Paul
My shooting has been virtually non-existent lately so I headed down to Fisherman's Wharf tonight with my camera and that is where I met Paul. He was sitting along the fence by the bay, petting his dog and shaking his cup. We made eye contact. I approached him and told him about the $2 Portraits project to which he readily agreed to participate. It was then that I learned how our lives intersected 60 years ago - we were both born in Chicago in 1951; he at Ravenswood Hospital and me at Michael Reese. Paul lived in Chicago until he was 12 when he moved to Florida with his mom. At some point he came to San Francisco and worked as a carpet layer. Paul said he traveled back and forth to Florida a lot and at one point spent about 18 months in a Florida prison for selling pot to a cop. He also used to work for the Grateful Dead and Jefferson Airplane and proudly showed me a VIP pass he had in his wallet from the Grateful Dead.
I'm not sure of Paul's disability but he's apparently had a California Assistance Dog for some time. Paul related a story how back in 1989 his dog suddenly starting acting very strange and it led Paul to take leave from his job as a carpet layer in the East Bay. The very next day, San Francisco suffered a major earthquake and an entire expressway in the East Bay collapsed. Had Paul still been working, he would have been on that expressway at the time of the quake.
Paul and I talked a while longer and then shook hands. It was a traditional handshake and we laughed when he pointed out that most people nowadays don't shake hands; they fist bump or high five. I gave Paul $2 and as we parted, wished each other the best. While our lives intersected of sorts 60 years ago, and then again today, they are very different.
10/19/11 - Week 42
