Galloping into the wind!

And who wouldn’t be if you looked this good?

San Francisco is known for a lot of things like great food, great views, cable cars, golden bridges and free thinkers but what doesn’t get talked about too much is the wind! Clean, ocean smelling, smog clearing wind that brings in a lot of money to sweat shirt sellers for  tourists who’ve arrived in shorts and tank tops expecting a hot, California summer in the City.

With so much wind, it only makes sense to take advantage of the potential to show off a little art with a snappy weather vane hitched to the highest peak of a house. These little metal gems started catching my eye four years ago when we had our house painted. I live in a tall Victorian that would’ve been perfect for a weather vane to crown the house. I never did get around to picking one out but my love for them has continued to grow over the years.

I particularly like kinetic art and seeing colossal planks of wood or giant metal circles silently moving with the wind; it seems so magical to me. The pieces act as  interpreters of the shifting air, permitting me to see what I can only feel, changes the wind into an invisible artist.  Weather vanes add an extra dimension to the artistry by revealing the direction the wind is blowing; pointing to the culprit in a humorous fashion, which for me, are the best kinds of weather vanes; the ones that hold a story.

When I see whales twisting in the sky or horses at full gallop with a carriage full of passengers,or the simple outline of a rooster, I can’t help but imagine a story about where they’re headed, what they might be chasing or how they got to where they’re at in the first place. Small, intriguing, moving pieces of everyday design and I love it.