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Christmas Eve at Lake Quinault Lodge




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I once saw a notice on a bulletin board in a Cala Foods store in San Francisco that said: "Lost: Green Bird. Answers to the name 'Guido'".




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Sam Ewing



Happy Birthday, Dad!

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Growing up in San Francisco in the 50’s, I lived for a time in the upper Castro District, where my house had a tremendous view of the city. I would sit for hours on the back porch, night after night, watching the lights of the city. The most memorable of all (other than Sputnik), were the Castro theater sign (left arrow), and the glass of beer on the top of the Hamm's Brewery (right arrow).




The theater’s sign would begin a sequence with a “C”, followed by “A”, “S”, “T”, “R”, and an “O”. It would then go dark, and then the full name “CASTRO”, would light up. Then it would go dark, and the sequence would begin again. Whenever I think of that theater and those days long ago, I hear a voice in my head that says: C-A-S-T-R-O......CASTRO.

I know the theater still exists, but I doubt its customers even romotely resemble the audience of those days, such as the one that filled the theater when I attended the showing of Elvis’ “Jailhouse Rock” in ’57.




The Hamm’s Brewery sign was fascinating. From the darkness, a huge glass on top of the building would slowly fill with amber “beer” (with small bubbles and foam at the top) , remain lit for a few moments of enjoyment, and then go dark. I wonder how many times I watched that glass fill?







I found this painting of the sign atop the brewery---I’m glad somebody managed to catch the flavor of that wonderful work of art.

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To Live the Life:

"To be no cause of grief to anyone.

To be kind to all people and to love them with a pure spirit.

Should opposition or injury happen to us, to bear it, to be as kind as ever can be, and through all, to love the people. Should calamity exist in the greatest degree, to rejoice, for these things are the gifts and favors of God.

To be silent concerning the faults of others, to pray for them, and to help them, through kindness, to correct their faults.

To look always at the good and not at the bad. If a man has ten good qualities and one bad one, look at the ten and forget the one. And if a man has ten bad qualities and one good one, to look at the one and forget the ten.

Never to allow ourselves to speak one unkind word about another, even though that other be our enemy.

To do all of our deeds in kindness.

To cut our hearts from ourselves and from the world.

To be humble.

To be servants of each other, and to know that we are less than anyone else.

To be as one soul in many bodies, for the more we love each other, the nearer we shall be to God; but to know that our love, our unity, our obedience must not be by confession, but of reality.

To act with cautiousness and wisdom.

To be truthful.

To be hospitable.

To be reverent.

To be the cause of healing for every sick one,
a comforter for every sorrowful one,
a pleasant water for every thirsty one.
a heavenly table for every hungry one,
a star to every horizon,
a light for every lamp,
a herald to everyone who yearns for the kingdom of God"

`Abdu'l-Bahá


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Zebras


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A few sketches from around Tacoma.

I couldn't finish this one--it started raining.


This is the Tilted Cone, at the Museum of Glass. Inside is a hotshop, where glass is blown.


The Thea Foss Waterway.

*edit*

I just looked at some of my older posts, and noticed that I've already posted a couple of these sketches. Am I getting old, or what?

Thea

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Fog

The fog comes
on little cat feet.
It sits looking
over harbor and city
on silent haunches
and then moves on.

--Carl Sandburg

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Some unfortunate album covers.

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