Keep Calm And............

We returned to the Bay Area and made a stop in Oakland on our way back to SF to see a couple of old friends. I decided to take photos of art, murals and protest signs as these are the signs of our time, at this very moment and they need to be recorded and especially from this part of our country. Oakland always seems to get a bad rap and I must tell you, because I used to live there, it is a wonderful city with wonderful people and a melting pot of cultures helps make it this way - these places are our favorite places to be. The next 4 photos are of one huge mural that surrounds a car park on three sides.

The United Language - Lead Artists, Desi Mundo and Pancho Pescador

Love, Arts and Music are the universal language of the world!

Go here to view more art from all around Oakland:

https://www.visitoakland.com/theoaklandray/post/23-colorful-images-of-art-and-architecture-in-oakland/

Women's March protest posters

We kept finding protest all over downtown

While we were kicking around Oaktown, we popped in to see my old hair stylist, Rainbeau, for a haircut. We searched the internet for her and found she was still cutting hair and it was an absolute BLAST to see her and catch up. Boy, did we have lot's to catch up on after 20 years!

Us with Rainbeau
 

Back in San Francisco
We decided we needed to take a walk to Chinatown to get some shrimp and some lunch one sunny day. We were surprised to get down there and see thousands (literally) of other people there too. We obviously forgot to check our calendars. It just happened to be Chinese New Year and everyone was down there getting ready for the New Years Parade. It was packed!

2017 The Year of the Rooster

Of course they had all of Chinatown dressed up with murals, etc. for the event

We were with our friend Nina, who took us to what is now becoming my favorite Pho place in The City to eat - Golden Star Vietnamese. It is right downtown so you can see the Trans America building just across the street from this place as you sit and sip your soup.

Beef Pho

beef sliced paper thin with rich broth

Fresh Thai basil, bean sprouts, black bean sauce and chili sauce for garnish. YUM!!

Salty Lemonaide

I had never had this before. Fresh squeezed lemon juice, water and lots of salt, not sugar. It sounds crazy, but is very good with the spicy soup. I will have it again.

The Chinese Fish Markets

If you have never been in a traditional Chinese seafood market, get ready. They have everything you can think of and then all sorts of things you could never think of let alone think of eating! You just have to go into these places with an open mind, realizing that people from all over the world eat what they have access to and what tastes good. You may not want to eat it, but they have to in order to survive.
We went looking for shrimp for dinner and ended up buying live ones, still kicking and screaming until we cooked them. That is how they sell them, so that is what we bought. They were delicious, by the way :o) 

Sea Cucumbers

OK, ewe! Just, EWE! We think these are sea cucumbers, but everything was in Chinese so we could not confirm. Just close your eyes when you have to eat them. And, no, even though they may look like a poop, they do not smell like a poop, and I can't tell you if they taste like a poop!  :o)

Frogs

These guys were all hopping around in the bucket. I know, it just seems wrong, but it is protein and it's delicious. The Chinese have a big thing about things being alive right up to the moment you eat them. Nothing fresher.

We really enjoyed cooking up all of the fabulous ingredients we found all over SF with many friends who would come over for dinner.

Us with Kevin and Wing after eating those delicious shrimp

Me with my dear old friend (and masseuse) Lucy. I went to her for a rub and she came over for dinner.........looks like she is leaving feeling a little out of this world! 

Nano, Nano! :o)

More from SF coming..........

The Valley

During our stay in San Francisco, we took occasional trips out to the central valley to see some family. We had wonderful get-togethers with my parents, siblings, cousins and some old friends. We also took time to take some short road trips out along the San Joaquin Delta to check out not only the incredible high water in the river system from all of this rain, but to visit some old hang out spots from my younger days.

 Us with brother Ben, sister Pat, Mom and Dad and cousins Muffie and Telpher

We just happened to be lucky enough to be out here during the California orange season. With all of this endless rain, it is turning out to be the best season in years.

 These oranges were picked fresh from my parents tree. We brought loads of them back to San Francisco with us to enjoy for the next couple of weeks.

We paid a visit to my god parents, whom I haven't seen in a very long time.

 Me, my sister and Lu and Lamar

My best friend growing up was Debbie. We did everything together and were inseparable. I hadn't seen her in almost 40 years. She actually found me in the Midwest just before we left on our trip, so we got together while we were visiting my parents. What a BLAST from the past! Wow!

 Rowan, Debbie, Me

Rowan being a pool lizard. Soaking up that winter California sun.

