palace. It is 1 of those places that no matter how many times I have been there, I fall in love with it each time, as though it was the 1st time. I discover something new about it everytime. And that is why I am posting 2 photos of it.

A shot of some homes in the marina, near the Palace of Fine Arts. When we lived in San Francisco, I spent a lot of my time in this neighborhood, specifically, on Union Street. There is a paper store I have been frequently for 20 years, called "Kozo", http://www.kozoarts.com/category.sc?categoryId=6.

Back when we lived in San Francisco, there was a 2nd "Kozo" store; it was in the Castro. Being the paper whore I am, even back then, I could spend hours in the store, touching all the store's exquisite Japanese papers. Because we only spent the day in San Francisco, I really limited my time and running around to just a few places. Of course, I hit "FLAX" - I spent about an hour-and-a-half and about $60.00 (including my teacher discount). My husband (who has the patience of a saint and puts up with me and my paper obsession/fetish) patiently waited in the car, with his laptop. I have been hitting "FLAX" for the last 10+ years. I am SUPER sorry that they have discontinued their online shopping - it was a fast way for me to get my "fix" until I could make it back up to the city.

Speaking of my gorgeous husband... because of my time @ "FLAX", I treated him to a late lunch @ 1 of his (and my favorite) favorite Mexican restaurants on the planet, "Pancho Villa's", in the Mission district. Every time we head to San Francisco, no trip is complete without a couple (at least) of trips to Pancho Villa's. La Mission is a potpourri of smells and sounds. Its neighborhoods are vibrant and the smells from the various restaurants, bakeries, and taquerias are quite something to behold. After Pancho Villa's, we headed to "Tartine", a renowned bakery in the Mission. We bought 2 pastries to go, and then, headed back out into the city. The pastries were dessert later that evening.

A panoramic shot from a neighborhood in Pacific Heights.

Another shot of the Palace of Fine Arts.