streetwise.....

.... things are always changing, and no matter what your destiny holds for you, each day brings new surprises for us all. I love being on the street, and hate to be closed in as has happened to me various times in my life, and even voluntarily when I have so much work to do on this computer before I leave in just a few months.

To help in taking a break from all the sitting, I had an opportunity to take a short cruise aboard the USS Potomac, formerly used as the presidential yacht of President Franklin D Roosevelt. A gorgeous ship, it's now touring around the bay waters from its Oakland home-base, and educating guests of the fine FDR legacy. Also during Fleet Week there are always some participating naval ships inport for general tours, and this year it included two Canadian naval vessels, two Coast Guard cutters and one US naval ship: USS Green Bay (LPH-20). Very new - just a year commissioned so I made it a point to visit before they departed. Wow, am I ever so surprised by how the Navy has adjusted to the new technologies available. I wish I could've seen the sleeping quarters also, but I know those areas are closed during inport tours.The navigational bridge ~ where the steering and navigation of the ship is conducted ~ seemed to me the most interesting area... no longer are circular radar screens used but now square computer screens! Wow!! Most of the duties I previous had in plotting and manually computing approaches and collisions to objects and/or vessels are all now computerized and done in seconds with a higher degree of accuracy!
Streetwise, there are surprises that abound around us as we traverse those concrete halls throughout the our cities, IF we elect to see. Recently with a friend, I went walking around the San Francisco Embarcadero and the Financial District and saw things I haven't seen on previous occasions.... I was walked toward the corner of Spear and Howard Streets, where my friend told me she had read somewhere that there is a statue of a tourist with a camera. When we reached that corner, I realized I had passed this corner many times, and don't recall not one statue. The address was for the Folger Coffee Company Building.... among the people outside and passing by, we did not see not one statue that looked like a tourist, let alone holding a camera. Walking around the building, we noticed a small side sidewalk lined with steel benches on Howard that lead to a small plaza.... walking slowing down this area were people sitting and enjoying a snack or a late lunch, talking on cell phones or (yuck) smoking... and as I moved further into this shadow-darkened walkway, noticed a couple sitting on the first bench, which turned out to be a statue of a couple, complete with a purse on the bench. Around the corner was the tourist permanently implanted in his footsteps with rock-steady outstretched arm pointed out, steadily diercting a friend on how to stand or where to look, while a oldtime Instamatic camera held with the other hand.Wow, I've never even seen these "people", let alone the the walkway they are located in, though I'd passed through this intersection many times. Instead I am always with eyes skyward, neck aching as I snap the huge and reflective skyscrapers.

As this day ended, the fog started to sneak in... smooth and silky, this was a change from the usual cottony fog I have seen on other occasions. It was gorgeous and reminded me of fog in my youth.... some things never change.

I often have to look elsewhere in order to see changes in my environment, which opens my eyes to new sights.

Dreaming of a hot summer (not here)

Sept 24th: The time has come. I just purchased my ticket to return to Spain and brings both joy and sadness… JOY that I’ll be back in my apartment in hot southern Spain… but alone again, taking care of what is mine and again in the company of sincere friends. On the other hand, it also brings to me yet another close to my time in the states after being away over a decade. To be in my hometown and living my second “childhood”, doing things here as an adult… things and experiences I had never had as a child nor as a teen. So this stage closes and with a date to fly out of here, I now begin my serious cleaning out of my stuff and determining what I can take with me, what I can’t and mail, and what gets trashed.

Of course, just the act of buying a ticket presented its problems too: I discovered a one-way ticket is much more expensive than a round-trip… so I opted for the return. Actually this helps me a lot as I have many things I’d hate to mail to myself as they are just too heavy: hundreds of CDs containing my virtual negatives, Spanish books and of course, my cameras. Amazingly the round-trip fare is $200 less than what I paid for my last January trip to Spain, and helps to save money for the many projects I have to complete and with the dollar dropping yet again as usual against the euro, my lousy dollars won’t buy me the many things needed once I am home again. I was hoping the new administration would bolster the dollar against the euro but that hope was short-lived.

