TINA ERICKSON
  • ART
    • Painting >
      • Rescued
      • Nothing is Everything
      • To Bits
      • Urban Birds
      • Flight Signs
      • Friends of Ethelbert and Stinkweed
    • Photography >
      • The Disquieted Quiet
      • Lollygag When Passing
  • ABOUT
  • CONTACT

FLOWER SONG TO THE BLUE SKY

9/17/2020

0 Comments

 
The blue sky has returned from the orange haze that blocked the sun for days. The air is no longer thick with ash, and hearts are no longer quite so heavy. I walk on a street that has been blocked to allow for car free pedals and strolls. I am happy to be among humans again. Isolation can stifle ones soul and creativity. Being able to move around with other people, even at a distance, even without interacting beyond a hello, is a gift. 

I park near my favorite restaurant which has the best bread and butter I have ever had. If it was the last thing I ever ate, I would be fine with that. A few doors down is one of my favorite coffee shops. The owner is an artist with a way with words and coffee beans. Beyond that is an art supply store with beautiful paints and a desirable collection of paper and pencils. This is not why I am here, and I am still not venturing into my old haunts, open or not.   

The ocean calls to me the way it always does, but I challenge myself to walk the other direction. It is unusually warm for San Francisco, but summer here generally does not start until fall. I've lost track of time. I click and step, click and step, never letting go of my camera. I walk up 27 long blocks, avenue to avenue. I walk back on a parallel street, 27 blocks in reverse. My pace is slow and contemplative. I try to take notice of everything. 

Time is mysterious and safety from disaster is no longer a given, if it ever was. This day is a reminder to never take the blue sky for granted. Never dismiss the ease of breathing. I try to smile to others under my mask, as I know we have all been in a collective state of panic. Realizing they cannot read the smile from my eyes alone, I wave an awkward wave, and continue clicking. 
Leaf with circle on pavement
two funny cars
road closed sign
no parking sogn on garage door
rusted electrical box
plastic toy food on toy grill
sell your record flyer
chalk drawing on sidewalk
topiary bush
Fake flowers
Evacuation site sign
gate with cardboard behind it
Resist painted on wall on hillside SF
childlike drawing of rainbow
danger do not climb sign on fence
withering tree
ironing board leaning on garage door
Flags in dirt
flower on vine
crutch in street
cropped part of cantina sign
mop on sidewalk
caption and succulent
abandoned gas station behind fence
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    THE DISQUIETED QUIET

    photography and writing 
    ©Tina Erickson


    ARCHIVES

    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020


    CATEGORIES

    All
    Architecture
    Beach
    Birds
    Blue
    California
    Cemetery
    City
    Design
    Fire
    Flowers
    Graffiti
    Mask Wearing
    Memory
    Nature
    Ocean
    Photography
    Poetry
    San Francisco Bay
    Signs
    Street
    Urban Wildlife


    THANKS FOR STOPPING BY! 
    Please save a bookmark for this blog in your browser, and visit again at your leisure. I'll be posting often.