Taking off from Seattle on Friday morning, September 11, 2009.
The skies were perfectly blue all the way to San Francisco.
A view of Seatac, by the airport during takeoff.
Circling south from the Seattle airport, with Mt. Rainier in the background.
That's Alki Point in West Seattle on the left, and Mt. Rainier in the background.
Heading south.
That's Maury Island in the foreground, in the waters of Puget Sound.
The bright morning sun made it hard to photograph out of the left side of the plane as we headed south.
That's the south part of Maury Island in the foreground.
The port of Tacoma starts coming into view (right side).
Mt. Rainier looms over Tacoma, Washington.
A view of the Tacoma Narrows bridges, with Tacoma on the right.
The Tacoma Narrows bridges.
Mt. Rainier again. I was flying in a turbo-prop airplane to Portland, Oregon.
Mt. Rainier.
Mr. Rainier.
My window on the world.
Mount St. Helens, with Mt. Adams beyond, further east.
Mount St. Helens and Mt. Adams.
What a great day to fly, and what a view, even if the window was scratchy.
Landing in Portland, Oregon.
Landing in Portland, Oregon (that's actually Vancouver, Washington on the north side of the Columbia River).
Vancouver, Washington.
One of our airplane wheels, over the Columbia River.
A marina near the Portland airport.
Touchdown, so to speak.
After a layover, it was time to take off from Portland, Oregon.
Climbing above the Columbia River.
This bridge is the East Portland Freeway, route 205.
The East Portland Freeway crosses the Columbia River.
The East Portland Freeway and the Columbia River.
I think this is some sort of water treatment plant on Lady Island.
A view of the Columbia River Gorge, just north of Mt. Hood, Oregon.
Mt. Hood.
Over Oregon.
Oregon looks flatter than it really is. This is a little southwest of Mt. Hood, looking east.
This is Mt. Jefferson, just south of Mt. Hood.
Another view of Mt. Jefferson. We also had a good view of the Three Sisters, Mt. Bachelor, and then Crater Lake.
Mt. Jefferson again.
Mt. Jefferson. No filter on my camera. The polarizing affect is a result of shooting through the airplane window.
Mt. Jefferson yet again.
Mt. Jefferson.
Coming in to land over the San Francisco Bay (north bay). These were the first clouds on the trip.
Clouds over San Francisco Bay.
Clouds over San Francisco Bay, looking east.
That's Point Richmond (if that's the correct name) in San Pablo Bay.
Point Richmond.
Point Richmond again.
After landing at the Oakland Airport, where Tracy Koretsky met me, we drove to Treasure Island, which has a great view of San Francisco.
Grey San Francisco.
The Oakland-Bay Bridge and San Francisco, from Treasure Island.
A view of the Oakland-Bay Bridge, shot hastily from the car window. Point-and-shoot cameras make me do this.
A monument area in Cesar Chavez State Park features four stones with these words on them.
Hope.
Tolerance.
Determination.
Courage.
Now it's Saturday, September 12. Here's my old stomping grounds in Foster City, California. Where I used to live is in the middle of this picture, along the water.
Where I used to live in Foster City.
The old homestead! The window on the upper right was the master bedroom where I laid me down to sleep.
The back of the house. From the deck we had a great view of sunsets over the water to the west (behind me when I took this picture). There used to be a small tree where I was standing.
Our house, is a very very very fine house. With deck chairs in the yard, life isn't very hard . . .
The front of the house. My car lived in that thar garage in the middle of the picture.
Another view of the house. The plum tree in the foreground used to blossom in February, occasionally in January, and helped me be aware of the seasons. I lived in this house from 1990 to 2001—more than I've lived anywhere else in my life.
Just because.
Dreamers and Thinkers.
Foster City, California. To the right, behind the trees, was a Togo's sandwich shop where I used to eat. My favourite sandwich there was $2.89 around 1990 or so. Now it costs more than $7.50, but still tastes exactly the same.
Michael Dylan Welch in front of the main tower in Foster City, California. The second-highest buildings, to the left and right, are the world headquarters for Visa Corporation.
