A Look Back At August 2013

"Nothing is really lost to us as long as we remember it."

~L. M. Montgomery, The Story Girl

Another month gone. And less than a month remains of summer. I wonder what will be waiting for me in autumn this year? I don't know you, but I can't wait to find out!

:)

But for now, lets have one last look back at August 2013... shall we?























Of the three months that make summer, I think August of this year has been my favorite. The weather was just right. Not too hot. Not too cold, just really, really lovely!

August... I shall miss you!

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

Dylan At 4 1/2

"At cat has absolute emotional honesty: human beings, for one reason or another, may hide their feelings, but a cat does not."

~Ernest Hemingway

It's hard to believe, but my boys, Dylan and Hendrix, will be 5 years old next week! It's hard to believe, because I can't believe that Elvis has been gone that long! How can that much time have passed? My little guys fill up every day for us with a lot of love, and joy. They both make us laugh every single day! And I know I am loved on a daily basis, but at the same time, Elvis had such a different way about him, such odd little rituals, that I find myself lonely for him at times. I think of him daily. There is great comfort in knowing that Elvis would have more than approved of Dylan and Hendrix. Sometimes I wonder he didn't hand... I mean paw... picked them for us! Elvis would have loved Dylan for his quiet manners, and Hendrix for his complete and total devotion to us! I think... no I am sure... it was meant to be!

Dylan and Hendrix celebrate their birthday next week, and we are having a party! Be sure to check back for all the photos and details!

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

The Driveways Of San Francisco #2

"My neighbor has a circular driveway... he can't get out."

~Stephen Wright

 

Here is #2 in my new series of odd and scary driveways of San Francisco! I gotta say, this isn't as scary or odd as most I have seen, but I thought it would be fun to show the varying degrees (no pun intended) of parking in a hilly place like San Francisco. My hat really goes off to the brave people who park that city, I couldn't do it in a million years! SCARY!

To see my first post in this series, click here!

Mood: Silly

~Me :)

Art About Town: South San Francisco (Orange Memorial Sculpture Park ) Part Two: The Art Of Bill Vielehr

"Human Glyph Series A" (On Temporary Loan)
By Artist Bill Vielehr
Orange Memorial Park Sculpture Garden
South San Francisco
August 6th 2013

"Well, art is art, isn't it? Still, on the other hand, water is water! And east is east and west is west and if you take cranberries and stew them like applesauce they taste much more like prunes than rhubarb does. Now, uh... now you tell me what you know."

~Groucho Marx

 

This is the second in the series of sculptures I photographed in the sculpture garden of the Orange Memorial Park in South San Francisco. I liked this one very much, and I spent a good bit of time looking it over. I rather liked it's place among the other sculptures. It's a fascinating piece that is only one of 7 free standing abstract walls. The artist, inspired by hieroglyphics, cave drawings and petroglyphs, fashions each sculpture with numbers, words, and symbols, arranged out of sequence, to bring together a human relevance. It's quite a powerful piece!

You can read more about the artist and the art here...

Vielehr Sculpture (PDF Book)

I would love to see more by this artist!

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

Stockton Street Tunnel

Stockton Street Tunnel
San Francisco
August 22nd, 2013

"Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a tweet stating where you were last seen alive."

~Unknown



So, as it turns out, I not only find the stairways and driveways of San Francisco inspiring, I kinda dig the tunnels there as well! LOL. "I dig the tunnels" lol, obviously, no pun was intended! I don't know, I guess I am just enjoying all the everyday things that make San Francisco function as a city. To me, there is literally something on every single street that I find interesting, in one way or another! And I never get tired of tourists, walking about, taking photos, especially in the downtown area. Sometimes I can't really tell what it is they see. It could be the most average of places to me, but the tourists I see, tend to be standing here and there, photographing things I had previously disregarded. I sometimes forget about the amazingly beautiful architecture, or the awesome mixture of eras that all blend in together to form San Francisco!

What Do You Think? Better In Color, Or Black And White?



God I love it here!

:)

"Travel is glamorous only in retrospect when turned into an impossibly euphoric blog post."

~Unknown

Stockton Street Tunnel (Yelp)

Mood: Silly

~Me :)

My Culinary Bucket List

"Every restaurant is a theater, and the truly great ones allow us to indulge in the fantasy that we are rich and powerful. When restaurants hold up their end of the bargain, they give us the illusion of being surrounded by servants intent on ensuring our happiness and offering extraordinary food. But even modest restaurants offer the opportunity to become someone else, at least for a little while. When you walk through the door, you are entering neutral territory where you are free to be whoever you choose for the duration of the meal."

~Ruth Reichl



I had planned to write a restaurant review for this post, but alas, it was not to be! Gaspare's Italian Dinners have been on my culinary bucket list since last summer! It was one of the places featured in Woody Allen's film, Blue Jasmine, although you probably wouldn't know it from the scene it was in. There is no shot of the outside of the restaurant, no tell tale signs inside, but prominent are the dark green leather booths, and the fun little mini- jukeboxes that are affixed to the walls, just above each booth table. 3 musical selections for a quarter, according to a Yelp reviewer! The pizzas themselves have mixed reviews, apparently they are considered "old school" Brooklyn or New Jersey style, which might mean that Californians simply don't get it! One thing is for sure, one likes what they like, so I was planning to make up my own mind.

Now, if I can only find a place to park.

