Thrd Street Bridge, ChinaBasin

"The Broom Philosophy," something i adopted as a practice when I was first hired as a sweep for H&H Ship Services on the Water front in Downtown SF. It was a priciple that was remnant of my Zen Practice when I was a practicing student at Green Gulch Zen Center. The principle was based on cleaning up or as the japanese calls it Shoji.

The act of cleaning up is part of the Zen practice which helps the student to be constantly aware that he or she is in the act of cleaning up the 'mirror' mind from all the stains or polishing the diamond till it shines to its former glory. It is a process of self catharsis, or purification.

In the background to my right is the SF Bay Bridge heading towards Oakland, on my right out of the picture would be th Framcis Lefty o'doul- Third Street Bridge. Sometimes i can see the Carrier USS NimitZ or the USS Enterprise or the MIssisippi cruising into the bay headed for the Naval Air Base in Alameda, across the bay from where I work.

I was par of H&H Ship Services to service these battlehips when they come into port our job was primarily to empty the bilge water from the carriers and carry out the clean up job.

I often took my lunch breaks sitting by the river on Tird Street to get away from the 'Yard' and to get some fresh air and clear my head. Across from where the lab was situated is the warehouse and alongside the pier tugboats and barges were often moored when they were not being service out at sea.

The Office Building of H&H, the grounf floor being the storage and workshop area. I highly doubt that this building is still there today.