Rounding a corner to surprise

This week’s Photo Challenge: Everyday Life brought to mind a set of pictures that hadn’t been looked at in over a year. In need of a quick pre-winter holiday breather last December, we had managed to catch a few sunny days in San Francisco.  It is always interesting to revisit places where one has not been in awhile, to see the changes in the urban landscape and how the vibe of the city has been transformed by those who live, work and play there.  SF is very much like our own melting-pot of a metropolis in that it is full of wonderful, different things to see and do but we were very much saddened and shocked to find the economy had taken an aggressive and often brutal toll on many who seem to have no voice in their own society.  An relaxed afternoon spent wandering and taking photos took an unexpected turn when we wandered into the back of a demonstration against big business, bad banks and the evils of capitalism.  The desire to find an escape route, quickly, from the angry crowd was overpowering and yet at the same time the protest was oddly appealing in that it represented many of the issues that we held truly important: decent jobs and housing, a good, accessible education, medical care at affordable prices – not really all that much for a 21st century democracy, or any country for that matter. So, like the protesters, we straddle a very thorny fence: on one side the weight of real life bears down upon us and on the other is our continued hope for a better future. Where we land is all about the actions we take, and the decisions we make, every day.

On a lighter note, and thankful once more that we are in a position to be able to pursue what we are actually good at, here is a glimpse at the first image that came to mind when presented with the challenge:

What real life is actually like on a daily basis

While the world revolves and people go about the business of everyday life, some of us work remotely, solitary, with our tools close at hand – not even needing to go any place in particular to get our daily tasks accomplished…