Life of Wry

I’m enjoying the afterglow. A celebration well-celebrated. Left behind was this painting. It’s not mine to hang onto–its new home will be Crepeville, the restaurant at 3rd and C, adjacent to the corner on which David stood for five years–but for now, I get to appreciate it up close.

Painted by Jeff Andrews who’s got both a talent for painting and an almost mystical gift for observing and capturing a moment. He conveyed perfectly all the essential elements of the corner. Look carefully. But most particularly, the gentleness and openness of David.

A bunch of friends gathered tonight to wish David farewell as he leaves next week on his year-long Compassion Tour.

Kristin:

Carrie:

Michelle:

Jeff:

Joe:

Nicolas (and I did not manage to get a picture of Nicolas’ wife Samantha):

Jim (nor Jim’s wife):

Steve:

Dan:

Stacey:

Elizabeth:

PJ:

Nancy:

And Robb:

Everyone brought food:

We decided the tour is really a commencement… the beginning of a journey.

Stay tuned.

You’d think I was a River Cats fan. I’m not, but I can’t imagine ever saying no to a baseball game and can’t imagine not root root rooting for the home team (or whoever) when there. Not rabid, not hugely invested, but for the time I’m there, I can get swept away in fanism. At least mildly, at least enough to “get loud” as directed by the jumbotron in the bottom of the 9th, trailing by two, two men on, no outs.

And then there’s food.

Which, of course, was great, but I binged out, not to mention I ate everything I was going to eat tonight before the end of the 1st inning.

(Whenever I get near sick from eating too much, I’m reminded of Cathy.)

Anyway, 80 degrees and all the trimmings on a perfect night in the waning days of summer.

Some shots — and yeah, lots of playing with Camera + filters. So sue me (people can get so touchy about this form of artistic expression (as expressed by selecting a filter button or two on my phone)… sheesh).

HDR:

Tower Bridge, etc.

Ate so many peanuts..

The last thing I ate, in an impressive succession of ballpark food, was pink and blue cotton candy…. and how funny that 1) you can see the cotton candy vendor in this pic and 2) the sky looks EXACTLY like the bag of cc I ate!

In the end, there were fireworks:

~Hiccup~

Second day of school and first day of varsity fall ball baseball practice.

In honor of the occasion, this throwback shot…

Eric, who is now a varsity catcher, and Peter, who is now a varsity pitcher. At least for the fall..

And for the record, this just kills me. Damn, they’re cute. Probably about ten years old.

… Day of School!

It’s also his twelfth year–counting kindergarten–standing in front of the sycamore (a tree planted when Peter was an infant, nourished by his very own placenta…. a fact I’m sure I’ve shared).

They do grow.

And it’s not like I ran after him down the street or anything … which I didn’t … but I did stand at the end of the driveway with a fully telephoto’d lens. Because being discreet is very important in these situations.

(Walking because he’s still not replaced his stolen bike.)

Tonight David addressed the Davis City Council during public comment. After five years in Davis–much of which time was spent standing on the corner of 3rd and C–he is embarking next week on a twelve-month Compassion Tour.  During his time here, he met and spoke with thousands of people and collected thousands of written concepts of the word compassion. He amassed many notebooks. He observed and learned a lot.

This is what he shared last night with the Council and public:

Farewell dear friends. I am embarking on a journey to bring awareness to compassion in different communities worldwide, an amplification of what I began here in Davis on June 3rd, 2009. I am grateful for all the support at the corner of 3rd and C from passers-by who have shown their generosity and appreciation. I am grateful to the city for the acceptance of the Compassion Corner Earthbench as a gift, recognizing compassion as a value it embraces.

I am here this evening to provide a viewpoint which I believe only I can share.

There is a deep, deep hunger in this city—an appetite for healing.

For the past five years at the corner, I have listened to thousands of people—young college women who struggle with how to eat healthy, other college students bound to graduate with absolutely no solid aspirations afterwards, those that have loss loved ones, young men searching for the guidance of their forefathers, some people whose bodies are stricken with tumors and cancer, men of color who seem to fit the description of some phantom criminal, the agony and despair of a mother whose daughter was raped, and empty skeletons whose derelict bodies roam endlessly, inflated by caffeine, nicotine, alcohol, or meth.

So I feel I am justified in saying there is a veil that exists locally that covers the desperate hearts of vagabond souls. Whether those souls wander indoors or outdoors, they are here within the city, crying out for help.

