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Monday, August 10, 2009

Wherever your red shoes take you.

Hey lady, he calls to me from his seat on the bench. He squints in the morning sun. I like your shoes.

I look down at my filthy red sneaks and say thanks.

I hope wherever your red shoes take you, you have a great day, he exclaims confidently. Then he sees my camera.

And that you get some great photos today!

How did he know I already had?

***

I usually wake up between 5:30 and 6:30 in the morning. Even though I don't have a job to go to at present, old habits die hard.

I used to try to leave the house early before work so I could take a few photos before the boring grind of the office day began. Just spending even a half-hour outside the office felt like a very important time, even if I only got one good shot out of it. I felt like I had accomplished something important just for me.

So it dawned on me yesterday that I am literally wasting dawns. I could be up and using that amazing morning light and instead I'm lazing around.

So this morning I decided to change all that.

At 6:30am, I took the 71 Haight-Noriega all the way down Haight Street to Fillmore. Got off at Fillmore, walked to Oak to Laguna and then walked all the way back Oak, to Masonic, to Haight and through the park.

And here's what I saw. All that before the day began, and was I glad.

Early morning on an empty bus but still uneasy neighbors.

Thanks for the ride, 71.

I love the thinking about how many mornings these old houses have seen.

No one will steal your trike if you park it over your door.

This one's shy.

But now they're having a bit of a chat.

I loved the yellow bee man and his matching goldenrod taxi speeding by.

I call this the Dog House. This is the first time I've gotten a good shot of who's guarding the stoop.

I like that Tom Johnson, Sr. used so many tacks to keep his name on.

This is one of my i live here: SF postcards, which I stealthily leave around town. No one's contacted me yet, but I keep pretending they're like Golden Tickets in Wonka Bars, and someday someone will say they found my postcard lying around and thought it would be fun to see what my project's all about.

I wonder where she went.

Life is UR canvas. U R the artist.
As seen in Golden Gate Park.

Wherever your red shoes take you.

***

Red shoes or not, I hope your feet took you somewhere interesting today.



27 comments:

Relyn Lawson August 10, 2009 at 6:28 PM  

Wherever your red shoes take you.

There's a book in that title.

Relyn Lawson August 10, 2009 at 6:29 PM  

And that trike photo!!!!!!!

Nancy Ewart August 10, 2009 at 6:44 PM  

Oh Julie - what a marvelous, delicious, evocative, sensitive look at our city. Plus, kudos to you for getting up early. I am SO not a morning person and am not very alert until 10 AM so the fact that you got up before dawn gives you extra brownie points in my book.

Char August 10, 2009 at 6:58 PM  

what great finds - little tidbits of hear and there - I adore the bus shot

An Open Heart August 10, 2009 at 7:08 PM  

I cannot wait to photograph your city! Cool Shoes.
S

Adan August 10, 2009 at 7:26 PM  

YOUR shoes took me on a journey today!

Anonymous August 10, 2009 at 7:29 PM  

This is a FANTASTIC post! haha, I love it. A photograpical journey!

NOTSOMARYPOPPINS August 10, 2009 at 8:33 PM  

this made me smile, what a great way to start your day! i can't help but have that elvis costello song in my head now "the angels wanna wear my red shoes"! :)

~DokterKenny August 10, 2009 at 8:40 PM  

God..some times you are just fucking brilliant!

heidikins August 10, 2009 at 8:53 PM  

I love this post--love love LOVE.

xox

Brad August 10, 2009 at 9:20 PM  

Damn, you had an AWESOME day!

Brenda Susan August 10, 2009 at 9:21 PM  

wow, I so love all the amazing scenes your eye catches. You grab things that I would whiz past without a thought! Thank you for what you do.

Marilyn Miller August 10, 2009 at 9:57 PM  

I love where your red shoes took you today. The chalk drawings always intrigue me when I find them and this one said some special messages.

Anonymous August 10, 2009 at 11:36 PM  

Love these images :-)

Laura Doyle August 11, 2009 at 5:16 AM  

I am positively uplifted now. : D

Morning's are so ripe with possibility...there's just something in the early rays of the sun that makes you feel like anything can happen. Your photos have most certainly captured that.

Like you, I've been lazing. Maybe I need to get up and walk. EARLY.

I love your photos. ; )

glnroz August 11, 2009 at 6:31 AM  

Thnx, for the trip that probably I could not have taken. thank you.

Mari August 11, 2009 at 8:00 AM  

Great photos! I love early morning-or, as the song says, by the dawn's early light!

Rachel August 11, 2009 at 8:10 AM  

Great photos. Love the dog house... When I lived in the Haight I'd walk by it all the time.
Have a lovely day.

Sophie August 11, 2009 at 10:18 AM  

Hi Julie,

I like reading you're blog, so submitted as a follower.
I love how you describe the photo's and how you can integrate them in a story.
Like the red shoes: Love it.

Greets Sophie

http://adayinthelifeofsophie.blogspot.com/

Cartooncharacter August 11, 2009 at 11:59 AM  

All great shots but my fave is the scooter and the motorcycle flirting. ;)

Yoli August 11, 2009 at 9:07 PM  

There's magic in them words girl!!! I love it. I am also enjoying these images.

Siobhan August 12, 2009 at 1:33 AM  

I absolutely love this.

Anonymous August 12, 2009 at 4:50 PM  

Thank you for taking me along!

Kelly raE d.

SE'LAH... August 12, 2009 at 6:11 PM  

Fantastic captures!!!

So inspired.

Red Shoes August 14, 2009 at 7:42 AM  

I'll take you to lots of places, sweets! Get over to Edinburgh!

I'm Katie. August 15, 2009 at 9:49 AM  

early mornings so often make awesome days. so many places I hear, if you want to change your life, wake up before the sun.

simple.

This was a beautiful post. San Francisco has always been my "one that got away".

<3

Trudi September 2, 2009 at 12:05 PM  

Thank you for taking us on a wonderful morning stroll in your red shoes; I enjoyed it very much