Art Break --- Days 11/158 & 159

Walk: 1. Piedmont Art Center  2. Day of Total Rest

Distance: 1. 4 miles  2. 0

A readers' break from Ciwt's roller coaster adjustment to a new home for her (and hopefully you) to enjoy two Matisses.  On the right is a book with Henri Matisse's famous La Danse (1910) on the cover.  And beside it is a a @2015  clay 'urchin' thrown, painted and fired by his great-grandson, Alex Matisse, a world class potter.

Ciwt loves how the flowing arabesques in each art work have so much of the same exuberant energy.  Feels like a family connection somehow.

Ms. Clean, Part II --- Days 11/155, 156, 157, 158

Walks/Lopes: 1-4: Hood basically

Distances: 1-4: 4.5 miles

Four more days have gone by and Ciwt must have something to tell you about except her adjust to her new home and her wrong-headed assumptions in the process.  But, no such luck; sorry dear readers. 

So today she'll tell you about her clothes washer.  Yes, she has one of those in her place.  All it does is wash. She thought that was preposteous and basically useless.  And truth be told so did her realtor and the building maintenance person among others.  

But, again, Ciwt - and others in this case - was wrong. A washer-only is quite useful several things - certainly delicates that shouldn't be tossed around and around in the dryer.  And, you know what else is nice she's learned?  Air drying.  Just like in the old days.  Takes several hours, even a day.  But the little w/d's that are sold for under the counter take at least 5 hours to dry loads and drain electricity and water in the process.  Plus most have such terrible reputations for breaking down irrepairably that many of the best appliance stores won't even carry them.

So, now you know ........😉

Ms. Clean --- Day 11/154

Walk/Lope:  Monday errands and Laundry!

Distance: 2 miles, yoga

 

So, besides the 'unreal' park across the street, another thing Ciwt was too fancy for - or something - was her new home's community laundry machines.  She'd need a pastle of quarters, have to stand in line waiting for a machine, have no idea if her things were safe and when they'd be ready, these imagined inconveniences for Ciwt and more were just too much for her.

Finally today she deigned to grab her laundry basket, get in the elevator! and ride down to the laundry room.  Which was empty - with a sea of machines completely available, easy instructions with exact times for both both the washing and drying cycles, security because only other building people can enter (plus most have w/d's of their own).  Oh, and did she mention, they are easily operated with credit cards so absolutely no quarters necessary?

She loaded the washer, inserted her card, got back in the elevator!, and rode right back up to her place knowing exactly when to ride back down to move things to the dryer.  And, if the machines break down, the building maintenance people - not Ciwt - will handle it.  

Wrong again 😁 Yay!

From the Met to Broadway --- Days 11/152 & 153

Walk/Lope: 1. FS Conservatory of Music  2. Sunday Hood

Distance: 2. 2 miles, small yoga  3. 5.5 miles

So, the LP of South Pacific was on again and again in Ciwt's childhood house. And every time she heard opera star Ezio Pinza's glorious version of Some Enchanted Evening, Ciwt's heart melted a little.  

With that memory in mind she headed off yesterday to a concert given by this year's Merolta Opera Program trainees. Merola is regarded as one world's foremost programs for aspiring singers, pianist/coaches and stage directors, and they would be singing and playing selections from the American Songbook. Ciwt was excited to hear this.

Well....Pinza, Mario Lanza, Patrice Munsel and other opera stars who excelled on Broadway must have had special training to tailor their talents to the theater stage.  Especially in enunciation.  The notes sung by the young trainees yesterday were so full and elongated that the words were muffled.  The low notes all sounded like dirges no matter how upbeat the song, and you can just imagine how intensely shrill the women sounded when they reached their climactic high points.  

Oh dear.  Still Ciwt was happy to support Merola and wishes the trainees fine and long careers.  This was their first concert of the summer training, and some of them had just flown in a day or so before the concert. Several were porbably from abroad and had no idea what in the world tunes like Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree were all about.  It's also doubtful any of the rest of their training will include the Amercan Songbook.  Better to hone their extraordinary gifts for the likes of Aida, Tosca, La Traviata; they can learn Cabaret, Ya Got Trouble, and of course Some Enchanted Evening some other time. 

Movie Star Neighbors --- Days 11/148, 149, 150 & 151

Walk/Lope: 1. Presidio Pickleball 2. At home, continuring to wrestle with pillows 3. Hood/Park 4. Hood

Distance: 1. 4.5 miles, 90 minutes pickle  2. 2 miles  3. 4.3 miles, yoga in park  4. 5.4 miles

And Now at Layfayette Park Too

So in her adjustment to her new home Ciwt has been avoiding the park literally next door.  Bah, humbug she was thinking, it just won't do the trick for her.  Won't have any birds or feel like real nature.  

But finally she deigned to step into the 'unreal' park where she was immediately serenaded with loud squawking.  She looked up to see flocks of brightly colored parrots frolicking through the sky.  Probably descendants of the parrots who once lived only on Telegraph Hill and starred in their own 2004 documentary - for which they received a Tomatometer rating of 95!  

Turns out some of the wild South American birds are still in their gathering spot on Telegraph and others have established small flocks throughout the city.  Including Ciwt's 'unnatural' park!

And just as Ciwt was taking in this new sense of her park, a huge red tailed hawk flew on to high branch of a gorgeous, old and tall tree - maybe an elm.  

This was just the beginning.  On her short visit, Ciwt saw any number of species and began thinking she should bring her binoculars next time and begin some serious birdwatching.  When she left the 'unreal' park and went 1/2 a block to her new home, she read on line that she was way late to the bird watching idea. According to eBird her park is an urban birding hotspot - with woodpeckers, orioles, jays, robins, hummingbirds, hawks, parakeets and several other species.  And don't even ask about the abundant types of plants and trees - which of course attract many types of butterflys.

Sometimes it's just great to be completely wrong!

Love This Holiday Any Way It Appears --- Day 11/147

Walk: The very special Crissy Field

Distance: 4.5 miles (3 miles lope)

Frederic Larson (SF Chronicle), Fireworks over Crissy Field with Golden Gate Bridge in the Backgound, July 4, 1980

So often San Francisco puts on a fireworks display and no one can see it because the fog has blown in.

But the sky flickers in gorgeous colors and we can hear the celebration of U.S. Independence.

Out of the Closet (for a moment) --- Day 11/146

Walk: Sunday Stroll

Distance: 3 miles

So, Ciwt thought she'd see what it was like having a desk out of the closet. (See Day 11/132)  Just in case, she bought a little foldable one.  Luckily.  Within a few hours it was collapsed and Ciwt was back in the closet.  Felt strange; she wasn't quite ready.

Just Who Invented Throw Pillows? --- Days 11/141 - 145

Walks: 1. Walk: GG Pickleball, Crown Point Press,  2-4. Various Hood Errands

Distances: 1. 3.6 miles, 90 minutes pickle,  2-4. 4 miles walk/lope/small yoga

So, now where has Ciwt been?  Well, drowning in throw pillows. Her new place requires new daily activities to replace her 40 year patterns in her old one.  So, a few days ago she sat down at her computer and ordered throw pillows on line.  One by one they've arrived - looking different from their online images: too bright, too fat, not soft enough, bigger or smaller than expected, etc.  And Ciwt has been going crazy trying to make them work.  

Part of her is ready to have them all just disappear.