Cooling Off

As a way to clear my head and reduce the ire that came up regarding a never ending problem at work, I took a step outside to Crissy Field. One of my favorite spots in San Francisco, I feel pretty lucky to work within walking distance of the bay-front park that overlooks the Golden Gate Bridge. It's shocking how little I go there despite its proximity but, today I took advantage of the break in showers and enjoyed the great outdoors.

As I came out from under the overpass leading to the water, I saw the kites flying high above their respective kite boards. It was a perfect day for this activity since the wind was blowing...hard. As I crossed Doyle Drive, I saw the amazing great egrets fishing in the marsh (check out a great image by clicking on Great egret hunting). For some reason, egrets always make me think I'm going to have good luck! As I rounded the corner along the beach at Crissy Field, a tourist was snapping a fabulous photgraph of a dog-walker surrounded by no less than 7 dogs with Alcatraz as backdrop. It would have been great if I'd brought my camera! As I started to return to work, I turned and noticed a lone palm standing as though it were victorious in its goal to be the last one standing. So out of place and yet so natural.

Ahhh. I feel better already.

Exploration - Part 6

As a friend and I wandered toward Lincoln and Golden Gate Park, this evening, I suggested we step into this small store front that I've periodically spied on since I moved into the neighborhood. It was fabulous because we met Peter, the owner and creator, Alex, the West Coast Manager, and Misha, the soon-to-be Denver Manager of Magnolia Photo Booth.

This company is cool because they set up a Magbooth where ever you want them to - birthday, wedding, block party - and you end up with a great commemorative book as well as tons of photobooth pics of your friends and family, from the event. I'm still trying to figure out what event I can host that would be appropriate for a Magbooth. Maybe it's more a question of what wouldn't be an appropriate event for a photo booth?...

Good Morning Sutro

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.5

Egg on Pizza?

This morning, drinking my Peerless Coffee Viennese blend, I pored over my April issue of Sunset where I read a delicious description of a pizza you can get at Osteria Coppa a new casual Italian restaurant in San Mateo. The description of topping options ended with "Calabrian chiles and cured pork cheek" and a "yolky farm egg"... YUM! (Note: I have not eaten gluten much less pizza in almost a year so the drool-meter is extra heightened right now)

It is ironic because last weekend I happened to come across the postcard I sent my parents from Paris back in 1999, pictured below. Just in case it's illegible, at the very end I wrote, "We tried to get a pizza but the place we went to only had one pizza left with a big fried egg on it. Very interesting. So we got couscous and ate that with chips and gross Bavarian beer in the dark of the flat." (Note: my use of the word interesting was not a positive one) 

Wild Parrots

The wild parrots have been a part of my life in some way since I moved to San Francisco. I learned of them when I worked at the organization that aired the film on PBS stations. The movie was brilliant and I sought them out on Telegraph Hill, where they evaded me. Then, I heard a flock of them - and still do regularly - when I started working in the Presidio. They fly and squawk among the tall trees near my office; it's a sound like no other.

Today, two of them disrupted a meeting, as they landed right outside of my window at work and picked at the recently deflowered green shoots coming from the flowering trees. It was truly an amazing sight and a great way to end the week that started with a blue heron in Golden Gate Park.

Charity, Richmond Hipsters and Jack Kerouac

What do those three things have in common? April 14th.

After work, a colleague friend and I headed to Crissy Field for a beautiful walk overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge and some blooming wild flowers (see pic) on our way to Sports Basement for an Asian Women's Shelter Fundraiser. I bought new walking shoes and $10 of my purchase went towards the shelter! And, I got some carrots and guacamole while I was at it.

Then, we meandered through the Presidio, where I snapped some pictures of the clouds and a small blue bird chirped along the walkway.

We grabbed some delicious, soul-feeding food and had great conversation at Q. Always a great spot for brunch, I had never tried their dinner and was happily surprised with my plate full of grilled chicken and braised veg. I even snuck a few tater tots from my friend and cheated on my GAPS diet. I couldn't help myself, they are so deliciously flavorful; nothing like those frozen Ore-Idas from youth.

Last, on our way to our respective bus lines, as we walked up Fulton Street, we came upon a film crew for this film about Jack Kerouac. The train depot across from the corner of 7th and Fulton had a sign saying "Welcome to Monterey" and there were 1940's style cars all over the place and extras decked out in their best 40's gear pouring from buses and cars. Exciting Thursday night in the City!

Sunset?

My friend and I walked this morning and although I left my house and the heavy clouds were merely spitting, by the time I walked the five blocks to meet her in the park, the rain had begun in earnest. And continued, getting heavier and heavier, until at one point we were walking past the Presidio Golf Club and the rain was pelting our newly purchased Safeway umbrellas (thank goodness we made that little detour). When we finally reached my office, the sun was beaming through the clouds. The same sun that had been shining in my bedroom window when I woke up, this morning. Before the torrent hit.

And, this evening, that rain was but a vague recollection as I gazed toward the beach at the sun setting....

Goldman Prize, Again

For the fourth year, I had the great honor of being invited to attend the Goldman Environmental Prize and was (as always) blown away by the work the winners are doing and their amazing enthusiasm. It's always inspiring and always a truly beautiful evening. I'm grateful to my friends who have kept me on the invite list for the past several years!

This year, much of the event was spent honoring the recently passed Richard Goldman, the co-founder of the prize. There have been special guests in the past (Robert Redford, Arnold Schwarzenegger, former prize winner Wangari Maathai) but, this year, the focus was really on the family and Richard Goldman, with good reason.

This year, I was very moved by Ursula Sladek, a German former teacher who helped her community buy out the energy grid and now is the head of the first cooperatively owned renewable power supply company, in Germany. Her video showed her humility and sense of humor and when she walked on stage with walking sticks I felt her strength! I also appreciated Hilton Kelley who used to live in San Francisco but, moved back to his hometown of Port Arthur, Texas to help children and families fight the illness causing pollution of that community which borders several petro-chemical plants.

While I never end up snapping photos, the event is something I will never forget and will come back to again and again to inspire myself toward action in this big, big world!

Exploration - Part 2

Feeling like I needed to get a lay of the land (literally), I hiked up to Mt. Davidson Park today which allowed me to perch over my new neighborhood. While I moved to the Sunset to get to some flatter land, Golden Gate Heights is a mere 15 minute walk and provides the San Francisco hills, just like my old neighborhood.

The great thing about getting to Mt. Davidson is being able to see the amazing Mosaic Steps at 16th and Moraga. Check out the journey to the top and the views from up there. You can see almost 360 degrees: Sutro Tower, the Ocean (not seen by most of the other hills of SF), the tip of the Golden Gate Bridge, and most of downtown. It's going to be one of my favorite spots, I can tell already.