I’ve been away so long I lost my Spanish residency and will need to re-apply, plus I will have to search for a reliable reasonably-priced internet provider. I also have a few ideas to build a fan supply and exhaust system to remove the high summer heat from my apartment, so I’ll certainly be busy. I have a small extra bedroom that I need to clear out to make it a real guest room, and then to repaint the walls. I’ll be buying the latest and greatest Canon EOS camera also, so many things are up in the air….. sigh

I need to sell my car before that departure, or to have a power of attorney for someone to sell in my name after that date. Anyone wanto to buy my nice red car and give it a loving home?

I am still embarking on weekend trips to see as much as possible, while combining a model or other paid shoot during the trip. Last weekend I drove to southern California (foreign territory to me) and enjoyed seeing some of the sights.As usual, the “paid shoots” did not materialize, so I just relaxed and enjoyed the visiting friends instead. I was close to the amazingly gorgeous colors of the Red Rocks Canyon State Park and saw the most colorful and beautiful rock formations. I also visited Edwards AFB to and enjoyed the static aircraft displays there and around the area, plus I even saw the space shuttle before it left early Sunday morning to the East Coast.

In my cleaning out of my stuff the other day I discovered one of my old trouser belts last wore while in Spain over three years ago…. even without the buckle attached, the two ends didn’t even meet with a difference of about five inches!! Wow!!! What a shock as I have never in my previous life been so “wide”. Cannot wait to return “home” to so I can start adjusting to my real life, and lose all these “souvenirs” from the USA…. Waliking everyday which doesn’t happen at all here will quickly – hopefully – trim those pounds off me.

Sept 27th: I know realize that as my travel plans change, my scheduled packing of boxes to be sent to Spain must change also. First, I have too many CDs full of images… estimated to be over 220 and growing. I have now decided to move all of the images off these CDs and most recently DVDs, to my three external hard drives (eHDs). I have one of 300 available gigs with an remaining 15gigs containing all of my “recent” files and images starting in late 2006 as I prepared to depart Spain, and to now three years later. I have another 400+ available gigs in a myBook hard drive which is filling up quickly, partitioned into four separate sectors to store various images under different themes beginning in 2000 when I first went digital to early 2006. Today (29 September) I’ve just purchased a 500gig Passport Elite and will start filling that with images starting with 2010 imagery.

On the other hand, I have made a few trips recently and am always most content to get away from the intense ongoing computer work that seems to be never-ending. But the stark reality is that every time I create newer images it just adds to the never-ending workload. How’s sitting in front of the monitor copying pictures off CDs with the computer being ON all day and night for a few 37hours sound to you?

things I've noticed....

Since I've adjusted to life in these united states, I've been noticing a few things.... and in my almost two years in San Francisco I've noticed that some things apply no matter where you live in the states:

1. If you think the sunset will be great and worth your time to capture, it'll probably be foggy or worst, the traffic will prevent you getting there and you'll miss it

2. Never drive in back of a city bus or a shiny "new" car with GPS on their dash; it's probably tourists and you'll be slooooow

3. When it rains, it usually rains

4. Just when you thought the steep hill were done, you see you have even steeper hills to walk!

5. If you think the weather is bad now, wait five minutes

6. Your shortcut route will certainly include more steep hills than you bargained for

7. Go to an event in the City waaay early for parking and a decent seat will net you a long wait and no parking/seat; show up at the last minute and there might be an open spot/seat

8. Get over any of the two major bay bridges early to avoid the traffic jam(s) but don't worry: a traffic accident will create a jam of its very own

9. Go early thinking you're be the only photographer present, you'll be sooooo wrong

10. If there's a full moon tonight, don't worry because there's bound to be a (90%) forecast of fog or clouds

11. If you think you're driving faaaast, wait till that '60s era-VW Beetle zips by you!!

12. Use your hand-brake when stopping on hills to prevent roll-back

Finally. I have quit flickr.com for the final time. In the coming months I'll build my own website and start posting my own pixs at my own site... I was reported by someone who apparently didn't like my pictures - details not made available to me - and flickr.com just censored me. There isn't anything at my account there that was offensive or anything you or anyone couldn't see in a museum or even an art gallery. I hate being censored and have complained about it to them, plus asking for return of my money paid for the final year, which hasn't started. I know they won't return my money, but it's the principal of my protest. Big companies and businesses usually forget they were once small, like you and me... and with their heads up in the clouds, they forget how to SEE. Let them get their foot stepped on, and see if they protest!!

