The Beauty of Discovery – Lombard Street Motels Part 3

I drive the same streets every day. To work, from work. And even in a beautiful city like San Francisco, with all its natural scenery and interesting architecture, things become a blur. Like the breakfast you prepare everyday, the same face in the same clothes you've seen in the mirror for years, it all becomes... Continue Reading →

The Beauty of Acknowledging – Lombard Street Motels Part 2

These motels aren't beauty queens, but they are worth acknowledging. For many built in the 1950s, the architectural purity has been chipped away and the cool mid-century styling is gone. But it's not only the looks, it's where this motel row lands in the timeline of San Francisco history that attracts me. I imagine late Depression-era... Continue Reading →

The Beauty of Noticing – Lombard Street Motels Part 1

In the northern part of San Francisco, there is a vintage enthusiast's treasure - Lombard Street's Motel Row. Not far from the much photographed "crookedest street in the world" is a stretch of utilitarian looking blocks that house about two dozen motels. These motels, made for travelers and their cars, started springing up in the... Continue Reading →

Log of Old-Timey/Noir Talk

Old-timers talking at the cafe: "Hey, you see that hahrah film? That byoo-di-ful pungkin really went through the warsher." Ah, a lovely dialect slowly disappearing into obscurity. I had a neighbor many years ago who was a salty old dog and he talked the old-timey way. I wish I had been a word collector back... Continue Reading →

San Francisco Flora: Spring 2020 (Put a Penny Next to It)

As I've written in previous post, identifying plants is not as easy as I thought it would be. (I laugh when I make this statement.) Why do I persist? I'm not a student of botany, I don't even have a garden, and my houseplants could use my attention at the moment, but I do persist... Continue Reading →

San Francisco Mushroom Log – Winter 2019

I was once the person who said "eeewww, a mushroom" when I saw one outside of the supermarket. I understand the foreignness of their forms, but I've embraced them and really enjoy walking around, getting some exercise and looking for them. NEVER EAT A MUSHROOM WITHOUT A POSITIVE IDENTIFICATION FROM AN EXPERIENCED MUSHROOMER WHO STILL... Continue Reading →

The International Settlement and Pal Joey

  I periodically walk through the Jackson Square Historic District on my way to more modest areas in San Francisco. I cursorily acknowledge that the neighborhood is "fancy" with all the design firms and antique shops. My next thought is that I better walk a little quicker before they spot me and give me the... Continue Reading →

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