Easter Sunday...

.... at Saint Brendan church 

Saint Brendan church

on Laguna Honda/Portola

the church area neighborhood

Every Sunday
Dianne Marquez

Dianne at the piano and Fr Daniel with violin

spends a few hours
as the pianist and the lead for the
church choir...

Very expressive choir singing

mother and child in one the pews

She makes the fellowship and
the community celebration
and worship upbeat
and warm...

She loves playing the piano
which she had learned
when she was six years of age ...

On weekdays she practices her
profession as a
registered nurse...

after the mass
like any other Sunday...

there is fellowship
and get to know time
for everyone
in the community hall
downstairs
where everyone

can grab their coffee.
orange juices and
danishes/doughnuts...

or half of the cake
when you have the
appetite...
sorry sister you're
half a second
too late...

that's all folks!

have a great Easter!!

jt

Easter Saturday

.... the Serramonte Farmers market is a great place

for fresh produce coming from Stockton and Salinas ....

This is where I get my organic Kale and other produce including strawberry, nuts

and freshly baked french fruit tart on Saturdays ....

today as i stepped out of the car at the parking lot...

 i heard sounds like its coming

from an accordion....

but as i walked closer to the booth ....

i saw a french man singing along  a barrel organ as it was

running a paper tape of the music fed to it....

today was a taste of Parisian sounds....

without the expense 

of flying over to Paris.... 

Michel Michelis 

the blue box is the barrel organ

of Boyes Hot Springs

gave us French music... (www.michelmichelis.com)

 Michel handing Pam, a farmer's market regular,
a business card

The Summer like weather is a little early this year
as evidenced by the clothes of these young ladies

and the outdoor bench chat at the Stonestown mall

days go by....

too fast...

Tomorrow is already

Easter Sunday

Happy Easter everyone!

jt

away from everything....

.....wouldn't it be great if one could get away...

from everything that spells trouble?

but that's wishful thinking.....

we do wish it just the same .....

and find ourselves striving for it in solitude...

only those who have had their reasonable shares of headaches 

can understandably

go through this wishful thoughts 

of peace and serenity....

for obvious reasons...

they know there are

problems that cannot

be resolved...

and so they would sit in

a quiet corner and stare at the

far and hazy horizon....

meditating or just staring

without thoughts....

looking for answers where there are

none...

why?

hope....

they think there is ...

hope....

but is there?

without hope...

there seems to be no sense

to live for...

we seem to look for order

and guidance from the Creator...

for the great unknown...

and we patiently wait....

and wait...

until our minds get tired

and in all these placid

commotions ...

we forget our 

wishful thoughts..

and console ourselves...

with the 

thought that at least

we gave it a

thought...

jt

SAY IT OR DON'T....

....can words be uttered and be mistaken....

expressions aren't exactly without wit...just because they've reached the level of commonplace utterances.... "Have a good day!"...

does it mean you're not having a good day?

"Good luck!" does it mean you're having a bad luck?
wishing one good health.....does it mean he or she is ill?...
Have a safe trip? ....does it presuppose one is having otherwise?...

if this were the case then it would be 

wise not to say anything at all...

when you come to think of it

and just analyze how words and expressions
are used 

to communicate....

you could just easily find yourself in

a heap of trouble 

if the receiver retorts back....

and suggests an implied meaning

of the opposite....

Or are these phrases just plain expressions?

what happens if one had said  "I LOVE YOU"....
are we to think the suggestion of the opposite?....


Folks be careful with what you say...
you might end up explaining explicitly
in non confusing and qualified manner
some simple expressions and well
intended wishes...

or you might get an
ugly retort....
and things can go uglier....

perhaps it is better not to say anything...
that way you're in safer grounds...

but that would be inhibitive and make the world
though a quiet place....a rather boring
inexpressive and indifferent ....

i think i'd rather be mistaken...
and hope my listener is a sensible one...

that's all folks !

HAVE A GOOD NIGHT!!!!

errr.....i mean....
oh you know what i mean...

jt

ORDINARY PEOPLE

......there are good things about being  just ordinary....

one of them is being able to mingle and do your regular interaction

with people and society without paparazzi's chasing after your tail...

and another one  ....

people have lesser propensity to
 make any big deal about your

inadequacies and imperfections...