The parking on Geary Boulevard leaves a lot to be desired, so as such, Friday was not the time to try and eat there! In fact, every time I have tried to eat there, I have been unlucky about finding a place to park. It's typical of San Francisco, so we always go prepared to have a Plan B. On Friday our Plan B became Plan C! But first things first. Our second choice was to grab a couple slices pizza at North Beach Pizza, on Grant in North Beach. The parking there was worse than Gaspare's. At least Geary Boulevard is a nice wide road, lol, Grant is very narrow, and yes, one wrong turn and you find yourself on the hill from HELL!

On to Plan C!

Our Plan C, is usually our Plan A. Hunan Cafe #2, in the Outer Richmond, is our favorite Chinese restaurant in San Francisco! The food is always delicious, I haven't had a bad meal there yet, and freshly cooked when you order it! No steam tables. It is close to Golden Gate Park, and Ocean Beach, so when we are in the park, it's our go-to place for a reasonably priced meal in a hurry. Lily, the owner, always greets you with a big smile, and her husband cooks the food. I swear, his hands have been touched by God! The food is just that good! And it's just this little spot, in the middle of the neighborhood, that you might miss if you didn't look closely. It is a cute little San Francisco gem to be sure!

We found Hunan Kitchen #2 last year, when we got to the filming at Gaspare's too late to see Woody filming! The "No Parking" sandwich board sign was still there, but there wasn't a Woody Allen in sight! We were disappointed by not seeing him, and hungry, but Gaspare's was closed! So we checked things out on Yelp and came across the delicious Hunan Cafe #2, right in the neighborhood! I am not very brave when it comes to trying new restaurants, but on that day it just seemed like fun. It was cold, we were disappointed, and starving... not a good combination... and I am so glad we gave it a try! It was delicious! Since then, we have tried a couple more places in the neighborhood, Gordo Taqueria, also on Geary, and Sushi Bistro on Balboa. And just last week we found a fantastic little yogurt shop near the corner of Geary and 33rd... Happy Yogurt! The Peanut Butter Cookie yogurt is AMAZING! I have a couple more places I want to try soon, and when I do I will do a proper restaurant review of those places both here, and on Yelp. It's the thing to do, if you want to keep your favorite place in business! Right?

Oh, that and "Tip big boys" as Jasmine would say! :)

Maybe someday I will get to eat at Gaspare's. At this point, its not just a goal, it's a QUEST!

I am going to do a more in-depth review of these restaurants as we move through autumn. Alan is taking his usual 5 weeks off, and we plan to be in San Francisco a lot, so STAY TUNED!


Mood: Hungry

~Me :)

Yelp Reviews...

Gaspares Italian Dinners

North Beach Pizza

GordoTaqueria

Hunan Cafe #2

Sushi Bistro

Happy Yogurt

Blue Jasmine: A Movie Review (Spoiler Alert)

Ocean Beach, San Francisco
August 23rd, 2013 Early Evening

"It's not what a movie is about, it's how it is about it."

~Roger Ebert




Blue Jasmine (Spoiler Alert)

First off, let me say, I read more than one review of Woody Allen's latest film Blue Jasmine, and I did get to see what it took to make the film, on a very small scale, when he filmed in San Francisco last summer, but when it comes to all the reasons as to why I enjoy, and why I don't enjoy a film, the opinions of others, and the location of the film, doesn't usually count toward my decision making. While a gorgeous, exotic background never makes a movie bad, at the same time, it doesn't actually make a movie good either! Bad dialog is BAD DIALOG! Bad acting is BAD ACTING. You can't fix that with scenic beauty. A lot has been made, especially here in the Bay Area, about the fact that Woody Allen didn't feature the usual tourist delights of San Francisco in his movie. It was a bit off putting to a number of local critics that there was no obligatory shot of the Golden Gate Bridge or the San Francisco skyline, and to be honest, I thought it was rather curious of him to deliberately leave out the amazing beauty of San Francisco, until I watched the movie... and it all made sense!

The film was all about Jasmine. Period. Just Jasmine. A more self-absorbed character has never been portrayed in a Woody Allen film! Jasmine only knows of Jasmine's problems. Jasmine's losses. Jasmine's life. Jasmine's needs. The world revolves around Jasmine! Even as she descends into complete and total madness, a hell of her own making, Jasmine floats from one bad decision to another, on the wings of self entitlement and the oblivious desire to avoid seeing anything remotely real going on around her. Jasmine, whose real name was Jeanette, was a creation made in her own mind, in an attempt to rise above the common, as she saw it, and live a life of privilege, because, after all, it was in her genes.

Both Jasmine, and her sister Ginger were adopted. While not biological sisters, Ginger clearly loved her sister, and as such trusted her. When Ginger and her husband Augie, received a decent sized economic windfall, she and Augie (Andrew Dice Clay) visit Jasmine and her husband Hal (Alec Baldwin) in New York City. During the visit Jasmine suggests rather than Augie start his own business with the money, they should instead invest in one of Hal's up and coming property developments. With their entire future at stake the two give their money to Hal, not realizing that he is beyond shady in his business practices. Eventually, the couple, as well as many other people, lose everything when Hal's house of cards comes down. All the while Jasmine heard, and saw things that made her suspect there might be improprieties, but Jasmine, in true form, blissfully ignores the signs, and goes along her merry way, planning charity events, attending parties in the Hamptons, and living the life of Jasmine.

