Some of the baby blankies
used by the women in India
used by the women in India
Joaquin Miller Park grove, where Wheelie and I were married
Joaquin Miller Park, Oakland
View from Joaquin Miller Park
Downtown Oakland in the foreground,
San Francisco across the Bay
These books are about a PI who lives and has her adventures in San Francisco. The books she wrote before cell phones and the internet. 1980's.
The descriptions of the area, the neighborhoods, the essence of San Francisco it's inhabitants and the rest of the Bay Area are making me very homesick for California.
Even though I never lived in the city, it has always played a major part of my life when I did live in the Bay Area.
From my first weekend in the States back in 1968, when my aunt and uncle drove me through the Haight Ashbury area, (to watch the weirdos,) and my first trip to Twin Peaks and the Golden Gate bridge.
To the may many trips to Golden Gate Park and the Zoo, the museums, first with Puri and his children, later with my son, and the many Dutch relatives who visited over the years.
Memories of our very dear friends, an old gay couple who were forever renovating their victorian house on Lyon Street. How they would entertain us, fed us outrageous meals, made us laugh until we peed our pants, they were like our brothers. I say old, because they were our age, set in their ways, and so comfortable to be around. We lost Gary back in the 1990's (I'm embarrassed to admit I forgot the exact year), David sold the house lock stock and barrel and became a Buddhist monk. He has been all over the world teaching meditation, and now runs a center in Westwood, Mass. and runs meditation programs in local prisons.
He also directed me to a friend of his who runs a Women's and Children's Health center in a poor town in India, where I was able to unload my many baby blankies I crocheted over the past few years.
In 1974 when I finally learned how to drive, when my son was about two years old, I enrolled him in daycare a few mornings a week, and I would get into that old VW and race to the city, park the car and head straight to Macy's. In those days I could fill up Old Blue on $3.00.
We were pretty poor in then so there was usually no shopping involved, but I would go all the way up to the top floor and work my way down, enjoying just walking around the store. Taking my time to stroll over each floor.
If there was time left I would 'hit' The Emporium on Market street and would do the same thing, cover the entire store from top to bottom.
Then I would hightail it back to Belmont in time to pick up the kid.
I guess even in those days I took solitude in window shopping. :>)
As life today is taking on a certain sense of sadness and doom here these days, it's easy for me to slip into daydreams about what I consider to be "home"
I've lived in so many places around the world, but when it comes down to it, the San Francisco Bay Area is definitely "home" to me.
If anyone were to ask me where I would really want to be, or if we had the financial means to, I would go back there in a flash.
It would be a dream come true to be able to live either in Oakland, somewhere in the hills, the Claremont or Montclair area, Or Berkeley, or Albany...or......
Just to live somewhere where you can walk down the block to go for coffee and breakfast, get a fresh croissant, hop on public transportation anywhere, take BART to the other side of the Bay.....
What I miss is the people there, the laid back nature of life in general...the eucalyptus trees, Tilden Park, Fisherman's Wharf, 4th Street in Berkeley.........................catching an evening program at the Ashram, eating at the many wonderful restaurants...finding old friends again.........
Wishful thinking...indeed...
SGMKJ!
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