Pretty Pictures

Wish You Well

San Francisco is great town for bicycle commuting. Aside from the looming hills that dot the landscape, it’s really fast, easy and fun to get around on two wheels. I sometimes catch a glimpse of some middle-aged tool driving a Hummer H2 and I wonder if he even knows the pure exhilaration and sense of freedom a bicycle offers. Sure the commercials for those tanks sell a similarsensation of freedom, driving up a cliff or mountain side, but most assholes are driving from garage to garage in city traffic, isolated from the outside world at a pace no more than a crawl.

Unfortunately, cars and their drivers see things a different way. As luck would have it, I recently had the unfortunate experience of having that debate face to face with the side of a Prius. Fortunately, with the exception of a bum shoulder, I walked away from the encounter fairly unscathed. Moments after impact, neighborhood friends who heard the thud of my shoulder slamming into the side of the car came over to make sure I was OK. Anthony was one of those who checked in on me.

A couple days later he told me he had something for me. To my pleasant surprise, he made me a get well card. It was quite thoughtful and actually made me feel a little better.

A couple weeks before, I commissioned Anthony to create a portrait of me. Evidently, I look like the 5th Beatle from the Yellow Submarine. Again, witness the amazingly detailed strokes used to color. This is definitely one for the wall.