Another Tattoo!

Another tattoo, this one seen at the Earth Day Marin celebration at the College of Marin. And yes, the owner did pose for me.

 

As seen ..........................

As seen on a post at a trail parking lot in Bel Marin Keyes. Probably lost and found.

 

Squirrel

Go ahead. Stifle a yawn. You have seen lotsa squirrels.

 

Be that as it may, however I always get excited when I see wildlife from my kitchen-window. Sure, if I lived in the Serengeti I would be taking pictures of wildebeest and zebras. But I live in Greenbrae, California. So there.

 

Redwood Sorrel

I took this picture of a Redwood Sorrel flower in Muir Woods yesterday. Googling this morning, I read that Native Americans ate the Sorrel leaves. I even found a Sorrel-salad recipe. And then I found a warning: eat it in small quantities only, since it is slightly toxic.

 

Once I had the flower on my computer-screen I detected the little creature on the left. A Rose Weevil perhaps, which will sometimes stray to other flowers.

 

Red-facedly I must confess that yesterday I meant to say Hoedown, rather than Hootenanny. My first mistake this year. Perhaps I shouldn't drink so much coffee!

 

Hootenanny

Not being a native-born Mercan it's words like "hootenanny" that sometimes confusicate me.

 

Wikipedia sez "Hootenanny was an old country word for 'party'. Now, most commonly, it refers to a folk-music party".

 

Whatever the case may be, the word "hootenanny" popped into my mind as soon as I looked at the bottom of my empty Starbucks coffee-cup.

 

What do you say?

 

Swallows

Have you ever tried to photograph swallows in flight? If you have, you will know that it's no easy task. I tried again, at the Ponds, this morning. I think I'm beginning to get the hang of it, a little bit at least. Seems that ya gotta not be too close, get a bunch of them in your picture, and then enlarge and crop. Perhaps, in time, I'll improve.

 

Earth Day Marin

This afternoon I took pictures for the SCOPE at the Earth Day Marin celebration at the College of Marin. The scene of the young woman face-painting the lady in the straw hat caught my eye, and I knee-jerkedly snapped a picture. It wasn't until I saw the photo on my computer screen that I realized that I had caught a wonderful moment in time. I tried to learn who the artist or the lady were, but thus far haven't had any luck.

 

This is the last of the collages.

 

Geary bus with reflection in windshield.

 

More legs!

 

Couple walking down Market Street. Love is gland!

 

Bicycle messengers taking a break on the steps of the Merchants Monument (formerly known as the Donahue Memorial Fountain) on Market Street, installed in 1899. The sculptor was Douglas Tilden.

 

The last pair of pretty legs!

 

The heart was inside one of the buildings. I don't know what it stands for, but I liked the way it stood there next to the silhouette of the man.

 

The pretty young sales-lady stood outside the store in which she worked. I think they carry cosmetics. I asked her if I could take her picture and, when she agreed, had her tilt her head a little. If I can find the store the next time I'm in the City, I'll give her a print.

 

The man in the wheelchair seemed to be a veteran. Note the "Hungry" sign in the basket. Note also that he was talking on a cell-phone. What next?

 

The last picture shows Dr. Wang, a new fellow at my cataract/glaucoma doctor's office. Dr. Wang hails from the vicinity of Beijing.

 

Monday-Part 2

A pretty pair of legs on high-heeled shoes hurrying up Market Street. I figure that if it's OK for the ladies to flaunt their gams it's OK for the guys to ogle and take pix.

 

Pacific Gas & Electric headquarters at 245 Market Street, built in 1925, it is San Francisco's biggest building.

 

Pedestrians waiting for the light to change.

 

Male pigeon hot on the tail (haha!) of female pigeon. I already E-mailed this on Tuesday.

 

Roses at a flower-stall. The Polish owner had tears in her eyes as she spoke about the aircraft tragedy that killed Polish President Lech Kaczinski, his wife, and 94 other dignitaries on their way to Russia.

 

Reflections in office buildings. I love the distortions.

 

Gandhi statue with sparrow. I had already E-mailed this one on Monday.

 

Another pair of beautiful legs supported by high-heeled shoes.

 

One of two ram sculptures gracing the entrance of the PG&E headquarters.

 

Look for the final installment tomorrow!

 

Monday - Part 2

A pretty pair of legs on high-heeled shoes hurrying up Market Street. I figure that if it's OK for the ladies to flaunt their gams it's OK for the guys to ogle and take pix.

