Some of the Beauty of Golden Gate Park

 

Golden Gate Park is an amazing oasis in an urban setting. I spent a bunch of time their this summer and here is some of the color and beauty of the park:

I love walking through Golden Gate Park and seeing all the beauty and color of the park. 

Gateway Garden and Pavilion

 I was driving near Highway 24 in Oakland and saw this this little park off the side of the freeway. I turned off at the next exit and went up street and I was at the Gateway Garden and Pavilion. The park was created in 2003 by the survivors of the 1991 Oakland Hills Firestorm. The pavilion provides information about the history of earthquakes and fires in the Oakland Hills. The pavilion area was closed when I was there but the garden was open and I enjoyed walking around it:

The Gateway Garden and Pavilion is one of the more interesting parks in Oakland.

Music Monday: Songs About Unity

 Music Monday: Not trying to get political or anything but we have gone loco in this country and it is getting worse everyday. Both the left and the right have decided to try to out-crazy each other. Here are some songs about unity and love, two things that we all should strive for:

And I know I have played this version on this song but we really need to stand by each other, no matter if they are different than you or have different beliefs than you:

Sorry, if it seems like I am getting on a soapbox. I truly hope that everyone has a great Monday and a great week.

A Timbers Experience

 

Up in Portland, my daughter took me to my first Portland Timbers game and I must say that it was an interesting experience.

Providence Park in home to the MLS Portland Timbers and has a long and storied history. It has been the home to many Portland teams since 1926. including the USFL's Portland Breakers in 1985. It has been renovated many times, the last being in 2019:

And the fan experience is truly amazing. The people of Portland love their MLS team:

The dude cuts that log with a chainsaw

When the Timber score, they release green smoke into the air

Here is a video I shot of the Timbers player announcements and the fans were like that the whole game:

I didn't take any action shots but here is how the pitch looked from our seats:

Going to the Portland Timbers match was an experience as I hadn't been to a soccer match in years. I felt like I was in Europe as the Portland fans got so into their team.

A Book Blast

 

Last Saturday, I went to a sandwich shop in San Francisco with a friend and across the street they were having a free book giveaway. They called it a book blast and I guess every few years this person gives away a lot of books that have been donated:

I am trying to cut back on my acquiring books but I did find this true gem. Bill Walsh's "Finding the Winning Edge" is considered one of the Holy Grails in football books. I haven't seen it under $300 on Ebay or Amazon and somehow it was sitting there waiting for me and it was signed:

I was so lucky to drive by this book bash and even luckier to find this book. Not a bad day.