Okay, follow along…
As of this morning, the controversial pro-life billboard on Cortland that was hacked, then replaced, then hacked again, and replaced again, has now been removed completely.
So the billboard is gone, but it has nevertheless been hacked again. Neighbor Andy sent along this photo, and explains:
The Bernal Heights / Pro Life billboard fight continues. It’s torn down now revealing a new message.
On the bright side, at least it’s a happy message.
PHOTO: Neighbor Andy
Those grease-huffing papas from the Bernal Dads Racing Team had an excellent adventure during last weekend’s 24 Hours of LeMons endurance race at Thunderhill, and they represented Bernal Heights with honor. A few highlights:
• Two of the Dads flew to the race track in a private plane, which gave the whole team a little bit of jet-set flair:
• Both of the Dads’ cars received new paint jobs. The Whale, a battered a survivor of 12 previous LeMons races, adopted a new olive-drab livery, with a Flying Tiger-style shark mouth painted on its nose, to commemorate its war-weary status:
• Meanwhile, the mutant Miata-Volvo cross-breed “Molvo” was repainted gold after a vertigo-inducing trip to a Walmart, where six cans of gold spray paint were discovered on an aisle not far from the Gatorade. Naturally:
• The Whale blew a head gasket late Saturday afternoon. The car managed to limp through the day, then two Dads rushed to Sacramento (rather stylishly, in a borrowed Porsche convertible) to buy replacement parts. By morning, the new head gasket was installed, and the car was ready to race. Go team:
• The Molvo accrued so many penalties on Saturday afternoon that it was banned from the race. Luckily, some desperate pleading (while using a 6 year-old kid with a broken leg as a pity-generating prop) morning yielded a reprieve on Sunday morning, as the LeMons judges allowed the car to return to the track:
On Sunday afternoon, when the checkered flag was finally waved after some 15 hours of racing, both of the Dads’ cars were still running smoothly out on the track. They finished in the middle of the pack in their class, and in the middle of the pack overall, which was not exactly great but not shameful either. Most importantly, all the Dads returned home safely to father another day, and a very good time was had by all:
PS: Lots and lots and lots more photos from Thunderhill right here.
PHOTOS: Telstar Logistics
On top of all the other fun stuff going on this weekend, the ever-manly Bernal Dads Racing Team will take to the track this weekend to participate in the 24 Hours of LeMons “Vodden the Hell Are We Doing” endurance race at Thunderhill Raceway in exotic Willows, California.
The Dads will be bringing both of their race cars: One is the valiant Whale (#245), a battered Volvo 240 wagon that has already survived 12 LeMons races — and which now carries a new olive-drab livery to commemorate it’s war-weary status. The other is The Molvochero (#243), a Mazda Miata disguised as a Volvo that’s been converted into a pickup truck. Naturally.
Your Bernalwood editor will be embedded with the Bernal Dads throughout, so keep an eye on the Bernalwood Twitter account for regular updates from the track… and the driver’s seat. Wheeeeee!
Here’s some deep evidence of Bernal’s celebrity status. This year, three (3!!) Bernal Heights houses were selected for inclusion in this weekend’s Home Tour organized by the San Francisco chapter of the American Institute of Architects. So chic!
Thankfully, our real estate-obsessed friends at CurbedSF prepared an excellent executive summary:
The 10th annual San Francisco: Living Home Tours are this weekend. We thought it best to give you a preview of the featured projects on the tour. The tour aims to shine a little light on a wide variety of architectural styles, neighborhoods and residences – all from the architect’s point of view (most of which will be on hand to answer all your questions). This is a great way to get an inside look into the world of distinctive and new residences in the city. The projects are showcased on either Saturday, the 15th or Sunday, the 16th from 10am to 4pm.
The Folsom Street Residence [3407 Folsom] designed by Gary Gee Architects is a brand spankin’ new home that was built on a vacant, cross-sloping downhill lot in Bernal Heights. From the architect we learn that the design concept was “to create simple layering of living spaces stacked and interlocked to express the mass and topography of the site.” It’s a 3-level home with a 2-car garage. Our favorite property highlight is the roof deck that has views of the Golden Gate Bridge, Downtown, East Bay Hills and the Bay. [EDITOR’S NOTE: This same roof deck/helipad was much beloved by the Invisible Obamas during their recent visit to Bernal Heights.]
