In Twilight And Fog

"At night the fog was thick and full of light, and sometimes voices."

~Erin Bow, Plain Kate

 

Last Saturday night, Alan and I decided to stay in San Francisco, after a long day of playing tourists, to watch the Pier 39 fireworks. They have been holding a fireworks show, each Saturday evening this month, to celebrate the 35th anniversary of Pier 39! So far we haven't been able to see a single fireworks display, for one reason or another, but most recently, last Saturday, it was because of some very ill timed fog. Fog that just somehow knew what time to roll in, to keep us from seeing the fireworks from high atop Twin Peaks. Sheesh! It was clear all day. And the evening was wonderfully clear. Perfectly clear. Until 8:15 PM, when the fog came rolling in, settling nicely between us and the fireworks. It's hard not to believe that fog, once in a while, has a sense of humor!

Yeah, yeah I know... but you know? (Insert perplexed expression here).

Mood: Silly

~Me :)

Crunch, Crunch, Crunch. Squish. Crunch. Sigh. Smile.

Cull Canyon Park
October 24th 2013
Late Afternoon

“Autumn. It's crispness, it's anticipation, it's melancholia, it's cool breezes replacing summer's heat. It's long days in the field, a harvest festival when work's done, a cheering crowd in a football stadium, chrysanthemums punctuating a somber landscape. It's Halloween highjinx, pumpkins grinning toothy smiles, the crack of pecan pressed against pecan. It's the first curls of woodsmoke, fresh blisters from pushing a rake. It's crisp and fresh and mellow and snug, solemn and melancholy. And it's very, very welcome.

~Good Housekeeping Magazine

 

Crunch... crunch, crunch. Squish. Crunch. Sigh. Smile.

And I mean every word of it!

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

Dir. Mr. Hitchcock

“At the top of the hill he waited. He was much too soon. There was half an hour still to go. The east wind came whipping across the fields from the higher ground. He stamped his feet and blew upon his hands. In the distance he could see the clay hills, white and clean, against the heavy pallor of the sky. Something black rose from behind them, like a smudge at first, then widening, becoming deeper, and the smudge became a cloud, and the cloud divided again into five other clouds, spreading north, east, south and west, and they were not clouds at all; they were birds.”

~Dame Daphne du Maurier, The Birds (The Birds And Other Stories) 

Don't you just love the euphoric feeling you get from a fever? Everything feels surreal, and spooky, no matter what time of year it is! But there is something about an autumn cold that makes it almost worth having, just so you can revisit that time in childhood, when you just knew there was a ghost in the closet, or a phantom under the bed!

God, I love this time of year... and the common cold!

“It occurred to me that if I were a ghost, this ambiance was what I'd miss most: the ordinary, day-to-day bustle of the living. Ghosts long, I'm sure, for the stupidest, most unremarkable things.”


~Banana Yoshimoto, The Lake

Mood: Kachooooooo

~Me :) 

Family Day 2013 (Postponed)

"Happiness is only real when shared."

~Jon Krakauer, Into The Wild

If you have been reading my blog for a while, you might know that October 23rd is celebrated in our house as Family Day! It's a made up holiday that Alan and I have been celebrating since our honeymoon in 1990. It came about by way of a chance encounter with a Bay Area sports hero at the time, Joe Montana. You see, Alan and I decided to visit the home of all things pumpkin, in the Bay Area, Half Moon Bay. It was there, at Pastorino's Pumpkin Patch, that we met Joe Montana and his family, as they enjoyed a "family day" out among the pumpkins! Alan and I decided on that day, that October 23rd would from then on be referred to as our Family Day. Well, we never had children, but we did keep the tradition. Family Day... our own holiday. A day to walk among pumpkins, and remember family we love.

This year Family Day is being postponed, you see, because we both have colds! I blame the evil elf of vacations! But, I am afraid, it might actually have been the twilight cruise on the bay we took last week. Cripes. I would rather blame that naughty elf, than that awesome cruise. Either way... we are both sick. So, we will postpone the fun until another day, sometime between now and November 7th!. It will come around, and it will be fun! And who knows, maybe that day will be brighter, or spookier, or stormy, or perhaps we will have a chance encounter with a new celebrity! No Kardashians though! I draw the line at Kardashians. We'll see. Sometimes with us Plan B works out better than Plan A ever could!

Always Keep Your Mind Open To The Possibilities!

Mood: Kachoo

~Me :)

Art About Town: San Francisco Pier 39 Piano Stairs

Piano Stairs By Artist Remo Saraceni
Pier 39
San Francisco, California
October 16th, 2013

"If I were not a physicist, I would probably be a musician. I often think in music. I live my daydreams in music. I see my life in terms of music."

~Albert Einstein

Of all the public art that I have photographed, the Piano Stairs at Pier 39 is definitely in my Top 5 favorites! Created by artist, Remo Saraceni, who also created the walking piano keys featured in the Tom Hanks movie Big, they are whimsical and really fit the mood and fun of Pier 39 nicely! I had a lot of fun last week, trying my hand, or actually foot, at making music! Sadly, I didn't do well, but I did manage to make a few folks giggle a bit so it had a happy outcome at least! I love public art, but when it also happens to be interactive, it brings the experience to another level to be sure!

"Life is for the live.
Death is for the dead.
Let life be like music.
And death a not unsaid."

~Langston Hughes, The Collected Poems

Visit The Artist's Website: Remo Saraceni

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

The Best Moments From Last Week...

Red And White Fleet Sunset Cruise
San Francisco Bay
October 17th 2013

"Happiness consists of living each day as if it were the first day of your honeymoon and the last day of your vacation."

~Unknown

Did I mention that Alan and I are on vacation? Yeah, I think I did at the beginning of the month. As of right now we about half way through, and I am finding myself conflicted. I am tired because of all the activity, and yet I am mourning the fact that it's half over! LOL. I guess there is no pleasing me! Anyway, as I said there has been a lot of activity, so I thought it would be nice to share my comings and goings once a week, rather than every single day, because, after all, there is other stuff going on in the world, besides my vacation. And besides, even I know how boring it is to be stuck looking at someone else's vacation photos, especially when one hasn't had one for a while.

I get that! So, if you would rather not view my "Monday Vacation Updates" feel free to run now, but don't forget to comeback on Tuesday. :)

Fun At Pier 39...
Alan and I spent last Tuesday at Pier 39. We found a wonderful deal from Free/Cheap San Francisco/Facebook for 3 Free Play days at the 7 D Experience. So, we spent the better part of those days laser shooting 7-D zombies, robots and pirates! We had a BLAST... pardon the pun! It's fun to spend a little time acting like a kid once in a while, especially when you still feel like you are dating your husband after 23 years of marriage! After the zombies, we did a little walking around Pier 39, sightseeing and playing tourist. God I love this city!


 
 
 
 

I had To Pause To Play In The Autumn Leaves...

 

On Thursday night Alan and I took a romantic Sunset Cruise on the Red And White Fleet! The provided appetizers, a lovely array of sandwiches and salads, and cookies for dessert! YUM!





And finally, Saturday was spent at the beach!



I may need a vacation soon... from the vacation! Life Is Good!

Stay Tuned, There's More To Come!

:)

Mood: Tired But Happy

~Me :)

The Full Hunter's Moon...

"We love the night and its quiet; and there is no night that we love so well as that on which the moon is coffined in clouds."

~Fitz-James O;Brian, Classic Ghots Stories by Wilkie Collins, M.R. James, Charles Dickens and Others

 





Beautiful, lovely, mysterious, romantic October!

Mood: Happy

~Me :)