Michael Dylan Welch in front of the main tower in Foster City, California.
After visiting Foster City, Tracy Koretsky and I drove over the hill to Half Moon Bay, which was socked in with fog. This is the Fitzgerald Marine Preserve, one of my favourite spots along the coast, not too far from where I lived for fourteen years.
Fitzgerald Marine Preserve. The tide is high, but when it's low, most of the water seen here recedes to show a large expanse of tidepools. I should have taken way more pictures here. After this we drove north to the Cliff House in San Francisco. It was the first time I'd visited Cliff House since it was heavily remodeled. I miss the old Musee Mechanique that was here.
For dinner on Saturday night, September 12, 2009, Tracy and I met for dinner with Garry Gay and Fay Aoyagi. Afterwards, I couldn't resist taking a few blurred shots of car lights while driving home. No, I wasn't driving.
On Sunday morning, September 13, 2009, a group of us met at Green's restaurant at Fort Mason in San Francisco.
Susan Antolin is on the right. Her friend (Diana?) is on the left.
Susan Antolin, Patrick Gallagher, and Debbie Kolodji.
Half the gang at brunch.
Taking our lunch orders.
Fay Aoyagi, Michael Sheffield, Diana (?), Susan Antolin, and Patrick Gallagher.
John Thompson.
Greens has always been a favourite place for me to eat!
Jerry Ball.
Jerry Ball, Fay Aoyagi, and Michael Sheffield.
John Thompson, Michael Dylan Welch, and Jerry Ball.
The crowd begins to gather in room 235, building C, in San Francisco's Fort Mason for the 20th anniversary reading in the Two Autumns reading series, the longest-running haiku poetry reading series in North America. That's Carol Steele and Dan Brady in the front.
The reading will start soon. David Grayson (in the middle) supervised the video recording of the entire reading.
Linda Papanicolaou, Susan Antolin, Carolyn Fitz, Carol Steele, and Alison Woolpert.
The crowd is eager for the reading to begin. That's Janis Lukstein and Patrick Gallager in the front (on the left), with Debbie Kolodji in green, and Jerry Ball and Naia to the right. Between Jerry and Naia is Chuck Brinkley. Ebba Story is in the back, in purple, with Fay Aoyagi and Rich Krivcher standing below the clock.
We enjoyed much socializing before and after the reading.
Copies of My Neighbor, the 2009 Two Autumns reading chapbook, for sale. In the background are photos of Claire Gallagher and Paul O. Williams, two members of the Haiku Poets of Northern California who recently passed away.
The late Claire Gallagher and Paul O. Williams.
Ebba Story guards the snack and book tables.
Yvonne Cabalona and Debbie Kolodji, both in green.
Garry Gay, front right, started the Two Autumns reading series in 1990. It's the crowning jewel of the Haiku Poets of Northern California. As you can see, we had a great turnout, too—about 45 people.
The view from the lectern.
The long socializing time before the reading allowed many of us to talk.
One of the four book tables.
Linda Papanicolaou and Ebba Story.
Michael Sheffield and Renee Owen.
It was great to see so many old friends, and many fine haiku poets at this reading.
Rich Krivcher, our host, gets the 20th annual Two Autumns reading going with four clangs of a small chime.
Garry Gay talks briefly about the origin of the Two Autumns reading series, which he started in 1990, naming the series after the following poem: for me going for you staying two autumns The poem has been incorrectly attributed to Buson, but the poem is actually by Shiki. After Garry's presentation, I gave a short presentation on the history of the misattribution of the poem, and had a handout showing numerous translations, some erroneous attributing the poem to Buson.
Garry Gay is currently the president of the Haiku Poets of Northern California.
Garry Gay.
Thanks to Rich Krivcher for hosting the reading.
Rich Krivcher introduces our first reader.
Carolyn Hall was our first of four featured readers.
Carolyn Hall.
Our second reader was David Grayson. David is the current vice president of HPNC.
David Grayson.
