Fundraiser for Madrone’s Oscar Myers; local Indigenous businesses; processing trauma through surfing; learning about SF via Muni; downtown alley transformation; Photobook Fair weekend; Annie Sprinkle loves Earth and boobs; lavender and bees; SF’s 55-acre garden.

Rolling conversation

Tik-Toker Daisy, who goes by solo.dais on the app, recently moved to San Francisco from Georgia and decided to ride every Muni line from start to finish. She says she’s learned so much about the city just by using the bus as inspiration for her outings.

Daisy gives credits to the followers she’s gained along her journey who flock to her account offering tips on where to visit next. She says she’s discovered that having the bus as common ground sparks real conversation. — SFMTA

Roots in motion

Across the Bay, Indigenous communities maintain cultural presence through food, art, and shared gathering spaces. Wahpepah’s Kitchen blends traditional stews with contemporary ingredients, while Chabot’s planetarium show, Ohlone Skies, layers scientific observation with Indigenous storytelling.

Indigenous Red Market/Facebook

The Indigenous Red Market in Oakland gathers vendors and neighbors under colorful canopies of art and music. Spaces like the American Indian Cultural Center in the Mission and the Native American Health Center offer ongoing opportunities for connection and community building throughout the year. — Do The Bay

Hidden currents

A narrow alley off California Street has become a sudden central focal point. Flow State, a new mural presented by Downtown SF Partnership, threads the city’s icons through waves of abstract form — streetcars, bridges, and fog rendered in fluid, searching lines.

The piece is part of the group’s Public Realm Action Plan, a project turning small, underused corners of downtown into places meant for lingering. — Downtown SF

Books in light

This weekend, photobook enthusiasts will gather at Harvey Milk Photo Center for San Francisco’s first Photobook Fair. Bay Area publishers including Deep Time Press and TBW Books will showcase their roster of books alongside work by artists from the Bay Area and beyond.

From ‘Codependency’ by De Kwok; Harvey Milk Photo Center/Facebook

Visitors can browse intimate, limited editions as well as large publications, all of which will be part of the collection at. the center’s permanent David Johnson Reference Library. — KQED Arts

Fire, love, and ash

Local icon and ‘80s alt-porn star Annie Sprinkle is busy this fall. Sprinkle and her wife Beth Stephens are making the rounds presenting the final film in their “ecosexual” trilogy, Playing with Fire: An Ecosexual Emergency, which just received an Audience Choice Award at the Santa Cruz Film Festival.

The film is a hybrid art-documentary that turns the couple’s experience evacuating their home during the 2020 CZU Lightning Complex fires into a meditation on loss, resilience, and intimacy with the Earth. Screens Saturday night at Artists’ Television Access. — Santa Cruz Sentinal

Additionally, on Thursday, October 23, Stephens and Sprinkle are celebrating Breast Cancer Awareness Month with “Bazoombas in Love,” an immersive and cheeky art experience at Cushion Works. — Annie Sprinkle

Bridge back to the groove

Oscar Myers has run Tuesday night dance parties at Madrone Art Bar for 17 years, bringing funk, soul, and a direct line to the Fillmore’s musical past. The city honored the 81-year-old bandleader, who once shared stages with legends from James Brown to Charles Mingus, by declaring October 11 “Oscar Myers Day” last year.

Just before his birthday last week, Myers suffered a stroke, and friends and collaborators have launched a fundraiser to support Myers with his recovery and daily needs. At Madrone, regulars remember him grinning mid-song and shouting, “Take me to the bridge” — and everyone knew exactly what to do. — Coyote Media Collective

Waves of healing

At Bolinas Beach, San Francisco surfers Tim Gras and Eddie Donnellan use surfing to support young people facing trauma. Through their nonprofit, MeWater Foundation, they run free surf camps for hundreds of youth each year, giving participants a chance to find joy and build confidence.

The program also offers scholarships and mentorship, and has expanded to camping trips in Yosemite, New York, Santa Barbara, and Alaska. For the youth of Project Avary, a day on the water becomes a rare, bright m oment of care and community. — KPIX

Lavender and honey

On Chapman Lane in Petaluma, the Lavender Bee Farm grows thousands of lavender plants that attract bees and visitors alike. JoAnn and Richard Wallenstein, who inherited the farm from her parents, cut, dry, and turn the flowers into honey, sachets, candles, and other products.

Google Maps

The small shop on the property carries their handmade items, and guests can stroll through the fields while taking in the scent and sights of the farm. Each season, the work of harvesting and processing lavender and honey continues the farm’s long family legacy. — The Press Democrat

Green cathedral

Hidden in the heart of Golden Gate Park, the San Francisco Botanical Garden stretches across 55 acres of winding paths and themed landscapes. Magnolias, redwoods, and cloud forest plants mingle with curated sections like the Fragrance Garden, where scents and textures guide the experience.

Daderot/Wikimedia

Thousands of species draw both casual wanderers and dedicated plant lovers, with early mornings and seasonal events offering quieter ways to explore. Year-round programming — from guided walks to art workshops — keeps the garden active and inviting. — Secret San Francisco

Image: Native American Health Center/Facebook

Previously: Field Notes: Horror on Stage, 10-Cent Beers in the 510, and a Globe-Trotting Galapagos Albatross