Bernal Heights is definitely the neighborhood of choice for this year’s tours. The Bernal Tower [66 Ellsworth] by Blue Truck Studio is a tightly-detailed modern home that re-mastered a decrepit bungalow. The architect says things about the house like “The classic bay windows and siding of neighboring Victorians were re-interpreted as a floor-to-ceiling front window and square-grooved vertical siding” and “The street level facade of nearby stucco houses was re-invented with a rough-sawn cedar siding hand-coopered to curve up under the soffit.” It has a green roof.
[…]This single-family home [175 Ripley] designed by Zack | de Vito Architecture and Construction is a retreat in Bernal Heights for a professional couple. The residence is a spacious 3,200 sq. ft. and has “dramatic views” of downtown via floor-to-ceiling glazing and terraces from the back.
If you want to join the Home Tour, tickets are available. For everyone else, do not be alarmed if you see a lot of architect-types wandering the neighborhood over the weekend. They’re easy to spot; just look for sharply-dressed men and women wearing the telltale Daniel Libeskind glasses.
Lastly, hearty congrats to the Bernal Heights homeowners (and their architects) who are participating in the tour. Thanks to you, all of Bernal can now bask in the glory of being AIA-certified glamorous.
PHOTOS: Folsom, Mark Luthringer Photography; Ellsworth, Eduardo Navarro Photography; Ripley, Bruce Damonte Photography
Neighbor Kristen is the president of the PTA at the J. Serra Elementary School near Bernal’s fashionable Holly Park. In that capacity, Neighbor Kristen does a really really really good job explaining why you really really really should attend the Polkapalooza benefit she’s organized for the school this weekend:
I’m attaching a flyer /poster about PTA of J. Serra Elementary School’s Second Annual Polkapalooza event coming up on Sunday Sept. 16 from 11am -3pm.
I’m PTA president and my husband is the drummer for Polkacide and our event will be held at Thee Parkside (1600 17th St. at Wisconsin). Totally kid-friendly. The club does the food and rents the space to us for 250.00. Bands donate their time and great music. The PTA is having a bake sale (since the club doesn’t serve dessert, they encourage us to sell baked goods to raise more cash!)
Our first band is Erin Brazill and the Brazillionaires. Our very own fifth grade teacher, Ms. Mermer is the stand up bass player. Again, totally kid friendly, we’ll have arts and crafts out back and a “beauty salon” for the kids where we’ll pain nails, faces and spray crazy colors on hair. GOOD TIMES. Please buy tix for all your family members and friends as it is, of course, FOR THE CHILDREN.
That’s right, citizens. Please Polkapalooza… for the children.
We have a credo here in the Dominion of Bernalwood: “Give me your rare, your beleaguered, your endangered plant life yearning to grow free.”
In that spirit, the SF Appeal brought news last week that Bernal Heights is being considered as a refuge for Franciscan manzanita, a native shrub in need of a good home:
Federal authorities on [Sept. 4] announced that a rare shrub has been listed as an endangered species and proposed to establish areas in San Francisco as a critical habitat for the plant.
The Franciscan manzanita, an evergreen ground cover shrub, was thought to be extinct until one was discovered in 2009 during a road renovation project. The plant has been moved into the Presidio for protection.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which announced the listing of the plant as endangered, is working with conservation groups to help the plant recover as a species.
As part of the efforts, the agency has proposed setting aside about 318 acres at 11 sites around in San Francisco for the plant, including at Fort Point, Immigrant Point and Inspiration Point in the Presidio.
Other sites include Twin Peaks, Mt. Davidson, Bernal Heights and Diamond Heights, according to the agency.
Here’s a little more backstory from the Wikipedia:
A. h. franciscana – Franciscan manzanita – native to the city of San Francisco and thought to be extinct in the wild until one specimen was discovered in 2009. Less than a month later, Caltrans transplanted this specimen to make way for the Doyle Drive Replacement Project. As of September 4, 2012, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service plans to designate Franciscan manzanita as an endangered species.
Fellow citizens, if asked, are we not ready to provide shelter and succor to the struggling Franciscan manzanita?
PHOTO: Franciscan manzanita, California Academy of Sciences
Miss Sally, our real estate-obsessed friend at the tony CurbedSF blog, directed our attention to a new listing for a home at 9 Powhattan that just hit the market. It’s a rather adorable 1BR, 1BA , and the realtor propaganda says:
High on the Hill – Bernal Hill, you will find this one of a kind & rarely available view cottage with fantastic outlooks & great light. Perched high in a secluded & private setting, on a quiet street, yet just steps to the heart of Bernal Village, & all that makes this neighborhood so great! Cute beyond belief, this 1 bedroom house has tremendous views over Bernal to the Southern Hills, a large & protected deck, & an expansive yard with gardens featuring native grasses, trees & shrubs. The yard backs up to the very top of Bernal Hill itself, so you can exit your back gate to walk the dog around the Hill! A quite exceptional opportunity to enjoy the indoor/outdoor environment so sought after in sunny Bernal Heights. Prime -just off Cortland!
