leaving on a jet plane
Jul 7th
Hello lovely readers! I want to let you know that I am leaving tonight for southeast Asia and I will be out of town until July 23. So while I will be taking a break from blogging during that time, rest assured that there will be plenty of new and possibly interesting things to read here once I’m back.
In case you’re interested, here is the order of all the places I will be visiting: Ho Chi Minh City – Mekong Delta – Phnom Penh – Siem Reap – Angor Wat – Bangkok – Koh Samui – Hong Kong. It should be fun!
Yeah, this picture is of Koh Samui. Can. not. wait.
independence day
Jul 4th
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
You know, I don’t really understand why people say “Happy Fourth of July!” The holiday is called Independence Day… it just happens to be on July 4.
Well, my high school government teacher swears that it should actually be celebrated on July 2, which I learned from a 37-comment conversation on Facebook. Apparently the Second Continental Congress approved the resolution of independence on July 2, but the statement explaining this decision – the Declaration of Independence – wasn’t approved until July 4. So technically we were legally independent as of July 2, 1776.
According to John Adams:
The second day of July, 1776, will be the most memorable epoch in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever more.
Well, he got it mostly right. And with the fog and cloud cover that is July in San Francisco, “illuminations” is spot-on.
labyrinth at lands end
Jul 3rd
There’s a long story that goes along with this visit to Lands End in San Francisco, so I’ll try to summarize: my mom likes labyrinths, she was told there was a labyrinth at Lands End, and so we went to find it. Twice.
In July 2009, we followed the directions of “park by Cliff House and follow the path for a bit; you’ll see it, it’s just right there” and found nothing. We had no idea how far “a bit” was, and we saw no labyrinth.
In June 2010, after some investigative work and preparation on my part, we found it. It turns out that you need to park not at Cliff House but at the Merrie Way parking lot off Point Lobos Ave. At the far north end of the parking lot you can pick up the Coastal Trail. Follow the Coastal Trail east for about 1/2 mile (maybe 3/4 mile) until you reach the trail for Mile Rock Beach. Go down the stairs – there’s about 100 of them. When the stairs make a sharp left, follow the trail that goes straight instead. At the end of the trail is Lands End Point, which is where we found the labyrinth (map).
Quite the view, eh?
And even though we didn’t follow the steps that led to Mile Rock Beach, here it is:
grace cathedral
Jul 2nd
My mother really really really likes Grace Cathedral. That might be putting it mildly. Anytime she comes to visit, she MUST also visit Grace Cathedral. I’m not into it quite the same way she is, but it truly is an extraordinary building right in the heart of San Francisco.
Located at the corner of California and Taylor, Grace Cathedral is the third largest Episcopal church in the U.S. It is also well-known for its labyrinth, which is a big part of the reason my mother loves it so. The stained-glass windows are beautiful and there was the most amazing light streaming into one part of the cathedral on the day I was there.
Here are a few of my favorite shots from the day. Clicking on an image will take you to the same image on Flickr, where you can view the image in various sizes.
I’m playing around with ways to post pictures on this blog, so let me know if you have any problems with the slideshow.
Grace Cathedral is definitely worth a visit, regardless of if you live in the area or are just in town for a few days. Visitors’ tip: the bathrooms, cafe, and gift shop are all in the basement.
my new camera
Jul 1st
For graduation, I bought myself a new camera. And then my parents decided that they would help out and pay for half (thanks Mom and Dad!). So here she is, my new Canon Rebel XSi:
(Photo Booth is not as great as this camera, obviously)
I’ll be completely honest – I don’t really know how to use it yet. But I’m pleased with the pictures I’ve taken so far, and I’m excited to learn more about the camera and photography in general. There will be many pictures to come… I still have a bunch of stuff to upload from recent bay area adventures, and this camera is definitely going with me to Asia next week.