Jasmine ignored a lot about her life, but the one bit of reality that finally caught up to her was Hal's cheating. Yes, not only did he operate a huge Ponzi scheme, but he bounced from mistress to mistress in his own entitled way. But like all cheaters in life... he eventually got caught! Hal was caught in more ways than one, and what remained was Jasmine. No penthouse apartment. No Jewelry. No upper East Side friends to count on. No money. Nothing. When it became apparent that she couldn't even afford the apartment she had rented in Brooklyn, Jasmine made her way to San Francisco, where she planned to stay with her, now divorced sister Ginger, until she could figure out what to do next. And that is really where it all begins. Jasmine arriving at SFO, after what she describes to Ginger as "the flight was bumpy, the food was awful, and really you'd think in first class... ." It was typical Jasmine, no money, but splurging on a first class flight to San Francisco.

It would turn out to be Jasmine's final descent into madness.

While Jasmine is not someone who provokes any sympathy on the part of the viewer, she has something about her that makes you want to see her pull herself together. To finally face that moment, the epiphany, the turn of the screw, that makes her wake up and realize that she has only been pretending to be Jasmine, but when she is herself, Jeanette, she has all the skills to get through this extreme reversal of fortune and life. You see a spark of this when she decides to move forward by taking some online courses to become an interior decorator, but knowing she would first have to take a computer course to learn about navigating the Internet. It was a reasonable step forward, and I found myself pulling for her. To pay for the computer courses, she takes a job as a receptionist for a sleazy dentist, who does nothing for Jasmine's attempts at improving her life's situation. Sexually assaulting her one day, she is forced to quit the job that was paying for her classes. It was a frustrating and sad turn of events for me to watch.

Adding everything up. Jasmine brought a lot on herself, but there was also a lot thrust upon her that was not her fault. Unfortunately, because of the sheltered bubble of a lifestyle she had led, she had no coping skills at all. And its that lifestyle bubble of privilege and entitlement coupled with no coping skills, other than alcohol and Xanax that led to her obliviousness of what was, and is going on around her. It would not have mattered what city Jasmine fled to, Chicago, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Miami, she wouldn't have seen anything of beauty, natural or otherwise.

The Golden Gate Bridge, Golden Gate Park, the San Francisco Skyline were completely lost on her. Jasmine couldn't see past her own problems, long enough to see anything. She was too busy living in the past, in both good times and bad. The present simply wasn't there. And speaking as someone who has experienced deep depression, to the point of Anhedonia, I get it! In that situation, you can't see anything of beauty around you, hell, with Anhedonia I couldn't even match up my clothing, let alone appreciate colors, or music, or amazing sights like my beloved Golden Gate Bridge.

But unless you have been in those shoes... it would be lost on you. I applaud Woody Allen for not showing off everything that makes San Francisco so lovely, because it would have ruined the character, if not the movie. The movie was also nearly completely devoid of music, another necessary evil if he wanted to tell an accurate story of deep depression and loss. He put the viewer in Jasmine's shoes, however uncomfortable that might have been. He told the truth about the human condition. He let us experience the layers that make people human. Jasmine may have been the architect of her own despair, but she had all the skills to pull herself back together, she simply didn't know, or trust, that she could do it. She instead, she climbed into yet another delusion, and again lost it all one more time because of her own doings. She only knew one song, and she only knew one life.

The last scene of Blue Jasmine left me in tears. As much as I couldn't stand Jasmine, and as much as it frustrated me to see her throw away chance, after chance, I hated the fact that she just couldn't give herself a break. She couldn't just stop climbing into one bottle or another or one delusion or another. I hated that rather than patting herself on the back for having come up with a truly realistic goal, she gave up in favor of what she perceived as the easy way out, which was in actuality, the life she created in her own mind, and that she lived over a lifetime, but that never really existed anywhere but her own delusions. Jasmine is the character of a lifetime. Harsh. Self-absorbed. Selfish. Complicated. Lost. And finally... Mad.

The cast of this film seemed so odd when I first learned of it, but after seeing the film, I can't imagine anyone else in the roles! I was particularly impressed with Andrew Dice Clay. His role wasn't large, but it was pivotal. Oscar worthy to be sure! Sally Hawkins was terrific as Ginger, and she had a chemistry with Cate Blanchette that made you believe their sisterly relationship, and her chemistry with Andrew Dice Clay, Bobby Cannavale, and Louis C.K. was believable and vivid. There was NO bad performance in this movie in my opinion, there may have been one or two unrealistic things, but I won't talk about them here. I will let you make up your own mind. Bottom lining things, I think I tend to agree with the critics that say this just might be Woody Allen's finest film. I am a huge fan of his work, and I have my favorite Woody Allen movies for different reasons, but this Woody Allen film will probably always be my absolute favorite, as it serves as a stunning reminder about the folly of selfishness and self delusion. It stands out as his deepest character study to date!

"What if nothing else exists and we are all in someone's dream?"

~Woody Allen

My Rating ****1/2 Kernels Of Popcorn

Mood: Reflective

~Me :)

Round Robin Challenge: Gone

Ocean Beach, Near Cliff House, San Francisco
August 14th, 2013, 
Antique Filter

"A picture is a secret about a secret, the more it tells, the less you know."

