It’s not often that I feel the need to take a full maintenance day away from not only the viola, but music entirely. This past Saturday, however, became one of those days. Given the intensity with which the quartet has been preparing for our upcoming Shostakovich Cycle in Buffalo next month, combined with the warmest weather we’ve seen in San Francisco in weeks, it wasn’t a difficult decision. In truth, the weather made the decision for me. A beautiful day is best experienced when the viola remains in its case.
One might think that living within walking distance of two of this country’s most incredible city parks would draw me away from the couch all the time, and it should. But alas, when I’m not practicing, far too often I’m more likely to be found watching hockey, or baseball, or catching up on one of the many TV shows that Yuri and I so enjoy together, or mixing a cocktail (and therefore drinking it), or cuddling with Milo (our 13 year old New Zealand-born ginger cat). I’m quite sure it was primarily the balmy 65 degrees that pulled me from my usual routine that day, but I also somehow needed to spend some time in nature. Choosing between Golden Gate Park and the Presidio of SF is not an easy decision. That said, I will more frequently opt for the former as fog, wind and cold air frequently take up residence in the Presidio. As a result, I haven’t ventured there often so it seemed like I was overdue. Entering the park at the top of Presidio Ave, I made my way from one path to the next with no particular destination in mind. I was only after some nature and some quiet time away from people (of course those who know me well are keenly aware that quiet time away from people is my Nirvana – the concept, not the band). Along my walk I passed several other folks – some walking dogs, some walking their children, and others, like me, walking alone. I had decided to take a rather mindful approach to this journey, trying to notice details in the sights, sounds, and smells around me. I became hyper focused on the faces of passersby and was struck by the severity of expression worn by, in particular, the lone travelers. In not one instance did I read happiness in their eyes and, in fact, the overwhelming majority of them were expressing a range from consternation to despair. I have read that some of our best ruminations are while walking alone and if that is true, then it’s worrying to think about what might have been stirring in their minds. But then, I wondered, what was my face telling everyone else? As I thought about this, I made a conscious effort to soften my expression and found myself, suddenly, in a clearing with nothing but hummingbirds and blue jays to keep me company. Only the tips of the Golden Gate Bridge towers peeking through some distant trees served as a reminder of where I was.
I continued, somewhat aimlessly, and stumbled upon a small sign that pointed me towards something delightfully named “Inspiration Point”, a mere 0.1 miles away. It turned out to be a beautiful vista point that overlooks an enormous area of the park, although in reality what I was seeing constitutes less than a third of the park’s full footprint. It was serene, impressive, peaceful, and certainly worth another visit.
Beginning to feel the draw of my next meal, it was time to plot my path home. Inspiration Point is not far from the Arguello entrance to the Presidio so I thought I would venture in that general direction. It’s a lovely area of town that I had not yet visited. Granted, it would require a level of wealth that is far out of reach for most of us to actually live there, but nevertheless it was a pleasant revelation. Stumbling onto a neighborhood like this is not unexpected when exploring San Francisco; in fact, it’s rather common. What IS unexpected, however, is encountering a random pony standing on the sidewalk (although one should never be surprised by anything they see on the streets in this city). This particular one looked to be dressed for a party, though to my untrained eye, aside from a pink plastic basket on the ground next to her, there was no sign of a party anywhere. If this fact upset her in any way, it was not obvious to me. Quite the contrary, actually, she seemed perfectly delighted to be standing around doing absolutely nothing. Perhaps, like me, she too was out simply to enjoy the beautiful warm(ish) and dry weather we were finally afforded. After all, even a lost pony would need a break from this biblical weather we’ve been enjoying oh so much. In any event, I do hope she found her way to wherever it was she was headed after getting all dolled up like that.