Neighbor Valerie just shared these photos; they’re a perfect way to celebrate today’s landmark Supreme Court decision that establishes nationwide legal status for same-sex marriage.
“Love always wins,” Neighbor Valerie says, and that right there is some pitch-perfect punditry for this most glorious Pride Week.
Congratulations, San Francisco! This took a long time, and lots of people worked very hard for it, but all that makes victory even more sweet.
PHOTOS: Neighbor Valerie
Nice work, people.
Thanks in no small part to your vigorous nagging activism, Supervisor David Campos’s office reports that City funds will be made available to restore the endangered trellis at the Esmeralda-Winfiend Mini Park:
We are thrilled to report that we were able to secure funding for replacement of the Trellis through the City’s budget process. Thank you so much for bringing this issue to our attention. It has been a pleasure to see to the neighborhood so united over a common treasure and we really appreciate your advocacy. DPW has assured us that as soon as the funding is allocated to the department, it will replace the Trellis. The original structure is set to come down next week. The final City Budget is approved on July 21st. We will be working closely with DPW to make sure the replacement structure is built as soon as possible.
That’s fantastic news, so let’s all join hands for a collective woo-hoo:
Wooooo-HOOOOOOOO!!!!!
This is also a fitting tribute to the scrappy group of Bernal neighbors who rallied to build the trellis (and the secret Esmeralda slides!) in the first place, almost 40 years ago.
But who were these energetic Bernal ancestors? Who created the gift that is the Esmeralda-Winfield Mini-Park?
That’s them, in the world-famous photo up above.
Many Bernalese will recognize the photo, because to this day it stands as a defining symbol of Bernal Heights activism, engagement, volunteerism, and neighborly solidarity. The image is a magnificent time-capsule, so Bernalwood encourages you to zoom and enhance it at your leisure from the safety and comfort of your own computer screen to explore all the wonderful details it reveals.
The photo was taken in 1978, just as work on the slide and mini-park was wrapping up. Back then, Neighbor Michael Nolan was one of the chief organizers of the project, and you can see him in the photo on the far left:
Today Neighbor Michael still lives in Bernal, where is often seen leading the pom-pom squad for the Elsie Street Glee Club and contributing to the Bernal Heights History Project (among many other things):
To help modern-day Bernalese understand all the dedication and bureaucratic wrangling it took to create the Esmeralda Mini-Park in the first place, Bernalwood nagged asked Neighbor Michael to give us a behind-the-scenes view of the project’s creation-story:
In the wake of a fun-filled though unsuccessful run for District Supervisor in 1977, I threw my surplus civic energy into making the Esmeralda Mini-Park happen.
I won that campaign. The Northwest Bernal Block had worked mightily for years on the project, believing that between Precita and Holly Parks, there was no area for children to play. But various bureaucratic and legal snafus had stymied the project, even though there was sufficient city funding and support.
Getting the Board of Supervisors to “vacate” what was still officially a “street” and turn it into a park was crucial, because that’s what was required to limit the potential liability of adjoining homeowners and win their okay.
I convened a dedicated crew of nearby neighbors who worked with landscape architect Andrew Butler and Planning Department liaison Lu Blazej . Tom Chiosso of DPW brought tools, materials, and community development grants from the City.
Bernal neighbors volunteered to prepare the land, build the double slide, erect a play structure, and install the planter boxes and trellis on the Winfield Landing.
We’d hoped that our popular Mayor George Moscone would inaugurate the double slide, but we lost him and Harvey Milk in the tragic assassinations of that fall. In early 1979, Mayor Dianne Feinstein and District 9 Supervisor Lee Dolson did the honors.
Here’s what that moment looked like, when Di-Fi took an inaugural slide:
So that brings us to today.
Though our funds are (fingers-crossed) secured, we still have a ways to go until the Esmeralda-Winfield Mini-Park is restored to its proper glory. Let’s stay focused, let’s stay engaged, and let’s do whatever it takes to make sure this mini-park remains glorious for another 40 years.
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A few weeks ago, Bernal artist Bernie Lubell reached out to the Bernalwood News Desk to tell us he was building an airship in his Bernal Heights garage.
Normally, that would be a shocking! revelation! But it’s to be expected from Neighbor Bernie, who was last seen in 2014 constructing a giant Rube Goldberg machine in his Bernal Heights garage. So the manufacture of an airship came as little surprise.
