I made it to the famous San Francisco Zoo today. It was a blast! The MUNI L line goes almost right to the front door. I spent two and a half hours wandering from one end of the zoo to the other. I enjoyed the zebras, gorillas, chimpanzee, grizzly bears, Siberian Tiger, Rhino, prairie dogs, fishing cat, and penguins. It was such a pretty day and actually kind of warm so it was nice to walk around in the sunshine and take in the plants and animals at the zoo. It was smaller than i was expecting but it was cool all the same.

I’m hoping to make it a habit of visiting the zoo of places I’ve been to. I use to volunteer at the Riverbanks Zoo and Botanical Gardens in South Carolina. I’ve been to the Atlanta zoo … and I must say it is my favorite still.

I had noticed that the zoo is right on off the beach so when it closed I walked over and hung out watching the waves and reading a book for an hour before going to hunt for something to eat.

It was a really awesome day and I’m so glad I went. I hope to go back again. I think This was more of a reconnaissance mission learning the lay of the land. Next time I will know were my favorites are and can spend more time watching them. I still need to go to the insect zoo they have in the children’s zoo. Its pretty cool and not as hokey as I had thought it would be.

I took pictures and some video clips to play with.

I am nearing the completion of a full cycle of Northern California weather. Its drastically different than back home. I decided to document it here so I can have a reference for thoughts times when I wonder when the weather will get nice again or when its going to cool off. Its beautiful in its own right and I’ve enjoyed it. Its just when I ask people that have lived here all there life they can’t seem to remember exactly when its going to get warm again.

I arrived here July 15th 2009. It was warm and dry. All the grass was brown from lack of water. It didn’t rain for the first time since I had arrived until 2 months later. It was hot but not too hot and the evening was just right. I didn’t need a coat or jacket that much at night. As the end of August early September came it stayed hot during the day and didn’t really cool off until early morning hours. At some point I remember a few nights that were so hot I couldn’t sleep under the covers and it wasn’t until just before the daybreak came up that I started to get a little bit of a chill.

October was still a little warm during the day and chilly at might. I started carrying my jacket more regularly. November is when the real cold came and it was even more cold at night. I started wearing my jacket and coat together pretty regularly since I only brought the two with me.

December January I think is when the rain started coming more frequently. February March we’ve had weeks of it. The rain here is nothing like the rain we have back east. We have monsoons were you can’t see feet in front of you for minutes or hours. The streets almost always turn into rivers and if you go out side for just a minute your soaked to the bone.

Here the rain is like a mist most of the time. Or a steady drizzle. Rarely do you get the big rain drops but it steadily comes down. The cold is also completely different but not as easily described. Its definitely dryer out here and I can feel the absence of the humidity in the air. The winter is dryer here than back home. I’ve felt it more in my hands I’ve had super dry hands all winter.

When I was back home I hardly ever put lotion on because it just seemed to make my hands feel greasy. Here it soaks into my skin almost faster than I can apply it. I’m trying to start the habit of moisturizing more often.

The saying April showers didn’t hold much meaning for me when I was back home. The rain would usually come more in summer than spring. But out here they truly do have spring showers and dry summers. Summer is around the corner and I’m slowly needing my jacket less and less. Soon the rain will stop and it will be sunshine and heat all summer.

This is mostly from the perspective of Berkeley and Oakland. San Francisco is a world of its own. It really dose have micro claimants. I haven’t traveled from one are of the city to the stark opposite side of it. But I have been in one place and step off the bus and its way colder or warmer than were I started.

Its all part of the adventure and I’m loving every minute of it. :0)