When I was about 10 or 11, my dad and mom took us to California for a wonderful vacation. One of my fondest memories with my daddy, is walking hand-in-hand late at night, down the hills from our hotel to Fisherman’s Wharf, in order to get a “giant shrimp cocktail”. Indeed, it was the biggest shrimp cocktail I had ever seen, with plump big shrimp decoratively placed around an elegant glass dish. The best part of this experience was having all of my daddy’s attention, though, I must say!! If my memory serves me well, the wharf was very rustic then with brown planks and a working wharf appearance. Now, it is a very busy place, built up with large, neon-adorned restaurants, stores, etc. However, it was still a joy to revisit with our kids. We spent quite a bit of time walking the wharf, particularly the area around Hyde Street pier, viewing all of the huge fishing ships and sailboats. Brandon and Dad also enjoyed the Arcade Museum, looking at amazing antique arcade machines. Brandon took particular interest in using my camera to take pictures of an old rowboat on a small beach beside the piers. Watching the waves encounter the sand on the beach brought a slight tear to my eye for our beautiful Gulf of Mexico being invaded by oil!! After roaming the wharf, we enjoyed a snack of shrimp cocktail, calamari, oysters, shrimp and octopus at #9 Fisherman’s Grotto Restaurant on the Wharf. The shrimp cocktail did not remotely resemble the plump shrimp I have held in my mind all of these years, but the little ones were very tasty, anyway! The memories in our minds often TRUMP the actual events!!!!!
Child of the Rock Garden 