San Rafael Sightems: Pipe & Pole

Pipe (Jackson's) - San Rafael  2011

Pole (Trader Joe's) - San Rafael  2011

Pipe at Jackson's Hardware.

Pole at the auxiliary parking lot for Trader Joe's.

Olives

Sorting Olives - Marin County  2011

Mexican Sage, Olive Tree in Background - Marin County  2011

At the start of the month, the olive crop appeared to be fairly disappointing, but as the days progressed, more and more started to appear.

So Mike harvested the olives in stages over a 10-day period, adding them to the same brine. His theory is that over time the longish stay in the brine will compensate for the olives being put in at different times. We'll see.

For a detailed look at the whole process, see here.

Monday Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake Blogging

Rattlesnake (Academy of Sciences) - San Francisco  2011

In motion, seen at the Academy of Sciences.

Behind glass, so Mike could get a little closer than his previous rattlesnake viewing.

San Rafael Sightems: Acupuncture & Reflexology

People's Acupuncture Clinic - San Rafael  2011

Foot Reflexology - San Rafael  2011

People's Acupuncture Clinic, from across the street at the Arco Station.

Foot Reflexology, next to the gym on Fourth St.

Pendulum

Pendulum (Academy of Sciences) - San Francisco  2011

Very similar to the one seen before in Los Angeles.

At least this time Mike was able to snag a self-portrait on one of its swing-bys.

Night Sky

Night Sky with Moon & Jupiter - San Francisco  2011

Mike made his way to the roof of the building where there were telescopes pointed at the moon and Jupiter.

Peeking through the lens at the planet one could see a small white marble against the dark with minute bright dots on either side (the moons).

No monolith sighted, however.

Jellyfish & Etc

Jellyfish (Steinhart Aquarium) - San Francisco  2011

Jellyfish People (Academy of Sciences) - San Francisco  2011

Also seen: a circular tank containing a group of jellyfish. The overhead light changed color every now and then.

Then, also seen: a group of people parading around with jellyfish . . . puppets? Marionettes? Hm.

(Yes, yes. Should be one of my turkey pix. But really haven't seen that much of the turkeys this year. Hm.)

Fish, Descending

Fish, Descending (Steinhart Aquarium) - San Francisco  2011

It was very dimly lit downstairs in the Steinhart Aquarium. Mike noticed a school of colorful fish pirouetting in unison in one exhibit. First he tried to track the fish. Didn't work, so he decided to go for the impressionistic blurred look.

Rain Forest

Rain Forest - San Francisco  2011

Hali on Ramp - San Francisco  2011

Probably the neatest thing in the Academy is its recreated rain forest, self-contained and steamy. It seems larger than it actually is with birds and butterflies flitting about, all viewed by winding ramps threading through the heat.

Hali, having graduated from a walker to crutches to one crutch (seen here) negotiated the ramps with no difficulty.

Monday Tyrannosaurus Rex Blogging

T Rex (Academy of Sciences) - San Francisco  2011

After viewing the De Young exhibits, Mike went to the Academy of Sciences weekly Thursday "Nightlife" event with Hali, Marsha and Franz.

Mr. T Rex seen at the entrance.

Across From the DeYoung

Palm Tree, Sutro Tower, Academy of Sciences - San Francisco  2011

. . . is the California Academy of Sciences. Very cool, indeed. Pix starting tomorrow.

Seen at the DeYoung #2

Ceramics - San Francisco  2011

Ceramics in the Museum Store.

Artist is from Sonoma County. Yes, I should have made a note of her name.

But I didn't.

Seen at the DeYoung #1

Museum Gallery - San Francisco  2011

You'd think that by a clever use of Google one could find out the artist responsible for these shiny objects. But I couldn't (but maybe I wasn't clever enough.)

San Francisco Museums

Masters of Venice - San Francisco  2011

DeYoung Cafe - San Francisco  2011

Mike was able to visit two SF museums recently: the DeYoung Museum (earlier shots here) and the Academy of Science (maybe technically not a museum), both found in Golden Gate Park.