 

Pacific Gas & Electric headquarters at 245 Market Street, built in 1925, it is San Francisco's biggest building.

 

Pedestrians waiting for the light to change.

 

Male pigeon hot on the tail (haha!) of female pigeon. I already E-mailed this on Tuesday.

 

Roses at a flower-stall. The Polish owner had tears in her eyes as she spoke about the aircraft tragedy that killed Polish President Lech Kaczinski, his wife, and 94 other dignitaries on their way to Russia.

 

Reflections in office buildings. I love the distortions.

 

Gandhi statue with sparrow. I had already E-mailed this one on Monday.

 

Another pair of beautiful legs supported by high-heeled shoes.

 

One of two ram sculptures gracing the entrance of the PG&E headquarters.

 

Look for the final installment tomorrow!

Monday - Part 1

Starting today, and for three days, I will send you 9-picture collages. I took all 27 pictures on Monday when I went to see my cataract/glaucoma doctor in San Francisco. I took the Larkspur-ferry both ways and walked up and back on Market Street to my doctor's office near Second Street. A few of them are in portrait-mode and you have to rotate your computer-screen or rotate your body. Sorry about the inconvenience.

 

Look at the pix left-to-right, top-to-bottom. Unfortunately they are not in perfect order.

 

Beautiful clouds.

 

The GULF STREAM, registered in Nassau, sailing under the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge.

 

The hooded guy was sitting in the ferry, writing and keeping his face really close to the table. He looked like a praying Tibetan monk. Behind him a fire-hose with a cool reflection.

 

Contorted self-portrait at the Larkspur ferry-terminal.

 

One of the San Quentin watch-towers and the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge.

 

The POLAR DISCOVERY, registered in Long Beach, CA, heading for the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge.

 

Here's Pete Brandt doing incredible tricks on his bike at the Ferry Plaza in San Francisco. He is well-known, I spoke with him and he gave me his card. Check out his website www.petebrandt.com and be sure to click on links.

 

One of the austere entrances of San Quentin Prison.

 

Angel Island with the old immigration station, a landmark, similar to Ellis Island.

 

Who'd a dreamed an ole guy could have so much fun!!!

 

May I Buy You A Drink?

At San Francisco Ferry Building.

 

Friends

Mahatma Gandhi, and little friend, posing for the photographer at San Francisco's Ferry Building.

 

No Name Photograph

I'll let you pick a title for this one!

 

Kelso

Every once in a while you must bear with me and admire one of my gorgeous granddaughters. Today it is Kelso's turn. She lives in Sonoma and attends Napa Valley College. Next time I'll bring you Danika, the other charmer. She  is in the process of moving from Illinois to Pennsylvania even as I sit down to write this. Another beauty! Aren't you glad I'm not just a biased old guy?

 

Spring Lake

The reflection in the lake in Santa Rosa's Spring Lake Park, yesterday, transported me into a dreamy mood, which, in turn, moved me to take this picture.

 

Just so you know and appreciate ~ Grammar (in any language) has always posed a problem for me, with commas a real nightmare. As a result, it took me between twelve and thirteen minutes to compose the above sentence.

 

Dispute

Bob H and I went back to the Rookery in Santa Rosa today. The trees were full of birds and there was much noise. A binoculared Audubon Canyon Ranch lady was doing a weekly mapping of the birds on a photograph. Much of the activity still consisted of nest-building, though the Audubon-lady said that some eggs had already hatched.

 

My photo shows a dispute between two Great Egrets. I couldn't quite make out what they were arguing about, but assume that territorial claims were at stake. There was lots noise and wing-fluttering.

 

A Merganser Play in Four Acts

Act 1 ~ The Mergansers, Alphonse and Sophie, are basking in the sun.

 

Act 2 ~ Sophie, feeling warm,  goes for a swim, followed by Alphonse, when an intruder appears on the scene, coming on to Sophie.

 

Act 3 ~ Alphonse will have none of this, and, mincing no quacks, tells the intruder to get the heck out.

 

Act 4 ~ The intruder, no great hero, turns tail and beats a hasty retreat.

 

The End

 

Reflection

Reflection.

 

Taj Mahal

This is not the first time I am sending out a picture of the Taj Mahal houseboat in Sausalito. It's just taken from a new vantage point; the fifth floor of the Casa Madrona Hotel to be exact.

 

The houseboat, moored at the end of Johnson Street, is about forty years old. While serving as a Bed & Breakfast for a few years, it is now a private residence. "Do not Disturb!"

