We usually go to San Francisco sans Liv. ThoughtMatrix throws a holiday party each year, which gives us an excellent excuse to get out of town together minus the kiddo. Holiday party – babysitter = obvious decision to leave Livia behind. Does this make Livia particularly happy? No, and we’ve wanted to show her the city for years, so a quick trip west found her at our sides this year.

She’s been glued to me for five days straight now. All day, every day. Lots of family togetherness. (God bless my home with its individual bedrooms and doors that shut and the television that sits far away in the basement. My extroversion has its limits apparently.)

Enjoy the following images from our trip. The first few are snapped in Jeremy’s office and the rest are taken near the Ferry Building and Fisherman’s Wharf. Are those gorillas doing yoga on the street? Why yes, of course. And why is Livia feeding pigeons in multiple shots? You know Liv, she’s a miniature Dr. Dolittle. I stopped her from actually touching the birds and I managed to put the kibosh on the loud seagull noises she was making, so really, that’s a win in my book. Please note that neither Alcatraz nor rain will distract her from feeding the “poor pigeons.”

Taking care of a child in an incredibly diverse city was an interesting experience. San Francisco became simultaneously more gentle and more graphic. More on that later perhaps.