Cool Weather Ruled in San Francisco! - Wednesday, July 10, 2024

I got up early on Wednesday morning to take Sunnie to his Walker Veterinary Hospital appointment. He is diabetic and has lymphoma so he needs to be checked at least once a month for his blood glucose level and his complete blood count. The vet's office was recommended to me by my cousin, Kristin. They are very professional, but also VERY BUSY! We were there for an hour. 

Sunnie's blood glucose was a little high, but that is to be expected. It was taken as a fasting blood glucose and was more than 12 hours since his last insulin dose. We were able to leave the insulin dose at his current level. His blood counts were too low for him to receive his lymphoma medication and he will need to be rechecked in two weeks.

We took BART to the Embarcadero Station in San Francisco from the Dublin/Pleasanton BART station in the early afternoon. Aunt Genie warned us to take a sweater and a windbreaker because it would be cold next to the water. 

Bob by the BART train at Embarcadero Station.

Once downtown, we wanted to walk along the waterfront to Oracle Park. It was a beautiful day: 64 degrees and windy. After the high temperatures we traveled through from San Antonio, Texas to Stockton, California, this weather felt terrific!

Outside the BART station, I saw beautifully decorated hearts inside an office building. I went in to get photos for my blog. They were the only ones we saw.

"My Heart," by Sirron Norris, February 12, 2009.

"Leave Your Heart in San Francisco," by
Beka Brayer, February 12, 2015.

Photographing big cities leads to many discoveries. I find it fun and relaxing. Here are my San Francisco impressions.

Information kiosk on Market Street.

19th Century Cast Iron Ornate
Lamp Post.

Hyatt Regency San Francisco, California.

Arched walkway outside the Federal
Reserve Bank of San Francisco.

San Francisco Ferry Building historical landmark.

San Francisco Ferry Building historical
marketplace.

Mohandas K. Gandhi sculpture at 
the Ferry Building plaza.

San Francisco Cable Car.

History of San Francisco's Maritime 
Strike, July 5, 1934.

Ferry Station Post Office Building -
historical landmark.

Harbor Court Hotel (formerly the Army and
Navy Young Men's Christian Association).

"Cupid's Span" is an outdoor sculpture by married
artists Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen.

The San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge.

Hi Dive Pier 28-1/2 is where we
had lunch with a water view.

Our view from the Hi Dive Grill. This boat
is the German's course competitor for the
Sail GP race in San Francisco this weekend. 

Sail GP race competitors are from Australia, Canada, Great Britain, France, Germany, New Zealand, Denmark, Spain, Switzerland, and the United States. This is the Season 4 Grand Finale with a prize of two million dollars!

Cool white building, center; the GAP
headquarters in front.

We walked 1-1/2 miles by this time and were almost to Oracle Park, home of the SF Giants. 

"Sea Change," by Mark Di Suvero.

Information about the sculpture in the 
photo above.

Bob in front of Oracle Park, San Francisco.

Another style of history marker
on The Embarcadero.

Bob is in front of Oracle Park.

In the two photos below, the artwork is titled, "The Gods and Goddesses of Baseball." The work of art is across King St. from Oracle Park. 

From Atlas Obscura, I gained the following information:

"The nine larger-than-life mythological creatures span an area of about 120 feet and were created by Russian-born sculptor Alexei Kazantsev, who came to the United States in 1993.

"The designs were privately commissioned and depict...Greek gods and goddesses acting out a game of baseball. The sculpture consists of male and female figures participating in various positions of the game. There is a minotaur featured as an umpire, a centaur as a batter, and a merman as an outfielder.

"Being from Russia, Kazantsev had never played baseball and, actually, had never seen a game. He did extensive research that involved hours of reviewing photos and videos of the game. The culmination of that work led to this amazing, yet unorthodox interpretation of these Greek mythological effigies.

"They were constructed out of reinforced concrete, using silicone molds that were initially carved from clay."

Concrete art on the 170 King Street Apartments
San Francisco, California.

Concrete art on the 170 King Street Apartments
San Francisco, California.

"Say, hey," Willie Mays.

Greetings from me at Oracle Park.

Juan Marichal, the Giant's pitcher 
and high kicker.

McCovey Cove outside of Oracle Park.

The history of Candlestick Park, San 
Francisco.

McCovey Cove Marina as seen from Oracle Park.

Random distance signs.

The view from our seats in Oracle Park.

Inside Oracle Park, San Francisco.

Looking out toward McCovey Cove. Over the
years, 103 balls have been hit into the water.

Iconic huge Coke bottle and a mitt at 
Oracle Park.

Here's the Ghirardelli booth where I got
 my $15.50 hot fudge Ghirardelli sundae.
So worth it! And, yes, I shared.

Tonight was Law Enforcement Appreciation Night. Motorcycle officers lined their motorcycles along the edges of the infield. Various law enforcement officials were introduced before the National Anthem. Out in McCovey Cove, the fireboat put on a display during the National Anthem. We were impressed!

The fireboat in McCovey Cove.
[Photo by Bob Alton.]

Watching the game, notice the coats!
[Photo by Bob Alton.]

As the game wore on, it got colder and colder. Both of us were chilled even with our sweaters and coats on! The Giants did well in the first three to four innings and then the Toronto Blue Jays stormed in out of nowhere, hitting lots of home runs. But the Giants weren't playing well and had missed many ground balls. It was so cold we left in the sixth inning. 

Oracle Park was lit up when we left.

We had to walk back to the Embarcadero BART Station, ride BART 45 minutes to the Dublin/Pleasanton Station, and then drive an hour back to Stockton! We were home at 11 pm (in time to give Sunnie his insulin).

It was a fun, and full, day!