Last Week of July

7/26 AM
I stumbled out onto the back porch and was greeted by some colored light. Not very clear, but at least it wasn’t foggy, wet and gray.

7/26 PM Sunset at Treasure Island
My friend, Sherri invited us to a BBQ at her studio on Treasure Island in the middle of San Francisco Bay. Treasure Island is a decommissioned Naval Base, and like the Presidio (also a decommissioned military post) it is located on some of the most beautiful land in the city. While the development of the Presidio is much further along in its new life, Treasure Island is just beginning. There are some civilians living there, but for now, mostly large tour buses, the occasional cyclists and the lost or curious driver visits the island. There is a panoramic view of San Francisco and the Bay from Sherri’s roof, and that’s where we watched the sun go down. Thank you Sherri and David.

7/27 AM Wet Fence in The Morning

Dripping again (audio). Wet and depressing.

7/27 PM Double Take
It has stopped dripping, but it looks and feels about the same as it did this morning. So I returned to the same spot and recorded (audio) from there and photographed the same bit of fence. At least the fence has dried out.

7/28 AM Same Old Same Old
Same as yesterday. Foggy and wet. I didn’t even bother to take a photo. You can listen to the sounds of today and look at yesterday's photo. (Either one).

7/28 PM A Different View
It’s been a while since I rang the big bell and since there’s not much to see- just more gray, dreary gray- I thought a view from inside the car would make a nice change. Also, I made another mistake with my hair today and decided the best way to fix it was to shave it all off. Again.

7/29 AM Where Oh Where Has that Little Bird Gone?
A gray, quiet morning, but not foggy. When I first woke up, I didn’t hear that one little bird who is a regular part of the morning. So I brought out many of the little bells (audio) to fill in the space. I wonder where he went.

7/29 PM WALL-E at Sunset
It was Amir’s 17th birthday today so we went out to dinner and a movie. We saw WALL-E and got up in the middle to run out to the lobby and ring bells for the sunset. Then we ran back inside. It was very festive.

7/30 AM That Old Pink Magic
Usually as soon as I crack open the door to go out at sunrise, Malcolm shoots out onto the porch and dives through the bars as he leaps from the porch to land onto the sand below. I hate it when he does that because there are no stairs going down to the yard. In order to get him to come back inside, I have to go back through the house, down the stairs, open the back door and try to entice him with cat food to come back inside. I don’t mind so much at other times of the day, but at sunrise, it’s too much activity. Anyway, for whatever reason, he didn’t do that. He walked over to the edge of the porch and then just decided to take in the view and hang out while I rang the bell. We noticed the pink lady in full bloom. Maybe she cast a spell…

7/30 PM Good Jumper
I finally decided to buy a bunch of little bells so that I would have some to give away whenever I encounter people who join me at sunrise or sunset. These bells are much tinier than I thought they would be and much quieter, But they are very cute. So I grabbed a handful at sunset this evening and Norman and I walked around the block. In an effort to get some volume out of them, I shook a handful of them as if they were coins. They felt and sounded more like coins than bells when handled that way. So I accept their tiny little bell sound and will ring them accordingly from now on. Apparently they were loud enough to bother a nearby dog, although when we got close enough for him to see us, he was quite excited and curious. And quite a good little jumper.

7/31 AM Ringing Bell Rings
These tin bells arrived yesterday along with the teeny bells. The tin bells are much louder, and I love that I can attach them to my fingers and ring so many at once. Today looks like we might have some sunshine. What a treat.

7/31 PM Mini Convergence at Marnee Thai
It turned out to be such a nice day; Thea and I met at the beach early this evening and walked by the water. I haven’t experienced the pure joy of movement for a while, and it feels good to simply take a walk for the pleasure of walking. Afterwards, we went up the street for dinner and stepped outside for a moment at sunset to ring the bells.

Upcoming Events

Full Solar Eclipse in China
If you are interested in watching the eclipse this Friday morning, August 1st at 4:00 AM PST, The Exploratorium is opening it's doors on Thursday night, July 31. You are invited to stay up all night and watch a live web cam of the event as it happens in China. I expect a lot of people will come. Bring a sleeping bag and check out the Exploratorium website for more information. The sun will rise in San Francisco at 6:14 AM on Friday morning. So if you are still at the Exploratorium, please join us for the sunrise bell ringing. Bring bells if you have them. We will also be ringing the Exploratorium's bell which I donated at the end of thebellproject in October 2006. The Exploratorium will also host a viewing area in second life.

63rd Anniversary of the Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
At 8:15 AM on August 6, 1945 Enola Gay dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima. The second bomb was dropped on Nagasaki 3 days later. In Hiroshima, each year on the anniversary of the bombing, the Peace Bell is rung in Peace Park. Everyone throughout the world is invited to form a peace bridge by ringing bells at the same moment wherever one happens to be. (In San Francisco, the corresponding time will be at 4:15 PM on August 5th). I am dedicating the sunset observance and bell ringing on Tuesday, August 5th to commemorate all of the lives affected by those events. Let's gather in front of the Asian Art Museum at 8:00 PM and ring bells at sunset (8:13PM PST). Location, directions and transportation info available here.