my side trip

after visiting with my aunt nancy on tuesday, i stayed the night at my dad's.
the next morning, we enjoyed a delicious fruit compote together, and had a nice visit. (i love fresh figs!)

i couldn't possibly leave san francisco without seeing my aiko brother. i cruised out fulton st., through the panhandle of golden gate park. he lives just blocks from that famed landmark. after arriving, he wasted no time in telling me that i simply HAD to see the all-new de young museum. he's been raving about it since the grand opening, and has been there numerous times, since he and his family are members there.

why on earth would i pass up such a glorious opportunity? i felt that it would balance out the sorrow in my heart and soul, and was not disappointed.
my bro took at least a hundred photos. floor after floor of breathtaking sights. i have countless memories of that museum,as i had been to the previous incarnation of the de young many times while growing up. seeing the same art you viewed as a child is fascinating. in the same way that music from days gone by has new, unique meaning in the here-and-now.

about the pictures... this was a new installation. my friend had not yet seen it.
it consists of hundreds of charred boards of every shape and dimension. there are also charred nails in each of them. the boards are from a black southern baptist church which burned to the ground. it was the work of arsonists. the artist, whose name i am not savvy enough to be able to tell you, acquired the timbers. she connected the pieces with fishing lines by tying it to the nail heads. it is suspended from about 20 feet, and fits together, in an eerily random way. we learned that the artist wanted to create a piece that pulled the building back together, since it had been a place of such joy for so many.

this one really got to me. life, death, and rebirth.