Commuting by Unicycle

Unicyclist crossing Market at Sanchez, 2011

There isn't much to say about photographs that speak for themselves. I will point out that this gentleman seems to be a bike commuter: I took this on a work day; he's wearing a helmet, gloves that seem to have wrist reinforcement, and a high-visibility jacket; he wasn't waving or playing to an audience. He was using this giant unicycle to get from point A to point B. I'd like to know the distance he travels on this simple machine. 


I bet this fella has a pretty healthy sense of humor, despite his focused countenance in these shots.

Keeping things in order

Birds this way.

These murals are great. But, I am not sure that they help much to keep things in order. I waited a while in vain for a few birds to land on the wire in the frame. I guess I could have scattered bird seed on the street to force this to happen.

Seeing that would have been more likely than a car flying above the other one. Instead, I got a guy grappling senselessly with some unknown piece of trash. I honestly don't know what he's doing with that thing, or what it is. I guess I should have asked him for the sake of this post.

Having Fridays off is a great way to see the city I live in. Near this intersection a few weeks ago, I observed a white pickup truck with what looked (and smelled, as I biked behind it for a few blocks) like an enormous marijuana plant. I guess it needed some air?

The things that keep people busy!

Cars this way. // Both at 17th and Potrero, San Francisco, 2011.

The Number 23 and Money Bags

23rd and Mission, 2011.

The Number 23 has been the subject of fascination to many, even leading to a major motion picture. A group of high school friends and I became obsessed with the number by way of admiration of a Milwaukee Brewer, Greg Vaughn. The power hitter wore 23 on his jersey.

It led to us finding every possible way to connect things to this number. At football and basketball games as we watched our peers battle, each time the scoreboard ticked down to 0:23, we yelled "Vaughn" in unison. We were able to paint a mural on a window of Mr. Vaughn for Homecoming (which someone later adorned with "Stevie Ray" and we still joke about today). We strove to wear #23 on our own teams. We wrote V.I.KING on our notebooks (Vaughn Is King). We went to Brewers' Fan Fest and met Greg Vaughn once, posing for a group photo and even having him autograph our Denver Zephyrs hats. He probably hired an additional bodyguard after this bizarre interaction. Our group became known as "The Vaughns." It was weird, but fun.

I still enjoy seeing this number wherever it turns up. This is from an aging street mosaic project, about which I know very little, in my neighborhood at 23rd and Mission. (More here.)

And the following piece comes from my mom...

THE ONLY TIME WE WILL SEE AND LIVE THIS EVENT
Calendar for July 2011
July
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat


1 2
3 4 5 6 7 8 9
10 11 12 13 14 15 16
17 18 19 20 21 22 23
24 25 26 27 28 29 30
31

Money bags

This year, July has 5 Fridays, 5 Saturdays and 5 Sundays. This happens once every 823 years. This is called money bags. So, forward this to your friends and money will arrive within 4 days. Based on Chinese Feng Shui. The one who does not forward.....will be without money.


Kinda interesting - read on!!!


This year we're going to experience four unusual dates.

1/1/11, 1/11/11, 11/1/11, 11/11/11 and that's not all...

Take the last two digits of the year in which you were born - now add the age you will be this year,

The results will be 111 for everyone in whole world. This is the year of the Money!!!

The proverb goes that if you send this to eight good friends money will appear in next four days as it is explained in Chinese FENG SHUI.

Those who don't continue the chain won't receive.......

Its a mystery, but its worth a try, good luck.

Service with a Grimace

Tow Guy, Sebastopol, 2011.

I love this way of advertising a tow/service station. 

However, I'm unsure why this tow truck driver is brandishing a guilty grimace for having towed someone. Most tow truck drivers I've encountered are brutish, reckless drivers who somehow feel like they are doing a civic duty by towing an unauthorized car. 

It's almost as ridiculous as Homer's grossly mistaken, self-fabricated sense of entitlement in this scene (sorry, I could only find it in Russian; he's yelling, "It's all right! I'm a teacher!" as he stops traffic at a red light).

My friend Ben is from Sebastopol. When I asked him if he was familiar with this sign (see it below as part of the street's scene), it led to an awesome discussion. Ben told me about an artist who lives in town and has created a piece of scrap metal sculpture for each house that shares his street. 

Patrick Amiot and Brigitte Laurent create objects out of scrap metal and paint them as a team. Ben told me this story about one of their pieces for which I couldn't find an article, so I'll tell it here. The sculpture, a giant scrap metal cow, is situated outside of town in a cow pasture along Highway 12. Local authorities and citizens became perturbed at the annoying habit that someone had developed of repeatedly tipping this cow at night. I'm not sure how frequently or often it happened, but it became warranted to hold a night vigil to catch the perpetrators. 

