those gorgeous clouds and more

I have been packing like crazy..... I am down to those tiny little nonsense things that mean nothing to others, but to you they mean the world, and hold so many memories... of places seen and things done. I have too many of them already, and building even more all the time. I've already missed one deadline.... suitcases all too heavy, folding bike in a box too dam big and too dam heavy.

things seen recently on the streets when I can break away from the nightmare of packing...

fog horn sounding in the distance

... cable cars rumbling along on their ancient tracks, the gripman dingling the bell as the car nears an intersection. These are the sounds I hear, as I did as a child in my distant past, and amazingly again, as an adult thrown into the events that Life hands us...

The day started overcast but like my little town in southern Spain, the sun burned that off and by noon it was a clear sky and lots of spring-like warmth. Outside for most of the day, it was great for a brisk walk in a thin tee-shirt, if I had my Life alone here. That being not the case, by time I returned in the early afternoon, I was thinking of blinding myself during another sunset.... fog was popping up here and there... Alcatraz was wrapped in fog now, and a few minutes later, it was visible again. I love seeing Alcatraz when the fog lies behind the island, and not in front... it's mysterious that way.... and I enjoy that view.

As the time for the sunset neared, today at 6:43pm, I readied my equipment then drove down busy traffic-filled Lombard Street to the freeway, then up to the bridge where it was smooth sailing up to the fog-encased toll plaza. I cut to the right to get off and to get to the bluffs where I could see the ocean... if that were possible.

I marveled at the sight of the fog as I drove down Lombard.... the fog was as thick as that New England pea soup and perhaps even thicker, and I wished for a looong red light so I could grab the camera and shoot it, but no... the luck of the Irish followed me as usual and it was all green lights all the way....

The sun soon dipped below the level of the fog, and it was a sight to behold: the upper edge of the fog soft but golden by the glorious brightness of the sun... one could watch this, hold a gasp within... then it was gone.

Did anyone else notice this delightful detail of our everyday lives?

No....

I was saddened by that fact, and that I keep myself within a self-constructed cell... unseen but there all the same; a cell that I would love to escape to Spain if I had the means.

Once returned, I saw the thickening fog sweep in strong - it was thick at the bluffs also, with nothing but the beach about 235,2 feet below me could be seen in the silence. The fog came in on quick waves of gray air, and I could actually see the wisps of fog blowing me around me.

Do you see the fog?

from my rooftop, looking toward Telegraph Hill and Coit Tower, the golden spray of sunset extended east

and watching the thin low layer of fog roll in toward the East Bay, layered by the golden stretch of sky above...

better than better?

It was a nice drive to the eye clinic in San Jose; I've been admiring the views each time and finally after four trips, I finally remembered to load up with the camera and stopped to catch the sights I've been thinking about many times but captured only in my mind.

My eyes weren't too bad; I could see about 75 feet and make out street signs and such, so it wasn't like the first few drives after the surgery. Today it even rained.... so the wipers were used for about ten minutes. The clouds were gorgeous and there was a bit of free-standing fog in the calm air.

Once there, I was checked and my eyes analyzed and I was sooo relieved to hear that my eyes were not as damaged as I had thought. The cute doctor (female of course) told me of a patient she had who really screwed up their eyes.... mine was nothing in terms of severity. She did however warn me about not using the lubricating eye drops enough, which was my situation.

Before continuing home, I met with my brother for lunch and walked around a bit in downtown San Mateo, snapping some pictures of the unique architecture in the immediate area, then after leaving him at his home, I made a trip to get some snaps of glass....


I went to nearby Oracle headquarters in Redwood City; this complex of glass buildings is so reflectively beautiful! I've been there several times already for fotos and will be more in the months to come. If you're in the area and haven't seen them yet, you need to see them!

When I got back into the City, driving down Jones Street the fog was just in the background behind Alcatraz, and it was lovely; but the camera was directly behind me and there was no place to park, so I parked at home, got back there walking up two steep grade 6 hills and got the shot! :-)

In just the four minutes and 32 seconds it took me to return to a spot on the hills to see through the mess of criss-crossing telephone and electrical cables and wires, The Rock was already being draped in the fog....

Upon arriving at home, I started using the eye drops right away.... previously I would forget and would use the eye drops as few as five times a day. With just five drops in each eye over a three-hour period today, I found my eyes to be in heaven and my vision visually improved! Everything is soooo sharp!!! So, I will be using these much more often in the future as it'll keep my eyes moistened and allow them to heal quicker.With my moistened eyes functioning better, I can see a large advertisement painted on the side of a tall building two blocks away. I can easily make out street signs at even further distances. I can see license plates two cars away..... I just need to get into the habit of using the eye drops much more often.

Wow, the world is so nice and clear when your eyes are well-lubricated!

new SF fitness center

I attended the grand opening of the Raise the Bar Fitness Center last night - what a drive! There was a baseball game downtown - avoid that area - and a music concert in Golden Gate Park - avoid that area too! As a result of these two unrelated events, traffic in all the City - it seemed - was at its limits. To make it worst, it coincided with the normal late afternoon rush hour!

I had never seen so many people on corners trying to flag down a taxi-cab! Actually, I used my GPS to avoid the hot spots, and enroute the fitness center, encountered such bad traffic that I even went "my own way". At one corner close to downtown, I encountered three persons talking out loud trying to flag down a taxi which was filled, and I just let them hop into my car and drove them toward the park, where they were trying to go to get to the concert.

Once in the Sunset district, there were long lines everywhere. Everyone going to that concert was parking every and anywhere, which made it bad for me and as I reached my destination, as there were NO places to park. I drove around quite a few times inside a 4-block area, and there was nothing in this residencial area till I found quite amazingly a tight piece of concrete into which my car fit exactly!
The fitness center was packed with people and its beautiful wood floors were glowing!! There was a huge food table set out and decorated quite nicely! The owners' families were there and the only thing I could think of was "where did all these people park"?

Four of my San Francisco prints are on the walls near the entrance, along with some paintings at the back of the fitness center.

If you want to see or go to the fitness center, it's located at 2535 Judah Street in San Francisco, between 30th and 31st Avenues, and is a beautiful location.