I just wanted to add two photos of some of the vertical plantings at Flora Grubb Gardens, illustrating what can be done with space that is not normally put to use for growing plants. One could see these as living art. Inside they have the following planted (I believe that is Aeonium tabuliforme on the lower left): Outdoors there are succulents:

Well, my house has been overrun with guests...sorry I let this slip to page two. Emmatux, my DH has mentioned Muir Woods. We may have gone there together on the last trip, almost two decades ago. (It's strange how little I remember of that trip.) I will look for Stinson Beach and a cheese factory. We live in New England, so variable weather is something we're used to. And cold is a relative thing... :-) Another Linda, I just discovered Yelp. It's pretty amazing. I have to dig a bit deeper and will do that with SF. Thanks for the tip on Capitola. That's just the kind of info I need And I will put your resto suggestions in my notes. Ann, that trip sounds just divine. Lucky women, both of you! I am embarrassed to say I didn't know Alcatraz was an NPS site. That changes everything. We are Passholders and have never been anything but thrilled with our NPS experiences. I am glad your DD enjoyed it. We will try to watch Birdman before we go. All your other suggestions are right up our alley, including the Beat Museum. DH was in Berkeley from 1959-64 and was inspired by that scene. DD read Kerouac this year. Perfect! So sorry you missed the Avedon show. I was a big fan as a teenager and have not yet introduced him to my budding photographer/fashionista. We won't get to see the show, but I think I will get her a big coffee table book for her next b'day. bestyears, jason, terriks...thanks for the additional tidbits. Renting bikes is a great idea, though the hills might be intimidating. We'll look for Sears (ring boloney and mac and cheese?!). Terri, we live to layer here! No problem. Thanks again everyone! This will all go into my SF file.

I've learned something new today about the Christmas Cactus. I will keep that in mind. Oh, you asked about the Lilac Vapor paint. It is (gasp!) a Dutch Boy paint. I know this is not a brand that is touted too much on other forums, but I've had very good luck with it. It's not too expensive; it goes on so smoothly, and in my experience, it wears like iron. I have never had a problem with washing it, either. What more could you want from a paint? I have it mixed at Menard's (a northern chain similar to Home Depot, Lowe's, etc.) in their "Dimensions" base in a satin finish. I may have used egg shell on the AF Base. The label says the base is "Designer White, DB 676-03 The colorant is OZ 48, E PH Blue 9, and V Magenta 12. I can take a photo of the label if you like. It also says DC024 Lilac Vapor (Old). The formula must have changed slightly since 2004. I had the old 2004 chip when I ordered new paint in 2008. I looked at one of the new "Lilac Vapor" chips and saw the numbers were different, so he used my old chip to mix the paint. I love it. I used Benjamin Moore's "Cotton Balls" for the white trim in that room. It's not a bad paint; but it didn't go on, wear, or wash any better than the Dutch Boy.

All Natural Stone in SJ has a nice assortment of tile (plus slabs! And donuts). Porcelanosa is really nice, but they do tend towards the modern (although there's something there to appeal to everyone). I didn't have the time to put out the effort to look at Ann Sacks either. Pfft. I'm way to lazy for that. Fireclay (I've only been to the SJ showroom) is so easy to visit and get samples it's just ridiculous in comparison. There's always Bedrosian's--the branch in Hayward (or near there) has a lot of variety. There's an MSI place in the east bay somewhere if you want to see their stuff. They won't sell to you but they have displays.