Just a Wintry WNY Day

The day is bright but overcast. Huge snowflakes are slowly drifting dizzily from above again, for a day originally not previously forecast for the white stuff, but I don't mind a bit. It's been a very mild Winter so far.

Inside, it's warm and lively, with my beautiful Sheila playing the piano. She doesn't always play but when she does, it's incredibly beautiful to hear the piano tones. I've never been so lucky to have lived in this type of situation ever before....

Granted, this isn't a concert hall, but hearing Sheila play the piano is sooo heavenly and better than any concert venue!!

2 hours to copy four gigs

oops!! Make that three hours!! I finally broke down and yesterday purchased a 500gig external hard drive. Gosh ~ I remember when 500megs cost almost a thousand dollars alone!!!! In trying to manage my image files, I have run out of room everywhere! On my desktop's 160gig HD, I don't have too many corners still available... I had purchased a 350gig external HD in Spain before departing in 2006 and that is now filled, though I have frantically been trying to burn off the files during the last few weeks and months - with little success as each week I shoot more, adding to my backlog and worklist.

Last night it took four hours to format the new HD, then after a reboot it took another three hours to partition it to make organizing the files better and easier. As I type this, I am moving the files slowly over to the 500giger from the 350gig HD, and to move 4gigs it's taking an average of three hours.... grrrr

Luckily, while last weekend attending the opening exhibit at my friend's gallery collectively Grasp when she introduced me to a musical website where you can hear your style of music, all the while remembering your likes and dislikes, then searches for more music that fit your musical likes so you only hear the type of music you enjoy, and those similar. I love it.... The other day I listened to about five hours of flamenco guitar music which I really love, and makes me miss Spain even more. Right now I'm listening to Dido-type music while moving these massive files and am enjoying with immense pleasure the tunes of these different artists with a similar style, many whom I've never known by name but by their music.

Once I get everything moved to the new external HD, I'll format the other external and partition that also, something I've been trying to do but not really, since I have over 280gigs of images on there and I didn't want to risk losing them in the case something happen during the partitioning process....

Suuuuure, all this should keep me again in front of the monitor for about a month at the very least!!!

In the meanwhile, my eyes and vision continue to slowly improve as they heal... I've driven a few times at night now and am happy I can see better in dim light where I am not uncomfortable driving blindly into the darkness as it was that situation previously. I often like to look around ~ for example while stopped at a red light ~ and see distant billboards, buildings etc, to test my vision and how I couldn't see something clearly last week, and now can. I can clearly see 18'x24' billboards a block away well, and other lettering farther as well. "Seeing" is to define the act of seeing sharp focused edges, define the lettering, the message and sharp lines; and the ability to see low-contrast colors as opposed to brighter colors.

Hey!!! Only two and a half hours remaining on the copying to the new HD!!!!

Just a picture captured while around the city as Halloween nears; snapped with my Motorola RZR cell phone camera...

Stern Grove and Musica Latina

before the masses assembled

Stern Grove "empty"

I spent the majority of Sunday at Stern Grove, and I must tell you: if you ever get a chance to go there to listen to music it is well worth the effort, the time and the experience. I have been gone from MY City for over three decades and I thought I was transported back to the 60s! Featured this day were the popular Bay Area group SambaDa, and Voices of Latin Rock, a combination of great music performed by a rotating group of musicians, some of who have performed with such groups as Santana, War, etc.

Prearing for my meeting with online friends around 11:30-ish on Sunday for a potluck picnic with live music, I spent over three hours Saturday night preparing and cooking two spanish tortillas for my share of the potluck. I've mentioned tortillas here before and it's not a difficult food item to make, but on the other hand, it's not the easiest thing to cook either. One should note though, that there is a BIG difference between spanish and mexican tortillas, one being made of corn or flour and being very plain and thin while the spanish version is made basically with eggs, potatoes (I always add more ingredients) and is NOT thin, and can be as thick as an inch and very tasty!

Early Sunday morning, I departed early for the area as from habit as a photographer, I always like to arrive early to see the area and get a feel for what is there. I got there at about 9:30-ish and sat in the car a while till I noticed there were a LOT of people entering the area already. I went down to see how filled the concert meadow was and was shocked at the beauty of the area, and how well things were constructed and planned. Even the restrooms were roomy, very adequate and clean, even in better condition than most pricey SF restaurants!

