photo by Ballard Avenue

Even the pumpkins in our neighborhood are voting for Obama. We've got them all registered and they're going to vote early and often, too.

You can see more at Yes We Carve.

In an earlier life I wanted to play the tenor sax like Ben Webster, but after a few months of hacking about on it I realized I never would. Back to the music store it went, in exchange for a trombone (I wanted to play the overture to Tannhauser, but that's another story).

Here is the master himself, with Teddy Wilson tickling the ivories, in a set from Copenhagen c. 1970. Sadly, I'll never play the piano like Wilson, either, but I'll keep hacking.

How unreal? This mural on the wall of the Ernest Ingold Clubhouse of the Boys and Girls Clubs of San Francisco features the words "understanding" and "co-operation." What self-respecting cat would go anywhere near those words, except perhaps to say. "Understand this, chump. We'll be co-operating when I see my breakfast in this bowl and it better be some of that good Charlie tuna, not that cheap-ass Walmart crap."

Underneath the Muni tracks we visited yesterday is BART, a regional rail service that connects San Francisco with the suburbs. They have their own rules.

Muni operates a subway under Market Street in downtown San Francisco, and of course, it has overhead flashing signs, too.

San Francisco's transit operator, Muni, has a fleet of historic streetcars they run through downtown and along the waterfront. Some came from Milan, and still have the Italian signage inside. "Fermata prenotata" means "Stop requested."

It seemed like every time we turned around there was a new flashing overhead sign. Over the next few days I'll show some of them to you. This is from the elevator at the San Francisco Public Library.

They were practicing their routines while we were clambering around Alcatraz Island. We were a lot closer to them here than we were last summer at Madison Park.

We went to Alcatraz. It's smaller than I imagined—there were only a couple hundred inmates there at any one time—but it's just as grim a place as you would think. Worst of all would be that everyday you'd look across a mile of water and see the city laid out before you, and all you had to look forward to was another day in a damp, cold cell.

As sung by Tony Bennett and danced by members of San Francisco's own hula halau, Na Lei Hulu I Ka Wekiu. Produced by Jim Yager for Union Bank of California.

photo by Theresa

She's got extra toes for kneading your lap, and who could ever say no to those sea-green eyes.

We're off to San Francisco for several days of fun and, one hopes, picture-taking. See you soon!

photo by Theresa

Snowball's a little fuzzy on the focusing distance of a macro lens, hence her overall fuzziness in this picture, but you can get away with anything if you have blue eyes.

photo by Ballard Avenue

As a street name, Earl Avenue doesn't have quite the exotic charm of Cleopatra Avenue, but it's a very nice street nonetheless. Our friend Patti lives on Earl. Hi, Patti!

I know little about Tip, Tap, and Toe other than their names—Ray Winfield, Samuel Green, and Ted Fraser—but boy, were they ever hot! You have to love the Haile Selaisse slide step in this clip from "You Can't Have Everything" (1937).