The Dancer

I thought one phone call to my go-to guy in Marin would take of this.  After all it's walnut and California is loaded with it.  But one call didn't do it, took a whole bunch of 'em.

We even had an appointment set up with an outfit in Oregon.

We, we being Ken and I, were looking for slabs of walnut for the lobby of a new building going up in downtown SF.  Ken, he's a metal guy.  He's also the guy that designed what we're building together. I'm doing the wood portion of the pieces.

First one is a bar of sorts for the lobby.

Finally found what we were looking in the self named Garlic Capital of the World....Gilroy, California.

First thing the old guy said to me as I stepped up to shake his hand was "Didja bring your fucking 6 shooter?"  I guess I deserved that as I was wearing my straw cowboy hat and snapped scalloped yoke flannel westerny cowboyish looking shirt.  In soft pastels.
He also almost kicked us out after less than five minutes because we didn't spend enough time on his fucking website beforehand.
He softened up after I realized that he needed some shit thrown back at him.  So throw I did.

Great day down there talking with him.  Third generation sawyer but also a Stanford grad, also lived in Japan, also Olympic level Judo teacher, etc.   Interesting as hell.
At 81, still loves to go out dancing.

His fork lift was a belching old thing that immediately filled the place with stuff you didn't want in your lungs.  This was his evac system.

Telling one of his stories.

We bought these three and buying more next week when we go down with the truck.

His wife.  She deals with the money exchanging hands.  No credit cards.  Cash or check only.

You're not from around here.

Yesterday morning I'm down in San Luis Obispo, the Cali, or SLO as they say.  With Josh and Brett.  Day One of an indie film they're doing.  I'm gripping and gaffing on it.  Being deliberately oblique here since a NDA is implicit.  The film is on one particular aspect of AI...artificial intelligence.
We're here for an interview with a couple who are major players in this one particular aspect of AI.

Really fascinating sitting there watching the interview take place and taking in what these two are saying.

Felt like being in the future.

Doing the gear.

The interview.

They had chickens.

We finish up around six.  Josh and Brett are staying, they're going to camp out on the beach.  I head out with the thought I want to hit the Elkhorn on the way back.  The Elkhorn, in San Miguel, pop. 2336, is the second oldest bar in CA.  Probably because the other older ones have burnt down or something. But still, #2 is #2.
I take the only seat left at that point at the bar.  The very end.  I can see everything.  The woman next to me gets up and puts a bunch of money in the jukebox.  Oldies Rock start to come out.  She sits back down and keeps turning and looking at me.  I'm a bit baffled why.  I look just like the other folk in there, got a beat up baseball cap on, a t-shirt with writing, jeans, a couple day growth on the face.

The group at the other end are toasted.  The cowboy with the cowboy hat has a high voice.  I'm thinking his voice doesn't quite live up to the hat.  But what do I know, maybe he's the orneriest baddest dude on a saddle.

A man sits down next to the woman sitting next to me.  They're close somehow.  She turns a couple more times to look.  I'm on my second beer at this point.  Her man companion finally says to me, "You're not from around here, are you sir?"
And because of the interview earlier and how if humans tweak the syntax of a sentence a bit it can stop a computer in his/her tracks I say, "Yes, I'm from not here" and I'm giggling at my own inside joke.
And so the conversation begins.  They are surprised I've found this place.  I tell them I come here often whenever I'm in the area, I love bars; why I'm down in their hot and dusty part of CA today.  They ask if I know so and so who works at such and such. The man is originally from the bay area, the woman is telling me all the big music acts that come through Paso Robles.
The high talking cowboy gets up and drags a woman away from the bar and they dance and twirl.  Alright, now it's becoming interesting.

The couple sitting next to the couple sitting next to me are talking.  I think he's a climate change denier.  He may even be in the energy field somehow, after all there is a large old oil pumping out of the ground production area just north of here you see.
But I had to leave at this point.  Still a three hour drive home.  Since San Miguel is one of the fabled Mission towns of California, I walk up to the Mission and poke around for awhile.  See if She has anything to say back to me.
Get back in the car and one final look at the Elkhorn.

Oh...And Josh's last film.  Watch this, it will change your life for awhile.

Thursday March 5th Dogpatch Light

From yesterday afternoon's one hour bike ride near the compound.  Got thirsty so I ended up for a beer at the Sea Star on 3rd.

The Sea Star is the last remaining of the new old dive bars in the neighborhood.  The new owners kept the feel at least.  And free popcorn.

Looking toward the SFHQ of the Hells Angels.  A final squirt of light.

I think this building has something to do with the SF bus system.  Who would ever think to put these elements together in a building?

Randomness.

I've been digging on blue channel conversions recently.