Oh – it’s always great to get away, to be totally removed from the every-day-reality. So wonderful to spend time with my daughters and precious grandchildren. And, such terrific places to visit. The cities of Boulder and San Francisco couldn’t be more different. Both had perfect weather to make my visit that much more enjoyable.
Boulder is composed of sidewalked neighborhoods with freestanding homes. The Rocky Mountains can be seen from every direction. Gorgeous flower gardens grace most front yards. In fact, many homes don’t have yards of grass as we do here in western Massachusetts, but yards that are naturalized with flowers, shrubs, and trees. I had a great time strolling my four-month-old granddaughter around the neighborhoods, many included a park with a playground and running/bike trails.
San Francisco, by contrast, is all tall buildings, apartments, and condos. Shopping areas, like Union Square and Chinatown, abound. Excitement awaits around every corner, all within a short walk from the famous San Francisco Bay. My daughter and her husband live in a condo just one block up from the bay, South Beach Area. A five minute walk brought me down to a quiet section of the Bay where hundreds of boats are docked. A secluded area, away from the constant swell of tourists that line the streets of the city.
The very different settings and gorgeous weather can be seductive, luring you to stay on. I ran into several people in my travels who had been captured by the charms of these great areas. I came here [San Francisco] one October twenty years ago, and never left, saying farewell to cold New England winters forever, said one.
But as the saying goes, There’s no place like home. Driving North on I-91, I marveled at the rolling hills, lush with greenery, so different from the wide open plains and tall-rising Rocky Mountains of Colorado, and the parched hillsides of drought-ridden California. I felt myself taking deep breaths, inhaling the cool, fresh air of New England as I approached the Pioneer Valley. Best of all, when I opened the door of the house, my three faithful canines welcomed me home!