Anyway, Neighbor Bernie’s airship is the centerpiece of a new show called Up in the Air at the fabulous Southern Exposure Gallery in the Mission:
From June 13-27, artist Bernie Lubell installs his workshop and collaborates with visitors to create new work. Lubell creates wood mechanical metaphors for the human condition. Gears, pulleys, bellows, valves, levers, human force and sophisticated engineering power his interactive wooden machines. As an artist who has lived and worked in the Bay Area for 40 years, his influence is felt in the work of many local artists.
Collaborate with Bernie as he sets out to build an airship in the gallery at Southern Exposure. In two workshops and ongoing studio hours, visitors and Bernie will work together to create an air powered flying machine inspired by Frederick Marriott’s 1869 airship Avitor, expanding on Bernie’s ongoing research into breath and the force of air.
The show is winding down, but don’t panic! You can still see the work.
Neighbor Bernie tells us there’s a glamourous closing party happening tomorrow evening, Friday, June 26, from 6 – 8 pm at Southern Exposure… and of course you get in free if you show the top-secret Bernal hand signal:
Closing Party for Up In the Air
Join Southern Exposure for a celebration of Bernie Lubell’s work and everything that was created together over the past two weeks during his exhibition Up In the Air.
Friday, June 26, 2015, 6:00 – 8:00 PM
Southern Exposure (3030 20th Street, SF)
FREE
PHOTO: Neighbor Bernie’s airship at Southern Exposure on Sunday, June 21, 2015. Photo by Bernie Lubell
Uh, we found this yesterday on the Twitter. We wish we could explain what’s going on here, but we cannot.
In fact, we don’t really want to know, because some mysteries are better left unexplained.
PHOTO: SF Turkey Trot
The Citizens of Bernalwood spend a lot of time looking at Sutro Tower, and even more so if you live on the northern or western slopes of our hill. But what’s it like to look back at Bernal Hill from the lofty summit of Sutro Tower?
KQED’s Jessica Placzek took a rare tour of Sutro Tower recently, and the video she brought back is basically the next best thing to being there:
Neighbor Miles was on the scene yesterday as a group of volunteers rallied to help rescue a hive of bees that had become stranded near the corner of Cesar Chavez Boulevard and Valencia Street.
Here with an exclusive Bernalwood Action News report, let’s go to Neighbor Miles:
First time I’ve ever seen one of these! What struck me was the brief, random, yet intense intersection of the people on the scene.
At 4:30 yesterday afternoon in front of St Lukes, a cloud of bees surround three men and a woman as they carefully positioned a large cardboard box on the sidewalk. The box was crawling with bees, and the largest man is gently dust panning more bees into the box. The bees were everywhere yet no one was getting stung.
One man went to get a roll of tape, while the large man took a plastic water bottle and sprinkling the bees.
The woman explained the bees are looking for a new hive. (Editor’s Note This video of the incident tells us the queen bee was the main passenger in the cardboard box.) The woman said she keeps bees herself, and she was smiling broadly.
She didn’t not know the fist two men, but explained that they were from Slovienia (?!) and will be taking the bees north with them as they are heading past Marin. The third man, who was at one point, he tells me, covered all over his head and chest with bees, is like me: ignorant about the business of bees. His eyes were wide with shock and thrill.
“No,” he said, “I’ve never had 50 bees crawing on me.”
The tape arrived, and people became fully relaxed and happy, and they began Instagramming pictures. A security guard from the hospital came out to thank everyone.
The men climbed in their work van with the bee box, pulled a U-turn, and were gone.
PHOTO: Miles Epstein
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Dear Neighbors, the Season of The Purge is almost upon us.
On Saturday, August 8, 2015, Bernal Heights will hold the annual Hillwide Garage Sale, during which all the Citizens of Bernalwood will have the opportunity to sell-off all the worldly crap treasures that now clutter and oppress your closets and garages.
The Hillwide Garage Sale is a Bernal Heights tradition, and we’ll have more details soon on how to register your home to appear on the magical High-Tech Treasure Map.
But for now, just mark your calendar, and start sorting through your surplus stuff to figure out what you want to unload. Because you’ll feel so much better when you do.
