Event Photos by Mindy Terry

I think I had more fun than I've had in a long time, said Xai, one of the owners who lives over the business, who stayed out in the parking lot cleaning up after all the food got eaten and the tent came down and Nana packed his drums into the van.  What pleased me most was the diversity of people in attendance. A big thanks goes out to everyone who helped make it possible, including Stasya, Dominic, Jason, Bre, Brendan, Marc, Maggie, Rich, Xai, Reth, Mike, Sadia, Mar Jorie, John, Jack and Kathy Goodman. The list could go on, but I'll stop there.

Here is a sampling of photos taken by Mindy Terry who taught me a thing or two last year and who has encouraged me along the way.  As usual, I couldn't resist dancing to Nana's drums.

Show Time

Today at 6:30 the "party" begins.  The women across the street are making chai tea. There will be lots to sample including pizza from the Italian place down the block to Somali stuffed dumplings. Yesterday, I hung the inside show with my daughter Isabel and two of her friends, Orla and Lauren. There was a lot of interest from the people there. Here is a preview of the inside view. The outside will be hung today.

Printing and Organizing for the Show

Just four days to go and rain in the forecast. As long as it doesn't snow, I think I can take the weather in stride.
In this post are a couple of inside views of how I'm laying out the pictures for the show. My third floor isn't  exactly a production studio, but it works for me.

I have the usual temptation to avoid the tedious task of getting organized by continuing to take pictures. Here's a recent one from the street corner opposite the laundry where this Burmese couple paused before crossing.

Announcement: two week count down to the show in the laundromat.

So, it's actually going to happen. Somehow I managed to get myself into this rather interesting situation. It all started as a playful conversation with the owner of the laundry about a year ago. Xai and her husband Rath, have agreed to let us take over for a day, have food, show pictures, play music.

 It's just one evening, May 19th from 6:30 to 8:30. There will be food prepared by a Somali woman and a woman from Thailand. There may be music too, but I'm still working out the details with Nana, the African drummer I photographed at Ghanian food store about a year ago. 
I'm done taking pictures. The last free friends and family photo day was two weeks ago. Now I'm busy printing pictures and will be working madly on how to display them for the next week and a half.

It promises to be an interesting event, if only because some of the people at the show may be there trying to do their laundry. Here is the announcement. If you have questions or inquiries, feel free to e-mail me at sarah.averill@gmail.com.

Hope you can come.

Leamae Katrina at Whiz Burgers

At the end of the day of walking through the mission district and chasing the pink bag, I was parched and  stopped at the Whiz Burger joint next to a old church, old for California anyway. And there, sitting at one of the picnic tables was Leamae Katrina.    He was patiently sorting out a few of his clothes, picking some lint from a sweater.

I fell into conversation with him, first asking if he'd gotten sun burned, then where he was from then where he'd gotten those blue eyes of his.

Beat up.
California, forever.
Eyes from the sky, like bird eggs.
Found playing marbles,  picked them up. 

Then, the ask: Can I take your picture?
Sure, sent it general delivery: Poste Restante,  San Francisco.

Trucks, Murals..Lybia Women Have Guns???

 There's a very active mural culture in San Francisco. The Mission District is especially well known, and some time I'd like to explore more. It's easy to find because it's everywhere. Some of the messages are more transparent, like Slime Time, but Lybia Women Have Guns?? No doubt, it's a reference to some pop culture phenomenon that I haven't had time to tune into.  Any volunteers to enlighten me? Bring it on.

San Francisco Mission District

I'm in SF at a conference put on my the society for arts and health care this week. I made a detour to visit the Mission district, recommended by a friend. In search of murals, found myself watching this pink plastic bag floating down the street. One thing led to another and before I knew it I was chasing it all over town. It was like the number pi, nudging always nudging a sluggish eternity to continue.