~Diane Arbus



RRC: Gone

The Sutro Baths

I don't usually post photos that aren't mine for this challenge, in fact it is strongly frowned upon, but this time, just as a point of reference, the picture you see just above this paragraph are actually two photos I found on the Internet that demonstrate the amazing grace, architecture, beauty, and history of a bygone era in San Francisco. The time was the late 1800's, and the place was the Sutro Baths that were erected next to Cliff House, on the Great Highway. As you can see, it was a fantastic place, that featured state of the art innovation for the time. Today, all that remains of the once great public swimming pools, are the ruins, which I find really interesting as a historical point of interest!









Sutro Baths was built on the bluff, next door to Cliff House, had 7 pools, of fresh water and salt water, and it survived the 1906 earthquake, but eventually fell to the fluxing economy in the middle half of the 20th century. After it's closing, in 1966, the building was finally destroyed by fire. Which seems so sad to me. A building as impressive as it was, should still be there, reminding us of the wonderful time it was built in. I would give anything to have seen and photographed it, but the ruins are still very interesting to me! I find it to be an enchanting place, and I can almost hear the music that was playing during all those decades! Can you imagine how much the swim fashions alone changed over those 60 years?


"Photography is a reality so subtle that it becomes more real than reality."

~Alfred Stieglitz

Sutro Baths History (National Park Service)

Sutro Baths (Wikipedia)

Okay, now that you have seen my post for the RRC, why not go and see what the other participating Robins have come up with! Just click the link at the beginning of the post to be redirected to the official Round Robin blog. Better yet... why don't you join us? I know Karen would be very pleased to have you join in!

:)

Mood: Happy/Nostalgic

~Me :)

25 Years + 10 Years + 1 Year = Life

"You know what my philosophy of life is? That it's important to have some laughs, but you got to suffer a little too, because otherwise you miss the whole thing."

~Woody Allen

25 Years: ON Love Beginning With The First Date...

Today is the day, in more ways than one! First things first! 25 years ago today, Alan and I went on our first official date! We had known each other since May of 1977, and at first we really couldn't stand each other, then he went off to collage, and I went off to collage, and we didn't see each other for quite a while, but while the both of us were off in different directions, we both grew up! When we met again in the early 80's, I had grown a little more patience about stuffy conservatives, and he was a little more open to the arguments of bleeding heart liberals such as myself!

LOL.

Ronald Reagan was the president at the time, and so understanding could only go so far!

We agreed to disagree about Ronald Reagan.

By the time the Reagan administration was over, I had converted Alan to a liberal. Thank you very much! LOL. Actually, I think it had less to do with me and my values, and more to do with Ronald Reagan himself. I really didn't have to do much, Alan saw the light all on his own! LOL.Which is kinda nice, because I don't think I would have ever married a conservative. It just wouldn't have worked. I found that out when I dated a minister for about 6 months, also during the Reagan administration! I call those years, my years of enlightenment!

Anyway, here we are 25 years later, and Alan and I are happily married, and we are celebrating the 25th anniversary of our first date, by going to see Woody Allen's newest film, Blue Jasmine. After the movie, we are going into San Francisco, to eat dinner at one of the restaurants featured in the film! It has been our plan, for over a year, to spend the day this way! We have enjoyed his films very much over the years, and it's a good way to spend this anniversary methinks!

Ellipsis: A Decade Of Life On A Blog...

There is another anniversary associated with this day... it's the 10th anniversary of my blog Ellipsis. It was 10 years ago, that I began this blog as my AOL Journal, Ellipsis. We all know that AOL Journals came and went, really too fast, but while I was there I made some really good friends, some of which I am still in contact with today. Karen, Patrick, Duane... I love you all! And there are many others who don't blog anymore, but I still correspond with from time to time.

I love all my pals, but I can't help but think of my friends that were lost to us, especially, Steven, who had begun his AOL Journal, just one day before I did, and was always one of my most supportive friends. He taught me so much about photography, and gave me so much good advice about blogging, I can't help but feel a little sad because I can't drop by his blog today, and say HI, like we always used to do on our blogging anniversaries.

I miss you Steven.

So, this day has a lot of really good, happy memories attached to it, but some bittersweet ones as well. Still, I look forward to August 23rd every year! And while I might just be a bit blue,  I am so thankful for all the wonderful, fun, happy memories that make this day in the universe so special for me. It's a good day. I am a happy girl.

How To Star In A Woody Allen Movie Without Really Trying...

Okay, so I will be posting my review of Blue Jasmine, and my critique of the restaurant we are eating at tomorrow night in my Ellipsis post on Sunday, because tomorrow, Saturday, is the next round of the Round Robin Challenges: Gone. If you can play along, be sure to, because this could just be one of the best subjects yet! Karen has been doing a magnificent job with the challenges, so if you haven't played in a while... or ever... come on and join us! I know Karen would love to have you!

It was just about a year ago this week that Alan and I were in full swing, following Woody Allen around San Francisco. It's an odd feeling seeing him in person, let alone as he works his movie making magic. It can make one feel as if you are in a Woody Allen movie! It's hard to explain, but I will try to convey what it's like when I do my reviews on Sunday, so you will just have to stay tuned!

Yes.

Stay Tuned!

"It's a wonderful thing to be able to create your own world whenever you want to."

~Woody Allen

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

Porcupines, Ball Lightning And Policemen

"If lightning is the anger of the gods, then the gods are concerned mostly about trees."

