fog bank

Crappily Designed Devices

I'm watching two guys traverse down the face of a skyscaper across Mission street. They don't seem to be washing the windows, but inspecting the facade of the building. The facade is composed of flesh colored panels 2x4' or so. It makes me wonder if I should walk under than building: are they in danger of falling off?

Moreso though, another project pops into my head, someone should really redesign those window-washing elevater devices. To lower or raise the platform, both men have to lower or raise their end. These two could never get the platform level, and it looked like there was a constant rocking motion, which can't be good for the cranks up top, nor the wires.

Perhaps, it is to make sure that the men are balancing it as they move up or down.

walk-a-bout

more pictures

I did another city ramble this past weekend, and it turned into one of those perfect days. The weather was a little dismal but it didn't bother me -- kept the sun off my already peeling skin (from a trip to Cape Cod ). Walked up to the Randall museum, up through Mount Olympus, down into Cole Valley (for a bite at the boulangerie), up throught the woods over UCSF, over the summit and then down and into the Inner Sunset from Clarendon, stopping at a friends, heading into Golden Gate Park for a nice lie down in Strybring, dinner and drinks at another friend's place in the Haight, and then a final leisurely stroll downhill to home.

It was brilliant, ran into one friend who is living in Italy and happened to be in town, saw two D5 supervisor candidates campaigning, met a multitude of cats. Very serendipitous as only a long walk in a city can be.

Saw less interesting buildings, though I did walk past a beautifully landscaped monument on Mount Olympus, built by Sutro to mark the (former?) geographic center of SF. A knowleagble neighbor, and caretaker of the garden around it told me about it. A statue had once been on top, but had apparently fallen apart.

It still always surprises me when I can find complete solitude in the middle of San Francisco. I only saw 2 people (plus 2 cats and a dog) on the trails in the forest above UCSF, and nobody on the field on the summit. The neighborhood beneath it, to the south west, was near deserted as well. While I didn't mind the solitude while in the forest, it does disturb me in the neighborhoods -- which is perhaps why I like living so much in a (relatively) crowded neighborhood, next to a park, with numerous cafes and bookshops.