Well, I awoke to another beautifully foggy summer day in San Francisco. Funny thing is, by midday the fog starts to burn off, but stops right at the edge of my neighborhood, which is in pretty much the exact center of the city. There's a reason why rent is cheaper here . . . anyway, I can look out my third story window and see pale blue patches of sky peeking out over the Financial District, North Beach, Chinatown, SOMA, and the Mission. The weather was so much nicer when I moved here in September of last year, and I thought the gravy train of warm sunshine and barely balmy breezes would last forever (almost . . . and I shouldn't complain, as weather patterns have been a lot less foggy in San Fran lately).
My mom visited me this past weekend, and lo and behold, the weather was spectacular! That's when I snapped these pics (see above). Makes me feel a little warmer inside, already.
But back to the trip. I'm spinning my wheels on my traveling plans today, as usual. The Quest for Coyote Karma is rapidly developing, albeit not without a good dose of self-doubt on my part. This is a solo, multi-leg journey of the likes which I haven't ever undertaken, and I've lately been questioning my resolve and overall toughness. First, I need to learn how to pitch a tent with frozen fingers and a burned-out headlamp in the rainy dark, light an MSR stove with only one match so I can boil water for my daily oatmeal and cowboy coffee, and like, I mean actually like wearing the same clothes for three days straight as I trek around the Utah wilderness. If I can change a tire (on bike and truck), make a makeshift flare, and harvest an emergency meal from brambleberries and some low-lying vegetation that looks kind of like wild grass (and probably tastes like it, too), then I'll be set.
Or, I could just throw the tent in the backseat and hightail it to the nearest town when the going gets tough. Maybe I should invest in a couple of gas cans? Yeah . . .
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2 comments:
I'm interested in what you learn about coyotes. Daughter #3 is a budding naturalist and she loves coyotes. We have coyotes here in our own little midwestern burg. I have seen two holy things in my years here: a fox darting across a freeway in broad moonlight, and a coyote standing beside the parking lot at the college where I teach, staring intently at me as I drove up, as if calling me to follow him. Coyotes have caught my attention in a number of places and ways, and now I run across your blog referencing coyote karma. All I can say is, keep writing: I'm reading.
Tell Daughter #3 "you're onto something good." :-) And then take her to the edge of your burg on some moon-filled night and lead those 'yotes in your own father-daughter chorus.
Coyotes are very soulful creatures, and I think a lot of people forget that. Most people think they are vermin and wash their hands of them, exterminate them as easily as a rat or roach. It's very sad. For at least a decade I've felt this growing attachment to them, until finally I had to say, "whoah, ok, STOP! Maybe, just maybe I need to listen up." Definitely a calling, albeit a very unconventional one (and to think that in 2nd grade my "calling" was to be a nun, just like lovely Sister Rosa . . . hehehe).
I'm glad you are enjoying the karmic voyage! I hope to add many coyote (and coyote-related) pics as my journey gets going . . . but you have to imagine that coyote sightings in SF are slim pickings, although I hope to snap a shot or two before I hit the road in September.
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