New in the Research Center: WindLasses, Kindred Spirits

(by Heather Hernandez, Technical Services Librarian)

Cover of the CD

We are delighted to announce that a rather scarce CD of sea music and chanties is now available in the Research Center--The WindLasses album Kindred Spirits.  Why not stop by to listen to the Glovers' delightful harmonies?

Maritime Metaphors: We're near the water

(by Heather Hernandez, Technical Services Librarian)

One of my favorite songs by one of my favorite bands is "Nothing on My Mind" by Too Much Joy.  (Give it a listen on their Song of the Week blog.)  It's a song on their album Cereal Killers, which is always with me--in multiple formats at home, and on my player in my bag.

This song has always captured an exact feeling for me:  grabbing a sketchbook and heading to the water.  In times of joy, in times of sadness--letting it all go, sitting on the beach, on a pier, or on a boat and losing myself in drawing what I see.  A sketchbook, drawings, pencils, colors--and the water with its boats, birds, waves.  One of the best things about where I work, and where anyone can visit:  we know "guys" with boats, and some of them are so quiet...without motors...

What does this have to do with Collections?  Plenty!  Need some hints about drawing?  Need something to color?  These will get you started:

• Drawing ships
• How to draw ships
• How to draw merchant ships: vol. 1 and vol. 2
• Ships and how to draw them

Then head to the water.  Sit and enjoy the sound of the waves.  Float around on a boat.  Start drawing and coloring, and drift...let there be nothing on your mind...

Nothing On My Mind

It’s not important

This stuff that I’m afraid of

I’ve got a bugle someplace

Let’s get a parade up

We’re near the water

I know a guy with a boat

It doesn’t have any motor

We can just sit and float

I’ll give you a coloring book

You can draw outside the lines

I’ve got nothing on my mind

My cousin died at a Who concert

He was camping out in line

Me and him went camping, once

I’ve got nothing on my mind

That’s my favorite song

Baby do you wanna dance

If you’re happy and you know it

You got to clap your hands

I’m out of control

Je t’aime le rock and roll

Maritime Metaphors: Collecting Memories

(by Lisbit Bailey, Archivist and Pop Music Aficionado)

This edition of Maritime Metaphors is about collecting memories.  The song lyrics to Bookends by Paul Simon conjure treasures of the past, the halcyon days perhaps.  Photographs are the iconic form of "memory," but we collect many other things to remind us of shared experiences of all kinds.

What do you collect?  What are the stories you tell?

Bookends

Time it was

And what a time it was, it was

A time of innocence

A time of confidences

Long ago it must be

I have a photograph

Preserve your memories

They're all that's left you

Check out the YouTube video of Simon & Garfunkel performing Old Friends and Bookends in medley, 1977.

Here is a variety of items selected from the Collections at San Francisco Maritime NHP evocative of the past, memories, and souvenirs.  Enjoy!

Photograph: This portrait of the Rasmussen family is a shipboard souvenir with hand coloring. Shown are Captain Rasmussen, his wife and children arriving in Honolulu aboard a Matson Lines vessel, taken between 1925 and 1935. (SAFR 22239, P09-011)

Bookmarks: These hand-painted lanceolate-type leaves are from an unidentified plant from Cape Town.

(SAFR 8680)

Christening Bottle: This square-section short-necked bottle is wrapped with blue and gold ribbons.  Inscribed on a brass plaque:  "Presented to SALLY ZUCKERMAN, sponsor / Rechristening S.S. HAWAIIAN MOTORIST / Honolulu, November 7, 1962." This vessel was originally a freighter built in 1945. It was rebuilt as a containership in 1960-61. (SAFR 20573)

Souvenir Handkerchief:  This item commemorates the Great White Fleet visitation to California in 1908. There is a starboard view of the flagship Connecticut at center and portraits of President Roosevelt above and Rear Admiral Evans below. (SAFR 17014)

Uniform Hat: An Officer of Matson Navigation Company wore this cap. (SAFR 19825)

This is a menu for the Aquatic Park Casino, circa 1940. (SAFR 15567)

Cocktail Napkin: This is a souvenir of Fisherman's Wharf, San Francisco, California, with drawings of the Golden Hinde (II) and Balclutha, circa 1970. (SAFR 19933)

