Saturday, January 31, 2015

Kyoto Sightems 1966

Photographers (Kyoto) - Japan  1966

Caboose (Kyoto) - Japan  1966

Photographers at work at a temple courtyard and  . . . a caboose!

Friday, January 30, 2015

Movie Posters 1966

Movie Posters - Japan  1966

Movie Posters - Japan  1966

I've tried to translate some of this, but alas, I'm totally not up to the task.

Thursday, January 29, 2015

Street Scene, Casks Kyoto 1966

Street Scene (Kyoto) - Japan  1966

Casks (Kyoto) - Japan  1966

Some of these older photos I remember taking, but some I don't. Like the above.

Wednesday, January 28, 2015

Kids, Japan 1966

Kid Throwing (Kyoto) - Japan  1966

Kids, Ditch (Okinawa) - Japan  1966

Some Nikon F black and white street photos.

Tuesday, January 27, 2015

Steps, Shrine 1966

Steps (Kyoto) - Japan  1966

Shrine (Kyoto) - Japan  1966

Kyoto in 1966, in these scenes looking much the same as it does today.

Monday, January 26, 2015

Monday Cat Blogging

Lady, Cat (Kyoto) - Japan 1966

Cat was scampering away, but she managed to catch up and snag it.

Sunday, January 25, 2015

Katsura Gardens

Katsura Villa (Kyoto) - Japan  1966

Garden Detail (Kyoto) - Japan  1966

Outside of Kyoto. On my way back from Okinawa I cleverly managed to route myself through the main island of Japan, spending a week in Kyoto.

The above photos were taken with a Nikon F film camera. Compare to a somewhat similar subject taken last year in Tokyo using an Olympus digital camera.

Saturday, January 24, 2015

Turkish Bath 1966

Turkish Bath (Okinawa) - Japan  1966

". . . the pleasant place . . ."

Somewhat cryptic messaging.

Friday, January 23, 2015

Boy, Tatami Mats, Okinawa

Boy (Okinawa) - Japan  1966

Tatami Mats (Okinawa) - Japan  1966

Photos taken during my language visits in Okinawa. A very traditional house, with tatami mats.

Per Wikipedia: "Houses built in Japan today often have very few tatami-floored rooms, if any. Having just one is not uncommon."

Thursday, January 22, 2015

Cemetery, Okinawa

Cemetery (Okinawa) - Japan  1966

So . . . is this the cemetery seen in yesterday's photo? I like to think that it is.

Wednesday, January 21, 2015

Forest Scene, Okinawa

Forest Scene (Okinawa) - Japan  1966

While I was stationed in Okinawa I started to study the Japanese language. Somehow I got in touch with a Okinawan resident about my age (can't remember how) for the purpose of exchanging language skills. (Needless to say, his English was far superior to my Japanese.) On the weekends I took a bus to a particular stop outside of town and walked to his house in the country. I could be wrong, but this might have been the scene: a forested hillside with haze in the distance, some clothes drying and an overgrown cemetery down at the bottom.

Then again, maybe not!

Tuesday, January 20, 2015

Okinawa Barracks

Barracks (Okinawa) - Japan  1966

A hot, humid afternoon. Hazy sunshine and indistinct clouds high overhead. Taken on the weekend.

All the above is pure speculation, of course. Don't remember this one at all.

Monday, January 19, 2015

Monday Cat Blogging

Cat, Tatami Mat (Okinawa) - Japan  1966
Taken in Okinawa. I was stationed there from 1964 to 1966. This was at a friend's house; we were trying to exchange language skills.

Sunday, January 18, 2015

Pampas Grass

Pampas Grass (Okinawa) - Japan 1966

Pampas Grass, Clouds (Okinawa) - Japan  1966

Taken in Okinawa, year somewhat uncertain, although I'm labeling them as made in 1966.

I was using a Nikon F film SLR camera, with 50mm and 135mm lenses.