The answers toward healing do not lie in such things as an armored tank—which is like a parent giving you a gun for your birthday just in case you need to threaten one of your kids—nor in covering street lights so we can gaze at the stars while a human being at our feet begs for security, nor in complaining that someone snores too loudly.

The answer will be found in how we treat one another as human beings with the daily medicine of love and compassion. Compassion begins with truly listening, in acknowledging all people, in coming to a mutual understanding, and taking the appropriate action based on that understanding and doing so with an honest and loyal commitment toward well-being.

The challenge is to release the tranquilizing euphoria of a blinding affluence and engage in heart-to-heart communication to address the reality of human relations that take place in this community. The challenge is to mature beyond the sophomoric attitude taken at the level defined by egotistical analysis, maturing toward wisdom, truth, and a deeper understanding for the well-being of all of Davis’s citizens.

I am an optimist, which makes me confident that, with compassion at the forefront of leadership, this community will bring the power of Love from an ideal to a reality.

Over the course of the next year, David will travel to numerous cities and towns. He will speak about compassion. He will listen. He will share his experiences and observations. I am so looking forward to what unfolds for him on this journey.

First stop: Keene, NY.

Not blue about going home to Davis today (can we get a wOOt wOOt!!) though the beach is truly sublime (yes, sublime). Just commentin’ on the water. And sky.

(Pretty, huh?)

It was a Long Beach day.  So, over the Vincent Thomas Bridge we went (rumor has it, that the I-guess-famous, giant, yellow rubber duck was floating in the harbor and maybe a tall ship or two, and also a Catalina paddle event thing….so traffic around San Pedro was thick and slow), and into downtown LB. Snapped a few from the driver’s seat (while stopped at reds) along Ocean Blvd and applied some arty filters.. because art:

Then pulled up to Legends, on Second Street in Belmont Shores, for lunch. Matt and John met us at the curb.  I fronted-in to a small space (because Second Street is so busy, parallel parking is a real hassle) and it took me many back and forths to wedge in, especially as I wanted to avoid hitting the fancy gold car parked ahead.  Finally settled into my spot, got out and Matt says, “how do you like Michael’s new car?”referring to said fancy gold car.

It took a little convincing on Matt’s part, but we finally believed that it was, in fact, Michael’s new car… a happy 50th birthday gift from Matt.  It’s a 1969, I believe he said.

What a guy.

We oohed and awed a bit…

…checked out the instruments and stuff… I think he said it’s all original:

…then went inside for lunch; below, mom and Matty (I love this picture):

A couple shots from inside:

First, the beer that bartender John recommended, based on my beer tastes — planning to remember this one:

And some views of the place…

… including the gargantuan big screen TV (largest west of Mississippi, we’re told), on which the final game of the Little League World Series was playing (nice!):

All and all, a nice lunch with mom, me, John, Michael, Alexis and, here and there, Matt.

Time to go…

Thanks, Matt for having such a fun restaurant! Buh bye, see ya next time:

Today, mom and I 1) walked about a half mile on the Esplanade in Redondo Beach (and had a painful conversation about the Peterson style of communication (a term I use lightly); 2) bought some figs at Trader Joe’s in Hollywood Riviera; 3) ate lunch at Ercole’s (a bar) in Manhattan Beach; 4) bought a few things in a cotton boutique on Manhattan Ave; 5) went back to the Esplanade to look at the surf and sun and feel those breezes (just…o.m.g.); 6) drove down to Malaga Cove and up Paseo del Mar to look at Bluff Cove; 7) drove around the Plaza to see what shops were still there. Came home. We pooped. Our day in pictures:

Views from the Esplanade:

Lunch at the old bar in Manhattan Bch:

I’ll have a Guinness with that burger:

Strolling along Manhattan Avenue.. Ercole’s is behind the window above the bricks:

What Manhattan looks like from the water, if you’re an artist:

Then, up on the hill….looking northwest:

Looking south:

Looking west, mostly:

(I love that shot…)

Oh, and while I maybe could have used a few today, I don’t drink Manhattans.

I would have to say that mom’s current best dish, the one I love for her to make when I’m here (and have for about ten years) is this one:

Baked chicken thighs with lots of butter, lemon and white wine. Then whatever’s around… tonight some zucchini, onions and fingerling potatoes. It never tastes as good in Davis, and I suspect it has to do with the amount of butter she puts in there (tons) and her very liberal use of lemon and wine. This went about an hour in a 350.