Pillowcase:  Made of pink fabric with fringe and printed in blue. There is a spread-eagle symbol, a picture of a liberty ship and the legend "Souvenir of Kaiser Ship Yards, Richmond, Calif., Liberty Ships, Victory by Production,” circa 1943-1945. (SAFR 19364)

Postcard: This is a First Day Cover commemorating Drake’s vessel the GOLDEN HIND, 1580. (SAFR 15568)

Souvenir Program: Liberty Ship JIM OTIS was launched from Richmond Shipbuilding Corporation, Richmond, California, on December 31, 1941. (SAFR  17005)

Purse: A small purse or etui made from a coconut shell with hand-painted decoration, undated. (SAFR 3394)

Photograph: This is one photo from the William A. Dougan collection of albums and loose prints dating from 1916 to 1935.  Dougan, a Chief Engineer compiled the albums, included family, and voyage photographs aboard the steamer Roanoke. (SAFR 22304, P92-083)

Maritime Metaphors: Song to the Siren

(by Lisbit Bailey, Archivist and Pop Music Aficionado)

Song to the Siren is a beautiful song written by Tim Buckley (1947- 1975) and Larry Beckett. It was originally released on Buckley's 1970 album Starsailor. The song refers to the Sirens that tempt sailors to their fate from the Greek myth of Jason, the Argonauts and the Golden Fleece. A palpably sad song, it speaks to blind and doomed love that is heartbreakingly bittersweet. An incredibly moving version of this song was performed by Tim Buckley in the last moments of the last episode of The Monkees television series in 1968. (Watch and listen on YouTube.)

Song to the Siren

Long afloat on shipless oceans

I did all my best to smile

'Til your singing eyes and fingers

Drew me loving to your isle

And you sang

Sail to me, sail to me

Let me enfold you

Here I am, here I am

Waiting to hold you

Did I dream you dreamed about me?

Were you hare when I was fox?

Now my foolish boat is leaning

Broken lovelorn on your rocks

For you sing

Touch me not, touch me not

Come back tomorrow

Oh, my heart, oh, my heart

Shies from the sorrow

I am as puzzled as the oyster

I am as troubled at the tide

Should I stand amid the breakers?

Or should I lie with death my bride?

Hear me sing

Swim to me, swim to me

Let me enfold you

Oh, my heart, oh, my heart

Is waiting to hold you

To get you into the swim of things, I’ve selected two books from the Collections at the San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park. Enjoy!

The Jason Voyage: the Quest for the Golden Fleece by Timothy Severin

The Odyssey of Homer by Homer; Lattimore, Richmond Alexander, 1906-1984

Maritime Metaphors: In memory of Tim Przygocki

(by Lisbit Bailey, Archivist and Pop Music Aficionado)

In Memory of Timothy Przygocki

7 October 1948 to 19 February 2014

Tim moved to San Francisco in 1972. Captivated by the historic full-rigged ship Balclutha, he made historic ship preservation his passion and career. He started as a volunteer for the San Francisco Maritime Museum and worked his way up to Historic Ship Rigger.

His unique skills lead to many interesting jobs which included serving on the crew of the replica ship Golden Hinde in 1979 when she sailed to Japan for the filming of the miniseries Shogun. Tim and other crew members acted as extras in the film.

Tim became a National Park Service employee when the Balclutha and the Maritime Museum were transferred to federal stewardship.

In his NPS uniform in the 1990s

In the mid-1990s, Tim started his second career at San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park as the Safety and Hazardous Materials Manager. The many years he worked on the historic ships gave him a clear understanding of the complex and dangerous work involved in historic ship preservation. He was as passionate about taking care of his fellow employees and park visitors as he was about the ships.

Tim retired from the National Park Service in September 2010.

Tim and his 1979 Spider Veloce, in 2012

Tim is greatly missed by his family and his many friends near and far.

You can read his obituaries at the Mishawaka High School Class of 1968 site (MS Word format only), and until the end of March 2014 also in the San Francisco Chronicle and the SouthBend Tribune.

In honor of Tim’s life, I’ve selected a song to share here on Maritime Metaphors called Sailboats.  This beautiful and moving song was written by Adam R. Young who is Sky Sailing. It was released 27 July 2010. The album is titled An Airplane Carried Me to Bed.