Though the narrow walkway was quite steep leading from the street level to the concert meadow, I can tell you now the experience is worth the walk and trouble to get there. At this early hour of the morning, more than half of the available spaces were already claimed by people who were laying out blankets to stake out their spot. I had nothing with me but the kind black woman next to the space I wanted was nice enough to loan me two blankets so I could lay down those on the grass to claim my spot, along with my jacket. I hurried back up to the car to get my folding chair, camera bag and food. Hands filled, I made it down to the spot along with a baseball seat cushion and my car windshield shades in order to claim a bigger area ~ after all, I was expecting over 16 virtual friends!

Now situated, it was only 10am as I called the group host to warn him that spaces was being taken up quickly and to get here as soon as possible. He was due at 11:30-ish and I didn't know if I would be able to hold the space till then. With lots of time on my hands, I sat and waited watching as more and more people arrived and entered the meadow with their wheeled coolers, chairs, blankets and more.

With time, the host of my little group appeared, and with time soon familiar faces appeared, and my little empty space quickly changed from nada to a filled spot with food, blankets and more!

time to munch

Of course, the music finally replaced the numerous and loud sound tests, and just as suddenly the wait was forgotten. This music was the type of tunes I listened to as a young teen in Golden Gate Park and heard on the radio. Even when I was in Rota (Spain) in the late 70s, the most favorite music played on my turntable was Santana! The music was great with many popular tunes performed which, if you were listening to the music in the 70s, it would all come back as familiar tunes you've enjoyed previously ~ but this was live! But I really enjoyed the history of the performers and music, described and well-told between each of the musical performances.

It has been many decades since I have been in the presence of live band music in a park.... the emotion and the vibes were amazing on this day, and sobered me up - I had about half a bottle of wine in me - giving me the opportunity to look back at my life, and the things I have seen, while missing the things I should have experienced in my non-existent teen life in SF which never happened. I should have seen and done a lot in my home town of San Francisco, and it took me over 38 years to finally attend an outdoor music concert in Stern Grove!

Stern Grove filled to das gills

sigh....

The food the others had brought was great, and I drank more than my fill of white and red wine. Amazingly enough, everyone who I met this day had brought wines made in Spain, and that also made me a bit "homesick", if this were possible for someone who was born in SF and having been away for over most of his adult life, and now living again in his hometown.... to be homesick for a culture, a lifestyle and for a mood that was more than a hand's width in distance on a printed world map.... How could this be?

But in the fifteen years I've lived in Spain, even in my deepest misery - and there were lots of those moments - I felt more at home in Spain than I ever experienced in my own hometown or country. In all the months I've been "living" in the states, people have noticed and advised me that they can sense of belonging when I talk about Spain... and how I can also feel that sense of "belonging"... which I do not feel when I am in the USA.

I know this sounds unusual and unamerican, but it's how I feel. I feel I do not belong, that nobody wants me here, and everything is so alien and without sense.....

Anyway, if you ever get a chance to go to Stern Grove, do so!! You won't regret it no matter WHO is playing, what is being performed, and how many people there is.... the experience is simply unbelievable!!!

a lively dance!

North Beach festival

I returned to the festival today to see world champion-class Tony Gemignani perform his amazing pizza tossing skills, and I have to admit, they are not kidding when they say toss dat pizza dough!!!

They had his table inside a small beer-drinking area and I arrived early to get a good spot for my pictures. You never know when those damn photographers will show up!! hahahahaaa He was already busying himself, rolling a few pizza dough to use during his show, and this was indeed a great show!

In a few moments, he had everything readied and began.... with a cordless microphone headset, he began with a few demonstrations showing how he can spin and toss the dough, and explained who he was.... the crowd, needless to say, was as impressed as I was. Then he asked for music and started a show in time to the music! This tossing and spinning of the pizza dough was just incredible! He even did a few spins and tosses while lying on his back on the ground, plus a few tosses behind his back from left to right, and even using his foot as a footrest to balance the dough, and even passing the pizza dough beneath his leg from one side to the other!

It was indeed impressive!!! I can now see why he has won the world champion title nine times! So, if you ever get a chance to see him in action, do so because you will not be disappointed!!

More pictures of his tossing are posted in my web in the events album.

I also had a chance to take a peek inside St Peter and Paul church next to Washington Square for a silent and quick respite from the crowds of people and blaring music - and while the church interior is different than those I've seen in France, Germany, Spain and Italy, it was still quite nice.




I also was thrilled to hear the vocals of Lavay Smith and Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers.... the great music of her band got people who crowded all of the grassy area of Washington Square, listening and dancing and moving to the smooth jazzy tunes....

click on the picture to see their myspace site

Enjoy the sights!!!