catholicpagan

Fly to Rio to visit Daniel

My son Daniel went to Mardi Gras in Rio de Janeiro Brazil in '04 and still wasn't back in SF by May.  I just had to find out where, how and why he was home so years ago I went -  17 1/2 hours to see him. 

Daniel left by himself knowing no one or speaking any Portuguese (language of the country.)

A guy he met in SF hooked him up with Julio someone he knew briefly in Rio. Julio didn't speak English but picked Daniel up at the airport. 

Daniel with Brazilian friend, Julio.

My time with Daniel turned out to be an incredible journey. We had a once-in-a-life time together. Daniel is a true adventurer. He took me all over the city, usually the places white women would never go and showed me places I'd never had seen as a tourist. We went to some dangerous areas in Rio. It could have gotten bad, but we were fine. One night about midnight we went to the skater park and also guys were playing socceer. Vendors sold food and some wild Brazilian moonshine drink. After one of those I started reading palms. It was so much fun and all men & boys - lined up for readings. One guy even came off the court -they were playing on a tennis court. We got back to the hotel about 3 a.m.

As a toursit I had to visit Cristo - the huge statue set up on top of a mountain like hill. We taxied up (oh the thrill of Brazilian taxis!) It was awesome but the trip down from that, more-so. In the hour or so walk we had a beer at a stand outside a slum area - don't enter (though Daniel had a story about that), saw a traffic accident, smashed car w/blood, ran into someone Daniel knew from SF who owned a store on the street and more. 

coming down a long curvy street we stopped for a beer outside a slum dwelling. The graffitti is awesomely beautiful and very political. 

 

 I have many pictures that I'll share over a period of time. Brazilians were wonderfully friendly but then there was the street children. Sad as it was, Daniel said not to get too involved.  He took me hand gliding, something I had wanted to do for years.  My son is the BEST PERSON  to travel with for an adventure! So many stories.

Brazil shines behind me.

Witch June's morning run along beach in Brazil 

Before The Castro - Eureka Valley

A young woman reading my novel, The Skye in June, remarked how much she enjoyed learning about the area in which my story is set because when she saw the movie Milk she felt more familiar with the area which is one of San Francisco's most famous neighborhoods known to most as The Castro.  But until she read the book she had no idea the actual name of the district is not The Castro, but Eureka Valley. 

I know the neighborhood well. It's where I grew up after immigrating to United States. Thus writing about it in my fictional novel was a walk down memory lane or Castro Street. A street I waked up and down from my home to the shops, school, the movie house and the park every day of my life into my twenties. To us residents of EV and in the Mission, it was called The Valley.

When San Franciscan author, Jim Toland, (Fire and Fog)  gave praise to my book, “Not since Amy Tan’s early writings has a woman’s voice so strongly resonated from one of San Francisco’s valleys” my editor, not a SF native, thought readers wouldn’t know what he meant. San Francisco is full of valleys and hills the names of (some) districts besides Eureka Valley are Hayes, Cole , Visitation, Noe Valley along with the hill district named Russian, Nob and Bernal Hill, my now hood.  Still realizing that most don't know the City like Jim and myself, he changed it.

In the early 1970’s I was living in “The Valley” – at the family home  on Liberty & Castro Streets.

My parents, (Callaghan) owned Valley Fish n’ Chips on 18th by Castro and my husband's family (Briesachs - we married 25 yrs later)

owned The Corner Pocket, billiard hall 19th and Castro. 

It was during that time I met Harvey Milk.I had film to develop that contained certain kinds of pictures that I couldn’t take to the local pharmacy store (that's where you went back in the day), so I tried the new photo shop–– Milk’s place. Through Harvey I learned about developing small photos on a strip so I could choose the best ones to print. We’d sit and critiqued each photo with Harvey advising which ones showed my best assets. Harvey was always open to visiting with his customers. He was funny, quite loquacious but also a good listener especially to love problems and had plenty of advise. And, was interested in community happenings. He knew that I being a straight long time EV resident, could convey the sentiments and gossip going around The Valley. The day he was shot in 1978 I was driving along Divisadero Street when I heard the news on the radio. So shocked, I burst into tears and had to pull the car over.

 
In the movie I loved seeing my old hood and a brief glimpse of my family home up on the hills. Still, to me Milk is basically Hollywood -ish. 

Never the less, I thought Sean Penn was brilliant as Harvey Milk. 

Sean come on back to The Valley and I'll tell you tales of life there before it was The Castro. 
Shadow boxes by San Franciscan Cynthia DeLosa

June Callaghan of Eureka Valley