Blockbuster exhibit at the DeYoung: "Masters of Venice." No photography allowed. Mike was - slightly - disappointed that there were no landscapes in the show. Mainly religious and mythological themes.

Afterwards, some coffee in the cafe, sitting outside with Franz and Marsha, who had taken me there as a treat for my birthday. Thanks!

Grass, Hills

Fence, Grass, Trees - Marin County  2011

Fence, Grass, Trees - Marin County  2011

Taken from the San Geronimo Valley golfcourse parking lot, early morning.

Spider Web

Spider Web (Rain) - Marin County  2011

. . . in the rain. Had to clone out some distracting blackberry stems.

Monday Frog Blogging

Frog, Marin County  2011

Seen in our backyard; about the size of a postage stamp.

At last, I've finally gotten around to posting this.

Fall Rain

Fence Post, Rain - Marin County  2011

As mentioned earlier, Marin had some early rain; Mike grasped the opportunity for some rain pix.

Hospital Corridor, 2 AM

GE Medical Systems, Self-Portrait - Marin County  2011

Seen by Mike during certain recent medical issues: this odd piece of equipment standing by itself in an anonymous hospital corridor.

Bodie Self-Portraits 2006

Self-Portraits (Bodie) - Mono County  2006

For today's numerologically significant date, Mike and Hali at Bodie.

Also, Veterans Day. And yes, as we know, Mike is a veteran.

Irises

Irises (Bodie) - Mono County  2006

The wild irises seen in the meadows were also blooming in Bodie. I don't know how common they are, maybe it's no big deal, but I was amazed to see these flowers in the high desert.

I noticed these irises in the shade just as the sun was approaching; I got off two shots, one horizontal and one vertical.

Bodie Exteriors 2006

Window (Bodie) - Mono County  2006

Stairs (Bodie) - Mono County  2006

Around the perimeter of Bodie there are piles of wood weathering in the sun and snow, getting that perfect patina that we photographers love.

Bodie Interior 2006

Bureau & Chair (Bodie) - Mono County  2006

Chair (Bodie) - Mono County  2006

I remember resting the camera on one of the chairs in the room in order to steady it.

Monday Cow Blogging: Road to Bodie 2006

Cows, Irises, Sawtooth Range - Mono County  2006

Mike and Hali drove from their campground at Leavitt Meadows following Highway 395 south through Bridgeport to the Bodie turnoff. On the way they passed vast iris-dotted meadows stretching to the mountains.

Bodie Chapel 2006

Chapel (Bodie) - Mono County  2006

Next up, some 2006 Bodie photos taken with the excellent Olympus C-8080, which produced great-looking jpgs.

Road to Bodie 2001

Bodie Road - Mono County  2001

The road to Bodie, with the dramatic background of the Sierra crest, runs east from highway 395, between Bridgeport in the north and Lee Vining in the south.

Bodie Self-Portrait 2000

Self-Portrait (Bodie) - Mono County  2000

Yes. A Minolta 7000i.

As we all know, Minolta was purchased by Sony in 2006.

Bodie 2000

Blue, Red, White (Bodie) - Mono County  2000

Metal Window (Bodie) - Mono County  2000

Based on the photographic evidence, Mike's next visit to Bodie happened in 2000. This time he arrived with a Minolta 7000i and some Kodacolor film.

Hmmm. November 3rd. Wasn't there something about that date?

Oh, yes.

. . . from the archives #66: Post,Bodie 1992

Post (Bodie) - Mono County, 1992

Bodie is an old gold-mining town in the eastern desert regions of California, crumbling and falling apart, kept in a state of "arrested decay" by the state.

This is the first photo I could find in my contact sheet binders taken in Bodie.

It was taken with a Mamiya twin-lens reflex camera which produced a square negative. As was typical back then, I limited my exposures in order to conserve my precious rolls of film. And most of the other shots were pretty tedious, alas: boring tripod-mounted photos.

Snack Stop

Snack Stop, New York  2006

All these east coast pix have reminded me of the hot dog search.

We had been looking forward to New York "hot dog stand" hot dogs. So: this venue in front of the Met.

As I recall, the hot dog was OK, but nothing special.