Sunday, October 26, 2008
Cell-phone Photos: The View from Inside My Calling Plan
I may not be good at taking hints but maybe y’all would like a little something less wordacious while you gear up for a pre-pre-election monday, or whatever kind of monday you’re having in your neck of the woods. Let’s start with a few photos of the chalk graffiti that shows up at Z’s favorite local playground:
One child left behind:
A warm welcome to RoboCat:
And it goes without saying:
As for this last one, when I was snapping the phone-pic a youth was watching me and read out the words, “I like pie.” I asked him, “who doesn’t?” He answered me with disarming frankness, “pie-haters.” He had me there.
And now, some photos that are a little more intense:
These two are some photos of tents I saw in the presidio on my way from dropping Z off at preschool, heading to my shuttle bus. You can see the old barracks in the distance, and one small sturdy square building, windowless and red-roofed. I’d overlooked it many times in the past, it was just another little outbuilding and not terribly impressive. But this particular day I took a moment to check it out a little more closely, from its heavy masonry walls to its arrow-slit windows, to the plaque by the front door that reads: Old Stone Powder Magazine: Constructed by the US Army after the Presidio was occupied by American forces. Built of materials salvaged from earlier Spanish and Mexican structures, it dates back to the period of 1847-1862.” Now it seems like a much more interesting building to me, full of history and ordnance, a place seemingly built of other places that got blowed up. It’s older than most anything else around town, and pretty sober and somber with its lack of poetry and extra staunchness. It looks good with the historic tents. It looks good anyway. (Additionally, the artillery piece in the lower photo was taken from the Philipines after the Spanish American war - they blowed it up instead of letting us get their good thang. Pungent stuff to view on my daily way to the bus stop.)
Finally, these pics are from the waterfront near my office - an old pier ("ghost piers,” they call them) and a new walking pier with the bridge behind it and a sculpture in front of it. It’s a nice place to go if you need some pretty instant relaxation. Or a giant metal spider. I’ve had both kinds of days lately, to be honest with you.
Final note: on my way from a parking garage to a playground and kid’s creativity museum yesterday, Z and I walked past some guys gathering signatures and money, one with an “Obama/Biden” button, and one with a big poster of a black man with the word “HOPE” written under it. I complained to them: “That guy is NOT Bob Hope!” They were laughing so hard they didn’t even ask me for money.
Time to hit another playground and grab some grub for me and the youngster. I’ll bring the words soon. As if you were waiting.
