TP 235 Part II: Ross Alley Frisco

Ross Alley in San Francisco was a great spot for the letters and character theme that Carmi has been hosting.  I knew China Town needed to have a quick run through, if not for any other reason than Ross Alley.  We found the sign and hung a right.

Past the arrow...



And past Superior Trading Company....

To the birthplace of the fortune cookie. Did you know that the fortune cookie is not a traditional Chinese treat? But an "American" Chinese treat? Created right here in the United States, right here on Ross Alley in San Fransisco.

 But that was not our only stop in this alley. I had read about a gentleman, a barber, that had a very short appearance in the Prusuit of Happiness movie with Will Smith. And I read that if you asked the gentleman to play his instrument, he would. And he did. His name is Jun Yu and he did have a cameo in the movie. I had read NOT to have him give you haircut, so I did not ask my husband to take that chance. But I did ask him if he would play us a song. FIRST though, he takes the bow and with that cute smile works his way thru the bullet points that list the movie title, Will Smith's name, the channel it aired on, the date and time. Then he will play a Mozart piece on his ehru (kinda squeeky violin sound, made on a tin can looking piece that plugs into the wall). Sometimes those side steps in life take you to a spot with a little bit of sunshine and humor, if we let it.  We experienced letters and characters that day!

This character has given me a smile thinking about that alley and the sounds and the sites.

Life has its bumps, and my excitement to be back blogging was challenged (and this post almost skipped) this past week by a friend's fight against cancer turning for the worse. As her family stays by her side to be a part of every awake moment there is left, I have thought about her life and what a great, while random and sporadic, spot of sunshine she has been in my world, and many others.  She made fighting cancer look so easy, but what she really did, was live life in each moment with a combination of contentment and forward moving. Enjoying what was around her, but going for the adventure, whether the beach or Aruba or cheering on her son and his basketball team, she has remained involved and living life big.

So I thought, hey, don't step away from sharing the fun and enjoyable moments in my life and from sharing the thoughts and feelings. As I visited Carmi's blog to see this week's theme, I was glad it was still letters, and I was saddened to read of his family's loss and mourning. Yesterday he posted a single shot of how there can be a bright spot in the midst of the grayest of times. So I moved forward with the post, because the bright and pleasant moments are important too.

It felt good typing out this post. Go live and smile and make the most of all things this week. Even the squeeky moments in life!

Check out Carmi's Blog and maybe listen to Jun Yu play his ehru (I am a sorry video taker) :)

Smile!

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