So long summer, hello rain

The rain started the night of November 1st, because that's how it works in San Francisco: it's Halloween, and then summer slams the door shut.  This is an El Niño year - not that I really remember enough earth science to really understand what that means - but it's shaping up to be a return to the good ol' Bay Area winter I was so fond of pre-drought, fog turning to rain turning to fog in a days-long 44° sodden grey lump.

So, here are some pictures from October.

 

Columbus day, I think.  We played at Ocean Beach, and had a late lunch and tree-climbing at the Park Chalet.  It was great, no one needed a jacket, we all wore flip-flops, and everyone got along.

Soccer came to an end, too - both the Jellyfish and the Gorillas have hung up their cleats for the year. Daddy says the the Jr. Jellyfish won all their games - even though there's no score keeping - and the Gorillas had 5-2-2 record, and even briefly held the  #1 spot in their post-season tournament.

Of course, it doesn't rain EVERY day in November - I just enjoy exaggerating.  We took Roux for a hike up Tank Hill one nice day, to give Daddy some peace and quiet so he could finish the soccer team trading cards.  Because every athlete needs a trading card.

In defense of my exaggerated moaning about the local climate, here's a photo from the same spot a few days later:

If it's a wet, grey day, we try to find a way to make the best of it.  Lucie has recently discovered that the bottom bunk also has its benefits, say, if you want to make a fort:

We put on our warm coats and enjoy the holiday events downtown, like the opening of the Embarcadero Ice Rink & Fireworks:

And we enjoy cozy dinners at our neighborhood bistro when Grambo & Grandpa Uwe come to visit:

While we love our Indian Summer, it's been too dry for too long - Lucie's entire life, really - so we have to appreciate the cold & wet, too.  I'm revisiting an old trick I used to pull in my drafty East Atlanta bungalow - if you light a bunch of candles, it creates the feeling of warmth.  The kids occasionally are persuaded to wear a long sleeve shirt.  And the washed-out, pale sky and ground are suddenly so saturated with color - it's a fair trade if you get a sunrise like this occasionally, right?