The 2011 Project is a work by San Francisco artist Tofu. Each day in 2011 he created a 4”x4” mixed media piece. The finished project was made up of 365 smaller mixed media pieces. In 2013 the individual pieces will be distributed to project supporters. The project also acted as sketchbook for new ideas, which continue to be incorporated into new work For more information please visit 2011project.com
There is a lot I love about California and one thing that especially makes it an amazing place is Route One. In various pieces many, many times I have driven along the coast on Route One. Today I came back home to San Francisco along Big Sur, after all these years, it still remains as exciting as the first time.
If you like to travel, you might have your own a set of rules. The rules are yours and yours alone. It’s not about rules for everyone to follow but rather, you figure out what works best for you when you travel. One of my travel rules is always to look for places near popular destinations that often get overlooked. Some of my favorite places are often missed. Many people are looking to get somewhere else, somewhere more famous, etc.
One of those places is Wupatki National Monument. It’s just north of Flagstaff and most travelers drive right by on their way to the Grand Canyon. I am not complaining, I kind of like having the place to myself. I’ve photographed it, I’ve painted it, and I’ve visited the magic breathing hole. Yes, did I tell you about that? Over to the side of the pueblo ruins, there is a reconstructed Aztec-style ball court. Next to it is a small opening in the earth. When the temperature is warm, air comes rushing out of mysterious caverns somewhere below the earth. There is a sign explaining in National Park Service-speak that it is believed this site was held as sacred. Duh! The earth is breathing. Wupatki is one of the reasons I love road trips.
There is that feeling one gets near the end of a long trip when something familiar comes into view. It may be a freeway exit, a large building near home or in my case the Bay Bridge. There is that moment when you pass through the tunnel on Yerba Buena Island and there it is, San Francisco. It always looks extra special from that view. On the way back to San Francisco there is another familiar sign that you’re almost home — Mono Lake.
After one of those long flights across the continent, I love when Mono Lake appears out the window thousands of feet below. As soon as we pass over the lake I know I am back home in California. From there it’s a quick zip across Yosemite, head towards San Jose, turn right at Mount Hamilton and before you can say turn off your electronic devices you’re back at SFO.
Then there is the other approach to Mono Lake. It’s about 235 miles of driving and, if you do it right, it takes most of the day after poking around the Tioga Pass and Toulumne Meadows in Yosemite. You descend down the back of the Sierra into a hot dry landscape, and there is the blue shimmer of Mono Lake.
Mono Lake has gotten smaller over the years. The 60 year old map I used in this piece shows a lake that was much bigger. Los Angeles started tapping the water and the lake level dropped. There is one advantage of the lower water level. It has exposed the tufa formations created by geothermal heated springs under the lakebed. The lakeshore has a wonderful what-planet-is-this look about it. I’ve been photographing and painting the lake over the years.
Now might be the time to hurry and see the lake up close. The Mono Lake Tufa State Natural Reserve is on the list of 70 state parks that California is threatening to close due to budget problems. I still can’t get my mind around the idea of closing a state park. It’s nice to see the lake as I fly home, but even better up close and personal.
After 21 years of living in San Francisco, I finally climbed all the steps to the top of Telegraph Hill and visited Coit Tower this week. The view from the top is really cool, and I got to see the City from a perspective that I usually do not see. As small as San Francisco is, it’s the sort of place where we often do not venture out of our neighborhood and a few other places. North Beach always seems like an impossible distance. If I did have a car (which I don’t), I’d never find parking. As for MUNI, I think I might get to Berkeley quicker on BART than I ever would get to North Beach trying to use public transportation.
It is so typical that we never visit places in our own backyard, but I am glad I finally got to Coit Tower and need to go a little more often. The real reason is visit is the W.P.A. murals.
Madrid is calling. I have been to Madrid but I have never been to Madrid.
Back in my college days, when you do things that only 20 year olds do, I flew to Madrid with a cheap air ticket and a eurrail pass. It was to be a month of wandering Europe. The plan was an eventual return to Madrid a few days before it was time to depart. I went from Spain all the way to Sweden and back. A few weeks later, an overnight trip from Austria had me arriving one morning in Barcelona. The plan was to store the luggage for the day and take another overnight train to Madrid. Then have a few days in Madrid and head home. In the trains station I followed the signs to the place to store the backpack. I saw nothing but scaffolding. A gaping hole was where the luggage storage was supposed to be. It was something to do with bombs and separatists. I decided to find a hotel and head to Madrid the next day. One of the wonderful things about travel is getting sidetracked and tossing out the itinerary. Barcelona seduced me. A few days later, at the last possible moment, I took an overnight train to Madrid and headed straight to the airport.
With a few crumbled 100 pesata bills in my pocket not worth exchanging, I spent the last of my money on some goofy postcards at the airport. The silly ones wear lace has been sewn onto images of beautiful señoritas. I’ve always known I’d put them to some use. So here is my Madrid postcard piece. Unfortunately, I still haven’t been back to Madrid except with the vicarious trips taken in Pedro Almodóvar films.
