San Francisco & Elaine our host

The hills are everywhere in san francisco which combined with the grid system can give some longish street views.

Here is Broadway going all the way to the horizon

Rightangle parking as so steep

Then there is the Lombard St hairpins as it was too steep.  Cable cars were created when a horse stuttered on a hill and the cart dragged it backwards.

We found a lovely airbnb host in Elaine from Ireland. She has been in sf for 20 plus years

We stayed with her for a week. She runs a 12 child nursery from her house. She had pictures of her relatives from Ireland all along her mantlepiece. Who stands out to you in this picture? Her family obviously means the world to her. We didnt realise a few things on the first night but us being English was a big deal for Elaine.

This is her uncle Willie. He was a journalist, kind, quiet sort of bloke who developed pictures of the family using chemicals he kept in glass lemonade bottles

Elaine had spent a lot of years not liking English. She hoped I was a soldier but was in the end just glad to have us and realise English folk can be normal. We did a lot of hugging and crying. She was 3 when Uncle Willie was killed, shot, murdered during Bloody Sunday. She was never allowed by her family to talk about it. And only found out in later childhood years. She travelled around in childhood. When at a new school aged 6 the nun asked her to sing an Irish song. Elaine stood on a chair and sung "tanks and bombs take away our sons" without realising its significance. To her it was just an Irish song. The nun yanked her off the chair pdq.

Meeting Elaine changed something that I would see on the news occassionally and know as a U2 song into a better understanding of real human tragic event. Listening how it affected her parents herself then and now was very eye opening.

Elaine was a very warm welcoming person who went well beyond her normal hosting requirements. We were very lucky to find her. She is already in therapy to talk about the generational wounds and pain and we wish her all the best going forwards

Lots love to Elaine

Xxx