FOLLOW THE TRAILS

Collage of Sidewalk Brass Markers

The admonition to look around you implies that you need to be more aware of your surroundings. That would have been good advice for me to follow one afternoon in Chicago as I walked with a group of friends, with my head focused in their direction, totally involved in our conversation until I turned my head just as I walked into a light pole. Luckily, I guess, I have a hard head and no damage came from the surprise collision. I wondered why a light pole was placed in the middle of a broad sidewalk, but there it was.

If I am more careful as I walk, l can make many interesting discoveries on city streets. Much of what I see is just trash, but the patina created by all kinds of fluids on sidewalks and light poles makes interesting textural patterns and could inspire an abstract painting.

San Francisco city street patterns

In San Francisco, I've also found brass plates embedded in the walkways. Near the UCSF sports center are several discs with phrases such as "Subsequently Allowed to Dissipate" that make me stop and wonder what they mean. Outside Town's End Cafe, I spotted a large historical stone marker next to the sidewalk that describes the history of Rincon Hill and why most of the hill disappeared. On the pavement next to the stone sign, I found a marker that read: "Cholera Expected Here," the words taken from a paper poster from 1850,  made me think of the threat of numerous lethal diseases that were routinely present at that time in San Francisco (and still are in areas around the world without good sanitation).

Brass plates with poetry are scattered on the Embarcadero walkway to the Ferry Building from Oracle Park and line the ramps leading to the streetcar stations. The poems speak of whales, picnics, and driving cars in ways that made me visualize the scene described by the poets. On Fourth Street, I found markers with the remaining known words from the language of indigenous people who inhabited the area before Whites arrived from Spain. I drew a collage of some of the poetry markers I've seen. I haven't completely written each line of poetry in the collage to give you the chance to discover these complete poems on your own when you come to San Francisco.

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View from a window on Tuesday, Oct. 15, in Livermore, CA

A quick travel tip:  If you like to taste wines or enjoy staying at bed and breakfast inns, try the Purple Orchid Wine Country Resort and Spa in Livermore. The photo above came from one of the windows at the inn. They serve a delicious breakfast and offer wine and cheese in the evening. It is quiet and peaceful so you can listen to the birds in the trees around the inn.

We had dinner at Uncle Yu's in downtown Livermore as well as a light lunch at Mornings on First.

Check them out here:

https://www.purpleorchid.com

https://morningsonfirst.com