Gong: bestowed

Last night I was invited to receive a San Francisco Beautiful award for Pennsylvania Garden. We were one of four winners this year at the prestigious event, and it was quite the gala function. Tickets were not, ahem, cheap, but then again this is a fundraiser for the foundation that saved San Francisco’s cable cars from being thrown away. Yes – that’s right! Were it not for SFB tourists visiting our fair city would have nothing to do but throw crab sammies at the seals and wonder why it’s sooooo cooooold…

 

I digress! The event last night was at the Mark Hopkins Intercontinental Hotel, a splendid Art Deco affair atop Nob Hill. And it was not cold – the roasty weather meant I was able to step out in a strappy dress and heels with no jacket! I made poor Matt wear a suit and tie, as did Ryan. Emily rocked a hot frock too. It was quite the scene!

 

There was also a hat contest going on. I was determined to make a hat for the “flora” division that showed off water-wise plants, so I popped into Flora Grubb Gardens and picked up a Tillandsia xerographica and wired it in all its curly, pale celadon-and-rose glory to a headband. Next I added a pearly pink rosette of Graptopetalum paraguayensis “Pinky” and a more spiky, vertical bromeliad of unknown name with a pink flower. To complete the look, I wired on several leaves from our variegated Cortaderia selloana “Silver Comet” which made a long, twirly feather effect.

 

I didn’t win the hat contest. Suspect favoritism, hehe, but cannot complain – I did receive mad props from one of the many tiara-wearing beauty queens (?!) in attendance, Miss Chinese American Chamber of Commerce (according to her sash.) So there. ;)

 

We ate a lovely meal and were presented with our award and yeah, it felt great to get so many pats on the back after all the stabbing pains in the that back gardening can cause ;)

 

Afterwards we weren’t ready for bed, and it turned out Emily had never experienced The Tonga Room, so we tottered over the road and enjoyed the tropical rainfall and Singapore Slings. I mean, where else can you go in SF when you’re overdressed on a Wednesday night? 

Congratulations to all the volunteers for this award!