South Dakota: Jumped into a pickup--hitchiking from Daluth to Miller--old farmer tosses me a wet calf, maybe an hour old. Momma cow was in the back a bit wobbly from a cesarean delivery. Very grounding experience!

Today I passed a white parked car on Brannan Street with a pink sheet covering only one side of it. I wondered if maybe the sheet was there to secure the car, perhaps there was broken window. But it didn't seem that secure because the sheet fluttered in the wind. I approached the car and carefully lifted the sheet. To my suprise, there was a big dog in the back of the car. It looked up at me when I lifted the sheet and seemed quite comfortable there. I dont' know what was weirder, the pink sheet or the big dog.

I was stopped in my truck at the corner of 9th & Market. Out of the corner of my eye a homeless man wrapped in mexican blankets and old sheets shuffled into the sidewalk. Out of nowhere a man ran out and got on his knees in front of the homeless man in the middle of the cross walk. He threw his arms up and made large bowing gesticulations at the mans feet. He then jumped to his feet and darted accross to the other side beofre our light went green.

The hill in front of my house is so steep that I tell people, "If it were any steeper, the road wouldn't hold pavement." Of course, it's a magnet for thrill-seeking drivers, bicyclists, skaters, and skateboarders. I've seen all kinds of vehicles go down it, but only one gender - guys. All ages, but only guys! Any girls or women on the hill seem to be going UP... running or walking. Today I was driving home and looked up just in time to see a dad on a bike starting down the hill - with his four-year-old in the little covered trailer behind him. I've never seen such a huge smile on a child! It didn't just cover the face: shoulders, arms, fingertips, and feet were all in a delicious, anticipatory quiver. I burst out laughing myself, it was so contagious! And yes, you guessed it -- a father and... a son.

when i first visited sf from boston i stayed with a friend in the avenues. we were walking around 26th and geary area when i saw the most charming sight that broke my heart wide open. nestled among the taller 2 and 3 story residential buildings was a tiny, lovely cottage. my friend explained these dwellings had been erected as temporary housing after the big earthquake. but i couldn't really even listen to him. instead i drew close to it and peered though the window. inside i saw a sewing maching and an array of fabric scraps. i knew then i would be moving to sf soon...