July Photos and Thoughts

July has been an eventful month. We did get to see the sunset over the Marin County Fair from the top of that ferris wheel.

Erin's friend from college, Laura, came to visit with her two adorable daughters, Delia and Samantha.

We all went to Fisherman's Wharf and Pier 39 one day.

Delia touched a shark.


And, we went down the crookedest street.

Yesterday I waited several hours in line (again) and bought an iPhone, the newest, latest and greatest in modern technology. Or, I should say, in marketing. Apple does an incredible job of making a person (me) feel like their life would be enhanced if only they/I got this one more thing, a portable PC with all the necessities in my pocket. Thing is, a bunch of people waited in line for over 3 hours in front of the store, as so many thousands of others have done since the newest model hit the stores July 11th. By standing, waiting, and purchasing, it gives the message to observers, "Hey, this must be a really cool thing." Everybody feels the emptiness inside. In some ways consuming is an urge to fill that. I even talked with the man in line in front of me about how ludicrous it is, how nobody sits and talks face to face with each other anymore. We're all more comfortable with the keyboard, the ability to delete, edit, time our carefully composed statements. Walking down the streets, many people are talking on their phones. Sitting in cafes, many people are on their laptops. In their cars, single drivers. Yet, there is a beauty to the immediate-ness of global reach at my fingertips, information, opinion, entertainment, without all that research. Also, one can publish without struggling with the opinions of an editor, without even caring about the market particularly, because nobody has to pay to view the images or my notestoself on my website. (Sometimes this gets one into trouble, but that's another story.)

Garden enjoyment

Our driveway has gone through some changes recently.
June 3, 2008
July 4, 2008
The chamomile path is very aromatic.
Our pear tree is doing much better this year.Last year it had fireblight.

Here is the Adam Kazimir Ciesielski Memorial Garden.
Petunia loves hanging out with me.

Staghorn fern and part of the shade garden

June is gay pride month

I know it's been a while since I wrote to my blog, but here are a few of the things we've been doing.

First, June 20th, there was an incredible full moon that rose over the horizon right outside our new deck. I guess I don't have exactly the right equipment to photograph it, but the memory is intact.








Then, Erin's friend from college, Jen, came and visited with her husband, Richard, and their two adorable children, Davis and Liam. We had a great time playing with all my toys in the back yard.













June is gay pride month in San Francisco, or lesbian gay bisexual transgendered or lgbt, pride, so we saw movies almost every night at the Frameline film festival. I love this month!
Ending with the dyke march on June 29th.













Poor Cal, her battery went dead on her motor bike, but she and Audrey do make a handsome couple.

Note to self 6/7/8
Fresh local sablefish is moister and therefore more tender than fresh local halibut. However, the sablefish filet has lots more bones.

North Carolina

Last week Erin and I enjoyed a wonderful visit with my nephew, Michael, his wife, Kirsten, and four children (l to r Ryland, Cole, Harper, Simon), in Durham, North Carolina.

Landmark Marriage Equality Decision!

Hooray! The California State Supreme Court today ruled it unconstitutional to deny Erin and I equal rights to marry each other.

It has been a long road of struggle for all same-sex couples. Erin and I have long sought to celebrate our commitment. First, on September 3, 1997, our 3-year anniversary, we registered as Domestic Partners with the City and County of San Francisco.
The following June Willie Brown invited us to SF City Hall to celebrate in masse with about 1,000 other same-sex Domestic Partner couples.


Next, we celebrated a Civil Union in Vermont, September 23, 2000. This grants us certain limited state rights if we were to reside in Vermont. (It will also be difficult to dissolve. If we ever split up, one of us would have to reside for a year in Vermont. We do not intend to ever split up.)





On Valentine's Day, February 14, 2004, we joined thousands of other same-sex couples and received marriage licenses at San Francisco City Hall. This was later nulled.



I wonder if, with the Supreme Court's decision today, we are now considered married again? I know not federally, but in the state of California?



Death to homophobic bigotry. May it rot in the sewage of hatred. I won't go so far to say death to homophobic bigots, because I know some homophobic bigots. Even though I am very disappointed by their ignorance, I believe with time and patient pursuasion, they may be open to growing to accept me and my wife, Erin. I hope we have enough time to realize full equality in our lifetime.

Violence and Ignorance in Perpetuity

Erin's note to the Neighbors,

I'm very shaky but wanted you all to know right away that a man attempted to mug me May 2, 7:05pm, as I walked home from BART. Chloe had walked up to greet me, and she took my computer bag. I had my purse in hand as we walked down College back toward Kales. Just as we finished crossing Lawton, in broad daylight, a man came up behind me, stomped on my foot, then tried to grab my purse. His pull on the purse whirled me around, but i held tight. I was confused and yelled, Hey! what's going on! Chloe starting yelling as he ran up Lawton. He was a young black man, early 20s. He was bulky, but ran like an athlete. He wore a white tee shirt, with a red bandanna around his neck. He had on a white cap with a black brim. I never saw his face.

Folks on the street and from Pasta Pomodoro came to our aid and gave descriptions. I called 911 from the scene. They came to the house to take a report later that night.

Thankfully, I'm shaky with a sore foot. I'm so glad he didn't get my purse.

Please be careful out there!!

Chloe's thoughts: the other really frightening thing about this experience is:

The cops came to our house to take a statement, and as one was interviewing Erin, the other was telling me we should arm ourselves with Mace, something called CO with colored dye, or hand guns! He said in some states people can shoot to kill the perpetrators of crimes, and then the problem is eliminated! I could not sleep last night thinking about it. My hope is that the young man who hit Erin realized what an awful mistake it was, had regrets, and that's why he didn't kill us both (considering his size that would have been easy enough), but rather went off and thought deep and hard about the human condition, how we all need each other to survive in this congested urban environment, and vowed to go into social services and/or health care. I am horrified at the thought of shooting another person. What a nightmare that would be. I told the officer I feel this way. It is why I don't let guns in my life. Even the cops being around are scary. Violence perpetuates violence. Ignorance perpetuates ignorance.