(I recently discovered some unscanned slides with Okinawa and Kyoto locales. Maybe I should wait until next year to post them, since then they'll be 50 year old photos. Oh well . . . I'll just do some reposting.)

Saturday, January 17, 2015

Melrose Avenue #49: Mannequins

Mannequins - Los Angeles  2014

After hours on Melrose.

Friday, January 16, 2015

Civic Center

Berries, Civic Center Spire - Marin County  2014

Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.

Earlier photo of spire here, with some interesting comments.

Thursday, January 15, 2015

Canal District

Hands - San Rafael  2014

One Ninety Five - San Rafael  2014

Photos taken in the Canal district of San Rafael . . . dense population (mainly Hispanic), cul-de-sacs and auto body shops.

Wednesday, January 14, 2015

Ferry Markers, Fog; Ferry, Smog

Ferry Markers, Fog - Marin County  2014

Taken near San Quentin State Prison. Top photo was taken in December: the last quarter of 2014 was photographically very nice with wind, rain and clouds. Alas, 2015 has seen a return of the smoggy condition I've mentioned before. Below: taken in January of this year.

Ferry, Smog - Marin County  2015

Tuesday, January 13, 2015

Ferries

Ferries, Sunrise - Marin County  2014

Ferries, Fog - Marin County  2014

Very close to my gym (24-Hour Fitness) in Larkspur. Taken at different points along a pedestrian bridge, thus accounting for the varying angles.

Monday, January 12, 2015

Monday Pelican Blogging

Pelicans - Sausalito  2014

Perched on some rocks near the Spinnaker restaurant in Sausalito. Trying for that high-key effect.

Sunday, January 11, 2015

Redwoods

Redwoods, Clouds - Marin County  2014

Redwoods, Fog - Marin County  2014

Taken in the San Geronimo Valley.

Top: Looking across the valley.

Bottom: In the Willis Evans Open Space area.

Saturday, January 10, 2015

Police

Police - Tokyo  2014

Taken during an annoying right-wing demonstration on Showa day, April 2014.

Friday, January 9, 2015

Weather Photos

Bus, Freeway Ramp - San Rafael  2014

Rain Clouds, Rainbow - San Rafael  2014
Taken in November and December of last year. A great deal of rain, all at once. Nothing much since then.

When I took the bottom photo I didn't realize that there was a rainbow in the scene.

Thursday, January 8, 2015

Kayaks

Kayak, Ferry Markers, Rain - Marin County  2014

Kayak, Fog - Marin County  2014

. . . in the rain and in the fog.

Wednesday, January 7, 2015

Eucalyptus Trees

Eucalyptus Trees - Marin County  2014

Eucalyptus Trees, Fog - Marin County  2014

Building is the back of the Bed, Bath and Beyond store in Larkspur. Top photo taken in November, bottom one in December.

Tuesday, January 6, 2015

Tub Refinishing, Ford

Tub Refinishing - Sonoma County  2014

Ford - Sonoma County  2014

In Petaluma.

Monday, January 5, 2015

Monday Crow Blogging

Crow, Oak - Marin County  2014

Out at the stable, very foggy. For some reason, crows are extremely wary of humans (in sharp contrast to pigeons), flying away at the slightest provocation. This one was gone just after I tripped the shutter.

Sunday, January 4, 2015

Persimmons

Persimmons - Marin County  2014

In the rain. I used the "superzoom" 14-150mm lens for this, although I didn't have to zoom out that much.

Saturday, January 3, 2015

Juicer

Juicer - Tokyo  2008

The Japanese katakana characters are: Ji - Yu - Sa - Ba - .

I.e., "Juicer (Bar?)."

Photo taken with an Olympus E-510 DSLR with a 12-60mm zoom lens.

Friday, January 2, 2015

Short Larkspur Walk

Trees and Fence - Marin County  2014

Red Leaves - Marin County  2014

Hali and I took a short walk though a Larkspur residential neighborhood last November.

Raining.

Thursday, January 1, 2015

New Year's Resolution

Exercycles - Marin County  2014

Exercise, sure. But no exercycles, please.