Tag Archives: missing years

Pacifica Pier: versions & evidence of me, evolving

During my “missing years” or the “healing ramble” or whatever, there was sort of a circuit of safe houses, hideouts and caches i rotated through which included Pacifica, California.

“Im just a constant headache.” is how I felt for a long long time (although I did not paint this myself on the pier)

A couple dear friends there looked out for me as I received of medical treatment there – some planned and some ummmm unintended.

As it goes, while looking for something else, I kept coming across mah ole face on four separate visits and right away could see the change as dealt with so much well, change and loss… “Losing everything” / my health, my erstwhile career, my energy, my mind, myself, my parents, and so much more.

the pier takes and “L” shape / you could often hear circle language is spoken, sometimes kids selling something, crab pots, fishing lines, a few dingy sinks for gutting your catch

The pier would be usually occupied by a scattered assortment of fishers and crab catchers, and others like me, just watching the waves rolling, fog twitching, the occasional hearty surfer, and every once in a while a humpback whale.

As usual, there’s more to say about “all of this” (yes, there’s a pending medical – specific report in the slow moving “healing ramble” series) but for now, I present to you: me & Pacifica pier which was a safe refuge for me as could walk back-and-forth – at the foot is a coffee shop serving clam chowder in a bread bowl and a Matcha latte, the street has so many cute little funky beach ‘shacks’ (any of them cost in million+ now) that, due to zoning regulations & shoreline protection mandates, couldn’t really be changed… so the area of town was sort of stuck in a past decade and showed it’s working class roots and rum running/bootlegging history.

Minor annotations included with the photos. Remarkable to me anyhow & a reminder of what “we” are capable of, I mean if I am able to tough it out, evolve and change with it all, you certainly can.

2014 / not happy with how I found myself in life as it was
2015 / it turns out the “unknown“ was a lot more dangerous than expected / and yes, it was much worse than this suggests
2016 / trying really trying to intrepidly step in to the unknown
2016 / an unexpected and unfortunate trip has no picture of my face but this is the coffee shop at the start of the pier
2018 / came to deposit my mother’s ashes off the end of the pier and took a moment to think about the changes my life would take in the months to come
2017/ Pacifica on a scrapbook and a Lomo rolling with me through Thailand

I Hell<3 Pacifica. Grateful.

wandering, wandering, being grateful and dreaming about the future
and oh how we rambled!

Jumbo down! *Another* Nautical Disaster (maybe)

you take a little shuttle boat to the resto which has apparently amused notable guests

As it goes, legendary Jumbo floating restaurant in Hong Kong closed (c19 conundrums) and *apparently* capsized when towed out to sea – strangely in typhoon season in international waters in 1000 m of ocean –condition unknown as of this memo. Seems a bit odd.

tow it to Cambodia, what could go wrong?

You know as soon as the media articles quotes an international maritime insurance adjuster saying “this was definitely not anything to do with insurance malfeasance” you know it definitely is.

Anyway, here’s evidence of the time I went there and ate food like a mysterious spectre, in the missing and so much forgotten years.

^ Photos taken by my dining companion

I also recall meeting the France Ambassador to HK that evening and crashing a party for fancy French shoe maker, that and the usual endless food and dress-up snapshots.

If you are curious about floating barge restaurants capsizing in international ocean/sea with numerous disputed names, here’s a starting point for reading: NPR Hong Kong’s iconic Jumbo Floating Restaurant capsizes at sea.

Memo: Peaches, slow life, and thank-you etc

As John Prine advised, “move to the country, grow a lot of peaches…“ so we are (though these peaches pictured arrived by post as a gift).

The great troubadour is on my mind recently as I fill in the “missing years“ and also, it’s now peach season in Okayama. And I’m up to four chords on the baritone ukulele, gotta figure out my strumming patterns a little bit better though then will have some “paradise“ or “Sam Stone” to share with you.

Note: Our area is famous for peaches & the esoteric “peach boy“ folktale “Momotaro,” {also denim/school uniforms}.

This succulent fruit will fortify us through a busy week in which the remarkable arborist is doing a 5-day workshop in another town while I do little odds and ends to start putting our house back together, step by tiny step.

PS As is often the case, I’m a few steps behind from saying “thank you” to the folks who sent cards and presents for our little guy’s birthday, as well as checking other sundry things off my list, haven’t forgotten you, thinking about you, just have to keep my pace in second gear to avoid the #MECFS crashmode while also nurturing my creative impulses.

fondly, DaveoTaro