Sailboats

Sailboats wish that they were stars

Floating softly in the sky

Among our dreams that bid goodbye

Moving through transparent space

Drifting through the stratosphere

And onward 'til they disappear

These continents from overhead

Look like tiny paper shapes

Intricately set in place

Below the misty mountain clouds

There's a lovely silver bay

Where sunset sailors often hideaway

Scuba diver in the loch

Speedboat driver on the dock

Sailplane pilot in the blue

Take me up there with you

The world looks brighter

From this high altitude

I was walking through the trees

(Sailboats wish that they were stars)

And I was swimming through the seas

('Cause they don't know who they are)

I was falling through the air

When it hit me right there

My eyes are tired, I don't even care

An airplane carried me to bed

Where I slept above the coast

And dreamt I had become a ghost

I sail above the frozen peaks

Deep in cold cathedral caves

Across the hills and far beyond the waves

Take the car on the run

Fly the jet to the sun

And bring the spacecraft in soon

While I play chess with the moon

I feel like sleeping

Through this cold afternoon

Once in 1964

(Sailboats wish that they were stars)

An actress ran on the shore

('Cause they don't know who they are)

And though you'll never return

I love you, Audrey Hepburn

Sometimes I can see your face in the crowd

There are sailboats throughout this brilliant sky

But you cannot pick them out if you can't fly

I'm glad the earth doesn't care if I go up there

If you want to just ask me and I'll take you along

In recognition of Tim’s early days with the organization that became San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park, I’ve selected 6 items from the Park’s Museum Collection including 3 drawings, 2 paintings and 1 poster of the Park’s Historic Fleet circa 1970:

SAFR 526, painting, Golden Hynde off Point Reyes, California, being towed in calm waters, 1977

SAFR 19313, painting, Balclutha at San Francisco's  Fisherman's Wharf dock, seen broadside from starboard, partly obscured by Pier 43 1/2 gate building in foreground, circa 1965-1985

SAFR 15404, drawing, Alma, port stern quarter view of vessel under sail, 1972

SAFR 19345, drawing, Wapama, port broadside view of 1915 steam schooner WAPAMA during the 1970's 

SAFR 19732, painting, Eppleton Hall, bow port quarter view of tug in San Francisco Bay, with Golden Gate Bridge in far background. Painted entirely in blue, 1970’s

Maritime Metaphors: Brandy by Looking Glass

(by Keri Koehler, Collections Manager and Heather Hernandez, Technical Services Librarian)

Brandy (You're a Fine Girl), by Looking Glass is set "in a port on a western bay."  In this port town, on this western bay, who could these sailors be, who could be stolen from the sea by this fine girl's eyes?  Could they be sailors like these, in a barroom not so different from this one?

Waterfront Barroom Scene, ca. 1915 (SAFR 8986)


Brandy (You're a Fine Girl)
written and composed by Elliot Lurie

(dooda-dit-dooda), (dit-dooda-dit-dooda)

There's a port on a western bay
And it serves a hundred ships a day
Lonely sailors pass the time away
And talk about their homes

And there's a girl in this harbor town
And she works layin' whiskey down
They say "Brandy, fetch another round"
She serves them whiskey and wine

The sailors say "Brandy, you're a fine girl" (you're a fine girl)
"What a good wife you would be" (such a fine girl)
"Yeah your eyes could steal a sailor from the sea"
(dooda-dit-dooda), (dit-dooda-dit-dooda-dit)

Brandy wears a braided chain
Made of finest silver from the North of Spain
A locket that bears the name
Of the man that Brandy loves

He came on a summer's day
Bringin' gifts from far away
But he made it clear he couldn't stay
No harbor was his home

The sailor said " Brandy, you're a fine girl" (you're a fine girl)
"What a good wife you would be" (such a fine girl)
"But my life, my lover, my lady is the sea"
(dooda-dit-dooda), (dit-dooda-dit-dooda-dit)

Yeah, Brandy used to watch his eyes
When he told his sailor stories
She could feel the ocean foam rise
She saw its ragin' glory
But he had always told the truth, lord, he was an honest man
And Brandy does her best to understand
(dooda-dit-dooda), (dit-dooda-dit-dooda-dit)

