Tuesday, July 29, 2014

Birthday Weekend







An unusual three days distinguished by monsoonal moisture and the return of MK Ultra.


1.
Saturday 26 July 2014
Strolling the sunny streets of Berkeley, 
attending to a few matters in a carefree manner




There's a crack in everything
that's how the light gets in





Tee hee, Naked Ladies
everyone is fond of them
an aroma dainty and narcotic






Sidewalk culture
it's free for the taking







Flowers new to me
for the cognoscenti of color







2.
Sunday 27 July 2014
The Berkeley Kite Festival




Kite fest!




A favorite moment for me 
crossing the nature preserve
people flowing in on foot
first sighting of the kites





Hmmmm... he's new to the festival
America's global reach





 Wrangler rhymes with angler





the bush league and the Bay
easy to launch a kite in wind so constant






It's all happening,
I scored a kobe beef hamburger
from an "Apps" outfit
they mistook me for a likely sucker





Look, a frog girl showed up





Can a frog man be far behind?




Hail to the magnificent cephalopods





Maybe it's time to hit the old dusty trail





Time to roll up the circus wagons




Approaching the pedestrian bridge,
a breath-taking cloud stream
over this recently man-made hill







3.
Monday 28 July 2014
Splendid day on the San Francisco Bay




Set sail for my usual dockside haunts





The monsoonal clouds reached
extravagant expressive beauty
in mid-Bay





Nature records its expressions 
through human beings,
never forever, always changing





Observing the coastal fog
Mount Tam under wraps





These boats seem to follow you around the room






And a round room it be
a panorama 
of the National Historic Maritime Park





 Roundness suits the subconscious mind
and pleases the soul





Time to dive down this deco hatchway





Build me a boat
that can carry two
and both shall row





The woods are filled with wardens
-Jack Kerouac





A moment's meditation
in a wind-sheltered spot,
the respiration of the sea





Some manly amusements,




Pleasures fleeting and slight
before my appointment with the oceanic





hi-ho, hi-ho
it's stoned to home I go





All my excursions are circular
ending where they begin











26-28 July 2014

Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Circling Angel Island

For nautical diehards the Flaneur's here-- a fast tour of the marine meteorology and topography, and the culture of primeval Angel Island and its environs.




Another day on the Bay, vigorous and glorious.




I took a mid-day ferry to Pier 41,
Had lunch out on a windy node of a nearby dock--
sardines, whole wheat seedy bagel with almond butter, 
broccoli, golden bell, and carrots in cherry balsamic vinegar --
the usual. Oh and a Raven's Eye imperial stout



Then I caught the 3:15 summer weekender back
For the same fare you get a cruise to Angel Island
to pick up the day-trippers bound for Oaktown





Alcatraz

I have never set foot there and I never will 
unless it's returned to First Nation people.
A commercial attraction based on human misery it stands



 

Underway
mid-Bay in minutes





The bridge is much closer than it appears in this wide-angle photo.
 Really wild out hear, boat rocking, wind and sea spray,
like riding the "Maid of the Mist" at Niagara Falls

This is where London's The Sea Wolf opens:
A gentleman is returning to SF from Sausalito when the boat sinks
Rescued by the brute Wolf Larsen
only to be shanghaied for a long sea voyage






There's Sausalito 
ant hill that went from square to bohemian and back
Still fun in an kitsch artsy overpriced tourist trap way
the location and the view always astonishing
Mount Tamalpais looks sagely on






San Francisco appears so distant,
wave good-bye








Here's Angel Island facing the Gate






My choice for the most beautiful waters on the Bay





Calmer under the influence of the islands





Around to the harbor
Last year at a picnic table uphill a bit on the right
 as I stood up a deer came bounding downhill toward me
It veered into open space, landing well on the beach below
 bounding off past some young boys
like, wow




There's the marina and the main building on the island.
I left my previous image capture device on a bench there 
It freed me to explore with bothering with photos




Here's where we pull in





The view across the cove-- territories of Marin county





 Showing his daughter how to shuck oysters;
she's avidly interested





I imagine it has looked pretty much like this 
for quite a long time





Always plenty of elbow room on the island
I hiked up along here point last visit



 The farthest point, beyond the sea




San Francisco comes into view






Back into the middle





 Willie Brown fudge-punches Yerba Buena Island






 Adios to Angel Island




Making for home port





 The old Bay bridge disappears
make way for the new






 Everybody's grooving on the water
on a sunny day in July
I savored a fine white peach






 Home again, home again jiggity-jig
last refuge to which a scoundrel clings









 The Secret of the Sea 
Inter-chapter 3











19 July 2014