~Lao Tzu

Who knew that these beautiful, puffy, peach colored clouds would be producing large, violent, fits of energy, in just a few hours later! It should be odd, but no, it's actually normal! God has a very strange idea of normal methinks!

"If it moves, fondle it... except porcupines, ball lightning, and policemen."

~Unknown

Okay, that's my randomosity for the week! Not as exciting as Shark Week, but not as dull as a Cream Cheese Sandwich on white Wonder Bread. Keep that in mind!

:)

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

Betwixt And Between

"Be hole, be dust, be dream, be wind. Be night, be dark, be wish, be mind. Now slip, now slide, now move unseen. Above, beneath, betwixt, between."

~Neil Gaiman, The Graveyard Book

The trees are beginning to show their autumn color. It's like they are as done with this summer as I am. Fortunately, in a month, September 22nd, at 10:29 P.M. EDT, to be exact, it will be officially autumn, but I think I am already there!

It's kinda feeling a bit spooky too! Yesterday we had a pretty awesome lighting show around the Bay Area. No thunder... just lots of lightning. We don't get that very often, maybe once a year at the most, so it was nice to sit outside, with no worry about getting rained on, and watch the fireworks.

I snapped a few photos to see if I could capture the lightning, but no, I wasn't quite quick enough. But I did manage to capture the above photo. It's kinda spooky. I know I must have somehow caught some random light source, but for the life of me, I don't know how?

We have no lights like that, and I don't remember any lights shining as the photo was taken. So, is it a perfectly matched set of common orbs? Or is it the kind of orbs attached to spirit photography? I don't have any idea, but the speculation is a lot of fun! Halloween, after all, is my favorite holiday!

:)

Here ghostie, ghostie, ghostie!

"It's easier to dismiss ghosts in the daylight."

 ~Patricia Briggs, Dragon Bones

Mood: Silly

~Me :)

NOTE: After checking my folder, I found that this photo was taken last Saturday, and not Monday of this week. There were similar weather conditions on both days. Late afternoon overcast, and random lightning. 

On The Other Side Of The Door

"I am enough of an artist to draw freely upon my imagination. Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world."

~Albert Einstein

I came across this door a couple weeks ago, while out on one of my drives. It is at the top of a house, and if you look very close, it seems to go nowhere. But wouldn't it be interesting if instead of going nowhere, it went everywhere?

The idea of time travel doesn't interest me too much. After all, we are constantly moving in time. Okay, so it's mostly forward, but I have to tell you, I spend a lot of time in the past in one way or another! Perhaps too much!

Music. Classic TV shows. Retro Chic clothing. Sepia Photographs. Old Movies. History. God, I think if I could have one perfect year, all reality shows would suddenly disappear, and there would be nothing on TV older than 1979. But hey, the music would be groovy baby! LOL.

But I know that if I had a year like that, I would miss REM, and the Barenaked Ladies terribly. I would miss the ladies of the Real Housewives Of (you name it), God help me, and probably the thing I would miss most of all... my digital cameras.

LOL. That's why I don't spend a lot of time wishing I were back in time, or ahead in time for that matter! I am doing all I can to keep up with the here and now. Hell, I just learned what the HELL Wifi is, and why I can no longer do without it!

So what does that leave?

Inter-dimensional travel? Sure. Why not! In another dimension, I am taller, I have a tastefully decorated apartment on the upper west side of Manhattan. Alan and I have already retired, and we chase public art around all the boroughs that make up New York City. It's autumn always! And I never get tired of it because not only does the temperature flux just enough to keep it interesting, but the leaves fall from the trees, but regenerate within the same three months.

But that would be my experience. Maybe for Alan it would be completely different, but I would be there, and I would be happy if he was. Inter-diminsional travel is probably different for everyone, and as individualized as a set of fingerprints. Maybe? Could be? Perhaps?

Who knows?

I am not sure if I would go through that door, even if I could. This time. This place. Here and now has a lot going for it. Time moves forward so quickly. I swear I was just 21, now I am 51. Not that I mind it, but it did go by really fast. Like Mary Engelbreit says, "Time Flies Whether You Are Having Fun Or Not."

So true.

"Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is to not stop questioning."

~Albert Einstein

Mood: Curious

~Me :)

Art About Town: South San Francisco (Orange Memorial Park Sculpture Garden)

"Best Friends" By Corinne Hartley
Orange Memorial Park Sculpture Garden
South San Francisco, California

"I dreamt we walked together along the shore. We made satisfying small talk and laughed. This morning I found sand in my shoe and a seashell in my pocket. Was I only dreaming?"

~Maya Angelou

 



I love that public art can be found in all kinds of communities, and all kinds of places. There was a day when you had to visit a museum to see amazing sculptures and murals, and now is there art everywhere from special sculpture parks, like where I found this one, to out of the way places! If you look really close, you might also find a special sculpture in industrial parks as well! Hey, an industrial park is just another kind of park... right? :)

Anyway, a couple weeks ago, Alan and I had an absolute blast visiting Orange Memorial Park's Sculpture Garden, in the city of South San Francisco. It's fairly close to SFO, and the planes departing fly fairly low over the park, so it can be kind of exciting to see them taking off for destinations unknown. 

It's just one more element that makes this park so special. As parks go, Orange Memorial Park is pretty good sized, and there is plenty of parking and activities to participate in. But you know where I was, right? I was wandering in the lovely special sculpture park towards the back of the grounds. There were several wonderful pieces that really resonated with me, but this one really stood out! Its so sweet, and so romantic!"Best Friends" by artist, Corinne Hartley.