In Japanese literature and art, the concept of mono no aware (物の哀れ) is often central to the creative aesthetic. Mono no aware is a difficult idea to describe, but basically it represents an intimate emotional awareness of the inherent transience and impermanence of all things. So with apologies for this confessional moment, your Bernalwood editor is today struggling with his own sense of mono no aware, because Neighbor Mutsumi Takehara’s delicious Sandbox Bakery on Cortland is under new ownership.
Confirmed: Sandbox has been sold to Pinkie’s Bakery from SOMA.
In an email to Bernalwood last week, Neighbor Peter provided the tip that something was up:
Sandbox has been closed recently and word is that it has been taken over by “Pinkie’s Bakery” or something like that. At least, several of my friends have reported that the receipts now say Pinkie’s Bakery.
Is the Bernalwood News Team aware of these events?
Last weekend the Bernalwood Action News team deployed to the scene for some hungry-for-breakfast reporting at Sandbox. The pastry selection was conspicuously meager during our visit, and there were no negi-miso croissants anywhere be seen. Anywhere. Nevertheless, we verified the basic details of Neighbor Peter’s tip: Sandbox Bakery was in fact sold, and Pinkie’s Bakery was in fact the buyer.
Later on Saturday, Bernalwood received a friendly note from the proprietor of Pinkie’s Bakery:
My name is Cheryl Storms and I own Pinkie’s Bakery on Folsom with my business partner Chris Beerman.
I just wanted to drop a line and give you a heads up that we very recently bought Sandbox Bakery. I know there’s a tiny bit of buzz going around and I wanted to make sure I paid proper respect to the neighborhood and introduce myself before word got out too much.
Generally, we won’t be changing too much about Sandbox, other than the name and some of the products. I don’t know if you’ve ever been to Pinkie’s, but our product line is much more American style; I’ve always made things that I consider comforting and delicious (my dads recipe for carrot cake, banana nut bread, apple turnovers, amazing chocolate chip cookies).
I’d like to bring many of my signature Pinkies pastries over to Cortland, and I’m keeping a lot of Mutsumi’s products as well, but many of the Japanese items are gone because I feel like those were really specific to her and her vision of the bakery. We are also bringing in artisan breads, cakes, and a lot of afternoon treats. We do a lot of wholesale bread and are using the kitchen overnight for our production as well.
I’m excited to serve the neighborhood and meet all of our neighbors. I have a four month old, so I really like the family vibe of Bernal; kid friendliness and family was a big part of Mutsumi’s bakery and I definitely won’t be changing that as it becomes Pinkie’s Bakery.
The Pinkie’s Bakery Instagram account provides a visual overview of the specialties:
It all looks sprinklicious, so please welcome Cheryl and Pinkie’s Bakery to Cortlandia!
Still, I cannot deny: I will miss those fantastic negi-miso croissants Sandbox used to make; they were a profound and wonderful thing. Yet, like the fallen petals of a cherry blossom, I realize those days have passed. In my heart I feel mono no aware, but in my mouth it tastes like umami memories of a negi-miso croissant.
PHOTO: Telstar Logistics
Neighbor Barbara reports on the herd of goats she saw yesterday near Holly Park Reservoir:
While walking in Bernal, this trusty reporter was startled by an odd sound near Holly Park, as documented in 2011.
Surveying the landscape, she realized there was a heard of goats munching on vegetation around the Great Reservoir off Holly Park Circle. The collection of goats, ranging from babies to adults, were happily munching on grasses and low-hanging branches, hemmed in by a temporary fence. When last reported in Bernalwood, this Governmental Organic Autonomous Trimming System (GOATS) was used for brush/fire management.
PHOTO: Neighbor Barbara
Amid all the highly energized conversations happening in Our Faire City about scarce housing, a growing population, a booming economy, exclusionary zoning, and nativist resentment, it’s somewhat remarkable that there has been so relatively little anxiety expressed in recent years about street parking in Bernal Heights.
Apart from the usual tempo of passive aggressive parking note gems, the Bernalwood Public Sentiment Tracking System has not detected much recent change in the intensity of conversation about street parking — other than to say that the conversation is always somewhat intense. But beneath the surface, tensions have come to a boil. According to a new handbill circulating in North Bernal, the parkopalypse is here, and the time for an Urgent Conversation About Street Parking is now.
Tomorrow, June 24, at 7 pm in the Precita Neighborhood Center, an ad hoc group of Bernal neighbors will gather to commiserate about street parking and discuss what is to be done. If that sounds like your kind of thing, then this may be just the kind of thing for you.
