brought to you by infinicam ARP-6082

it's been most heartening to read the comments on the previous post
as well as those over on my FarceBook page
[for those who haven't yet dipped a toe into the water, you have until December 13 to do so]
all of which encourage me to keep poking at the keypad
in the hope that words will form and flock together

i managed to create order from chaos +
restrain my belongings sufficiently to allow them passage on a plane
leaving Portland behind
where i had enjoyed not only the precious gift of time
[you'll find some of the results here, beautifully documented by my friend Christi]
but also enjoyed a life very different to the one i lead at home
where everything other than the post office is at least 30 minutes away by car
which encompassed
walking to the store to buy food
having frequent dinners with friends [and cooking for them at mine]
and wandering Portland on foot [fabulous bridges and more of them than you can point a forked stick at]

and now
via two blissful nights in San Francisco
[you really appreciate a queen sized bed when you have slept for six weeks in a single where your feet hang over the end]

i wandered to a favourite hill
found a heart in my pocket [thank you Sandra]

and hung it on a tree
[the one in the middle of the first photo]

a little later i wrote a poem about it
other people have left hearts not far away too

and my friend r tells me that Tony Bennett
was in SF just last week
eating [but not singing] at his favourite restaurant
that's ok
i sang it for myself.
and another one for the heart.

i gathered leaves
at a place where i know i will always find them

wandered down to Aquatic Park
had a quiet talk with some stones i know there

and left them to the incoming tide

yesterday morning i reluctantly gathered my bits again
picked up a rental car
and motored northwards

on the way i met a man
tall, sturdy, silent type.

i liked his kitbag
[that nice boy over at Whipping+Post makes a similar one]

i stopped at a railway line
to collect dogspikes for the class

made a silly self pawtrait

and kept on going
until i reached the ocean

i have arrived in Fort Bragg for the ultimate class of the year
[please see definition '1' here if confused by that pronouncement]
slept encircled by redwoods
where i am now consuming a most excellent breakfast

a salad of organically grown mixed leaves
smoked wild caught salmon
chopped green onions
a tomato
a handful of pepitas
dressed with greek yoghurt
salt
hot sauce

washed down with black coffee

and now it's time to go to work!