Spring time flowers in bloom

About 30 minutes south of San Francisco is a large historical estate and garden named Filoli.  It was the property of Mr and Mrs. William Bourn, and built in the early part of the 20th Century.  Filoli derives its name by combining the first two letters from the key words of Mr Bourn's credo: “Fight for a just cause; Love your fellow man; Live a good life.”

Today it is a California State Historic Landmark and its beauty is preserved by the work of many volunteers.  It is quite a beautiful sight that is tucked away in the quiet hills between the metropolitan areas of San Francisco and San Jose.  More information is available at the website.

I took many more photos and uploaded more here.

Views of the Presidio and the Pacific Ocean

Today I went back to the northwestern part of San Francisco, which includes The Presidio and Sutro Heights Park ( again ).  It was a bit cloudy today but nice until late afternoon.  After 5 pm, the clouds and fog started to disappear leaving a nice blue sky and cool breeze.  Perfect weather for taking photos!

The Presidio is a part of San Francisco history.  It served as a military facility for over 200 years.  In 1994, control of The Presidio was passed over to the National Park Service.  Today, it is jointly overseen by The Presidio Trust and the National Park Service.   Many of the old buildings have been converted for residential and commercial use. 

These are two rows of buildings that were former residences of military officers and their families.  Living in such historical buildings is certainly very expensive but also very unique. 

This memorial located in The Presidio was built to commemorate the lives of U.S. Military personnel that were lost or buried at sea and their bodies were never recovered during World War II. Standing there made me feel a bit sad even though I don't know any of the 413 names engraved on the memorial.  These were all people who lost their lives during a time of war.  It made me think about the cost of war that is paid in human lives rather than dollars and cents.

View of the Golden Gate Bridge from The Presidio.

More photos taken at Sutro Heights Park.  

This final photo was taken from Sutro Heights Park, looking south.  Ocean Beach stretches along the right. Golden Gate Park and the Dutch Windmill can be seen just beyond the apartment buildings on the left. The fog and clouds had burned off by late afternoon, leaving this beautiful scene. 

The University of San Francisco is a private Jesuit university located in the city.  It is a beautiful looking campus, resembling a church rather a university.  The main campus, The Lone Mountain campus is located on a hill. 

This is the state flower of California, the Golden Poppy.  It is a wildflower that can be found in many places.  I took this photo on the campus of USF.  There is an urge to pick this beautiful flower, but it's actually against the law to do so.

Later, I went to Golden Gate Park.  This is a waterfall located along John F. Kennedy Drive.

Flowers in bloom in Golden Gate Park.

Tulips in Queen Wilhelmina Garden located at the western end of Golden Gate Park.  It is just a 5 minute walk away from the Pacific Ocean.

Another park near the Pacific Ocean, the Sutro Heights Park was at one time the estate of Adolf Sutro, the mayor of San Francisco from 1894 to 1896.  He bought this land near the ocean because of its spectacular views and developed it into Sutro Heights which featured elaborate gardens and vista points.  It was eventually donated to the city of San Francisco by the family but unfortunately, most of the gardens and estate was demolished by the city.  Still, people come to enjoy the grassy areas and beautiful views of the ocean.

Nighttime shots of USF taken after sunset.

Looking down from USF with Saint. Ignatius Church in the distance.
More photos here: