Friday adventures

Jacksonville, Oregon

The Mustard Seed for breakfast

local color

Jacksonville is about 1/2 hour away from Ashland, one of those historic
little towns that remind me so much of other historic little towns. But
we had large breakfasts and good conversation to start the day. Then
back home to see The Yeoman of the Guard in the new (to me) Thomas
Theater ~ a 1.5 hour musical by Gilbert and Sullivan. Fun stuff, not
exactly my cup of tea, so we had lattes at Starbucks afterwards. I am
glad I saw this production, truly, but the 6 yo boy next to me REALLY
loved it and isn't that telling?

More walking about town and dinner again at Greenleaf. It is so
good and inexpensive. Finally got to bed at a decent hour last night
and today Carlini and I leave McEvoy and travel home. It's time,
but this has been a very special vacation for me and I am grateful.

of parks and people

We three all seemed to need a solo day, so I finally took off for Lithia Park,
about 3 miles of glorious walking along the Lithia Creek. I should have
recorded the sounds for future relaxing. No hills, just walk and marvel.
Plenty of "poison ivy warning" signs, but I was careful. Oregon had a
drought too, but last winter helped set things right again.

I took my iPad to lunch at Zoey's ~ an old fashioned ice cream parlor with
soup and sandwiches. Leisurely and so very inexpensive. The food here
always seems extra fresh and tasty, or maybe I just have the time to
eat slowly and enjoy every bite?

Dinner with Richard and Bob last night at Greenleaf. Yum. Then the BEST
play of this trip. ROE by Lisa Loomer. Yes, it was about the 70's pro-choice
battle that still reverberates today. It was beyond wonderful. Funny, biting
and it brought out both sides of this still difficult discussion. Great acting.
Lots of us older liberal women in the audience and of course we broke
into spontaneous applause from time-to-time during the play.

In an hour we head for Jacksonville for breakfast and then we have a
matinee which you will read about tomorrow.

the play's the thing

Well, except for food and friendship, that is. The top two pix are from the
most excellent Morning Glory Cafe where we three had brunch. The bottom
is the outdoor theater (huge) now closed for a re-mo. The REAL season
here starts in June, but it all seems busy to me now, although I guess it
really isn't, according to McEvoy, our Ashland Authority.

So yesterday we saw The River Bride, a delightful one act play with some
humor, some sorrow. Last night was a slap-sticky Twelfth Night which had
been updated and included music and dancing. I am glad that I stayed until
the grand finale though, because that was spectacular with exquisite
costumes and tap dancing!

I learned from McEvoy that OSF rents out their expensive and fabulous
costumes and Saturday Night Live is a big customer.

Oh, a GREAT dinner at the Ashland Co-op last night. Cheap and fresh.
I walked in and was immediately transported back to our Rainbow Grocery.
Same smells, same bulk foods, colorful customers, odd clerks, etc.

Only one play today. But first, this woman needs a walk!

beautiful Ashland

downtown

Richard (top) and Bob ~ my dates

The drive up was just a bit hair-raising, but we stopped often and had many
good laughs. Ashland has grown (of course) since last I was here, but
last night all the traffic calmed down and it was quiet. We are in the Best
Western right downtown and soon I'm going to get up and walk, but it
feels so nice to stay in bed with coffee and oj. Front row seats to an
unexpectedly good "Great Expectations" ~ three hours! Boy that Pip
sure learns some important life lessons. Two plays today, so best I move
my ass and WALK and take pix for you, dear readers.

travels with carlini

Richard sent me this joke. Have I mentioned that he is not a great driver?
He was the first person we ever knew who would talk on his phone and
try to drive too. All of his friends make fun of him, but thankfully he
drives a HUGE truck-like SUV thing which usually I hate, but in this
case helps me feel safe. Carlini has never had an accident, at least not
one that he would tell us about. See you tomorrow from Ashland!

people keep asking

OK, here are the plays we will see in Ashland - beginning tomorrow night:

• Great Expectations
• The River Bride
• Twelfth Night
• Roe
• Yeoman of the Guard

I can't wait to take my walk in Lithia Park and one day we will lunch

in Jacksonville. It's been years since I've been here and Carlini has

never been.  Bob goes every single year. A good group for sure,

at least at this point, pre-road trip.