Isn’t that just so quaint? Don’t you suddenly find yourself craving chamomile tea and that old Indigo Girls CD you haven’t listened to since the Clinton Administration? The starting price is $499,000, and there’s an open house on Sunday from 2-4.
Meanwhile, Miss Sally wonders, “I’m always curious how 1-bed single-family homes like this will sell, since the buyers’ pool is pretty limited.” Great question. If you do go take a look this weekend, report back here to let us know what you thought of the place
IMAGE: SFARMLS
My neighbor Jim Gleeson runs a lovely little art studio and gallery on the ground floor of his home on Precita, and he’s got an interesting show running this month:
You are invited to a California-themed art show by
Jay and Jamie WatsonAt the Gleeson Gallery – 148 Precita Ave., San Francisco, CA 94110 (between Folsom & Mission) This is a unique gallery in a great neighborhood.
We look forward to seeing you!
Neighbor Jim says the gallery will be open this weekend.
Against the backdrop of the recent pro-life billboard hacking excitement on Cortland Avenue, Neighbor Chris joined forces with a few other Bernal dads to propose a new billboard design that would be a refreshing alternative:
These are anxious times, and I wanted to reassure you about something important. Fellow Bernalites Erik Bloom, Jon Mooallem and I realized it’s incumbent on everyday citizens to ensure that this billboard absurdity continues ad nauseum. Erik (and presumably a team of top artists) put together the attached image last night. Soon as we figure out how to enlarge it 1000000000 percent, it’s going up up up.
I don’t like to use the word “hero.”
… but yet heroes they are. Let’s do this.
UPDATE: Looks like Bernal’s upstanding stoner community has some alternative ideas as well — no doubt inspired by the recent New York Times article about the joy of mixing pot with parenting. This billboard proposal just arrived from Neighbor Jon:
IMAGE: Top: Billboard design by Neighbor Eric. Photo illustration by Telstar Logistics Below: Neighbor Jon.
There’s been a lively but considerate debate taking place in the Bernalwood comment thread about the efficacy and ethics of the original Cortland pro-life billboard hack.
In the meantime, however, CBS Outdoor replaced the hacked billboard image with a brand-new version of the original ad…. which was promptly defaced yet again.
The difference is — as you can see in this photo taken today — the new modifications are unclever and rather tasteless. Yuck.
Please, make it stop.
PHOTO: Neighbor Joe
Our friends at NASA, that *other* space agency, shared a recent satellite photo that shows a massive wall of fog rolling in to San Francisco — and (in typical fashion) completely missing Bernal Heights:
For some people, the relentless waves of fog that roll off the Pacific Ocean into San Francisco each summerinspire awe. For others, they arouse frustration, even depression. Either way, fog is simply a fact of life for San Franciscans, particularly those who live near the Golden Gate Bridge.
The Advanced Land Imager (ALI) on NASA’s Earth Observing-1 (EO-1) satellite acquired this view of fog encroaching on the city on August 16, 2012. The fog is part of the marine layer, a mass of cool, dense air from the sea that was sandwiched beneath a layer of warmer air as part of a temperature inversion. Fog is often present in the lower part of the marine layer, whereas wispy stratus clouds form in the upper part.
Intrusions by the marine layer—and all of the accompanying fog and clouds—are routine in San Francisco during the summer. The intrusions are caused by westerly breezes that push cold air inland to replace the warm air rising off of California’s Central Valley. As it did on the day this image was taken, the marine layer often completely envelops the Golden Gate Bridge in a thick cloak of fog and clouds.
PHOTO: NASA
Does anyone know this guy? I spotted him cruising down Cortland on Saturday afternoon. If you know him, please pass along this message: “WELL DONE, SIR!”
PHOTO: Telstar Logistics
If it’s been a while since you checked in at the Alemany Farmer’s Market, let these photos serve as a reminder to get yourself there ASAP.
It’s prime time for ripe summer fruits and vegetables right here, right now in our own little Garden of Eden. I took these photos at Alemany last Saturday, and the selection was rather heavenly.
PHOTOS: Telstar Logistics
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