If you're going to San Francisco . . .

The "Summer of Love" refers to the summer of 1967, when an unprecedented gathering of as many as 100,000 young people converged on the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood of San Francisco, creating a phenomenon of cultural and political rebellion.

The "Haight" generally encompasses the neighborhood surrounding Haight Street, bounded by Stanyan Street and Golden Gate Park on the west, Oak Street and the Golden Gate Park Panhandle on the north, Baker Street and Buena Vista Park to the east and Frederick Street and Ashbury Heights and Cole Valley neighborhoods to the south.

Understand, so-called "hippies" also gathered in New York, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Chicago, and major (and minor) European cities as well. However, San Francisco was acknowledged as the epicenter of the hippie revolution. The city was a melting pot, of music, psychedelic drugs, sexual freedom, creative expression, and a bit of politics.

College and high-school students began streaming into the Haight during the start of spring break. The growing numbers of young folk making the "pilgrimage" to the Haight, alarmed the city's authorities, who were determined to stop the anticipated influx once schools let out for the summer, stating publicly they would "do their job" and keep the 'hippies' away.

However a long-time resident of the Haight, recalled the police doing little in that regard, leaving the organization of the hordes of newcomers to the hippies themselves and the overwhelmed residents of the neighbourhood. A free clinic (whose work, by the way, continues today) was established in the Haight for medical treatment, and a free-stuff store gave away basic necessities to anyone who needed them.

In Golden Gate Park, there also were numerous spots where you could "score" food, drugs and if interested 'love' for 'free' as well.

Articles in local papers - naturally - garnered national media eyes on the growing "hippie" movement. The mainstream media's coverage of hippie life in the Haight drew, subsequently, the attention of even more adventure seeking young people from all over the country and indeed, the world as well.

The movement was also fed by the counterculture's own media, particularly The San Francisco Oracle, whose pass-around readership topped a half-million at its peak that year. The little known (just wait) writer/journalist Hunter S. Thompson labeled the Haight-Asbury district "Hashbury" in the New York Times Magazine, and the activities therein were reported pretty much daily.

It was at a meeting in the spring of 1967, that Haight community leaders formed the "Council of the Summer of Love" giving the "unofficial" word-of-mouth event an official-sounding name.

The 'main stream' media's fascination with the "hippie counterculture" culminated with the Monterey Pop Festival in June, where approximately 65,000 people gathered. The "unofficial" theme song of the summer "San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair)" was initially designed to promote the Monterey Pop Festival.

"San Francisco" became an instant hit (#4 in the U. S., #1 in the UK ) popularizing an idealized - and bizarrely wonderful - image of San Francisco. In addition, media coverage of the Monterey festival further facilitated the fascination with the "Summer of Love", since large numbers of fledgling hippies up and left home, with bags packed, headed to San Francisco.

However, all good things, eventually, must come to an end and so too did "The Summer of Love" although, it basically just 'petered out' really. On October 6, 1967, those remaining in the Haight staged a mock funeral, "The Death of the Hippie" ceremony, to signal the end of the played-out scene.

- And now you know -

Moving on, She and Darryl-Elizabeth are in Monterey this weekend, (I do hope they're not wearing flowers in their hair, although I wouldn't put it past them) yeah I know, Sunday is "Father's Day" or as Darryl puts it "the one day nobody wants to be around you!"

I guess I can be a bit of a "Fred Sanford" on "my" day

Anywhoo, the photo was taken this morning outside Starbucks. Tiburon, apparently, has the most prolific public gardeners in the area!