Locke, CA

The Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta River System

 We took my folks on a wonderful drive out through the farm fields and along the northern San Joaquin Valley river system to the tiny spec of a town called Locke. Locke was built by Chinese immigrants who came here to build levees in the early 20th century. The town is barely standing with most of it's buildings sagging and crooked. There are still 10 Chinese descendants from the original settlers who live in the town. There are a few businesses located there including the famous Italian restaurant 'Al The Wops'. 

Go here for more on Locke: http://www.locketown.com/index.htm

Some interesting photos from the main street

Bust of Dr. Sun Yat-Sen

 Dr. Sun Yat-Sen was a Chinese physician, writer, philosopher, and revolutionary and the first president and founding father of the Republic of China.

Bust of Confucius

 551-479 BC, Confucius was a Chinese teacher, politician and philosopher
The philosophy of Confucius emphasized personal and governmental morality, correctness of social relationships, justice and sincerity. Boy could we use some of that right now! :o)

 I loved the strange bats hanging around the Strange Cargo collectible shop. So very strange..........

The famous Al The Wops

 This bicycle was completely covered in fake fur. I would have loved to have seen the person who rides this thing.

Rio Vista, CA

Not far from Locke is another Delta town with some interesting stuff to see. Rio Vista sits along the Sacramento River and has one of the craziest coffee shop/bars I have ever seen - Fosters Bighorn, a restaurant and bar where the sportsman is in his element, surrounded by world class trophies. A classic and historic place to stop for an excellent meal, cold beer, and a glimpse into the world of big game hunting in the 1930’s. With a private collection of over 250 specimens from Africa and North America. Yes, we are talking major taxidermy here. You really have to see it in person to believe it. I stopped here for a meal many times when I was young and I was glad to see it is still in operation. Go here for the full story on the place and lots more photos: http://fostersbighorn.com/

 It kind of feels like you are being watched when you sit at the bar :o)

 I must say that I have never seen an elephant bust up on a wall!

Yes, I am still frightened from all of those animals staring at me.

My cousin Muffie.......well she is just being silly like most of my family :o)

Back to the Bay Area in my next post.

 

Friends, Food, Street Art and That Hippy Thing

It's really funny how our friends from other places are showing up here in San Francisco while we are here. Our dear friend Jerry, who I used to work with at UC Berkeley years ago and who now lives in Oregon, just happened to be here visiting some other friends. We were able to get together for lunch and then an extended afternoon/evening catching up while sipping some excellent single malt scotch. Jerry is the one who taught me all about this liquid gold years ago, so we couldn't resist going out to hunt for the perfect bottle.

 Luckily, one of the best scotch dealers in SF just happened to be 3 blocks from our place. We ended up with a bottle of Gordon and MacPhail Glenlossie. Sherry Cask #3661, 1988, bottled in 2007. For those of you who know single malts, this is a beauty. Having a shot of this is like wrapping yourself in a warm blanket. Cheers!

 Oysters

Whenever we are on a coast (that means just about anywhere in the world), we can't resist gorging ourselves on oysters, as long as we are in an R month (Google the R month thing about oysters. It could save your stomach and your life). We don't eat any of that cooked stuff. They must be raw and preferably Kumamoto's when available. Kumos originated in Japan and have petite meats so they slide down very easily (none of that huge meat like Tamales Bays/Pacific's). They have mild brininess, sweet flavor and a honeydew finish. Here we have 3 different variety's. The Kumamoto's are on the top row.

 The eating didn't stop with the oysters (that is only the beginning! :o). Enter the fabulous pizza prep area in our friend Nina's kitchen. Nina has two kitchens, one in her Monterey home and one here in her San Francisco apartment. She has been making pizza for years and it is some of the best you can eat. We will enjoy 3 different kinds for dinner tonight.

It took 2 days to prepare the dough! Feed, rise. Feed, rise. Feed, rise, etc. Good thing she did this 2 days before we arrived at her place. Have you ever sat and watched dough rise? Well............there you go! We may have been drinking that single malt instead!

The Margherita pizza being created

The perfect Margherita pizza: Crushed tomato sauce with fresh basil, garlic and fresh mozzarella. The crust like air with a crispy crunch. Ridiculously delicious!

The second pizza

Mozzarella cheese, caramelized onions, garlic, olive oil, walnuts. This photo was just before it went in the oven. A gift from God!

The third pizza  (yes! we had another!)

This one is mozzarella, spicy Italian sausage and red bell pepper. All 3 pizzas were so classic and so, so delicious! Who says food has to be fancy to be delicious? I don't want to ever go home!