The watching crowd of pitchfork- and shotgun- wielding observers* waited. And waited. Maybe this wasn't the night. Nobody was near the sculpture except for a few head of cattle. Then, as the posse  watched, the cows, rubbing against the idol, toppled the giant cow: the mystery was solved.

I guess the lesson here is that things aren't always what they appear.

*These details are my own imaginings.

One Tree

This is probably my favorite building painting to date. It has survived here since 1996, a mural that won Rigo 23, the artist, fame and acclaim.

One Tree mural, San Francisco, 2011.

Reading about Rigo 23 led me to all kinds of research about the Mission School art movement, Mission murals, and some of the stories of the artists behind the movement. Needless to say, I'm living in a lively district, in a lively city, whose story and art continues today. I hereby pledge to attend more art galleries.

Bike to Work Days

Bike lane marking, Sanchez St, San Francisco, 2011

As a daily cyclist, this image is a welcome sight to me. Other riders probably share the sentiment.

I actually have to bike to work now, so that's about all I'm going to say...

Have a great day out there!

Bird Trouble

Not my photo! (I wish) - Shot by Pat Gaines. Read the article.

Water Falling

Cataract Falls, Marin County, 2011.

Marin County is, no doubt, a Utopia. Orientation when in Marin is kept by the ever-looming Mount Tamalpais, the namesake of a 25,000 State Park within the county. 60 miles of trail that span multiple habitats and vistas are available to give every citizen a sense of solitude when needed.  

This basic human need, solitude, is something we horribly under-appreciate. By solitude, I mean more than just being alone (also vital): I mean immersion in wonder; a feeling of intellectual and temporal insignificance; inquisitiveness about the world -- leading you to create your own explanations, values, and reasons; feeling comfortable not knowing; losing track of time, as well. Only Nature can do these things. We under-appreciate this by finding insufficient proxies like television, video games, fast and loud, or efficient, machines, hi-tech this and that, et cetera, et cetera.*

How many insects does that barn swallow have to catch as it flies in order for that equation to balance? How many calories are packed in those tiny power pellets to keep those wings flapping, and still have enough energy left in the tank to be able to survive a night of sleep and wake up the next day and do it again (it becomes frenetic), not to mention laying several clutches of eggs a season, which involves gathering sticks and mud and feeding young to boot?! How does this relate to my own caloric intake and output? The average American's?

The Cataract Falls Trail ventures down one of the park's canyons. It is a must-see refuge for numerous ephemeral wildflowers seen few other places. And many waterfalls.

*(yes, blogs too.)

State of the Onion: Driving our SUVs to Whole Foods

Whole Foods Market, Atlanta, 2011.

I went to Whole Foods on a recent visit to Atlanta. I was venturing to the Atlanta History Center, a must-see for visitors. It was my first time in the city limits, having only passed through the monstrous airport before. 

The city is not entirely pedestrian-friendly. Aside from the crippling heat I experienced (90s in mid-June, which they told me was unusually warm), I found that few take public transit. The MARTA train left me about a one-and-a-half mile walk away from my destination with one bus option that wasn't too great. Anyway, I'm complaining a lot, but it really wasn't so bad. I tend to baby myself in the city.

But I definitely was the only pedestrian approaching the Whole Foods. Upon walking up, I was astounded at the sheer number and dominance of SUVs in the parking lot there. I expect that at Best Buy, but here?

I realize that not everyone who shops here bikes to work, uses public transit, reuses plastic bags, turns the lights off when not in use, composts, etc. etc.... and that I flew here, and that's very wasteful. Many people shop here so they can put fewer pesticides in their bodies, which results in fewer pesticides in the environment. I applaud that, certainly. But I literally was the only person who walked here in the 10 minutes or so that I observed the parking lot dominated by SUVs; that bothered me a bit. And, it was definitely built in a non-public-transit-friendly location.

Rite Spot

Rite Spot Cafe sign, San Francisco, 2011.

I have seen this place open, I think, but it has no windows and I just haven't had the time to stop inside yet. I'm not sure if they're a place for lunch or for cocktails; it reads "Lunch" on the building and is called a "Cafe," but clearly attracts people looking for cocktails after dark.

Their sign, in great condition, runs nightly. Most places that have maintained their old neon signs can justify the maintenance costs with regular business. By posting this, I'm putting myself to task to discover what's inside the Rite Spot Cafe and how long it's been standing. And who is behind keeping their awesome sign illuminated in all its glory.

Can I get your input on this one?

I hope you had a fantastic Independence Day celebration. Based on the fact that the weather was beautiful all over the US last week, I doubt you were checking here for updates. 

I took this picture of a backlit wall ad, standing six feet tall, at the Dayton airport in mid-June. 

I would love to hear your impressions of this unique display. Click to zoom, and absorb the details.

Redefined, Dayton, OH, 2011.