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One of the benefits of being in San Francisco for Thanksgiving was that we could decorate our Christmas tree early and enjoy it for the entire month of December. So, we began in earnest Friday morning after a hearty breakfast including some fried potato patties courtesy of our Thanksgiving feast. (Honestly, who can really make mashed potatoes for two and NOT have leftovers!)

The before and after pictures below are really quite striking. Jeff is the stylist for our tree…and I think you will have to agree that the tree is truly quite beautiful. Our collection of ornaments is very special to us. We’ve assembled an enormous collection of special ornaments from our travels together (e.g., Florence, Hawaii, St. Michaels), some pieces Jeff has collected, some handmade ornaments from friends (and one I made as a child), and several pieces from my grandmother and our friend Nancy. We’ve added framed pictures of Jeff’s neice and nephews, and a handfull of White House historical ornaments. This is a special tree.

Jeff made the comment tonight that we should leave our decorations up all year. 🙂 So tempting. Between the tree, the garland, and our fireplace, we simply don’t want to leave the living room. Dobie certainly agrees…she LOVES the fireplace. (So do we…it is COLD in San Francisco this week!)

One of the most bizarre sights you will notice as you wind your way into Wine Country from San Francisco is a old, twisted Oak tree…covered in sky blue balls. The tree is the centerpiece for a collection of installation art gardens called Cornerstone Gardens–kindof like what Cinderella’s Castle is to Disneyland without the moat.

I’m sure that most people barely tap the brakes for a second glance at what surrounds this tree, but Jeff and I stopped in. I’m glad we did. What we discovered was a series of about two dozen “gardens,” designed and installed by regional landscape and installation artists. Visitors are encouraged to walk among and into the gardens and experience them up close.

For reference, the tree is simply called Blue Tree. It is an old tree from the site that has been “visually erased” from the skyline by the blue Christmas balls against the blue sky.

Possibly our favorite exhibit was a room-like installation comprised of nothing more than hay-bale walls and a make of screen doors. While inside the room, our ears were blasted by hidden speakers playing a crackly continuous loop of Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire”.

It would be impossible to fully describe the full set of “art” that followed. As with most modern art, we liked some of it and found other parts dull. It definitely made for some fun photos 🙂

Friday morning, I took the leisurely route into work, driving along the up-and-coming portions of 3rd St., where the new Muni light rail is being built. At 7am, this part of the city is silent. The morning light plays off the abandoned buildings, which are certain to house Starbucks and Walgreens when the trains start running. As 3rd St. nears downtown, you can take a short detour and drive along China Basin, with a fantastic view of SBC Park (above).

The day progressed fairly quickly–filled with meetings and phone calls and a couple of visits with clients. A fairly normal day.

Jeff and I ended the day at the Hotel Vitale on the Embarcadero. Our friend Mike hosted a small happy hour and dinner (yum!), so that we could view the just-lit Christmas lights on the Embarcadero Center towers. The air was warm; the dusk sky was crystal clear; and the lights all around us shimmered. It was magical.

All of the pictures below are from Friday evening…

Dusk on the Ferry Building (above).

The Embarcadero Center lights–an annual gift to the City (above).

The Ferry Building and the Embarcadero from the Hotel Vitale terrace (above).

Another view of the Embarcadero Center lights (above).

Ice skating in Justin Herman Plaza (above).

Until today, I had succesfully resisted stores’ pressure to jump-start the Christmas season. I had even held off on one of my holiday favorites–the Starbucks gingerbread latte, which arrived in stores a couple of weeks ago. But this morning, I spotted a box of Clementines at the store, and I caved. For me, Spanish Clementines will always be associated with my Grandmother, who had made them one of her holiday traditions. So, the instant I peeled the first one, and the burst of citrus scent hit my nose, I was catapulted into the Christmas spirit. Now…bring on those feel-good Coca Cola ads 🙂

If you just HAPPEN to be in San Francisco on December 2nd (6pm-9pm) or 3rd (10am-5pm), then you should swing by the Fort Mason Holiday Photo Show that I am participating in for the 5th year in a row. I’ll have several new images from my Venice at Night series (two samples below). This show is always festive and exciting, with about 10 of my friends/classmates participating. Every artist has a unique style or personal perspective.

And did I mention that there is free wine on Friday night? 🙂