We stood in the freezing September wind at the top of Lombard
Street hoping the fog would break open for a few seconds so we
could watch the total lunar eclipse and run a roll of film through
the camera, maybe two. We had planned to watch the show from Mt.
Tamalpais, but we wanted to get a photograph with a bit of San
Francisco in the foreground. So there we waited at Lombard and
Hyde, cable cars cresting Russian Hill behind us with that unmistakable
churning sound. We debated the wisdom of the decision, frustrated
that we'd have to wait forty years for the next one. We finally
gave it up and began to enjoy the scenery. After all, this was
San Francisco. And then it happened: the fog thinned long enough
to shoot a few frames during totality. A reminder once again that
the beauty of photography is that it makes you wait for the magic
to unfold.