[ 00:18 wednesday 20 september – shipton street ]

my feet have scarcely touched ground the last few weeks. after my travels in calabria, sicily and stromboli i had one (stressful) day in london before flying out on a trampoline mission to san francisco. i only got back to london this afternoon so i’m feeling a little dazed right now.

this was my third visit to northern california. initially i found its jumbled self-invented culture too escapist and unconcerned with worldly problems. but with more exposure i’m warming to it.

bolinas showed me that the vapid zen aphorisms could be accompanied by a frenetic engagement in village-level issues. it is somehow surprising to find such stubborn localism in a landscape where everything is so very large.

sergio accompanied me for the california trip which made it much more fun than it would otherwise have been. thursday was my birthday so we went out to dinner and ate a pile of oysters. on saturday night a covey of drag queens roped sergio into joining in an extraordinary performance in the castro. it’s the first time i’ve actually seen him blush. on sunday we took the bus up the coast from marin city to bolinas and spent an idyllic day walking through the tall hushed redwoods and watching pelicans from the beach. i wish we could have stayed longer.

: c :