STRANGER! if you, passing, meet me, and desire to speak to me, why should you not speak to me?
And why should I not speak to you?..... Walt Whitman....."Leaves of Grass"....13. "To You" an ordinary but intimate conversation

you can go out in the streets without worrying

about your looks ...

 do anything that non ordinary people

cannot do.....

a student waiting for the number 18 bus
with carrot and phone in hand

life is a bit easier...

note another Whitman....

I think I could turn and live with animals, they are so placid and self-contain’d;
I stand and look at them long and long.
They do not sweat and whine about their condition;
They do not lie awake in the dark and weep for their sins;	685
They do not make me sick discussing their duty to God;
Not one is dissatisfied—not one is demented with the mania of owning things;
Not one kneels to another, nor to his kind that lived thousands of years ago;
Not one is respectable or industrious over the whole earth.

at the De Young's museum Friday night events...
i have these photos....

of ordinary people...

(note: I am the ordinary paparazi, this time)

very casual and candid...

everyone seems to feel at home...

it feels great to be ordinary!!!

that's all folks...

I'll be in touch so you be in touch...

jt

A LITTLE BIT OF HEAVEN...

....'twas a little bit of heaven....and a great sunny Sunday....

Karen, our portrait sitter came in first 

on the dot at 11 in the morning....

i arrived to see her waiting at the 

doorstep of Penelope's studio ...

with a box of cookies

Theresa (with the guitar), Karen, Helen, Penelope and Ivan

Then Theresa and Matt came with freshly brewed 

Peet's to go joe coffee for everyone....

We started sketching after a brief "get to know" 

kind of conversation...

Karen sat still like a pro without 

moving an inch for 

close to an hour and did not ask for break time...

which really helped in  focusing 

our attention to our work...

Theresa, Matt, Karen, Helen and Penelope
enjoying a chat after the brunch...

We had kale salad , baguettes, brie, sparkling fruit cider, 

chocolate chip cookies and Peets coffee...

for brunch...

Theresa and Karen

after the brunch ...

Theresa started playing Bach and....

Karen is checking out the music manuscript
while Theresa took a break in playing the guitar

other guitar pieces

for our entertainment...

Penelope's sketch of Karen 

Helen Marte Bautista is our surprise guest...

She was the SF Library Commissioner....

and a while back in Manila was a

member of the "Bayanihan" dance troupe ...

Theresa's sketch of Karen

Karen chatting with Theresa not in view

My sketch of Karen

The day was fun filled and  completely relaxing ....

we adjourned at 4pm....

Theresa and Matt went to SF Jazz for the

Manuel Barrueco guitar concert at 7pm....

I went to see the concert myself...

Erica in the foreground is the usherette

Manuel Barrueco getting ready to play the first piece

audience chatting during the intermission

it was a very good concert....Barrueco played

Bach and  Scarlatti...
before the intermission
and 
Turina  and Albeniz compositions 
in the second half...
Barrueco was the
first guitarist- in- residence
for the city in 1997-2001

that's all folks!

jt

France .....

....France joined our crowd of readers...

          

United States	95
Germany	23
France	21
Brazil	5
India	2
Italy	2
Argentina	1
Chile	1
Philippines	1
Portugal	1

yesterday... i was going to continue my plein air

of Francisco street but it started to drizzle

so my feet dragged me to the Arts Institute instead... 

Jackie is on the step ladder

and found Jackie working on a huge size canvas

4 1/2 feet by 6 1/2 feet....

for her last painting project before graduating

in April...for her BFA...

the subject of the painting is about fertility....

there's a woman in the painting

Ashley on the foreground is also a  BFA student

 sweeping scattered flower petals

and other unidentifiable objects on the floor...

there's not much to see at the moment as the painting

is about 30% in progress ...

a lot more to go...

not easy tackling big canvases ....

i had a commission work of 4' x 6' when i was

a student and the challenge seemed insurmountable....

at any rate .....the idea of accomplishing this task

gives the artist an experience that can be used 

when faced with similar projects in the future ...

carry on the good work Jackie.....

I'll check back with you in a few days to see

how the painting had progressed....

that's all folks...

jt