How could it not be my very favorite, I was appreciating it alongside my best friend Alan. He is amazing to come along with me on these little public art jaunts of mine. He does most of the driving, and I do the navigating... sometimes successfully! LOL. Oh but we always have fun, whether we get to our destination or not! LOL. And no matter what, we always fun finding something unexpected along the way!

I met Alan when I was 13, and I am so glad I married my best friend!

"One thing was certain: he was my one. Most people go on their whole lives and never find their one, but I found mine. I found him when I was twelve-years old."

~Jennifer Edlund


Mood: Happy

~Me :)

You've Got Butterflies

"I once read a story about a butterfly in the subway, and today, I saw one. It got on at 42nd, and off at 59th, where, I assume it was going to Bloomingdales to buy a hat that will turn out to be a mistake... as almost all hats are."

~Nora Ephron, Delia Ephron and Nikolaus Laszlo, You've Got Mail



Aren't they amazing? I have been enjoying our visits to the Conservatory Of Flowers in Golden Gate Park this summer, very much! They have a bigger variety of beautiful butterflies this time around, and each time we visit it is like we are visiting for the very first time! I can't help but smile when discovering a butterfly that I haven't seen before!

This summer has been a sad one. So many young people lost to the world for one reason or another. I will be so relieved when it is finally gone, and thankfully, there are signs here and there of autumn. It's only a heartbeat away, and I am looking toward it, rather than dwell too much in all the sadness. Life is too short to take up residence in the sadness... just ask the butterfly!

Mood: Content

~Me :)

The Public Stairways Of San Francisco: A Sneak Peek Of The Montgomery Street Stairs

Montgomery Street Stairs, San Francisco
July 31st, 2013

"My soul can find no staircase to Heaven, unless it be through Earth's loveliness."

~Michelangelo

When you think of San Francisco, what comes to mind? Sourdough bread? Tony Bennett? The Barbary Coast? The Golden Gate Bridge? The TransAmerica Pyramid building? Fisherman's Wharf? Well yes, I can see that! Those are all the things tourists come to San Francisco to see, but there are all kinds of interesting hidden gems about the city that gets overlooked. I kinda love that because I can go and experience those things, without being trampled on. LOL. Although I think the word has been getting out in recent years about one of my personal favorite haunts... the stairs of San Francisco.

I have read here and there that there is probably some 300 or more public stairways in San Francisco. Some have been featured in movies, some are cement, some are still of their original wood, having survived the 1908 earthquake! They are historical. They are works of art, like the 16th avenue tiled steps, and all of them serve the same purpose, to get you from here to there on all these hills! If I posted one set of stairs a day, it would take me the better part of a year to show you each and every one of them. I was thinking about posting this kind of series a couple times a month... maybe. So, if I do get to post at that rate, it will be more like several years before I photograph each set!

It sounds daunting.

But I think I would like to try.

Think of the history.

Think of the beauty.

Think of the exercise.

Think of the sights you find along the way.

Personally, I am up for the challenge!

I can't wait to see what I will discover while walking on the stairs of San Francisco! I am going to do a more in depth photo session on the Montgomery street stairs. That will be coming along pretty soon, so stay tuned! I think you will be surprised by the amazing views and beauty associated with them. I know I was!

"The best time I ever had with Joan Crawford was when I pushed her down the stairs in What Ever Happened To Baby Jane."

~Bette Davis

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

Like The Phoenix, The Squat And Gobble Rises (Another Memory, Starring Woody Allen As Himself)

It's a new dawn
It's a new day
It's a new life for me
And I'm feeling good

~Leslie Bricusse, The Bricusse Songbook



Okay, so I warned you the other day, I am going to be reminiscing about my, I mean our, fun surrounding our stalking, I mean following, of Woody Allen as he made movie magic filming Blue Jasmine last year in San Francisco. LOL. Okay, so what exactly does the current construction on a building have to do with all the misadventures last year? Well, it's a funny story, and at the same time, a tragic story, but in the end the story comes full circle... not unlike a Woody Allen movie! LOL.

It Went Like This...

If you have been reading me for any length of time, you already know about my Woody Allen adventure last year. I won't rehash the whole thing, but I will share that right in the middle of the story came a moment of abstract surrealism. You see, on August 25th of last year, Alan and I tracked Woody Allen's filming schedule, mostly by way of social media, around San Francisco. On the 28th we learned he was filming in the Haight/Ashbury neighborhood, so off we went. Unfortunately, by the time we got there, there was no Woody to be seen. He was done and done.

But fear not, social media came through again, and we found out he was merely a few neighborhoods away in the West Portal. There wasn't an exact address, so it was a bit like looking for a Woody... um... needle... in a haystack. Finally we found out where the technical trucks would be parked. When we got there, we saw plenty of trucks, some marked wardrobe, but there didn't seem to be any film service trucks, or any tell tale signs of filming going on, like sandwich boards marked "No Parking" and there was no police presence. Hmmm.

So, with nothing else to do, we decided to drive around the neighborhood, and see if anything could be found. We checked out about 7 or 8 streets, when finally we hit pay dirt! A young, well dressed man, walking down the hill with a camera in his hand. EUREKA! By Woody, I think we had it! And yes, we did! A short drive up West Portal, and onto Ulloa, and there it was, the camera crew, the catering truck, and of course, Woody Allen's town car, parked on the corner of Claremont and Ulloa.