So I promise to send lots of photos. Tomorrow morning I BART to Walnut

Creek and Richard will start the long drive from there. 

a poem for Jane

Jane and Jack's home in Bernal

START MARCHING (yesterday's Round Robin prompt)

I’ve been marching, thank you,

For a long time

Trying to stay positive

In a year filled with challenges

I was going to write pain

But I said I was staying positive

And I mean it, damn it

Just pass the Kleenex

Only now am I able to read

One or two of Jane’s poems

To stop pretending that she is

Still up in her checkered house

Reading my work

Sending me an email

Venting and laughing

Not wanting to die

packing, re-packing

Ooooops, I just checked the weather in Ashland. In the past we would go
there in September and it was always warm, hot in fact. But it is April
and I will need lots of sweaters and puffy vests and thank goodness I
actually looked online. Bless the internet. I leave Tuesday morning ~ excited!

our opening day

Baseball is a game of streaks and we are in a BAD one currently. Maybe
it's over. The good news is that Ginger and I had great front row seats
and radios for our first game ~ all after hot dogs and garlic fries. So we
got to watch the sun emerge and talk,talk,talk. A wonderful day and my
#10 Muni was the perfect to/fro transport. Problem-free!

music, food, friendship

We had such a nice time over at Doug and Barb's yesterday! Doug played
the piano for us and barbecued our burgers to perfection. It was Husbando's
first time out in "society" in many months and that was just what the
doctor ordered. Many thanks for such a happy gathering.

one bunny, five doggies

I must report on Monday. There is usually one rabbit to be adopted out
and someone loves them and we have a different one every couple of weeks.
Dogs, of course, always lots of these. This bunch was special because the
sweet mom just wanted to get up to greet Marsi and have a bite to eat herself,
but her four pups would not let go. Mama just kept wagging her tail, hoping
to make it over to the food bowl. Known as the "P" group: Mother Petunia,
then Patrick, Parker, Posey and Priscilla ~ subject to change in their forever
homes. Another week until they are ready for the public.

Nothing Left Unsaid

Here is Gloria Vanderbilt and her son, Anderson Cooper. We have been
watching the documentary about her long and amazing life on HBO.
She is 90 now ~ lots of history and drama. Her mind is sharp and she
still paints every day and she stays positive. Yes, I recommend this one.

our 2nd memorial

Jane loved trees and the Aids Memorial Garden in Golden Gate Park was
a perfect setting. Teachers, students and friends gathered yesterday to
remember her and to thank Jane for all she had given us over the years.
It was a somber and joyful event at the same time. She would have loved it.
Thanks to Doug and Barb for starting our day with bagels, coffee and
the Uber experience. So nice seeing old acquaintances too.

my Saturday

morning coffee with thermos® ~ before work

seven hours of work in the Tower

the technology report

It has taken me quite a bit of time to get used to MsMacBook Air, but now
I can tell you that I am loving all her qualities and quirks. She has a very
long and solid battery life, I'm happy to report. And, like any good friend
or lover, she has changed my life in a positive way. I keep her upstairs
with me in the back room, not in my office. I built a little side table for
her (well, I put it together ~ an Amazon deal) and I write my morning
emails up here, watching the sun rise on this, the most beautiful city in
America. I still use my downstairs office, but now it seems a bit gloomy.
At night I can watch baseball and write a few words on my novel. And
now I feel confident that she can travel with me to Ashland, we both
need to get away for a few days. Thank you dear Blogmaid for helping
me select and purchase my new constant companion.

have a few laughs!

Season Two of Catastrophe on Amazon is even more fun than last year.
He's the American and she's Irish and they live in London. I don't want
to give anything away here, so suffice it to say that this is one of our
favorite series and we are happy that it has returned. Oh, there are some
great scenes in Paris, that's OK to divulge.

the best ever ~ honest

The Dungeness crab season was very late this year due to some strange
something-or-other in the water in our bay. So now that we can buy these
glorious crabs, they are FAT and full of flavor and really not that expensive.
Part of the pleasure was going down to Alioto's on Fisherman's Wharf
because we think these guys came in on the boats early yesterday morning.
We feasted last night and today we pick over the shells for crab pasta
tonight. Part of the extreme joy is that Husbando is feeling so much better.
Life is good here in Frisco.

trending in the tower

I'm sure this started with the kiddies, but yesterday I amused myself by
doing some fashion-watching in the Tower at the deYoung. It seems that
these colorful patterned tights with carefully matching bright running shoes
are the thing to wear now. Sure, still lots of jeans and hoodies, but I do
like the bold designs and I can see that lots of pre-planning was involved.

city of flowers

I know, one doesn't really think of SF as a flower-filled city, not like
Pasadena, where I was raised. But these beauties were blooming on a
very busy, congested South Van Ness Avenue and I couldn't resist a
photo op. The joy of walking with my little iPhone camera...

