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Friday, May 30, 2008
From Decadence to Simplicity
I am solar powered. I wouldn't do too well if I lived in the San Francisco area where the sun only visits if the mood strikes. But this is a great place to come in order to see how lucky I am to have sun most of the time. And I can marvel at the flora that I'll never see in dry Colorado.
Today was a touristy city day with relatives.
Chocolate!
I came; I bought; I can now go home.
We have to take the ferry if we want to get to S.F. We pass San Quentin, Alcatraz, and Angel Island. On the S.F. side, Gandhi stands near the place where we board the ferry.
This is the plaque below Gandhi's feet. The quote, "Generations to come, it may be, will scarce believe that such a one as this ever in flesh and blood walked upon this earth." gets me teary every time I read or hear it.
I miss my Buddha dog...
Today was a touristy city day with relatives.
Chocolate!I came; I bought; I can now go home.
We have to take the ferry if we want to get to S.F. We pass San Quentin, Alcatraz, and Angel Island. On the S.F. side, Gandhi stands near the place where we board the ferry.
This is the plaque below Gandhi's feet. The quote, "Generations to come, it may be, will scarce believe that such a one as this ever in flesh and blood walked upon this earth." gets me teary every time I read or hear it.I miss my Buddha dog...
Labels: Gandhi, San Francisco
posted by Carol at 6:02 PM
10 Comments:
I have been on that ferry. I have been to Knob Hill and China Town and Fisherman’s Warf. I have been on Stanyan Street—do you know the Rob McKuen poem/song?
As I read of your trip, the memories come flooding back. And I want to be there at least one last time.
Thank you, Carol.
Indigo Incarnates
Yes... Thistle and I are pretty much solar powered too :)
Nick,
I hope that you will be here again some day. It sounds like your memories are bringing you here even if your body sits in Louisville at this time.
I had not heard of the poem/song you mentioned. I Googled it and can't find the song, but I just got moved to a place of sweet melancholy by reading the touching poem on McKuen's site. I remember him from the '70's, but I have never paid much attention to him. Now I'm in love. Thanks for bringing him back to my mind.
You can read his sweet "blog?" here and at the bottom of his post is the beautiful Stanyan Street poem.
http://www.mckuen.com/flights/280800.htm
Indigo,
I hope that you live in a mostly sunny place.
I'm fascinated by people who enjoy living in cloudy/foggy areas. How do they do it?
Carol
Have you ever visited Yerba Buena Park/Gardens in SF? The MLK memorial there is something to see (and hear, it has deafening fountains, meant to roll like justice... ) It was one of my favorite places in dreary chilly I-missed-Denver-so-much San Francisco.
Have fun,
Liz
Thanks for the suggestion, Liz. We have been eye-balling that park, but I didn't know about the MLK memorial there. I want to see that! I don't have total control of my destiny here (as opposed to the illusion of control I have at home), so we'll see if we can head the car in that direction in the next couple of days.
I guess you made it home without any close encounters with tornadoes!
Hi Carol! I added you to my "Friends of Indigo" list on my blog :)
Oh Carol, (cue for a song?) I love the second picture! It's fantastic, the colours and the lines and the unusual yet uniformed look is just wonderful to gaze at!
Good for you on the chocolate.
You'll get all the cuddles you need when you get home, I bet he misses you too!
Carol, I’m so happy I could introduce you to Rod. On my last visit to San Francisco, I walked down Stanyan Street, stopping before the houses, starting at what I believed to be the lofts, and singing Rod’s song in my mind. While I was standing before one, a man came out and we talked. He was the apartment manager and he told me that the loft apartment was for rent—skylight, spiral stairs, and all! I was so tempted—until he told me the rent was 4 times what I was paying for my house in Louisville. So I returned to my fantasies.
McKuen wrote quite a few songs. I used to play and sing them often in the Sixties and Seventies. One, entitled “Ally, Ally, Oxen Free” could easily be a theme for what we are so in need of today. If now isn’t the time, it may never come:
Time to let the rain fall
Without the help of man.
Time to let the trees grow tall
Now if they only can.
Time to let our children live
In a land that’s free.
CHORUS
Ally, ally, ally, ally oxen free
Ally, ally, ally, ally oxen free
Time to blow the smoke away,
And look at the sky again.
Time to let our friends all know
We’d like to begin again.
Time to send a message
Across the land and sea.
CHORUS
Time to the see the fairness
Of our children’s game
Time for men to stop
And learn to do the same.
Time to make our minds up
If the world at last will be.
CHORUS
Hey Indigo,
Thanks! I will add you to mine, also, when I get home. Computer time is rare on this trip.
daffy,
Glad you liked it. You can find a view like that in many places around here.
Buddha's excited welcome will be a great experience when I walk in the door tomorrow.
Nick,
Sometimes fantasies are as enjoyable or more than the real thing. I am wondering if your life in Louisville is a quieter, slower paced one than you might have had here. This place is pretty hectic. I am seeing once again that there's no place like home, Toto.
Thank you for the lyrics. The poets say what the heart yearns for and the politicians keep on with their lines of power and greed. Has it always been this way? Will it always be?
You didn't have to go all the way to California to get Ghirardelli. I could have sent you some from Indiana. :)
Then again, having a Red Lobster doesn't keep me from wanting to visit Maine for fresh lobster.
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