Tattoo

Tattoo

 

More Farmers' Market

Here's another one from yesterday's San Rafael Farmers' Market. This young lady just had her face painted by Silly Willy. I thought she was adorable! I will file the photograph under "Portraits of Beauty". Meanwhile, if you absolutely must have your face painted, you can reach Silly Willy at www.sillylillyandfriends.com

 

Princess Aisha

I met Princess Aisha at the San Rafael Farmers' Market yesterday. Aisha, originally from Ghana, was selling Ghanaian baskets and "Shea Butter" which is made from Shea Nuts. These come from Tamale, the capital of Northern Ghana. The butter has healing properties for arthritis pain, and Aisha presented me with a small jar of the butter. I applied it and am now sitting here, anxiously waiting for the results to kick in. 

 

P.S., Aisha, besides being beautiful, is also very gracious.

 

Marin County Civic Center

Frank Lloyd Wright's Marin County Civic Center at 10:00 AM today.

 

Coming to a Theater Near You

What I know about horses could easily be written on the back of a first class stamp. Names like Appaloosa, Morgan, or Andalusian mean absolutely nothing to me. Yet, when I saw this rider galloping around the trail at Rush Creek, I knew I had my movie poster. Now all I need to do is produce the film. I'll start casting any day now.

 

Merganser

Female Merganser getting ready to dive for her breakfast at the Ponds at 10:17 this morning. We don't often see Mergansers at the Ponds, yet there were five of them today, in the absence of other water-fowl. Even the ubiquitous Canada Geese were conspicuously absent. Perhaps the heavy rain of the past few days drove them away. But I can report the reappearance of Swallows.

 

Wire Sculpture Revisited

Kare, one of my staunch supporters, suggested a different interpretation of my wire sculpture. Here it is for your viewing pleasure.

 

Use a little bit of imagination!

 

Art Trouve

I found this wire figure on the sidewalk next to an ATM machine in San Anselmo yesterday. I don't know its origin, but I think it may have been a basket that got squished by a car. Of course I picked it up and brought it home, where I scraped off some kind of insulation. Then I used Gorilla Glue to add an eye. It has now been elevated to prize possession status.

 

+ or - 220#

I don't know exactly what Canada Geese weigh, but it's somewhere around 5#. There are 44 birds in this picture, taken at the Ponds, for a total of approximately 220#. So what? So nothing! I just thought you'd like to know.

 

I think their formation is beautiful. That's why the photograph.

 

Here's today's lesson ~

The word "photograph" was coined in 1839 by Sir John Herschel and is based on the Greek φῶς (phos) "light" and γραφή (graphê) "representation by means of lines" or "drawing", together meaning "drawing with light".

 

Happy Easter

Not quite an Easter bunny, but the closest I could get. I've been saving this picture, for this very occasion, since February 13th. The rabbit posed for me at the Ponds. I liked the way the sun shone through his/her ears.

 

The Easter bunny has its origin in pre-Christian fertility lore. The Hare and the Rabbit were the most fertile animals known and they served as symbols of the new life during the Spring Season.

The bunny as an Easter symbol seems to have its origins in Germany, where it was first mentioned in German writings in the 1500's. The first edible Easter bunnies were made in Germany during the early 1800's and were made of pastry and sugar.

 

Elephant Seal Pup

This little Elephant Seal Pup, at the Marine Mammal Center, heard about my Daily E-mail and wanted in on the fun! I sped to oblige. Who knows when I might need a favor.

 

Here's some info from the MMC ~

Elephant seals are well named because their large noses resemble an elephant's trunk. Males begin developing this enlarged nose, or proboscis, at sexual maturity (about three to five years), and it is fully developed by seven to nine years. Adult males may grow to over 13 feet (4 m) in length and weigh up to 4,500 pounds (2,000 kg). The females are much smaller at 10 feet (3 m) in length and 1,500 pounds (600 kg). The northern elephant seal is the second largest seal in the world, after the southern elephant seal.

 

I have observed Elephant Seals at Año Nuevo State Park along the San Mateo Coast, and at Chimney Rock in the Point Reyes National Seashore. A visit to one, or both of these places, would be well worth your time. I also recommend you check out a couple of web sites ~ http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=25732 and http://www.marinemammalcenter.org/learning/education/pinnipeds/noelephseal.asp

And, of course, visit the Marine Mammal Center in Fort Cronkhite without delay.