http://travel.nytimes.com/2009/11/27/travel/escape...

For an urban twist, visitors can hike off the tourist track in Bernal Heights and Glen Canyon.

Uh oh. Maybe this explains the two tour buses full of school kids at the top of the hill yesterday morning.

http://www.walkthroughthefire.com/blog/2009/11/19/...

I was lucky enough to get into the sold out Harbor Lights show. They're on the road, catch them if you can. Humboldt county tonight, Sonoma tomorrow!

I attended my first Far-West Folk Alliance conference in Irvine, CA this weekend. It was beyond my greatest hopes. Really good musicians, great workshops, folks feeling & thinking & talking about music the way I do. And in the margins, useful information on dealing with injured hands.
I was so immersed in the process that I didn't take a single photo or video.
Next year in San Jose!

http://video.nytimes.com/video/2009/09/23/world/12...

In a sweeping speech to the United Nations General Assembly, President Obama sought to clearly delineate differences between his administration and that of former President George W. Bush.

Aloha from the Prez's home state. Seemed like an auspicious time to post this.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/06/24/liver.transpl...

This week it was reported that Steve Jobs, the CEO and cofounder of Apple, underwent a liver transplant two months ago. One detail concerning Jobs's transplant seemed odd: The surgery took place at a hospital in Tennessee, some 2,000 miles from Jobs' home in northern California. Why Tennessee?

I can guarantee you that his money bought him options. The average person (like Lee Mallory) is NOT informed they can be evaluated in more than one center. Fix the list.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7y0SdYgkcew

Rx Music prescribed by Dr. Sonny of Alabama.

Now that I'm getting Occupational Therapy for my hand, it's feeling a bit better. It's getting easier to do everything, including drive. After OT on Wednesday morning I headed over to North Beach for some goodies at Italian French Bakery. Got coffee & rosemary baguette there after hitting Nature Stop for SF's best smoothie, salad bar to go & some gorgeous sage cheddar for the road.
Washington Square Park had four different groups of older Chinese folks doing various forms of Tai Chi, Chi Gung and the like. On the far side of the park were three pairs of ladies doing some kind of partner exercise. It didn't look familiar so I walked toward them & noticed they were saying something.... what was it? 1-2-cha-cha-cha. Yup, for real.
I found an open spot on a bench, sat & drank my coffee. Heard a siren that was joined by 2 parallel pitches, a new kind of siren? No, some kind of hound dog & another dog throwing their heads back and baying like crazy. Great sound.
The bakery coffee wasn't great, so what to do? Hit the Depot in Mill Valley, of course. Their latte pretty much did the trick, so I went off to Marin Headlands, had a nice walk by Rodeo Beach lagoon. At the visitor's center I met a sweet young couple on bicycles who had been camping in the headlands. We shared bread, cheese & their blueberry/nut mix, drank good hot coffee from the visitor's center.
The Headlands were having a power outage, so we revelled in the no-cellphone service, no-electricity day (and were thankful that the coffee got made before the power went out.)

I was trying to figure out how to do a videoblog here on myspace. Got things to say about People Places & Sings and I'd like to rest my hands by using fewer keystrokes. Myspace doesn't seem to allow a direct videoblog. Doh.

Meanwhile, if you don't mind, you can click on my videos to see what's up.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbN-jO11vKg

My friend Fayden asked me to check out this drum machine. Oh yeah.

Sunday 8/16/09
San Francisco

Wednesday would have been our 5th anniversary, Lee and me, that is. I had spent the night with some friends in Mill Valley, then headed out to Kirby Cove. On the way I stopped at the Walgreen’s by Tam Junction before fueling up and getting change for bridge toll. At the register, the woman started talking to me about the vitamins I’d bought, then we continued chatting as she rang up my other items. I mentioned being a musician and she asked if I’d ever played Bolinas. I said yes & she asked if I’d played at the bar there. Lee & I had played the open mic at Smileys once, and she said, “I was there!” I was so touched that she remembered us. Small world & I’m counting all blessings, so I take this as one.

The walk down to the beach at Kirby Cove was spectacular as always, hawks floating at eye level, virtually nobody there once you pass the gate. I had the beach to myself except for a few women at the far end. I took my shoes off and stretched barefoot at the edge of the surf. Then sat and remembered. Lee, the memorial picnic my family & friends held for him at Kirby Cove where I’d first overnighted at a folk music camp in the 70s, watching giant ships slide through the fog & under the bridge like giant shadows against the night. In my mind’s eye, I can see the schooner we sailed under the gate, cruising past the cove and pausing to scatter Lee’s ashes halfway across the span. The waters have carried him to the four corners of the globe by now, but this is the place I chose to go to pay my respects and wish him happy anniversary. I’m glad we found one another in life & I hope my ashes will join his in this spot someday.

A couple of kayakers paddled around the point & I turned the beach over to them. “Your turn.”