Summer

Last summer brought a lasting warmth that lingered on through the autumn chill that followed. A sudden carefree existence balmed in the midst of the daily routine that threatened to smother all unplanned moments. Summer had come and passed. The carefree existence ended as the autumn chill decended. This past weekend, San Francisco brought back two days of summer. For two days, life was simple and carefree again. The only worries were about having enough time and how to get home in one piece at night.

San Francisco presented herself in beach, street and building. The Bridge was veiled in fog, shy to the photographer’s eye who had to aim elsewhere this time. Yet, the notorious hillside streets brought ample compensation. Surely, here must be the 8th wonder of the world: The steepest streets drivable by car. Our’s barely made it to the top of one block – flat out in first gear. This must be the testing ground for brave manuel shift drivers – our’s was wisely, an automatic.
The cable car of San Francisco had me puzzled – where was the mountain? Then the tram presented itself – driven by underground cable up and down the steep hillside streets: Cable car indeed.

Nightime was club time. This time it was Ruby Skyes that at first puzzled with a very late revival at around 11 pm. But this was San Francisco, not Boston. Everything kept going while we expired at around 2 am. It was proper House all night long, with a fresh touch in the person of a live violinist, who artfully blended into the DJ’s mixes.

Sunday was for recovering. The day was somewhat waisted but a football match came in handy: Poor Netherlands – down and out. With the evening came a sober quietness. The weekend was over. It was time for the departure. This time, it was my turn to leave on an aeroplane. The memories were filed, the moments captured on flash ROM. It was time again to lay out the still lives on web logs and in emails.