I had a really nice day hanging out with my pal M. We ate breakfast at the Original Pancake House, then spent some time browsing around a local orchid show. I think orchids are truly fascinating flowers; unique, beautiful, and downright bizarre. I'd love to cultivate them at home, but I don't think I could provide enough sun and humidity for them to thrive.

Afterwards, we drove into downtown San Francisco. We had originally planned to visit the SFMOMA, but since the rain had stopped and the sun was shining, we decided to go walkies for a few hours wandering through the antique shops in Chinatown, then had a little Dim Sum for lunch. Later, we found a Russian bakery in the Richmond district where I bought a couple of poppyseed sweet rolls to eat for breakfast tomorrow.

We ended the day with a leisurely dinner at Katia's, where we enjoyed delicious Russian food served by a less-than satisfactory waiter. I had traditional pel'meni, pork dumplings in a chicken broth, and M had blinis filled with sour cream, smoked salmon, and salmon roe. For dessert, she had a beautifully light and airy Napoleon and I devoured a blinchiki filled with a sweet cheese that was absolutely superb.