a time for quiet

It is a cold, foggy Sunday morning in the City. A time for quiet, as the fog dampens not only the air, but sound. It does not seem like a time for endings or a time for beginning. Just a near silent morning thinking about today, not so much about yesterday and very little about tomorrow. Reflecting on temporality: this magnificent butterfly remains magnificent.

blue light of awareness

Late in the evening as I was walking home, I saw the grizzled old man who frequently sleeps in doorways and on bus benches on Mission Street. I have commented on him in an earlier blog. I have observed him from the bus window. I sometimes walk past him when he seems to be passed out. I have watched him as he incoherently discourses with the passing traffic. All of these times, I have seen him. Last night, he looked up at me as I passed and I realized that he recognized me, too. I had never once thought about him observing me. This was a shattering awareness of my role as “unseen” observer. A psychic way of separation and self-protection that feels very, very uncomfortable.  

too large to comprehend

My world has seemed overly busy, congested, problematic and sometimes too large to comprehend recently. I stepped outside and the light changed it all ─ the branch of a common bottle brush tree pressing up against a wall, soft, beautiful and simple. For a moment in time, the other was forgotten.

watching the super moon

The largest, most super moon of 2013 happened this morning, Sunday, June 23^rd, according to the meteorologist. In San Francisco, if we are to believe such a thing ─ we simply must have a lot of faith and trust. Summer here often means we are shrouded in a lovely mist (well, actually chilly fog). It is difficult to observe celestial happenings unless you are on top of a mountain, and that means leaving town.

in a Mayan temple

This morning, I walked by the light-well window in my old Edwardian flat in San Francisco at 8:44 a.m. I was stunned by the exact alignment of the morning sun through the 5 or 6 inch space between my building and the house to the north. (San Francisco homes are often built with separate walls, but almost touching).

I guess I thought for a moment that I was an ancient Mayan astronomer noting something of great significance left to me by incredibly brilliant ancestors. Well, not really, but had fun thinking about how the San Francisco land use of 1910, when my building was built, might have some relationship to thousand year-old temples in the Yucatan.

For some reason, I was unable to make a Father’s Day blog entry today. The memories seem bound up too tight and the images just would not come. I will try on another day.

simply stunned

Today, I had the first gloriously ripe organic peach of the summer season. That moment of perfection that leaves you simply stunned. As you can see, I have two more stunning moments ahead.

But, the bowl of pits. Now, that is an example of an idea that has become obsession. In 2007, I was so happy to have the wonderful stone fruits and began to realize that each seed was slightly different. Thought it might make a photo shoot or some sort of an art project. Well, I put the 2007 pits into this bowl from Macao and that started it. The “heart” of every stone fruit that I have eaten since has gone into this bowl. What to do with them? When to stop? I can imagine someone sorting through my belongings when I have gone off to that orchard in the sky and saying….”what was he thinking?”

artist's commitment

This amazing artwork was on the hood of a 60’s Chevy. The artist painted directly onto the metal and then had a specially developed protective glaze over it all. He told me that it took nearly a year to complete the entire car. The reflection of the overhead wires was the City’s way of complementing the art. I am deeply impressed by the commitment of any artist to the development and maybe perfection of their form. Would we view this work differently if it were shown in museum, or even as a high-end advertisement?

The Mission district in San Francisco has a long history of car clubs and individuals who keep the tradition of customization of cars that was popular in the 50’s.

This is a design from the rear of the car---decided to add it after I had posted the first picture.