Farewell Sweet Robin

I’ve had two close encounters with Robin Williams in my lifetime.  The first when I lived in the Richmond district near his Sea Cliff home in San Francisco.  I’d often pass his beautiful Mediterranean mansion above China Beach and ogle at the 9-foot Dinosaur topiary in the front garden.  Every Halloween that house was a mandatory stop for a generous treat.  One year he gave away glow sticks and neon necklaces, he was the talk for weeks among the neighborhood kids.  My second encounter was more direct.  I was exiting the 41 Union bus in the Embarcadero and bumped right into him.  He giggled, bounced around and proceeded to entertain me with a hysterical block long monologue that will never escape my memory.  The speed at which he could bundle random thoughts and gestures into cohesive, high quality entertainment was astounding.  How fast were the synapses in his brain firing?  So fast, and so brightly that his eyes sparkled…they really did. I stared into them that day and they didn’t lie.  They told a story of a gift so powerful it could fill you up and wear you out. That’s how brilliant he was.  Robin Williams,  you were a true son of the Bay Area. The seas outside the gate are calm now and I hope you can hear our thunderous applause as you ready for that next curtain call.  Thank you for everything.