Oh, and if you go, please report back here on the outcome.
PHOTO: Above, Neighbor Simon; below, Telstar Logistics
Uh-oh.
The delightful Esmeralda/Winfield Mini Park is suffering from old age, and an indifferent City bureaucracy has no plans to keep the mini-park in proper order. In fact, the City plans to tear down part of the park in coming days. Eeek!
This will be a great loss for Bernal Heights, so Neighbors Nancy and Joan catch us up on what’s happening, and how you can help:
The wooden structures at the MiniPark were built with community input in the late 1970s. The structures haven’t been maintained, leaving them to deteriorate into their current state.
Now the trellis is slated to be removed within a week! The planter box surrounding the big pepper tree is also due to be removed, timeline unknown. The remaining picnic table and benches haven’t been mentioned as part of the takedown, but they have rot as well.
With a kick-ass slide, a stairway that goes up to Bernal Hill, and a place to sit, rest and hang, the MiniPark is a real gem in our neighborhood. It needs a serious upgrade, but the City hasn’t committed any funds or created any plans other than a piecemeal teardown. SF Public Works sent out a memo to the neighborhood saying:
Without our pressure on the City to make the rebuild a priority, the plaza will slowly disappear or be fixed in a haphazard fashion.
Please send an email NOW, to Supervisor David Campos at David.Campos@sfgov.org telling him his office needs to look into funding the replacement of the deteriorated structures at the Winfield/Esmeralda MiniPark.
Look for future Bernalwood posts to let you know how to stay involved.
This is sad and bad.
As a historical reminder, this announcement from 1979 tells us much about the community origins of the Winfield Mini-Park, and how the City once paired with Bernal neighbors to help make the park so lovely. Let’s hope that can happen again:
PHOTO: Neighbors Nancy and Joan
It was the kind of feast that would have made the ancient Bernal druids proud.
Last night, on the evening of the solstice, a group of very resourceful, very tasteful friends hosted a proper dinner party on Bernal Hill, complete with white tablecloths, linen napkins, and porcelain plates.
A photo analysis by the Bernalwood Culinary Observation Team reveals that the menu included a fresh garden salad with feta and asparagus, accompanied by salmon served on a bed of orzo and lemon. Spa water with fresh berries was also provided. Solstice flower crowns were a fashion essential, and of course, the view was magnificent.
Bravo and well done, people. This looks delicious.
PHOTOS: Top two by @ohappyday; Bottom, Guillaume Lebleu
This weekend, glamorous Bernal neighbor and sex-positive superstars Annie Sprinkle and Beth Stephens kick off a series of Pride Week events related to their Here Come the Ecosexuals project.
The ecocitement begins this weekend, with a pair of exploration walks on Bernal Hill. And since you’re so supersexy, you’re invited:
This Sunday, June 21 meet us – Annie Sprinkle and Beth Stephens – at our sparkly blue ‘Pollination Pod’. We will be doing two walking tours of Bernal Hill at 10:30am and 5:00pm.
You’ll be greeted by us and our friendly scouts: Pale Breast, Kalash, and Maria Ramirez. The adventure begins with Ecosex Orientation, then we’ll locate some E-spots (ecosexy spots) and explore ways to make love to the Earth through the senses.
Local environmental issues will be brought out into the open. There will be plenty of adventure and drama will ensue. The show will include a special water toast and culminate at the golden stone. By the end of the walking tour you’ll have an ‘ecosexual gaze’ and you might discover that you are an ecosexual too!
When: June 21st, at 10:30am (meet at 10:15am) and 5:00pm (Meet at 4:45pm) at our garage next to
Where: On the south side of Bernal Hill in San Francisco. The walking tour begins at the south entrance to Bernal Heights Park, on Bernal Heights Blvd. one block west of Anderson Street. Look for the bright blue ‘Pollination Pod’ trailer.
Cost: Free! Project is funded by our grantors and collaborating organizations. Donations welcome.
P.S. Both tours will be filmed. If you do not want to be filmed we will give you a special hat to wear so our videographer makes sure not to catch you on film!
We will have free snacks and kombucha after the tours for our walkers and our neighbors from our sponsors: Becka Shertzer of Brazen Nector, GT Kombucha, and Peeple’s Donut Farm.
PHOTO: Annie Sprinkle and Beth Stephens, by Manuel Vason with Guillermo Gomez Pena
Bernalwood 