As you might imagine, there was no place to park on our first pass around the neighborhood, so once around again. And that's when it all happened!

With my cameras responsibly stored in their proper cases, and my cell phone, with the awesome camera, equally responsibly placed at the bottom of my purse, where everything in my purse goes, lol, I had no distractions from not just looking for a place to park, but to also check out the neighborhood stores and restaurants. Excellent. I was calm, and well prepared. Good for me! So, on our second time around the block, as we turned onto Ulloa from West Portal, I noticed a cute restaurant called The Squat And Gobble. What an interesting name! My amusement of which only lasted about 3 seconds, no kidding, because coming out of that restaurant, all by himself, with no entourage was... Woody Allen!

LOL. As you can see from the pictures above, the distance between the restaurant entrance, and the curb is not very far! Woody Allen was literally 5 feet away from me, if that much, and where were my cameras? Why they were responsibly put away of course! OMG. It would have been a really terrific, candid shot of him, and I had make a really rookie mistake of not taking at least one camera out after we located the filming sight. All photographers, professional or amateur, have a memory of at least one "shot that got away," for me, Woody Allen will always be "the one that got away!" LOL.

Anyway, like a good little diabetic, I had packed my lunch for the day before I left the house, so we decided to check out the Squat and Gobble during our upcoming vacation which was scheduled for October. In fact, we reasoned, why not come and have dinner on our wedding anniversary, which would be on October 13th. It would be a fun way to spend the day, laughing about our Woody Allen misadventures, and we could take some time to just check out the neighborhood properly! It was a plan!

Unfortunately, not unlike a plot twist in a Woody Allen movie, the Squat and Gobble burned to the ground on October 12th, that's right, one day before our anniversary! It burned down so completely, that it managed to take a couple other businesses with it! It was a total loss! I felt really bad for the restaurant, and the businesses, but I have to admit, I felt really bad that the memory I hoped to make was gone as well.

But hey, good news came along earlier this year, when it was announced that the Squat and Gobble will rise like the phoenix later this year! And no matter when, Alan and I will be there to support them in their grand reopening. We will be making a new memory. Sure, it won't be the exact restaurant Woody ate in, but it will be close enough, and besides, it's the total ambiance of the area. The street. The people. The time you spend with someone you love, in this case, Alan, and the surreal turn of events that I can't help but feel a tiny bit responsible for on some odd level. LOL. Which of course is completely neurotic of me, but hey, it was a Woody Allen movie that brought me here... right?

Congratulations Squat And Gobble On Your Rise From The Ashes!We Will See You Later This Year!

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

Keep Passing The Open Windows

"Maybe you think life is not worth living, but is death worth dying for?"

~Cesar Nascimento



I was very sad when I learned the news yesterday that Gia Allemand had passed away. I had been praying for her since hearing about her illness online the night before. There weren't many details, and truthfully, the details of why she had been hospitalized weren't the point, the point was that she was gravely ill, on life support, and as her friend said on Twitter, the next 48 hours were crucial. But less than 24 hours later the horrible news came... Gia Allamend has passed away at age 29. It's obscene, no one should die so young, and so vibrant! It wasn't until a few hours later last evening that the news came that Gia hadn't been struck down by some random bit of bad luck, or illness out of the blue, Gia had committed suicide.

I didn't know her personally, but I remember seeing her for the first time while she competed on ABC's The Bachelor: On The Wings Of Love. Which, by the way, was the worst of the Bachelor seasons I had personally watched. But not because of the show itself, and certainly not because of Gia, but rather because of the bachelor himself... Jake Pavelka. But this post isn't about him, it's about Gia, and the loss of her talent and potential. Again suicide had talked someone into making a bad, irreversible decision. Suicide is such a liar.

It tells you that if you pull that trigger, or take that leap from the window, or put the noose up just a little higher, all your pain will end, but it doesn't remind you that so will all your joys. Days filled with amazing smiles that you can't imagine, are just waiting to happen for you. One simple act, means you will never see your wedding day, feel your children birth from your body, grow old with the one person in the world who loves you, faults and all, and still sees you as a girl of 20, when you are an old woman of 70. Sunsets are so beautiful that there are no words to describe them. I could go on. But we all have those things that we love. The things that keep us getting up every day. The life affirming moments that each day has, as long as we keep them in our heart.

I don't know what Gia's personal demons were. She seemed quite loved and respected. Maybe she didn't exactly know what those demons were either. I make no judgement about her choices, including her decision to end her life. Suicide is a very personal decision. But I do hope, and wish that the next person contemplating this act, decides to pick up the phone and call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline and talk it through. Perhaps be open to a different point of view. If it's Monday, and suicide is all you can think about, rather than taking that step, take a pause, ask some questions, talk to a friend, pray, cry, yell, whatever because, after all, Tuesday is only a few hours away, and who knows how many problems can be solved in just a few short hours, that don't have to last the lifetime's of those you leave behind.

Rest In Peace, Gia Allemand. Maybe God Hold You Close Always.

