oh-twelve wrap-up: fleet week, wine, music, florida and more

October and November are some of the best months in the Bay Area, with warm, sunny weather and lots of outdoor events (turns out it’s a great time to be in Florida, too). Even though it’s now a few months later (I got a little sidetracked), allow me to show off some highlights.


Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival in Golden Gate Park; yoga for a cause in Union Square


The Fleet Week air show (with blue angels, a stealth bomber and more) in the bay


A visit to Ram’s Gate Winery in Sonoma with my aunt, in town from Missouri!


Thanksgiving week in Sarasota, Florida: Watching kitesurfers in St. Petersburg; waiting for the sunset at the Hurricane in St. Petersburg; sun setting over the Gulf of Mexico and creating a gorgeous sky; Siesta Key; Longboat Key; buddies at the Mote Aquarium; a manatee kiss on the aquarium window; a rather random group of animals at the Gulf Coast Sanctuary in Sarasota

fleet week

Last weekend was Fleet Week in San Francisco, a week of naval celebration and recognition, culminating in performances of Blue Angels and other cool military planes – including a stealth bomber – zooming above the bay. The weather was sunny and gorgeous, and it seemed like the whole city was outside watching – from the Marina, Fisherman’s Wharf, the Embarcadero or apartment rooftops if they were lucky enough to have one with a view. Of course, the seriously lucky ones were on a boat out in the bay, watching the planes race by directly overhead. Maybe next year…

it's a sweet life for a sea lion

It was a long walk on Saturday from downtown SF to Fisherman's Wharf along the Embarcadero, but luckily the sun finally made an appearance and we rested our weary feet with San Fran's famous sunbathers.