Things to Like about San Francisco #5

Where I grew up, houses come in a few colors: brick (red, for preference, but white and brown are also available). Grey (as in granite and shingles). White (as in clapboard). Red (as in barn red). There were occasional oddities--houses painted green or blue. But mostly New England and New York run to conservative paint colors.

We're not in Massachusetts any more. San Francisco runs to pastels; very Mediterranean. But beyond the shell pink and seafoam green and daffodil yellow of many of the houses, there are the houses that are really intense. Goldenrod yellow with melon and teal trim; hot pink with acid green and yellow and black and turquoise trim; forest green with hot orange. On a sunny day the hills shimmer with color. And there are the "what were they thinking" houses--primarily Edwardian houses that lend themselves (or don't) to the painted lady treatment. It certainly wakes you up...