At night when the bars close down
Brandy walks through a silent town
And loves a man who's not around
She still can hear him say

She hears him say " Brandy, you're a fine girl" (you're a fine girl)
"What a good wife you would be" (such a fine girl)
"But my life, my lover, my lady is the sea"
(dooda-dit-dooda), (dit-dooda-dit-dooda-dit)

"Brandy, you're a fine girl" (you're a fine girl)
[FADE]

"What a good wife you would be" (such a fine girl)
"But my life, my lover, my lady is the sea"

Maritime Metaphors: Southern Cross sung by Crosby, Stills & Nash

Today we begin a new series, Maritime Metaphors, in which we seek to explore maritime metaphors encountered every day in music, poetry, language--in the aspects of our everyday lives.  In our work with SF Maritime NHP's Collections, we bring these metaphors with us, and through this series we seek to explain, explore, and share the connections we find in the artifacts of yesterday with metaphors, similes, and images of our culture today.  --Ed.

Southern Cross sung by Crosby, Stills & Nash

(by Lisbit Bailey, Archivist and Pop Music Aficionado)

This song uses the Southern Cross as a metaphor for finding, navigating and losing love in the stars. The constellation of the Southern Cross has practical use as the key to navigation in the Southern Hemisphere.  The collections at the San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park contain artifacts and archival materials that reveal more about maritime navigation including SAFR 9333 Sextant, SAFR 18838 Orrery, SAFR 18849 Navigational Chart, SAFR 18940 Compass, SAFR 20696 Star Finder and SAFR 23806 (HDC 1649) Mary Janislawski papers. Enjoy!

Star Finder (SAFR 20696)

"Southern Cross"
sung by Crosby, Stills & Nash

[Introduction (Acoustic Guitars)]
Oooh ...

Got out of town on a boat goin' to Southern islands
Sailing a reach before a followin' sea
She was makin' for the trades on the outside
And the downhill run to Papeete

Off the wind on this heading lie the Marquesas
We got eighty feet of the waterline nicely making way
In a noisy bar in Avalon I tried to call you
But on a midnight watch I realized why twice you ran away

Think about
Think about how many times I have fallen
Spirits are using me larger voices callin'
What Heaven brought you and me cannot be forgotten

(Around the world) I have been around the world
(Lookin') Lookin' for that woman girl
(Who knows she knows) Who knows love can endure
And you know it will

When you see the Southern Cross for the first time
You understand now why you came this way
'Cause the truth you might be runnin' from is so small
But it's as big as the promise, the promise of a comin' day

So I'm sailing for tomorrow my dreams are a dyin'
And my love is an anchor tied to you tied with a silver chain
I have my ship and all her flags are a' flyin'
She is all that I have left and music is her name

Think about
Think about how many times I have fallen
Spirits are using me larger voices callin'
What Heaven brought you and me cannot be forgotten

(I've been around the world) I have been around the world
(Lookin') Lookin' for that woman girl
Who knows love can endure
And you know it will, and you know it will yes

[Instrumental (Electric Guitars)]
Oooh ...

So we cheated and we lied and we tested
And we never failed to fail it was the easiest thing to do
You will survive being bested
Somebody fine will come along make me forget about loving you
At the southern cross

[Ending (Acoustic Guitars)]

Now online: Gems from Olivette

(by Heather Hernandez, Technical Services Librarian)

As part of the Library's pilot book digitization project, we've now digitized and made available a very rare musical score, Gems from Olivette by Edmond Audran:

Cover of Gems from Olivette

Available to read online or download in multiple formats (including .pdf, EPUB, Kindle, Daisy or plain text) on the Internet Archive, the high resolution page images are also available on NPS Focus.  The score contains songs from Olivette, which opened at the Bijou Theatre on December 25, 1880, with delightful titles such as "Jamaica rum : a grog-orian chant," "The  torpedo and the whale," and "Where balmy garlic scents the air," for voice with piano accompaniment.

As part of our pilot project, we've digitized several types of items: reports, illustrated books, poetry, and now a score, and made them all available on NPS Focus and the Internet Archive.  We hope to be able to begin digitizing more resources in the future!