Memorial Day Weekend in San Francisco

 A short stay in San Francisco this weekend was filled with a lot of activity. We were fortunate to listen to some gifted musicians yesterday at the Aashavali Music Festival celebrating the career of distinguished Tabla Maestro Pandit Swapan Chaudhary. The impressive line up for the day included a sitar performance by Niladri Kumar who delighted the audience with Raag Bhimpalasi, followed by Raag Puriya Kalyan on sarod by brothers Alam Khan and Manik Khan, fittingly capped by an enthralling vocal rendition of Raag Jog by the charismatic Kaushiki Chakraborty. 

The next morning was dedicated to helping our daughter settle into her new apartment. Brunch at a well known Dim Sum restaurant and a brief visit to the nearby farmer’s market was fun. 

We had some time at hand to go for some sightseeing. My favorite thing about San Francisco is that within and around the city there are some really cool trails and drives that offer some breathtaking views of the bay and the Golden Gate Bridge. These permanent landmarks when adorned by seasonal greenery and wildflowers take you to an even further elevated experience. That’s precisely how the afternoon turned out today. 

Right from the Asian patrons at the dim sum restaurant and vendors at the farmers market to strangers on the streets my saree drew compliments and appreciative glances all day long. This beauty in peach is woven in a mix of cotton and mulberry silk yarn and uses ghicha threads for motifs on body and the intricate details on its pallu. The work is refined and the drape is absolutely comforting to carry around all day. While rest of my family was complaining about the cold, I was breezing around with ease covered in this six yard wonder. Can’t thank  @thenomiofficial enough for the kind service and quality product that has been consistent since the first time I met him. Another of his creations, a turmeric dyed eri by mulberry silk saree accompanied me to the Netherlands. I walked all around in Gouda in that one. His textiles have easily gained their entry into my list of favorites owing to their comfort and elegance.