West Portal – Closures and Big Machines
As everyone probably knows by now, West Portal tunnel is closed while they repair and replace the hundred-year-old lines.
The main staging area is West Portal, the commercial street. It’s a big mess. But a big intriguing mess. (And, we hasten to add, it’s open for business and the shops and restaurants are operating normally.)
We were fascinated by the huge, specialized machines parked everywhere in the first couple of blocks of West Portal.
And here are some more:
All in matching, very visible yellow, though each machine is different.
It’s all very much under control, and as long as you avoid Ulloa and Vicente and the stretch between, it’s not difficult to drive there or find parking.
But the stores sure could do with some support, so if you were thinking about shopping or dining there… please do. And if you have kids who are interested in huge machines and construction activity – it’s the perfect time to ogle the earthmovers!
– THE END –
Forest Knolls Block Party May 20, 2018
I got an email requesting me to post this notice about the Forest Knolls Block party…
It’s on Sunday May 20th 2018, from 12 noon to 4 p.m. and will be held in the 100 block cul-de-sac of Forest Knolls Drive (that’s just above the Clarendon School playground.) There’ll be snacks (tacos, empanadas) and drinks, a bouncy house, balloons, a fortune teller and a photo booth and more. Representatives from SAFE – Neighborhood Watch, the NERT Neighborhood Emergency Response Team, and from the Fire Station and SFPD may be present. Please RSVP to Walter Caplan at forestknolls@comcast.net
You can also download the flyer above as a PDF here: 2018-block-party
I was taking the Muni downtown yesterday, when a Muni employee stopped me. She handed me the flyer below, and told me the station would be closed weekend nights (Friday and Saturday) from 11 p.m. to 9 a.m. It’ll last through June 17th, and they’ll have buses. All the details are available at SFMTA.com, or on 311.
I really appreciated the outreach. I’m seldom that late on the Muni, but when I am – it’s often a weekend.
Happy Holidays, Everyone!
It’s that time of the year again, and whatever festival you celebrate, I’d like to wish everyone reading this blog a very joyous one! And here’s to a good year ahead in 2018.
SEASON’S GREETINGS! AND A VERY HAPPY 2018
Forest Knolls Holiday Party – December 10, 2017
We got a notice about the annual holiday party… you probably received it in your mailbox, but in case not, here it is!
The Forest Knolls Holiday Party is set for Sunday, 12/10, from 4-8pm with a dinner buffet at 6pm. The event will be held at the Armenian Church on Olympia, next door to our fire station.
If you plan to attend, PLEASE RSVP to forestknolls@comcast.net. Indicate the number in your party and ages of kids attending. For members of the Forest Knolls Neighborhood Organization (FKNO), the price is $15/person. Non-members are $20/person. Kids are free. Please use the self-addressed envelope you received in your mailbox to pre-pay and/or join FKNO.
Questions? Just email forestknolls@comcast.net
Forest Knolls – 2017 Halloween Loop
It’s that time of the year again, with the orange flyers in your mailbox, telling you about the Halloween loop. The Forest Knolls Neighborhood Organization does this each year.
If you’re on the loop and want to trick-or-treaters coming by, you’ll need to be home on Tuesday Oct 31 between 5.30 and 8 p.m. (with candy!). Email the organizers by Sunday Oct 22 at
forestknolls@comcast.net or call them at 415-621-0500.
They’ll give you a pumpkin and a sign to indicate you’re participating.
If you want to take your kids trick-or-treating, bring them to the loop between 5.30 and 8 pm. on Oct 31 – and look out for the pumpkins of participation!
Here’s a larger map of the route:
Barn Owl in the Forest Knolls’ Forest
I was driving west along Clarendon Avenue, heading homeward. As I slid into the turn lane to make a right on Christopher, something white lay on the side of the road. I slowed nearly to a stop, unsure what it was. Then I recognized it as a barn owl, wings spread. My fear was that it might be injured, perhaps from hitting a car.
To my relief, it rose into the air and disappeared into the trees of Sutro Forest, a rodent clutched in the talons of its right foot. It must have just caught it. 
But I was in even more luck! As I turned right, it sailed out of the forest ahead of me, looped over Christopher Dr, and flew back to a tree beside the street. Then it took off again, but only went a little deeper into the forest.
The last time I saw a barn owl in Forest Knolls was seven years ago: Evening Walk with Owl and Moon
Later, I went back. The owl was there, but difficult to see in the darkness. I heard rustling sounds that suggested it was eating the rodent it had caught. I tried getting photographs, but both my phone and camera rebelled at the darkness. This picture is an edited public domain photograph.
So if you hear hisses, screeches, and rasping noises from the forest – or around our neighborhood – it’s barn owls on rodent patrol. (Also, please don’t use rodenticides, especially slow-acting ones like brodifacoum. It could kill the owl.)
