San Francisco | Bay Bridge

Whenever I stayed in San Francisco, this would be my view from the home of my dear friend, Linda Donnelly-Reid. Her home was ideally located near SOMA, the Financial District, BART, The Ferry Building and the most incredible light show by light artist Leo Villareal.

Starting at dusk, I would spend hours watching The Bay Lights, a site-specific monumental light sculpture and generative art installation on the Bay Bridge. The installation includes 25,000 individual white LEDs along 1.8 miles (2.9 km) of the cables on the north side of the suspension span of the bridge between Yerba Buena Island and San Francisco.

I never got tired of this view day or night. Watching sailboats and shipping tankers cruise by during the day and Villareal’s light show at night was urban living at its finest.

San Francisco | Public Transit

One of the best things about living in the San Francisco Bay Area is public transit. Even though I lived in Sausalito, I really did not need to have car. I could take a bus, carpool or ferry to and from the city. If I needed to visit the East Bay or go to SFO to catch a plane, I could take a train. The public transit system in San Francisco is amazing. And, I especially enjoyed riding the historic cable cars.

There are 27 cable cars in rotation when the system is operating. There are two kind of cars: single-ended cars that serve the Powell-Hyde and Powell-Mason lines and the double-ended cars that serve the California Street line.

To this day, I think it is so much fun to ride them, see where they go and enjoy the people that ride them.

Richardson Bay | Sailing

My sailboat, Barbelina, was rigged for solo sailing; however, I never ventured out by myself. As I was new to the sport, I didn’t feel that I had the skills to tackle Richardson Bay by lonesome. With the Bay’s cross-currents, the sudden wind changes and the huge tankers zipping by, it was simply more fun to sail with skilled friends. I lived minimally on the boat, but had all the necessary creature comforts to make living aboard bliss. The boat was always ready to sail within 15 minutes, day or night.

One day, I’ll live on a boat again. I am picturing myself living on a Dutch barged moored outside of Paris. Of course, it will be ready to go within 15 minutes should I decided to explore the many canals and rivers of Europe.

Marin County | Tomales Bay

One of the most wonderful things about living in Marin County is the lifestyle. From quaint towns to vast open spaces and coastal dreamscapes, there is so much to do and see in the area. My favorite weekend jaunt was to travel to Tomales Bay to enjoy a scenic drive and eventually bbq oysters at Hog Island Oyster Company.

Tomales Bay is a long, narrow inlet of the Pacific Ocean in Marin County. It is approximately 15 miles long and averages 1 mile wide, effectively separating the Point Reyes Peninsula from the mainland of Marin County. It is located approximately 30 miles northwest of San Francisco. The bay forms the eastern boundary of Point Reyes National Seashore. Tomales Bay is recognized for protection by the California Bays and Estuaries Policy. On its northern end, it opens out onto Bodega Bay, which shelters it from the direct current of the Pacific Ocean. The bay is formed along a submerged portion of the San Andreas Fault.

Oyster farming is a major industry on the bay. The two largest producers are Hog Island Oyster Company and Tomales Bay Oyster Company, both of which retail oysters to the public and have picnic grounds on the east shore. These particular types of oysters found in this area must be cooked and the best way to cook them is with bbq sauce!

Rodeo Beach | Sunsets

Windswept, exhilarating and covered with unique red and green pebbles, Rodeo Beach is sheltered by cliffs and bounded by a lagoon. No matter the time of day, this sweet spot in the Marin Headlands always provides magnificent photo opportunities. I captured this shot at sunset when I was walking my dogs and enjoying the people around me.

Two military forts once guarded these shores. Fort Barry and Fort Cronkhite, whose structures now serve as National Park Service facilities, were once nerve centers of Marin Headlands military activities long ago.

This beach and surrounding cliffs are amazing to explore and it is easy to lose track of time because there is just so much to see and do.

Marin Headlands | Rodeo Beach

When I lived on my sailboat with my two dogs, the three of us would venture to Rodeo Beach in the Marin Headlands to start our day.

Rodeo Beach is located in Marin County, two miles north of the Golden Gate Bridge and is part of the the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. The beach is characterized by a spit of around 50 meters width at the mouth of a long embayment, known as Rodeo Lagoon; and, for much of the year, the lagoon is cut off from the ocean, making the beach spit a baymouth bar. Part of the beach is sheltered by cliffs and is known for its dark, pebbly sand. Regardless of the season, it is a magnificent place to be.