a relaxing Sunday

Here we have Sabine ~ adored member of Blogmaid's household. Sabine
(an SPCA graduate) has adapted nicely to a life of beach walks, car rides
and gourmet dog food. A nice way to start your week, right?

fun times on The Ranch

We watched all ten episodes of The Ranch and at first the laugh track
was irritating, but we got used to it eventually. Ashton Kutcher, Sam
Elliot and, yes, the wonderful Debra Winger has returned to us. Such a
treat and some really fine writing too.

one must walk

Here we are on 14th Street, between Noe and Market. After all these years,
I still love the different architecture in our city. This rather modern apartment
complex (top) is right across the street from the delightful blue and purple
Victorian duplex. I've driven this many times, but it takes a walk with wide
open eyes (and heart) to truly appreciate SF living.

pomp, pageantry and a WIN

Oh, I had such a delightful day. Lunch with Doug and Barb down the
way at the Precita Park Cafe and then the entire afternoon was filled
with baseball and what looked like heartbreak for the first few innings
turned into a 12 to 6 win for our boys in orange and black. It's unusual
for our team to have HITTERS, but this year we do, or so it seems.

another world

Here is Ginger's patio in Pleasanton ~ cleverly photographed through the
screen door. We had a lovely afternoon yesterday eating pizza and talking about
everything big and small. It is hot here and there, but that too felt really
good. Just getting on BART and picking up my LindaKindle2 relaxed me.

a poem for today

GIFT

A day so happy.

Fog lifted early, I worked in the garden.

Hummingbirds were stopping over honeysuckle flowers.

There was no thing on earth I wanted to possess.

I knew no one worth my envying him.

Whatever evil I had suffered, I forgot.

To think that once I was the same man did not embarrass me.

In my body I felt no pain.

When straightening up, I saw the blue sea and sails.

      - Czeslaw Milosz

Giants 12 ~ Brewers 3

It didn't look like a great game at the beginning, MadBum was struggling
and the hitters didn't start hitting until they really started hitting. Wow,
and the weather? Snowing outside the domed stadium in Milwaukee.
Here in SF? Beautiful, it's Spring. Welcome back, baseball!

The Realistic Joneses

That's one of our favorite local actors on the right, Rod Gnapp. Yesterday my
friend Joe and I went to see an interesting, puzzling play at ACT. Its a
story about two couples, both with the last name of Jones. They are
neighbors and man, they have a more than a few things in common.
Wonderful dialog, all of which takes place in one of the Jones' back yards.

the joy of the internet

At 5:30am I was online with these rabbit people and at 8:45 this morning
a very competent handyman arrived to do a little work for us. Small
things that Husbando wasn't up to fixing and I was too short tempered
to try. I am getting better at some of the work-around-the-house,
but it's baseball season and I can't do everything, can I? In any event,
this was $60 well spent for an hour's worth of work and a very nice
man named Tom who is 3rd generation San Francisco. Win!

lunch last week

I had a nice break last week, lunch with my friend Marsha who used to
work at the museums with me. She sells "stuff" for us on Ebay and does
a great job with that. Piccolo Forno is a new(ish) restaurant on Columbus Ave.
in North Beach and we both had the most delicious pasta, after splitting
an arugula salad. The pizza looked superb too ~ next time!

April ~ poetry month!

I have a fat hard copy poetry file and when I worked in

bookstores we would celebrate poetry in April. I would

volunteer to do the displays and endcaps and corporate

would provide us with a poem-a-day. I especially miss 

my Borders bookstore and the lush poetry section. I

have posted this poem before, I'm sure, it's a fave:

 

One Art

 

The art of losing isn’t hard to master;

so many things seem filled with the intent

to be lost that their loss is no disaster.

Lose something every day. Accept the fluster

of lost door keys, the hour badly spent.

The art of losing isn’t hard to master.

Then practice losing farther, losing faster:

places, and names, and where it was you meant

to travel. None of these will bring disaster.

I lost my mother’s watch. And look! my last, or

next-to-last, of three loved houses went.

The art of losing isn’t hard to master.

I lost two cities, lovely ones. And, vaster,

some realms I owned, two rivers, a continent.

I miss them, but it wasn’t a disaster.

—Even losing you (the joking voice, a gesture

I love) I shan’t have lied. It’s evident

the art of losing’s not too hard to master

though it may look like (Write it!) like disaster.

 

-Elizabeth Bishop (1911 - 1979)