random street images

whew. party weekend baby. friday night i took the kids to our friend's beautiful potrero hill home for a dinner with 9 starr king adults, 12 starr king kids, an amazing view of the city, margaritas, not 100% school talk, and at one point 12 children sitting and eating nicely at a huge oval wooden table.

yesterday was beautiful sun and blue skies. i pruned and weeded in the garden, and the kids even spent a little time out there with me, finding snails and making little snail climbing structures out of tiny sticks. last night m and m slept over at their aunt and uncle's, not at all sad to see their mother leave. miles reminded his uncle to spoil him rotton (he did) and maya came home with painted toenails and natalie's clothes on. alone, out at night, i stopped at a hair salon i had never heard of and had a haircut in a salon for the first time in 6+ years, discussing the public schools the whole time with my chinese hairdesser, lisa (lisa's on church near clipper, she did a good job). then in a blast from the past i got in a van with rich's band and various girlfriends and spouses, some beer and tequila and lots of dumb dumb jokes. we spent the night at slim's watching successively better cover bands raise money for doctors without borders. i did my part for the cause spending lots of money on jameson and cokes, and did some i love you guys bonding with several people including a few i had never met before. at one point i emerged from the downstairs backstage area to see a bouncer removing rich from the stage where an iron maiden cover band was playing but as they say out here it was all good. there was a robert palmer cover band in suits that made me feel strangely ecstatic and the night was capped off by a guy rich had met long long ago in new jersey buying our crew about 10 shots of a foul tasting liquor to celebrate meeting up again and the fact that we were both from new brunswick new jersey.

this morning was, as rich put it, odd, very odd. the house quiet, no one waking me up, asking me for anything, needing discipline and guidance. very nice. very... different, but soon i wanted to see my babies again.

i am much too old to do this often, but i think a weekend like this one does clear out the mind for new thoughts. my brother mentioned an old friend who has become very green and lives in a modern-day type commune now in oregon. i am very intrigued by the path she has chosen and of course it set me wondering what that life would be like. less distractions i think. less bridges and highways and cars.

here are some photos from 24th street last weekend. some ads and some from the empty store fronts for art project. they are shots from the path i am presently on.