thoughts and more

I've been driving around a lot, trying to see as much as I can before I leave to live in my spanish apartment next year. In the past weeks I've driven to Big Sur, wound my way to gorgeous Fremont Peak State Park, and have a lot of weekend trips planned for the months to come. I can now even say I went to the Gilroy Garlic Festival and though it seems more like a commercial convention that just happened to have garlic stuff on grassy dusty fields, it was enjoyable up to a point. I've seen a lot, more than I ever have of my home state, but I want to see even more before I depart.... Yet another long week in Eugene next month gets me some more funds to add to my "get Tony to Spain" pot, and have extended the trip a few days so I can see some places in the Northwest that I never was able to see while living there. These little trips are memorable aside from the images I am capturing, and something I will remember long after my SF experience is forgotten.

The departure dates next year aren't set in stone yet but it can be as early as early spring or as late as mid-September. It all depends if I am able to sell my car and how long I need to wait till it's sold. Though I'll have a LOT of work in my apt, at least I'll be home finally and no more trips.

My Spain return will be so strange since first having a car in the late 70s, to be planning to be somewhere ~ anywhere ~ without a car! I've decided from my San Francisco experience to just rent cars when needed since I walk a lot and take the bus - public transportation is so much reasonable and reliable in Europe than it can ever be here. Plus the transport companies don't insult and yell at you as they do here.

While I am happy to get back to my own place, it leaves a lot of projects unfinished. Living with my sister has helped me - and I hope she feels I have helped her also - but it has left me with a giant repair bill in my spanish apt. I'll be busy for months! At least my apt will finally get finished to how I wanted it from when I first moved in, plus I have a few ideas and personal projects I'll begin in the hopes of moving air around in my apt, to prevent the huge heat problem I have during the summers. This year my little town has been hitting 90s and 100s on a regular basis for some weeks, something that has never happened while I was there 15 years till the very last two years prior to departing ~ I guess the sad reality of global warming is striking home.

My departure plans have also changed; I originally planned to bus to the East Coast and stay with friends before I fly out but as a traveler of the very mean and dangerous Greyhound buses (crazee drivers and corporate Greyhound doesn't care), plus the pleasure of being within ghetto bus stations in this grand country, I've decided not to subject myself to that demeaning dangerous and last ugly look at America - I want my last weeks to be nice and positive.... thanks Greyhound for opening my eyes to your careless drivers and sloppy operations, though if not for those dirty windows, I would've never seen a section of americana that I only see and hear about on CNNi and the evening news.

I am now hoping to fly out of California on a "comfortable" cargo plane to the East Coast, then make my way somehow across that big pond to Spain. It won't be an easy nor reliable journey, but I've done it before and one last roller-coaster ride (hopefully) won't hurt!I need an out, an escape from this unreal virtual world... I'm dying each traffic jam at a time, and it's draining everything out of me. I'm only happy when I am on the road, but being on the road isn't so wonderful any longer. I need to fly... escape out of this mess... and live my own life alone. No more false lies about happiness in the future, no more dreams of being happy anywhere with anyone.

The faces that turn to grab you and lie are everywhere... I just want something static, alive, real and one way: unchanging. I need to just GO!!

ESCAPE south!!!!!

I've been gone a very long time stuck with computer work. I hate the computer work that's forcing me to sit at the monitor for so many hours non-stop. It seems that aside for small Bay Area trips, since I've returned from Eugene even sunsets is a fading memory! I am just too busy with the image archiving I've been doing the last year and especially the last few months. So I really need a break from the many hours in front of my monitor, and I planned an escape for a weekend... though it could have been a more comfortable trip.

