Mission San Francisco Solano

I considered our trip to Sonoma a great success today, although it didn't nudge me any farther toward Christmas. Meg and I found a store we liked called Artifax with clothing pieces that are works of art. I bought a scarf in the form of a mobius strip made by a Japanese designer. It might turn out to be a Christmas present but might also be for me....

John and my brother waited patiently for awhile in the two chairs provided for bored husbands, but they eventually got more bored and wandered off. We found them in the mission museum store looking at tea towels. They weren't too excited about those either. I do think such a beautiful old California building could have a better gift shop (or no gift shop). I have photographed it before, but I liked it with it's simple Christmas decorations.

We wandered around the square, which is also a really a nice park. They used to have ducks and lots of chickens, but the chickens started wandering a little too far afield and they have been taken to the chicken farm away from the growing hoard of tourists.  

The weather was threatening today which kept  a lot of the usual tourists away, but the restaurant, The Girl and the Fig, was full of  locals having festive pre-Christmas lunches. It was quite loud and John and the waitress commiserated with each each other because neither of them could hear. The waitress said her hearing aids were broken and John forgot his...nevertheless, the right food was delivered to the right people and my moules frites were delicious.

We were so full by the time we left the restaurant that we went straight home with naps in mind. Maybe we'll get to the other side of the square another time....