Corona - day 3 Spring

Spring is here!

wild flowers in Montara off hwy 1

roll out the red carpet

flowers are in bloom

 leaves are

gently emerging on trees

for that 

rich green foliage look...

the fresh breeze will start

swaying trees
and  the leaves of grass

on rolling hills

and beautiful meadows 

up and down the coast from the
Cliff House to Montara

Golden Gate park windmill

Westlake Target

we'll start

seeing the sun more often

brighter and warmer
with its ultra violet rays

that can kill germs

and viruses
something which
we are
blessed with

it might be one of the reasons
the bay area isn't much infected by the
corona compared to densely populated
cosmopolitan cities...
of course, we can also say
that we're generally, heeding the social
distancing and other gathering rules
and so on and so forth.

rockaway trail hikers

Go out there for nature walk,

for the uv and enjoy...

it's healthy and therapeutic!

plein air painting at Montara

that's all folks!

Corona - Day 2

Home Sweet Home

Foxes at Sharp Park course

it's pretty quiet on the

western front east of the 

Great Highway ...

cable car on Powell st

after a day of lockdown,  neighborhoods

that were used to the idea of gregarious

and warm social life in San Francisco

have adapted to a new quiet life

like the prisoner of Zenda

we are the prisoners of Corona...

boulange cafe on cole st

or that
we were granted freedom
from work
no rush to drive anywhere
no speed freaks on freeways
no traffic jams to negotiate

California St at Taylor

it's basically back to simple times
and simple pleasures

those who can find something to do

will not mope around...
and there's always something to do
believe you me

Lola my portrait model

watch children laugh
watch wives or mothers
show their natural talents for
great cooking and baking goodies

or carpentry work from dads
or
listen to the blue jays
this spring...

bluejay

watch the tomato plants in the yard grow...
watch the trees lose their barks...
or watch commentators who are
never at a loss for an opinion..
watch the news broadcasts
on the corona covered regions of the
planet...and get updated with
the struggle and the fight against corona

taking a coffee break at the boulange cafe

i for one will catch up on learning more
guitar pieces for my repertoire
as well as do my paintings in progress

Trina at sf conservatory of flowers

at Fort Mason community garden

Steve LIn at Boulange``

yes i'm staying put
it's the best defense against the
deadly virus...

Rocky Raccoon

remember we're really at
a loss for now
we are on our own
along with
the medical practitioners
facing the same risks
so heed their advise
to stay home

did anybody say "simple pleasure"?

after all
there's no place
like home

that's all folks!

  

the Sun will soon be rising

corona lockdown

on a clear day

and beautiful skies

view on hwy35 looking west

it's the prelude to the 6 counties in the

bay area lockdown

view of Golden Gate bridge from Ft Mason

like a masked man who came in the night...

depending on your expectations 

but this one knocked on the door
and might even be carrying the
silver bullets...

it wasn't a total surprise...

I was following daily news broadcasts
 from around the world and
the domestic scientific community
assessments so I had expected the

lockdown to happen but not

till schools had
run the 2 week course of voluntary
closures to, i suspect, yield some stats
on its efficacy for the CDC
to have a full grasp of the local
conditions and from there be able
to make practical recommendations
in the Bay Area.

what i didn't know is 

over the weekend
while a lot of us were going about the
business of life, 

i guess, after consultations of

the leaders of the local, state and

federal and maybe even in coordination
with WHO

everyone must have unanimously 

voted to nip it in the bud

PDQ.

other countries had followed suit
in unison with America.

On Monday around brunch time
i heard the lockdown from a friend
so i went to the supermarket to get packages of
pancake mix which i know i
  have little left
barely enough
for a kid's breakfast

a lot of people seemed
estranged and lost ...
there were long queues at Safeway.
some tried to keep a minimum
yard length distance as
opposed to Trader Joes

line outside Trader Joe Westlake

where the flow of customers  was
regulated within the shop
so that it's pretty much

there's probably 50 or less people in the store

in line with the observation of 50
people in gathering and
more room than the 6ft social
distancing.
it looks like CDC
would be assessing the lockdown
result over the initial 3 week period
if the numbers are favorable i think
they will extend it up to a point
when a vaccine or some medication
 is finally available
for use when they can safely loosen
in a gradual manner the lockdown.

raccoons at harding park

my wild guess, this will take months
but it's a worthwhile
sacrifice for survival
and back to normal kind of life.

Grisha at the coffee roastery on chestnut in the marina

listen to the guitar music of Grisha
to keep your sanity in this corona times...
i do.

that's all folks!

corona frenzy

Step back to see and  understand the whole picture

intermittent sleep...woke up...

 outside is cold

and dark...

early morning ... 3:30 a.m.

the Colbert show helps not to notice time

go by....

anyway, proceeded to brew coffee 

and started drafting this blog

after months of dormancy.

sunset strollers at Ocean Beach

Troubled atmosphere and sights of desolation on the streets...

apocalyptic scenarios only Hollywood can dramatize

with a sense of believability are now tactile events....

though, i believe, not as a denial of truth, 

but that what is happening 

is not a reflection of the real state of affairs 

however, due to the inadequacy of believable unified 

information events nonetheless had 

evolved to partake the character of frenzy. 

view of sunset at Rockaway 

It's nothing but a shock to the psyche that exploded, however, 

with clear minds, we can wade and cross this artificial turbulence

even with slow steps for after all it's a shallow brook.

Watch pleasant, wholesome shows and do activities that

can relieve stress i.e. music, arts, nature walks, etc.

signs of Spring

Leave the virus to the scientific community.

