On the Beach Reincarnation of the Whalebone Saloon, built a few years ago by Sean Hellfritsch and friends on a remote beach. It’s at the base of a free-flowing creek that empties on to the beach, and has prolific watercress.
Yesterday was a beautiful beach day, the calm before a week (hallelujah!) of storms and rains. I lay in the sun, ran a bit, jumped in the water, right back out — brrr! Very few people on beach, one guy had a beautiful black piece of whale baleen he’d found. Later I came across what must have been a 25′-long whale rib, awesome to ponder the size of a creature with a rib of this size. This one, that had washed ashore in May, was a 79′ blue whale.
Friday Morning Fish Fry
Got up at 6, navigated the road work on Highway One (monstrous project), got latte and cinnamon roll at Equator Coffee in Mill Valley (I’m kinda devastated that Cafe Roma is closed (after 29 years in North Beach), am looking for another good coffee shop in SFO where I can work on my computer early in the morning — suggestions welcome…Got to the cove at Aquatic Park about 9, swam about 10 minutes, water was 51 degrees (another swimmer told me). It always encouraging to see other swimmers there from the South End Rowing Club and The Dolphins Club, no stinkin wetsuits, a hat being the only acceptable cold water wear; it’s painful for me the first minute or 2, but at about 3 minutes, the body adjusts and by the time I’ve been in 6 minutes, I’m not feeling bad. Got to get out before 20 minutes or so, I’ve found, or hypothermia will begin. But the rush you get once out is worth the little bit of pain. Then over to the Buena Vista Cafe for an Irish Coffee; what a way to start the day!
The Next Book
Since I decided to put my book on the ’60s online, instead of as a regular book, I’ve been working on my Half Acre Homestead book. It’s like time travel, going back to 1973 or so, documenting the building of the house and outbuildings, developing the garden, dealing with chickens, bees and goats, the tools we’ve settled on. As I work on it, listing tools, techniques, things that have worked, those that haven’t. I’ll publish an outline of the book in the next post or two.
Interior of above driftwood shack
(Click on these photos for larger size.)
