Preface: we were going to share a booth w/ the SFPUC to educate people about chloramines that are going to be added to the water for the first time this fall in SF. -Ph

By Rich Little

I showed up around 10 AM and spent around an hour looking for their tent. When I finally located it the person who pointed it out said the folks had left because the festival folks hadn't put up SFPUC tent yet and the wind and rain was so bad the public couldn't be expected to show up anyway. They were right.

I stuck around because Ray Laval said he might drop off some literature from Urban Farmers. Sat under the awning and experienced a great thunder storm. I left a little before 1 PM as he said he would show up around noon. He showed up at 1 PM.

While I was leaving I stopped at the Festival information tent and asked if they would be having the festival the next day. They hadn't decided yet so I told them I would see them the next day.

When I started up the hill, I became aware that I didn't know where I had parked. I thought I had some Idea and walked in that direction. Not there either.

With that I knew the only way I would be able to find it was to walk all the streets systematically until I found it. I was into it about an hour and was soaked to the bone when I stepped on one of those metal covers that gives access to a space below the pavement. It was so slick that my foot shot out from under me and I fell, twisting my ankle.

Fortunately I had brought Don Henderson's koi flag and, using it as a crutch, it helped me continue my search.

Around an hour later the ankle was bothering me enough I was just walking around focussing on the pain rather than the cars parked along the street. I smelled coffee and headed for a coffee shop on the corner of Pine and Filmore. I have to admit the coffee wasn't the only reason I stopped there
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I was feeling sorry for myself (Even the money inside my wallet was beginning to get wet) so I called Jeanne and let her know what was up.

After I had somebody else feeling sorry for me too, I rested and recouped my acute sense for detail and was going to tackle the task again. Taxi cab! I could ride around in a Taxicab and look for it. Boy, am I slick.

Got the cab and he went through the route I pointed out. We didn't spot it so I told him to drop me off at BART. I was done for the day.

Jeanne picked me up at the Frement BART station. She wanted to stop by Washington Emergency and have them take a look, but I was so done in I just wanted to go home and rest. She talked me into it and we went over. They put a temporary cast on to keep the fracture from getting worse.

The SFPUC folks didn't have my number had been making calls all day trying to get it from someone at the office on Saturday. Someone went down there and called me, but I hadn't arrived home yet. They apologized for not calling me earlier and left a home number so we could coordinate for the morning. I called them and told them I wouldn't make it. They felt terrible, but I told them it wasn't all that bad a day (now that it's passed) and anyway now I had a story to tell the grandkids when I get old. (You know; about the time I walked in the snow 30 miles, on my knees because both legs were broken.)

Sunday Jeanne drove me over to help me look for my car. We drove down the street and she spotted it right away. Three cars up from a coffee shop on the corner of Pine and Filmore.

Monday I had the permanent cast put on and they gave me a great pair of crutches for free. That made up for it all.

I could have responded to your need for a report with one or two lines Phred, but I'm stuck here and need to fill my time.