The San Francisco Citizen

Details are a little sketchy, but the San Francisco Bomb Squad has just picked up a “package” and is taking it on a slow tour through Golden Gate Park. [UPDATE: The whole affair ended "peacefully" per KGO-TV]

Why the scenic route? So if it goes kaboom, it won’t hurt you all.

This was the scene at 6:30 PM, near the de Young Museum. Click to expand:

The starting location on Carl between Frederick and Williard:

Sarge in the front, mortar in the back:

The sticker on the red metal bucket says: “I HEART EXPLOSIVES.” (Don’t we all.) From a couple hundred feet away:

A bald eagle, sticks of dynamite and the Golden Gate Bridge:

Keep up the good work, San Francisco Bomb Squad!

San Francisco’s been having lots of red skies at night lately, due to all of the recent fires. Check out the Real Time Wildfire Map, if you’d like. You see? It’s all just a bunch of smoke.

So the weather lore contained in the Da Jesus Book doesn’t really apply to our current situation.

“Enjoy” the red skies while you can.

Impressions, Sunset over Smart & Final (2008)

Guess what. Smokey the Bear is back, baby. And he’s all bear. Smokey recently came to San Francisco’s City Hall to show off his new look.

Kind of a gender bending ad campaign, you might think. Check the video if you want. CGI S.B. is now voiced by Sam Elliot, sort of.

What would you make of this scene?

Feel free to check things out. The Bear is Back, after all.

The problem with this new Poochie-esque makeover of shirtless Smokey is that, at least in San Francisco, this is a bear:

via markjhandel’s flickrstream

But if the new half Fonzerelli/half Smoking Joe Camel Smokey doesn’t do it for you, there’s always the national Real Time Wildfire Map to look at. It’s kind of cool.

And your kids might like this. Stay safe this summer!

The first two days of ChihulyPalooza in Golden Gate Park were well attended, despite the admonishment of New Republic Art Critic Jed Perl:

Everybody rushes to the Museum of Modern Art and the De Young, two overblown buildings with sporadically important collections, while the most beautiful museum in the city–the Legion of Honor, in which masterpieces by Watteau, Le Nain, and Seurat have been given a thrillingly elegant installation- -is hardly ever mentioned.

Well, consider the Legion mentioned, Mr. Perl. Now on with the show:

Director John Buchanan speaking with Dale Chihuly earlier at the preview. Click to expand:

Let’s head outside to see the spectacle in front of the museum. A man controlling his metallic fire animals obscured by propane gas:

The Crucible’s Educational Response Vehicle. Have anvil, will travel:

The thrill of sending a plume of fire skyward the first time:

A bed of nails with a fretful ballerina on top:

And inside the museum, cherubs everywhere:

See you there!