Leaving the big City behind, I drove south with traffic seemingly building up due to the rush hour when I departed, but eventually giving way to smooth fluid traffic. After months and seemingly years of hearing everyone talk about the Big Sur area, I wanted to see whhy everyone speaks of the area with such excitement! To be honest, I was more impressed with the Spanish coast, and the Mendicino and Marin County coastline drives more than this! I'm sorry ~ though there were some great scenics, I just like the other visually-appealing drives instead as they offered more in my opinion. Everyone who has ridden with me in any car knows I love to drive curvy narrow cliffside roads and this was NO exception ~ when I reached the Big Sur area.

Friends had "warned" me about a very steep hill leading to the Big Sur area, but surprisingly I didn't see anything.... not one steep "plunge" at any point. I have been to Italy and their Sorrento cliff scenery and drive were more narrow and hair-raising than this! I must confess that contrary to rumors, I am not a car racer of any sort BUT I do know my car.... I don't use brakes that often driving these curves and if I do hit the brakes on a tight turn, it's probably because the slow car in front of me (there were many) is going toooo slow! Now it seems I even missed a waterfall in the Pfeiffer Burns State Park (Monterey County), but I had not read anything about this or any waterfall in any research I did before the trip, nor did anyone I know who has gone to the Big Sur area mentioned any waterfalls.

On the other hand I was able to see a California Mission finally! Carmel Mission is located off the busy streets and before this mission, I had already drove by another mission.... it was was well worth the stop there to enter and learn a bit of history.... and to see how those in the mission lived and worked. Open to the public is the Basilica of the Mission San Carlos Borromeo del Rio Carmelo, and it's a basilica worth seeing. As I walked through the area, preparations were being made for a wedding.... what a grand backdrop for a wedding and imagine: to be wed in a place founded in 1770!Okay, I do apologize to others who have been to the Big Sur area and think I do not appreciate the "beauty" of the lovely drive and scenery, and I do admit: it was! But - and a very big BUT - I truly believe I have seen better and "worst".

hahahahaahaa

Do YOU like being in a car that's holding on to the curves and twists and turns of a narrow mountaintop road? Enjoy the feel of a vehicle that is "one with the road" whether down- or uphill? Come join me for a ride and see how often I tap my brakes - if I do at all - driving downhill on narrow and tight curves.... with the ocean on one side and the cliffs and rocks on the other!

For the night I slept in the back of my car with a sleeping bag I haven't seen or used since I left Eugene.... car camping wasn't comfortable at all and I now wonder if the years are beating me up? I usually stop for the night at a rest area with plenty of trucks but on HWY 1 on the coast, there doesn't seem to be room for a rest area let alone any safe-looking spots where I could park, and sleep safely and silently. For the very first time in my short life, I "checked" in at a RV park and was surprised by its size and facilities!! wow!! Before bedding down for the night was able to see reddish-pink clouds at sunset through the trees to keep me happy!! ;-)

I avoided the Hearst Castle like a plague... it's located high upon a mountain with its own road and entrance, though it can be seen from the highway and that's where I snapped a pix.... I don't really need to see luxury and nicely-kept grounds after spending a night in the back of my car!! Am sure the elephant seals I saw later were more exciting and interesting than the castle though am sure a few of y'all would disagree with me.

Almost a year ago friends in Wisconsin told me about the drive to Big Sur and even described a stop before reaching the famous Bixby Bridge. They also told me of a very steep drive before reaching this very bridge but I didn't experience any drop in pressure or attitude and wonder if this could be something old and now replaced with a new road as the highway during this section seemed new and recently paved. I've seen steeper hills in SF!!

When I reached the bridge the fog was coming in thick toward the tops of the coastal mountain range. Back-tracking I did find the vantage point mentioned by my friends, and was lucky the fog had disappeared. The sky was full of nice clouds though it was several hours too early for the sunset unfortunately, and I was not about to wait around. I had decided to bypass HWY 1 and take HWY 101, discovering later the highway was packed of cars and delayed the trip but still, I had a good time.