They'll be very happy and will do their

best to take care of it with the

help of authorized government

institutions worries will soon

vanish like bubbles.

foxes at Sharp park

There is no rush to

empty supermarket shelves

we have abundance of food supply

and other things. Distribution in the

market is functioning though erratic.

Stop, think and listen...

there is cause for alarm

but there is no sense

to drive ourselves crazy.

We don't need a very sophisticated

weaponry to kill the virus...

soap alone can breakdown

the lipids of corona.

Just observe good hygiene,

sanitation and eat healthy

foods that can boost the immune

system till a corona vaccine is 

made for the next season.

Few students attended my art class

the week before voluntary school closure

because of an understandable fear 

as well as a modicum of

paranoia accountable to

the lack of reliable information.

I saw sadness and anxiety

 in the eyes of a majority

of students. A disruption

scenario they are not ready for...

though i'm happy to say we were able to

do art, share cheers and laughter while

alternately listening to 

Linda Eder and Diana Krall 

rendering of the music 

from the

Dr Doolittle serenade to a seal

 "when i look in your eyes" 

on Friday before the 

"corona-break weekend".

another sunset view at Rockaway 

Fort Point area 

Optimism will prevail in a few

days i reckon' as the general population will

come to realize that things are

really within reasonable control....

legion of honor cafe during the J Tissot exhibit

"The four horsemen" aren't here!

it's not the end of the world!

It's merely 

a case of strong virus transferred from

animals to humans...an aberration

that skipped anticipation.

I will continue the regular

routine of normal artistic life...

do plein airs and

finish works in progress...

and go to Beach Java cafe 

when i get a chance.

 view of mori point overlooking hwy 1

Pouring now and rain is

in the forecast for the next 4 days.

Might as well wash

the air of pessimism

and uncertainty away... we could use 

a refreshing help from nature
and the sun will soon be rising.

that's all folks!

p.s. i'll take more pictures

and share them with you 

on this subject later.

SURF

surfing is riding the wave crest ...

two surfer buddies out for the late afternoon surf

it's

for the moment sort of thrill

and enjoyment...

till the surf loses it's energy...

like everything else.

surfboard atop a 50s wagon...

....my daily diary of 

things to do are devoid of this
heart pounding kind of thrills...
actually not even listed 

to be checked off ...

i usually do things as my mood

and inspiration dictate...house chores like

cooking, cleaning the kitchen, bathroom,

shooting artworks, taking pictures of trails

a twilight view of Pacifica from Rockaway hill...

and other sceneries for the blog 

sunset fog approaching  Peter point

twilight...Rockaway trail

as well

as my painting sessions and catching  up

with current events while watching

Tv news, playing guitar music to calm

my nerves...

speaking of music i've been

looping Dave Grusin's composition

for the movie

"On Golden Pond"

which i listen to during my

painting sessions to keep me

going till the wee hours.

It's that type of music that's

so relaxing and calm as if 

with an angelic gentle touch.

Anyway, that's just my opinion.

back to chores,

these are all common sense stuff...

eat when i'm hungry, washing dishes

after the meal, laundry when i'm out

of something to wear, etc. etc.

seagull carcass on the trail

however, after all is said and done

hours have gone by and i'm exhausted

and hardly have time to do my blog so

i'm running behind to keep in touch

with my readers....but thanks for

bearing with me....

here's my latest...

been working on a serious art project,

which means, conceptualizing, 

looking for funding, sending out
proposals to museums in NY,
London, Amsterdam,
collecting reference materials

 and actually

painting the portraits for the project
on relatively large canvases 36" x 48"
to test my endurance,

patience and speed to go through 

as well as be able to estimate

the time table involved to complete one
and from there the full series.

So it's a series of figurative paintings

of women from the 50s era to the
contemporary times..

these are women from different countries 

who have contributed, encouraged

and supported the development of Arts and Culture.

It is my way of paying homage to these

personalities. Some of them are gone and
some of them, gladly,

are still around  casting incessant influence... 

it's no doubt, rather, an ambitious project...

but it's exciting  and fun to do.

so here's an example of one of the paintings...

The Londoner_Jane Birkin

There's more to be done to fine tune

the painting. Jane Birkin has a great

influence on women's fashion in the 60s

up to now. She's also remembered for her
role in "Blow Up"
with David Hemmings and Vanessa Redgrave.

The other personalities on my list are 

Audrey Hepburn, Jackie Kennedy, Liz Taylor,

Gloria Steinem, Princess Diana, Twiggy, 

Evita Peron, Ariana Huffington,  Catherine Deneuve

Golda Meir, Queen Rania, Imelda Marcos,

Gemma Cruz and others whom i still
have to research on from the

Arab world as well as the middle East,

and the Mediterranean region and Asia.

So considering there's so

many personalities 

I'll put more time to this project

and do plein air landscapes
once in a blue moon.

Fog on Taylor St looking towards Bay bridge

Fog by Lake Merced

that will be for now...

i'll try my best to keep you 

up to date.

i'll catch you folks sometime!

Bye Bye Birdie!!

that's how i felt standing close to the edge of the cliff...

to take a photo of

the eroding side of the mound at the summit

of Rockaway hill...a little

adventurous act but silly...

there's plenty of inspirational views 

...one can sit

 amidst fields of flowers...

stare at the ocean below to meditate

or watch the local creatures...

horned beetle...

This lizard camouflages like a root...

it knows how to survive and avoid

detection from other animals...

in human society the same thing can be said of

politicians whose favorite music might either be

"two different worlds" or "masquerade"...

lizard on the trail...

hovering hawk

it's summer and it's time for 

the Stern Grove summer concerts..

last Sunday the SF Symphony

gave the audience the pleasure

of listening to

classical music...

and after two hours of great music

all good things come to an end...

it's work day tomorrow...

hasta la vista!

jt