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Has everyone seen the band shell in the Panhandle? It could be temporary or it could remain in place, or be moved. It is so well constructed it deserves a permanent home. It is even wheelchair accessible. Reduce Reuse Recycle. The water bottle backdrop is the only part that would budge even an inch in an earthquake. All those lag bolts may outlive the painted ladies.

How about the big head in Golden Gate Park? Pretty unnerving the first time it peers out! Viewed from the Rose Garden it looks like a purple yurt. The Hayes Valley Miniature Golf? Always a new piece of city history to learn. The two rustaceously curvaceously ladies on the Embarcadero… Life is ever changing.

Burning Man is bringing it home and making everyday life more interesting. Some people will look at the bandshell and see the performance, others will see the car hoods, others the wood, the chalk on the sidewalk. Enjoy it every day!

Vampires

Congratulations Alberto Contador! Team Discovery won the Tour in an unusual fashion this year and it is perfectly fitting that it was a youngster who represents the future of the sport. Certainly Disco was the strongest team, placing three riders in the top ten.

On the last day of the Tour what do we get from the Chronicle? Profiles of the kayakers who will be attempting to catch the home run ball hit by Barry Bonds. Fascinating news, thank you for such wonderful coverage. No matter though, this was the day for all the riders who survived this year’s race to ride into Paris and celebrate the fact that they made it. Many didn’t, and some dropouts were better publicized than others.

After three weeks and over 2,000 miles of racing, a mere 23 seconds separated first place from second, and just 8 seconds between second and third. What an odd race this year, with so many scandals and whole teams being ejected, vampire riders drinking blood to gain some sort of advantage. Where will it end? Will it ever end? Fifty years ago caffeine was the drug of choice for many athletes, cyclists included. Now science has changed the way athletes attempt to gain a competitive advantage, and science is also providing new tests to detect these substances in the body.

If any of the other sports decide to test their athletes as rigorously as bicycling we may see some interesting results. Until then we have endless speculation and flat denials and no proof one way or the other. And probably more well paid guinea pigs than we can imagine.

In the meantime we can toast a beverage of our choosing (homebrew is the obvious choice, but any beverage will do) toward France and honor the riders who survived the 2007 Tour de France. A gigantic Thank You to the sponsors for another exciting race.