I could not find anyone to sell me a poppy.
General George S Patton said: "In my mind, we are here to thank God that men like this lived, rather than regret that they died."
I took this photo on 14-December-2007 at the national cemetary in the Presidio.
On 30-May-1911, Memorial Day, Ray Harroun won the first Indianapolis 500 in the Marmon Wasp. Today was the race's 100th anniversary. I like the image in this ad from the 31-May-1911 San Francisco Call. Despite what the image shows, Harroun chose not to carry a riding mechanic. To help make up for the loss of another pair of eyes, Harroun used a new invention, the rear-view mirror.
From the 14-May-1901 San Francisco Call. William A Coulter did many maritime drawings for the newspaper. Click on the image to see a larger version.
THE warships now in port are all in readiness for the grand display to-night. The Farragut came over from Sausalito yesterday and during the afternoon her captain went aboard the flagship. The captains of the Wisconsin and Philadelphia also went aboard the Iowa and all three received their final instructions from Admiral Casey. The Farragut did not remain in the stream, but went back to her anchorage at Sausalito. She will be on hand to-night, however, and will help in the display to be made by the big vessels. Everything for the illuminating of the Iowa, Wisconsin and Philadelphia is ready and a few hours' work will see all in place. Each vessel will have her name spelled ouf in lights along her side, while the fighting masts and superstructures will be one mass of fiery designs. During the afternoon every man that can be spared will be landed at the foot of Folsom street. Both marines and bluejackets will then march to Fourth and Townsend streets, where they will take part in the parade in honor of the President. On their return to their respective ships they will proceed to get ready for the illumination of the evening.
Vincent Price was a good actor with a beautiful voice. I loved his portrayal of the weak, handsome Shelby Carpenter in Otto Preminger's Laura. He played Simon Templar, The Saint, on the radio. Later, he became typecast in horror movies.The photo is from The Abominable Doctor Phibes. When my wife and I were dating, I took her to see this one. She didn't like it. We agreed to disagree about this point.
He was a great gentleman, always interesting in interviews, and had a collection of fine art, paid for by making movies like Doctor Phibes.
Detective Comics Number 1 from March, 1937 is not as famous as Number 27, where The Batman made his debut. Number featured a variety of stories, including the debut of Slam Bradley, a detective feature by Jerry Seigel and Joe Shuster, who went on to create Superman. Despite its racist roots, the image on the cover is striking. Detective is still published by the company which is now known as DC (for Detective Comics).
Larry Semon was very big in the early 1920s. Note how much larger his image is than Gloria Swanson's in this ad from the 28-February-1922 Ogden Standard-Examiner. Bebe Daniels had been Harold Lloyd's first leading lady, but left to become a big star. Be sure to click on the image to see a larger version.
Happy Armed Forces Day. Think of all the people who defend our coasts and the rest of our country. 
A former loading dock door at Jessie and Annie Streets, behind the Hearst Building. I took the photo yesterday.
I was sad to read a Chronicle article by Carl Nolte (http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/05/19/BABT1JGTES.DTL) which says that the steam schooner Wapama, which is the only survivor of its type, is beyond saving and will probably be scrapped later this year. Wapama was my favorite ship at the pier, after ferry Eureka. She had flying bridges, a mysterious engine room, passenger cabins, and a grand stairway, like an ocean liner. In 1980, she was put on a barge and sent to the Oakland Estuary. I remember seeing her from a Fremont BART train. Later she moved to the Bay Model in Marin. I kept hoping she would be restored and returned. Lately, she has been hidden in Richmond. There is no money or will to restore Wapama. The Park Service hopes to salvage her engine and perhaps some representative pieces. 
The San Francisco Arts Commission (http://www.sfartscommission.org/) has set up a series of posters by artist Elisheva Biernoff representing important moments in San Francisco history and geographic features that lie beneath the developed city. I took this photo today of a poster that depicts the rancho of Juana Briones and the first Gold Rush ships abandoned in Yerba Buena cove. The small map shows the locations of five buried ships, provided by eminent historian Ron Filion. Click on the image to see an enormously large version.
Space shuttle Endeavor, mission STS-134, left on its last journey into space this morning. I remember when the shuttles began flying in 1981. I remember people commenting that no one thought of it as the world's fastest, highest-flying airplane. I thought by now we would have a successor. 
Some time ago, Dr. Vander Weyde, of New-York City, regaled some friends not merely with boot jelly, but with shirt coffee, and the repast was pronounced by all partakers excellent. The doctor tells us that he made the jelly by first cleaning the boot, and subsequently boiling it with soda, under a pressure of about two atmospheres. The tannic acid in the leather, combined with salt, made tannate of soda, and the gelatin rose to the top, whence it was removed and dried. From this last, with suitable flavoring material, the jelly was readily concocted. The shirt coffee, which we incidentally mentioned above, was sweetened with cuff and collar sugar, both coffee and sugar being produced in the same way. The linen (after, of course, washing) was treated with nitric acid, which, acting on the lignite contained in the fibre, produced glucose, or grape sugar. This, roasted, made an excellent imitation coffee, which an addition of unroasted glucose readily sweetened.
We picked up my mother and went to 5 o'clock mass at Saint Monicas. There was a nice turnout and the choir was excellent. We went down to Foudy Hall for wine and hors d'oeuvres before the 100th anniversary banquet. They had a display of newspaper articles about the building of the church and old class photos. I spoke to Father Green and the parents of some old classmates. Dinner was in the large hall, which doesn't seem all that large now. We had chicken.
Today it was sunny but the wind was cold. 
Willie Mays, the Say Hey Kid, 24-time National League All Star, Giants immortal, the greatest living baseball player, perhaps the greatest ever, at his 80th birthday party with 42,000 of his closest friends. I took the photo on 06-May-2011.
Station 19, on Buckingham Way behind the Stonestown Shopping Center, was built as part of the Park Merced housing development. I like the slanted roof.
06-May-2011 was the 80th birthday of the greatest baseball player who ever lived, Willie Mays. Last night we went to see the Giants play the Colorado Rockies and honor Willie Mays. When I left the office, I was shocked by the power of the wind. My cap blew off as I crossed Harrison. I found a huge crowd waiting in line at the front gate. I also found that the statue of Mays was wearing an orange party hat. I took this photo. 
We went to the Giants game, where they celebrated Willie Mays' 80th birthday.
Frederick Bancroft was a dentist and real estate entrepreneur who wanted to be a magician. He invested in beautiful posters and lavish stage sets ("Gorgeous Scenic Embellishments"), but audiences did not care for his tricks. He died at a young age. One of these months, I'm going to present more about Bancroft.
I would like to have been there. I have not been able to find much about the life of Aeronaut C. E. Bankston. From the 05-December-1913 Lancaster, Kentucky, Central Record.
Today is May Day. The cartoon comes courtesy of San Francisco's Holt Labor Library (http://www.holtlaborlibrary.org/). It seems appropriate in light of recent attacks on labor. 
