/>This 36 year long love affair lives on. It was 1975 that I moved to San Francisco I think, I only stayed 6 months or so but I bonded with this most beautiful of cities and continue to have a fantasy of some day living in this region again. This trip took me to Alcatraz for the first time after so many attempts, mostly foiled by not thinking ahead and finding that tours were full.
Anne Mitchell and I took the tour last Wednesday, a weepingly beautiful trip to this most haunting of places. While on the subject of sharing fantasies...it has always been a source of entertainment and escape to consider incarceration as a relief from the stresses and strains of keeping this train on the tracks and all that goes with that to consider three squares and time to read and create without having to pay mortgages, and keep up with an extremely busy life. Of course Alcatraz has always been the setting for that fantasy. How about a room with a view?
The day was perfect, warm, sunny, scenic. Impressions to remember were the chinking sounds of the doors to the cells being closed, interesting to me to put myself into that sobering conclusion to my idea of surrender. The sound, haunting in all that it represents.
The picture I've included of the garden represents a whole other reality on the 'Rock', that of the families that lived on the island whose spouses and parents worked there, the children's joyous interpretation of life and their lack of knowledge surrounding how the inmates reality differed from their own. Circumstance and perception, one a reality, the other a choice.
I was in the Bay Area to attend the Bay Area Bead Extravaganza, otherwise known as B.A.B.E. This show continues to be my favorite show to do in the course of my year, I usually teach a class associated with the show and then participate on the show floor. The students are consistently smart, capable, curious, fun and supportive! The show has a great variety of beads, collections and is limited in ultra mass produced items. Trarie does a nice job with promotion and curation. I want to say thank you to all who came, over the years I have developed wonderful relationships with so many, I come home full and grateful.
I had a day yesterday to bask in the afterglow, today it is back to work. My goal for the next few days is to get my 'shop' page back up and running. It seems to be the last thing I make time for, Olive, my eldest daughter, has offered to help. With that promise I'll proceed.
I hope that all of you in 'Blogland' have wide open channels to your muses, can take a moment to smell the roses and can clear the clutter towards the road to 'be here now'.
4 comments:
have had those same thoughts about Alcatraz. but after visiting there i did not like the cell size . i can't wait for you to get your store back up.
xxoo
Gail, I'm happy that you had fun in my neck of the woods. I missed doing the show this year.
Your prose is wonderful! You were blessed with both the gifts of words and art. Thanks for taking me with you to "The Rock". I have lived here for 47 years and have yet to make it over there. Either the weather is bad or in good weather, the lines have been too long. You have made me put it on my bucket list.
Have a great holiday and I'll see you in 2012.
Beautifully written, Gail!!
San Francisco may well be my favorite city of all time!
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