Rich Krivcher announces a break for cake and other snacks.
Here's what's left of our celebration cake. Yum!
??? talks with Carolyn Hall.
Terry Cerato and Patrick Gallagher, with Garry Gay in the background.
Garry Gay and Dan Brady.
Jerry Ball, Naia, David Grayson, and Terry Cerato.
Looking at books. At the far end of the tables in Gary Gach.
Preparing for the second half of the reading.
The attentive crowd.
So many excellent haiku poets here!
Terry, Fay, Chuck, John, Gary, Michael, Renee, Yvonne, Debbie, Jerry (hidden), Patrick, and a few others.
Left to right are Linda Papanicolaou, Ebba Story, Laurie Stoeling (partially hidden), Anne Homan, Terry Cerato, and Fay Aoyagi.
Okay, time for the next reader. Oh wait, that would be me!
Rich Krivcher reads a tribute to the late Claire Gallagher and Paul O. Williams, and then introduces the third featured reader.
The third featured reader, Michael Dylan Welch.
Michael Dylan Welch.
Garry Gay was our fourth featured reader. What a wonderful tradition he started with the Two Autumns reading series.
Garry Gay holds up a copy of the second book in the Two Autumns reading series, titled A Poppy Blooms.
Ebba Story helps Rich Krivcher close the reading with four more rings of the chime.
The chime.
The chime again.
The chime fades to silence, bringing the 20th anniversary Two Autumns reading to a close.
An event sign in front of building C at Fort Mason listing the HPNC reading.
Haiku poets in front of building C at Fort Mason in San Francisco.
Garry Gay should be proud of creating the Two Autumns series!
After the reading, a bunch of us went to Round Table Pizza, nearby. This is Renee Owen and Garry Gay.
David Grayson, Debbie Kolodji, and Naia.
Janis Lukstein, Carolyn Hall, and Linda Papanicolaou.
Fay Aoyagi and Michael Dylan Welch.
The crowd at the rectangular table at Round Table Pizza. Garry's writing a rengay verse to finish up a rengay that he, Fay Aoyagi, and Michael Dylan Welch were writing on the theme of money from around the world.
On Monday, September 14, 2009, Tracy Koresky and I went to Blake Garden in Kensington, California, the longtime home of the president of UC Berkeley. It is currently open as a public park.
A scarecrow minds the crops at Blake Garden in Kensington, California.
The main house at Blake Garden in Kensington, California.
Blake Garden has a great view across the San Francisco Bay.
The Golden Gate Bridge across the bay.
Time to head home. Here's my plane at the Oakland Airport. Thanks to Tracy Koretsky and her husband Ken for hosting me for the weekend!
Deplaning in Portland, Oregon.
In Portland, Oregon.
Taking off from Portland, Oregon, on a prop plane, bound for Seattle.
Crossing the Columbia River.
Rising above Vancouver, Washington.
Heading home.
The camera couldn't quite stop the propellers.
What a great weekend it was.
Not so clear on the way home.
Mt. Rainier in the distance.
Mt. Rainier. I think I like this one best.
Descending over Seattle.
Seattle.
Downtown Seattle.
What a great city Seattle is!
Elliott Bay, Seattle.
West Seattle.
West Seatle.
Evening clouds over the Puget Sound.
Sunset over West Seattle.
Okay, help me decide which of the following pictures is best . . .
I think I like this one best, but I kept taking more.
I like this one a lot too.
Landing in Seattle.
Hey, let us cross the runway before you take off, eh?
The 2009 Two Autumns book, titled My Neighbor, with cover art by Naia. Linda Papanicolaou did the layout and production. Paul Miller served as editor.
My Neighbor.
Six of my haiku from the 2009 Two Autumns chapbook, My Neighbor.
The book's title comes from a Basho poem (here in R. H. Blyth's translation): Deep autumn; My neighbor— How does he live? Our poems told well of our neighbors, and our neighborhoods. Thanks to all the readers, and to everyone who made the 2009 Two Autumns reading a great success.
