Amazing things!
Don't know where to start or how to present these things in the best understandable fashion so forgive the messiness. Most recent amazing thing was Wednesday in San Francisco. I went into the city at around 4pm and finally got to visit the Columbarium when it was open. See all the amazing photos I shot by clicking on this image: 
After doing a quick run through there I drove back downtown to meet one of my best old friends, Jeff. See, we had plans to go see an excellent concert at Slim's this night. I picked Jeff up on Market Street after he got off work and then we went for a drive to the ocean.
You can see some of the photos we took there by clicking on this image:
After lounging there for an hour we went back into town. We drove through Golden Gate Park and saw the herds of buffalo that live there. Sadly, this made me think of eating buffalo stew at Tommy's Joynt. When we got there we could not find a place to park. Jeff didn't show it but he was very saddened by this. Turns out that after we left Slim's (after midnight) and drove by again they were still open. We had to get home though so next time we come over for a show we will go there for sure.
The concert we went to at Slim's was of an all-female Led Zeppelin tribute band from New York called Lez Zeppelin.
You can see the photos I took there by clicking on this image:
This was one excellent performance and I am so glad that Jeff was so excited about attending it. I wouldn't have gone on my own to this show and it would have been a pity to have missed them. I haven't taken the time to write to her yet, but the leader of this band, Steph Payne, has created such a fantastic blending of the music of the original band with female spiritual energy and I need to let her know how moved I was. When they played, "Since I've Been Loving You" I actually broke out in tears. And I've never cried at a concert before. Movies, sure... I don't know if it was my love for the music of Led Zeppelin and getting to hear it performed live after decades of listening to these songs or if it really was something about the female interpretation of these classic songs that hit me. I think it was a combination. Plus these women were very attractive and really had their presentation down.
Another very neat thing about this evening was that my friend Rita, that I met on craigslist over a year ago came to the show with us. She is great because I can call her on a moments notice and she is always willing to come out to hear some music. Another great thing happening is the weather has changed. Last weekend it actually rained here in northern California and today the temperature has dropped into the 60's and we have this beautiful overcast sky. Trees are changing colors and leaves are starting to fall. Hopefully this will be the beginning of a decent, wet winter for us.
Ok, now onto more serious business. The project of my book may be taking on more serious and larger transformations. Since visiting Ohio (the land of my ancestors) I have gotten a bug in my bonnet about wanting to move back to Ohio. To live there for one year so that I can experience the four seasons is one desire I have, but on a deeper level I would use this time to submerge myself into a research project about my family's heritage. To live for a year in the city that generations of my family lived in, to walk it's streets and draw on the sense of history that they helped create. This may actually be something that I'll be able to figure out how to do.
The house that my mother grew up in during the 30's and 40's is still standing.
It is in a very run down section of Springfield, Ohio and there are actually people living in it right now; I think they are transient/migratory workers though and may not even be paying rent. Actually, the section of town this house is in will probably be demolished before too long. Blocks and blocks of streets of homes are deserted and boarded up. I contacted the County Auditor's office to see what the value of the house is. It was appraised to be worth about $27,000. The office informed me though that taxes have not been paid for over two years and that the property could be snatched up for a mere $2,400.
Since being in Ohio I've had a feeling of connection with my ancestors. You all know how consumed I am with the story I am writing. Well, maybe you don't know. It's funny, how about two months ago I mentioned starting this process of attempting to gain freedom from the influences my family's ghosts may have had in controlling aspects of my life, this exorcism. Yet now half way through the process I am feeling a willingness to become more strongly associated with them so that I can study where they lived and try to become able to tell their story. What I see as proof of becoming free from their ill will towards my life would be gaining an ability to be financially stable and of also becoming able to partake in healthy relationships with people. The gaining of those two things would be the sign to me that their curse has been lifted. If somehow I gain enough money to be able to buy this house, move to Ohio and be able to support myself there for a year I would feel sure that the curse of my family ghosts had turned into a blessing. Maybe what is happening is that the work that Wanda is doing to exorcise my demons is turning their hearts towards helping me so that I can come there, study their history and tell their story.
One thing I wonder is if I might be able to win a financial grant of some sort to be able to go do this project. This was an idea that my friend Robin G. suggested and I want to run it past Steve to see what he thinks. This project would be to create a photo documentary of the places they lived, which are primarily Springfield, and Yellow Springs, Ohio and Parkersburg, West Virginia. Through viewing genealogical records recently I've also seen that we had family members that lived in Maryland as far back as the 1730's. So I would need to visit those regions and look for graves and homesteads. A rather huge project, yes? Could this be mania or madness that is drawing me into wanting to do this? Maybe...
