San Francisco is a jewel.

Moon rising over Coit Tower from Lombard St.

This city will always be special in my eyes, despite my preference for rural environments. I love the way it straddles the divide between urban and sylvan so easily, and relish its approachability as a web of neighborhoods of distinct personality, rather than a forbidding fortress of concrete and steel. A long time ago we lived on the Presidio for three wonderful years; I gave birth to our daughter with a view of the Golden Gate bridge from my hospital room and, ironically, our son’s current office is within one of the refurbished officer’s homes that abut the property of the now demolished hospital where his sister was born. So happily, the connection persists.

A mural of a mythical beast by Curiot (Favio Martinez) who blends human and animal forms while alluding to Mexican traditions. At Bush St. and Grant Ave.

“Cupid’s Span”, 2002, by Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Brugge, near the Ferry Building

“Language of the Birds”, Brian Goggin & Dorka Keehn’s 2008 solar-powered light sculpture before the backdrop of Bill Weber’s 1987 “Jazz Mural”. Both are only a stone’s throw from SF’s iconic City Lights booksellers. Words and phrases embedded in the sidewalk below, give the impression they have fallen out of the books. The words are in English, Italian, and Chinese, reflecting the neighborhood’s rich literary history.

Our visit this month was just what I needed to shake out my end-of-winter malaise and to recharge the old batteries. ‘Baghdad by the Bay’, eminently walkable, with its golden light, fresh and varied foods, and rich array of cultural choices, proved to be just the balm needed at this time of year.

“Woodline”, 2011 by Andy Goldsworthy, in the Presidio

“Spire”, 2008 by Andy Goldsworthy, in the Presidio

Among its many attributes, San Francisco is a city swathed in art – both professionally polished and creatively homegrown – offering visual delights in just about every corner. This post is a nod to a few of the many discoveries that caught my eye.

Balmy Lane, Mission District       We took a “Detour” walking tour – a phone app audio guide – through the mural-rich Mission. Balmy Lane is a one block alley lined with beautiful and vibrant murals.

Balmy Lane

The icing on the artistic cake was getting tickets to see the Matisse / Diebenkorn exhibit that had just opened at the SF MOMA. It is a wonderful show; two of my greatest heroes together, brilliantly curated to underline the strong influence that Mattisse had on Diebenkorn. There were no photos allowed, which in hindsight was an advantage since it meant there was nothing between viewer and art, requiring full engagement with the work. This is the best link I could find with some of the images. There is a full room of drawings that are spectacular! My only regret in regard to no photos is that I wasn’t able to have a record of the identifying cards next to the works – they were filled with info that I would like to reread.

We also visited “Paul Klee at Play” at SF MOMA. These hand puppets were made by Klee for his son, Felix

Another Klee puppet using papier-mâché, found materials, and scraps of cloth

“Battle of the Sexes”, 1982 by Tom Otterness. A frieze that surrounds a door opening, with female figures climbing on the left, males on the right. Both carry cylindrical drums and spheres representing abstract ideas. At the top they meet and a struggle erupts without a winner.

“Czara z Babelkami”, 2006 by Ursula von Rydingsvard, a towering cedar sculpture in the SF MOMA sculpture garden

I’m saving my thoughts on Wendy Maruyama’s WildLIFE Project & Janice Arnold’s FELT DECODED at the Museum of Craft and Design for next week. I’ll also have a few of the sketches I was able to squeeze in around the edges. I hope you will check back.

❖

And to follow-up on the ‘White Screen of Death’ that occurred right after we left town…it ended up being an easy fix once I got home and could devote a few minutes to figuring out the problem from my laptop. I can never say enough good things about my server, Bluehost. I found a tutorial on their site that allowed me to dig myself out of trouble in about 15 minutes. I have since learned that the WSoD is unfortunately not all that uncommon for WordPress users. May you never experience it. But just in case you do, below are a couple of links that lifted me beyond my initial panic so that I could relax and enjoy our vacation, knowing it was very likely a solvable problem.

• Amy Lynn Andrews’ post “How to Deal with Errors and Warnings”…a must-read, applicable to any computer issue.
• WP Sync one-time fix $39. I can’t give this a personal recommendation because I didn’t need to use it and there are likely many other groups that offer similar deals. But, it was definitely peace of mind to know that, if needed, I could get an expert on the case at a very reasonable price, and without having to commit to an on-going service.