Trip to the Beach
28 November 2001
It's over a month since I wrote a proper e-mail, so here are a few more pictures and a little news on what we've been doing. Life in San Francisco has settled into something of a routine, but a routine which involves a lot more walking than I used to do in Melbourne (even with walking to and from work there). We still don't have a car, and probably won't buy one.
I did my driving test last week, having sat the written test a few weeks earlier. I had promised myself that Iwouldn't do another exam for a long time after the Anaesthesia Fellowship Exam last year, but the California Driving Test didn't need very much study and the behind-the-wheel part was easier than the test in Australia: no need to demonstrate parking, something I was a little anxious about with the wheel on the wrong side of the car.
I have applied to join CarShare in San Francisco, an organization which maintains a fleet of cars for use by members which may be cheaper and more convenient than renting a car on the days we want one. Meanwhile public transport is serving us well except for Robert's journey home from buying a television which wouldn't fit in a taxi two weeks ago. In the picture above we are on a tram together (they don't call them trams here).
The same weekend we bought some furniture for the spare bedroom/office: a desk and a deep bookcase to put the TV on. There is already a sofabed there for those who want to come and stay. We had to stain and varnish the furniture which was a project to take our minds off the absence of anything on American television (except AbFab on a Monday night). That's Richard's car in the background.
Last weekend was Thanksgiving. I suggested we have a look at the beach, since we hadn't been there yet and so we went there before the heaviest of the hail that day. We did not swim. As you can see, in Northern California it's not exactly "Baywatch" material; the sand is grey and the water is cold. The beach is supposed to be better a little further to the North, but I think I can leave it until Spring or Summer to find out.
Even standing on the highest sand dune, you can't see Australia across the Pacific. I'm pointing in roughly the right direction, however. I'm still getting confused between North and South here; I had little trouble with driving on the other side of the street and the light switches being upside down, but I still have the feeling that the sun is coming from the North, so I get the map of the city upside down a lot.
We have no special plans for Christmas, especially as Boxing Day is not a holiday so I have only a few days off. For New Year's Eve, however, we have taken advantage of the (briefly) cheap airfares and arranged to go to Vancouver to visit friends. Digitas were very pleased with Robert's work on Pottery Barn and have given him an extra week's leave in January which we are using the visit the Caribbean from Australia Day for a week. Neither of us has been on a cruise before and it looked very appealing given the cold, grey weather here. We'll be thinking of those of you at Red Raw in Melbourne that weekend (dancing under the same stars or whatever).
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I did my driving test last week, having sat the written test a few weeks earlier. I had promised myself that Iwouldn't do another exam for a long time after the Anaesthesia Fellowship Exam last year, but the California Driving Test didn't need very much study and the behind-the-wheel part was easier than the test in Australia: no need to demonstrate parking, something I was a little anxious about with the wheel on the wrong side of the car.
I have applied to join CarShare in San Francisco, an organization which maintains a fleet of cars for use by members which may be cheaper and more convenient than renting a car on the days we want one. Meanwhile public transport is serving us well except for Robert's journey home from buying a television which wouldn't fit in a taxi two weeks ago. In the picture above we are on a tram together (they don't call them trams here).
The same weekend we bought some furniture for the spare bedroom/office: a desk and a deep bookcase to put the TV on. There is already a sofabed there for those who want to come and stay. We had to stain and varnish the furniture which was a project to take our minds off the absence of anything on American television (except AbFab on a Monday night). That's Richard's car in the background.
Last weekend was Thanksgiving. I suggested we have a look at the beach, since we hadn't been there yet and so we went there before the heaviest of the hail that day. We did not swim. As you can see, in Northern California it's not exactly "Baywatch" material; the sand is grey and the water is cold. The beach is supposed to be better a little further to the North, but I think I can leave it until Spring or Summer to find out.
Even standing on the highest sand dune, you can't see Australia across the Pacific. I'm pointing in roughly the right direction, however. I'm still getting confused between North and South here; I had little trouble with driving on the other side of the street and the light switches being upside down, but I still have the feeling that the sun is coming from the North, so I get the map of the city upside down a lot.
We have no special plans for Christmas, especially as Boxing Day is not a holiday so I have only a few days off. For New Year's Eve, however, we have taken advantage of the (briefly) cheap airfares and arranged to go to Vancouver to visit friends. Digitas were very pleased with Robert's work on Pottery Barn and have given him an extra week's leave in January which we are using the visit the Caribbean from Australia Day for a week. Neither of us has been on a cruise before and it looked very appealing given the cold, grey weather here. We'll be thinking of those of you at Red Raw in Melbourne that weekend (dancing under the same stars or whatever).
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