Now, to walk off all that pizza........

We headed out with Nina for a long walk around the panhandle area of Golden Gate Park and up to Buena Vista Park. The idea was to walk off all that pizza from the night before. This neighborhood is extremely diverse and entertaining, so, as always, we were looking forward to the adventure. Going on foot to get around The City is by far the best way to see all the interesting things/people along the street. The bonus of traveling this way is you work off all the ridiculous food you eat while you are here. Believe me, you will need to do this! Bring good walking shoes.

 

Wigs on Fire

(The B52's Wig Song from 1987. Find it on Youtube. It goes right along with this next bit. I used to dance to this song in the 19080's)
What's that on your head?  ...a wig
I said , what's that on your head? ...a wig  

Sally's gotta wig
Ricky's gotta wig
Baby's gotta wig
Kate's gotta wig
Fred's gotta cheap toupee
Keith's gotta big bouffant on
We all got wigs, so... Let's go!

On the neon, neon side of town...........

Walk along Divisadero St. between Fulton and Hayes and you will come upon Helen's Wig Shop. It is hard to find a shop like this these days. This shop window made me stop in my tracks as I reflected on the song referenced above. All these babes with all that flair and color looking at us as we passed by. I just had to honor them with a photo. YOU GO GIRLS! I wonder if they have that toupee for Fred? I am certain they have a wig for a transvestite or two :o) It is just fabulous!

Just a couple of blocks down from the wig shop we found this very fun roof deck with a modesty panel made from old colorful LP's. A cool way to recycle these things and add some really great artful flair to a city street.

Eclair

Everywhere we walked around The City we came across these spray-painted stencils of different kinds that are by street artist Eclair Bandersnatch. They were always a welcome interesting art treat. Go here for the info on Eclair, it is all really interesting and inspirational: https://theculturetrip.com/north-america/usa/california/articles/eclair-bandersnatch-san-francisco-s-elusive-graffiti-queen/

SCOOT 
We also came across these electric scooters around The City, that you could just rent on the spot, just like the Zip Cars that are now all over the country. Scoot is a network of hundreds of electric scooters that you can pick up and drop off all over San Francisco. Three bucks for 30 minutes of riding. Go here for the details: https://scoot.co/ride-list/  This is such an inspirational idea. Can't wait to see this happening all over the country. Buy stock now! :o)

Buena Vista Park

Well, as we continued our walk up (up is the operative word!), to Buena Vista Park, I kept reflecting on all of those scooters we passed on the way up here! It was enough cardio work just to get up to the base of the stairs to the park. Then...........we had to go up these (and I'm already part way up!).

Good thing the view was worth it. In this city, the view is always worth it, so do whatever it takes to get there and see that view.

You can see Oakland across the bay in this photo

No Shit!

One of my favorite pieces of yard art we walked past up in the Buena Vista neighborhood. 

We finally worked our way around and down from Buena Vista Park to the Haight/Ashbury district...........get ready for some wacky adventure.

THE HAIGHT

Let me start this part of this post by saying there is not a more important time since the Civil Rights Movement and Vietnam War for this part of San Francisco and the Bay Area. In my lifetime, the Haight/Ashbury has been a beacon for freedom of thought, new ideas, equal rights and social justice since the 1960's and still remains so today. Sure it has its homeless population (lots of that caused by social justice denial in our own government), and that hippie pot smoking culture (that is mostly peaceful and now a booming part of the economy, especially the medical part....which works, by the way!). The freedom expressed here is inspirational. Anyone reading this can go online to find the history and many photos of the utopia that this place is. Visit if you have a chance. You will never forget it.

This is the mural by Mel Waters of Jerry Garcia (The Grateful Dead) at the corner of Haight St. and Cole St. It is HUGE! The Grateful Dead has their own history in this city. Go find it. You will not be dissapointed.

Although I didn't get the name of this shop as we walked by (there was a sign in the window saying no phones out or photographs to be taken inside. Hmmmm), I was able to get this one photo of this very strange stuffed deer in a wedding tutu and veil that was in the window on the street........there was a fox smoking a cigar and wearing a clown nose in the window next door. They are definitely taking taxidermy to a strange new level!

PEACE!

It begins with each one of us. Practice it every day.

WasteLand - A Bay Area Institution

Selling original designs and vintage items. No other place like this place. Go here for their story:  http://www.shopwasteland.com/new-page/ 

I don't have to tell you about this place. You already know :o)

A little travel to the Central Valley to see the famdamily in my next post.