After doing a quick run through there I drove back downtown to meet one of my best old friends, Jeff. See, we had plans to go see an excellent concert at Slim's this night. I picked Jeff up on Market Street after he got off work and then we went for a drive to the ocean.
You can see some of the photos we took there by clicking on this image:
After lounging there for an hour we went back into town. We drove through Golden Gate Park and saw the herds of buffalo that live there. Sadly, this made me think of eating buffalo stew at Tommy's Joynt. When we got there we could not find a place to park. Jeff didn't show it but he was very saddened by this. Turns out that after we left Slim's (after midnight) and drove by again they were still open. We had to get home though so next time we come over for a show we will go there for sure.
The concert we went to at Slim's was of an all-female Led Zeppelin tribute band from New York called Lez Zeppelin.
You can see the photos I took there by clicking on this image:
This was one excellent performance and I am so glad that Jeff was so excited about attending it. I wouldn't have gone on my own to this show and it would have been a pity to have missed them. I haven't taken the time to write to her yet, but the leader of this band, Steph Payne, has created such a fantastic blending of the music of the original band with female spiritual energy and I need to let her know how moved I was. When they played, "Since I've Been Loving You" I actually broke out in tears. And I've never cried at a concert before. Movies, sure... I don't know if it was my love for the music of Led Zeppelin and getting to hear it performed live after decades of listening to these songs or if it really was something about the female interpretation of these classic songs that hit me. I think it was a combination. Plus these women were very attractive and really had their presentation down.Another very neat thing about this evening was that my friend Rita, that I met on craigslist over a year ago came to the show with us. She is great because I can call her on a moments notice and she is always willing to come out to hear some music. Another great thing happening is the weather has changed. Last weekend it actually rained here in northern California and today the temperature has dropped into the 60's and we have this beautiful overcast sky. Trees are changing colors and leaves are starting to fall. Hopefully this will be the beginning of a decent, wet winter for us.
Ok, now onto more serious business. The project of my book may be taking on more serious and larger transformations. Since visiting Ohio (the land of my ancestors) I have gotten a bug in my bonnet about wanting to move back to Ohio. To live there for one year so that I can experience the four seasons is one desire I have, but on a deeper level I would use this time to submerge myself into a research project about my family's heritage. To live for a year in the city that generations of my family lived in, to walk it's streets and draw on the sense of history that they helped create. This may actually be something that I'll be able to figure out how to do.
The house that my mother grew up in during the 30's and 40's is still standing.
It is in a very run down section of Springfield, Ohio and there are actually people living in it right now; I think they are transient/migratory workers though and may not even be paying rent. Actually, the section of town this house is in will probably be demolished before too long. Blocks and blocks of streets of homes are deserted and boarded up. I contacted the County Auditor's office to see what the value of the house is. It was appraised to be worth about $27,000. The office informed me though that taxes have not been paid for over two years and that the property could be snatched up for a mere $2,400.Since being in Ohio I've had a feeling of connection with my ancestors. You all know how consumed I am with the story I am writing. Well, maybe you don't know. It's funny, how about two months ago I mentioned starting this process of attempting to gain freedom from the influences my family's ghosts may have had in controlling aspects of my life, this exorcism. Yet now half way through the process I am feeling a willingness to become more strongly associated with them so that I can study where they lived and try to become able to tell their story. What I see as proof of becoming free from their ill will towards my life would be gaining an ability to be financially stable and of also becoming able to partake in healthy relationships with people. The gaining of those two things would be the sign to me that their curse has been lifted. If somehow I gain enough money to be able to buy this house, move to Ohio and be able to support myself there for a year I would feel sure that the curse of my family ghosts had turned into a blessing. Maybe what is happening is that the work that Wanda is doing to exorcise my demons is turning their hearts towards helping me so that I can come there, study their history and tell their story.
One thing I wonder is if I might be able to win a financial grant of some sort to be able to go do this project. This was an idea that my friend Robin G. suggested and I want to run it past Steve to see what he thinks. This project would be to create a photo documentary of the places they lived, which are primarily Springfield, and Yellow Springs, Ohio and Parkersburg, West Virginia. Through viewing genealogical records recently I've also seen that we had family members that lived in Maryland as far back as the 1730's. So I would need to visit those regions and look for graves and homesteads. A rather huge project, yes? Could this be mania or madness that is drawing me into wanting to do this? Maybe...
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I live in Yellow Springs and I love it here, but every few years I need to go back home to the Northeast of England and touch, feel, smell my roots. There is something special about washing your face in the same sink as your grandparents, walking the streets and touching the buildings that your ancestors once did. Sort of make you feel anchored.