From 8-year old Hilda’s diary:

Daddy came yesterday. We all went across the bay to meet him and it was a lovely day. The sky and water were very blue, different shades bright and dark, and the sea gulls were very white. I fed them cakes just to pass the time of the Ferry Ride. I stole the cakes from the dining room on the boat while we were having hot chocolate. I know I was very excited, and so were my Grandparents. We finally met Daddy at the Southern Pacific Train Station at the other end of the Ferry ride in Oakland. Daddy looks very different, he has no more mustache. He was so happy to see me and he said that he has presents for all of us in his trunk and that the Train Company will send it to him at our home today or tomorrow.

Earlier this year I took a ferry to Oakland. Like Hilda, I marveled at the gorgeous blues. Below is a photo from the 1910s of the San Francisco waterfront and one 2022. On each, a red arrow points to the Ferry Building. The final photo is looking north toward the Ferry Building with a row of seagulls in the foreground. Many changes in more than a century, but many things remain the same.