November 26, 2012

Northbeach celebrates Thanksgiving


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photo by Donald Kinney

Ah yes, Thanksgiving in Northbeach...
The shades at City Lights bookstore were pulled down tight.
Transamerica Pyramid was standing by silently in a soft light.



click photo for full-size image
photo by Donald Kinney

And not much was wiggling at "Live Worms" gallery on upper Grant Street.



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photo by Donald Kinney

I listened for jazz or jive or folk, but nary a sound on Green Street.



click photo for full-size image
photo by Donald Kinney

Down on Broadway I found my homeless friend, Mike, who has been surviving in Northbeach for the past 16 years. Mike is the eyes and ears of this area. We talked for a good long while about the real nitty-gritty of life.

As I was about to go Mike asked me to take some more photos of him so he could send them home to his aging mother in the East. On a warmer day he would have peeled off his shirt--he has an extensive collection of ink.

Here are three photos of Mike's tattoos I snapped in April of 2011:
Front     Back     this Side view may not be suitable for viewing at work.


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2 comments:

John @ Beans and I on the Loose said...

There is a lot of $$$ tied up in Mike's ink work. I assume he had it all done before the street became his home?

AphotoAday said...

Hi JOHN (SINBAD'S DAD) -- I'll have to ask Mike the next time I see him, but I doubt if he has ever worked many "straight-laced" jobs. For instance, he will "feed the meter" and watch over things for people getting tattoos at the shop on Broadway, and he was telling me that every Thursday he has a job carrying cases of Tomato products up stairs at some restaurant there on Broadway, for which he is usually, but not always, paid with a plate of food.

 
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