Mood: Sad

~Me

"Keep Passing The Open Windows"
~John Irving, The Hotel New Hampshire

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 
1-800-273-TALK (8255) Call 24/7
http//suicidepreventionlifeline.org

American Foundation For Suicide Prevention

20th And Lexington A Year Later... (The Things You Don't Notice, While You're Busy Noticing Other Things)

Sally Hawkins (In The Long Black Coat) And Bobby Cannaval (With The Paper Under His Arm)

"Do stuff. Be clinched, curious. Not waiting for inspiration's shove or society's kiss on your forehead. Pay attention. It's all about paying attention. Attention is vitality. It connects you with others. I makes you eager. Stay eager."

~Susan Sontag

I can't believe it's been a year since the adventure on 20th and Lexington, but it has been! I am reminiscing a bit about the fun Alan and I had last year, tracking down Woody Allen and the places he was filming Blue Jasmine, using only our wits, Google Maps, and social media. Trust me, those are three skills one should never leave home without, when tracking one's comedic idol, whoever it might be!

Last summer, while filming was in full swing, the movie was known around town as W.A.S.P. ... "Woody Allen's Summer Project." There weren't a lot of details about the movie, and everyone was sworn to secrecy. The technical people couldn't have been nicer to speak to, always friendly, no matter how hot it got, or how many questions the onlookers, gawkers if you will, through at them. I didn't of course, but others around me asked the questions, and I took notes. LOL.

You remember the picture I took of Woody Allen descending the red stairs? Well, after he did, he almost immediately left for the afternoon lunch break. No sooner had his car turned the corner, then some of the stars also came out of the building, in particular, the amazing Sally Hawkins! I adore her, and I was thrilled to be able to also capture that moment. She paused for a brief moment, as she turned the corner onto Lexington, and was gone in a flash. I didn't see her again throughout the adventure, so I was super happy to have gotten that photo as well!

Some photographer I am! Right in the same frame was another star of the movie... Bobby Cannavale, and in my Woody Allen Afterglow, and my Hey There's Sally Hawkins How Cool Is That Moment, I missed Bobby Cannavale! Bobby, if you ever read this post, I bow in a gesture of amends, and in an effort to make it right... see above! LOL.

I have an excellent excuse, you see, I hadn't heard you were in the movie yet!

:)

Now, being real here, Bobby Cannavale couldn't care less if he was included in a blog post of a little known blogger from the San Francisco East Bay. I am barely a blip on anyone's radar. I mostly post to my blog for me, but still, I wouldn't have felt right if I hadn't posted the picture of him as well. After all, rumor has it that this might just be Woody's best film to date, and I am just one peep who got the thrill of a lifetime to be able to say, I saw magic happen on 20th and Lexington. So how can I not do the right thing, and show the whole picture of what makes magic... well... magic!

Right?

Alan and I have a date, August 23rd, to go to the movies and see Blue Jasmine. It is a very special day in the universe for us, you see, August 23rd is the anniversary of our first date, 25 years ago, and it also just happens to be the 10th anniversary of my blog Ellipsis. So, stay tuned, there is a lot more to come over the next week or so!

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

The Driveways Of San Francisco #1

"When I get real bored, I like to drive downtown and get a great parking spot, then sit in my car and count how many people ask me if I am leaving."

~Stephen Wright

In the ten years I have been blogging, I have showed off the beautiful sights around the Bay Area, and San Francisco in particular, and as lovely as the usual tourist spots are, I think it's time to venture out a bit both in my thinking, and my photography, so, how about we check out something a bit unusual... shall we?

Parking In San Francisco...

Here's the thing. If anything ever happens to Alan, GOD FORBID, I would probably never see San Francisco again! LOL. I HATE driving there, hate it with a passion. One moment you could be on a perfectly flat, easy to maneuver, nicely wide street, but make one wrong turn... and you are in HILLSIDE HELL! Honestly, the steep hillsides seem to come out of nowhere! It's downright eerie! But if the truth be told, it's also kinda cool, in a terrifying way! I jest, but really, if you aren't used to it, the whole process can be a bit nerve wracking! But it can also be inspiring. One day, in my terror, while riding up a particularly steep hill, I decided to snap a few photos of the scary driveways that go along with living on a hill in San Francisco. Personally, I think the driveways are a marvelous, and I can't help but admire the bravery of those who deal with the parking every single day, but I am not sure I would want to live there!

Take this first driveway for instance. It's kinda cool... in an odd kind of way.

Right?

This isn't the worst I have seen, believe me, so stay tuned, there is a lot more driveways to come!

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

My Rose Garden Update July/August 2013

"Maybe there's a whole other universe where a square moon rises in the sky, and the stars laugh in cold voices, and some of the triangles have four sides, and some have five, and some have raised to the fifth power of sides. In this universe there might grow roses which sing. Everything leads to everything."

~Stephen King
 


My rose garden is doing quite nicely this year, I have only had a little bit of trouble with those nasty aphids, it's just been a low key year for me. I am only adding one new rose this season, as my heart wasn't quite into gardening as in previous seasons. It's good to add slowly though, and give keener attention to the existing roses. I am planning on doing one last pass at the rose suppliers, possibly here in the East Bay, or perhaps in Half Moon Bay. We'll see.

As for the coming week, I will be putting the newest rose in the ground, and perhaps doing some new starters from some of the more delicate roses already planted. As for the Japanese Maple... well... Paul (that's his name) is already transitioning from deep red to the lovely autumn copper. It remains my shining star! Photos to come this week!

Stay Tuned!

Mood: Happy

~Me :)