As the beach is dog friendly, it is a fantastic place to let dogs run free.

Sausalito | Sunsets

Sunsets in Sausalito are sublime. Each evening, I would sit on the back of my sailboat and enjoy a variety of colors as the sun would set over Mount Tamalpais and Richardson Bay.

My sailboat was located at Sausalito Shipyard and Marina. I was fortunate to have a slip on North Dock which meant I had an unobstructed view of my surroundings. With no boats immediately behind me, my location provided the most magnificent views of Richardson Bay, the hills of Sausalito and the shoreline of Tiburon.

I cherished this spot greatly and I sometimes find myself back there in my dreams at night.

Sausalito | Sunrises

Sunrises in Sausalito are spectacular. I captured this moment from the dock of my marina one morning as I was taking my dogs for a walk. Visions like this were a frequent occurrence. Was always a joy to open the hatch to see what Mother Nature had conjured up for me each day.

I absolutely adore how Pelican Harbour Marina looks in this photograph. Sausalito is full of marinas. Here are some of the official marinas and how many slips are found in each one of them: Blue Water Yacht Harbor, 74-slip marina; Clipper Yacht Harbor: the largest harbor in Sausalito with 700-slip marina; Pelican Harbour, 90-slip marina; Richardson Bay, 220-slip marina; Sausalito Shipyard, 100-slip marina; and, Schoonmaker Point, 161-slip marina. There are also several government and private locations to dock as well.

As the waters of Richardson Bay are fiercely protected, each marina must adhere to the 10% Liveaboard Rule. For example, Pelican Harbour has 90-slips. Only 9-slips are allocated a liveaboard status. There are a few marinas that are exceptions to this rule. For instance, Sausalito Shipyard is technically classified as a shipyard and not a marina. It is a former WWII Shipyard that produced Liberty Ships and other vessels for the war effort. For this reason, they have 100% liveaboard status. There are liveaboard communities such as Galilee Harbor and Gates 5 that caters to houseboats, barges, ferry and converted yachts.

Should you ever find yourself in Sausalito, I highly recommend a leisurely walk at sunrise. It is a guaranteed way to start your day right. Moreover, all of these waterfront communities are located within a one-mile of each other. You will be enchanted by the beauty and vibrancy of the area.

Sausalito | Richardson Bay

For many years, I called Sausalito my home. I lived on a 36’ sailboat that was docked at a marina on Richardson Bay. It was high-end camping and I loved every moment of it.

When you live on a boat, you are in synch with nature. There really isn’t anything like it. Of course, Richardson Bay is a special place.

Richardson Bay is one of the most pristine estuaries on the Pacific Coast with extensive eelgrass areas and sizable undisturbed intertidal habitats. It supports an extensive array of animal and plant life. Being a highly dense mecca for a variety of boats, the waters are subject to a "no discharge" rule to protect the elaborate and fragile ecosystems present, including a complex fishery and marine mammals.

This photo features my friend’s art studio moored in the middle of the Bay at dusk. His creations are inspired by the magic of his environment. I highly recommend that you visit his portfolio. I especially encourage that you collect his art.

San Francisco | Transamerica Pyramid

The TransAmerica Pyramid is an architectural beauty and a sight to behold. I used to work in the Financial District and I would often meander to Chinatown and North Beach. Not ever did I not look up, day or night, and not appreciate the wonderment of the building against a majestic sky.

The Transamerica Pyramid is located at at 600 Montgomery Street between Clay and Washington Streets in the Financial District. It is a 48-story futurist building and the second-tallest skyscraper in the San Francisco skyline. The building was designed by architect William Periera and completed in 1972.

The building is a four-sided pyramid with a structural height of 853 feet. The top 212 feet (65 m) of the building is the spire. There are four cameras pointed in the four cardinal directions at the top of this spire forming the "Transamerica Virtual Observation Deck." The building's façade is covered in crushed quartz, giving the building its light color. The top of the Transamerica Pyramid is covered with aluminum panels. For Christmas, Independence Day and the anniversary of 9/11, the top of the pyramid is lit at night and is called the “Crown Jewel.