Fairfax Sightems

Door - Marin County  2017

Door, Shadows - Marin County  2017

Doors! Top photos taken with a Canon G5X. Below, with an iPhone 7 Plus.

No Admittance - Marin County  2017

Marin Black and White

Pier, Clouds - Marin County  2017

Pilings, Rope - Marin County  2017

Top photo taken at the Richmond Bridge scenic overlook. Camera used was a Canon G5X.

Bottom photo taken behind the San Rafael Trader Joe's. I used an Olympus E-M1II.

Oak Branches

Oak Branches, Backlit - Marin County  2017

Oak Branches - Marin County  2017

November afternoon, top, and December evening, bottom.

Backyard Tree

Tree - Marin County  2017

Leaves in Rain (horizontal) - Marin County  2017

. . . seen in the common area in back of our house. First, in its autumn glory, then in the rain as I stood underneath an overhang with a telephoto lens.

Leaves in Rain (vertical) - Marin County  2017

Hali's Birthday!

Hali, Kids - Japan  2008

Hali in Train - Japan  2008

Wow!

Tuesday Yokohama Cat Blogging

Cat (Yokohama) - Japan  2017

. . . casually strolling down the street.

Christmas in Japan & San Francisco

Xmas Tree (Kichijoji) - Japan  2017

Santas, Golden Gate Bridge - San Francisco  2017

Top: Tree seen in the Tokyo suburb of Kichijoji. We were in Japan in early November, but Christmas was in full swing! No Thanksgiving Day in Japan, so it's not clear when Christmas season starts there. Everywhere you went there were Christmas decorations and music. (But I somehow never got to hear "All I Want For Christmas Is You." Odd.)

Maybe they should adopt the Thanksgiving holiday too.

Next: Santas returning from a "Santa Run" (5K, I think) in San Francisco's Crissy Field.

Yokohama Evening

Van, Evening (Yokohama) - Japan  2017

Evening Building (Yokohama) - Japan  2017

Taken in early November, when the sunset was relatively early and evening walks turned up interesting photo possibilities.

The yellow netting below echos the blue netting seen last year in Kyoto.

Yellow Netting (Yokohama) - Japan  2017

Yokohama Sightems

Mural (Yokohama) - Japan  2017

Shrine (Yokohama) - Japan  2017

A major turning point in Japanese history happened in 1853–54, when Commodore Matthew Perry arrived just south of Yokohama with a fleet of American warships, demanding that Japan open several ports for commerce, and the Tokugawa shogunate agreed . . . port facilities were built . . .  in the sleepy fishing village of Yokohama. The Port of Yokohama was officially opened on June 2, 1859.

Yokohama quickly became the base of foreign trade in Japan. - Wikipedia

The mural depicts some of the historic sights that the 19th-century populace would have been able to see.

Shrines are ubiquitous in Kyoto, not so much in Yokohama or Tokyo. We were pleased to discover this streetcorner shrine on our GPS way to Starbucks.

Yokohama Kids

Kids at Zoo (Yokohama) - Japan  2017

Little Kids Running (Yokohama) - Japan  2017

Those little kids were in quite a hurry!

Kids Walking to School (Yokohama) - Japan  2017

Yokohama Trains

Train Tracks (Yokohama) - Japan  2017

Express Train (Yokohama) - Japan  2017

We were a few minutes walk from the Sotetsu Line's Nishi Yokohama (West Yokohama) station. Regular commuter trains went from there to the main Yokohama downtown station, where one can transfer to a variety of different destinations.

The station also got bypassed on a regular basis by various express trains, whizzing on by.

Yokohama Rain

Rain, Evening Street (Yokohama) - Japan  2017

Rain, River (Yokohama) - Japan  2017

We didn't experience that much rain, but there definitely was some rain. We never used umbrellas though, relying on parkas and hats.

Rain, Intersection (Yokohama) - Japan  2017

Yokohama Residence

Entryway (Yokohama) - Japan  2017

Maple Branch (Yokohama) - Japan  2017

Where we stayed in Yokohama . . . an Airbnb rental. Very nice, especially as this was a family trip. At one point there were 6 adults and 2 kids staying there! Mike thought that the landscaping was particularly nice.

Steps, Leaves (Yokohama) - Japan  2017

Monday Mule Blogging

Mules - Sierra Nevada  2017

Early morning at the trailhead. Mike hates the cold, but these mules didn't seem to mind.

Tulips

Tulips - Marin County  2017

Bought at Trader Joe's. A tripod HDR shot. ("High Dynamic Range.")

Masa's Birthday!

Hanna, Masa - San Francisco  2016

Wow!

Cold on the Trail

Trail, Frost - Sierra Nevada  2017

Temperature - Sierra Nevada  2017

Mike took a nice dayhike up to Lamarck Lake. But it was cold! Ascending the trail finally warmed him up, however.

Another hike attempt wasn't so successful. He had to turn back on the Piute Pass trail after deciding that the log serving as a stream crossing just wasn't safe. (Although, he did manage to get to the pass in 2007 - but that was in June. Could it be that he was more agile 10 years ago?)

Mike, Piute Pass - Sierra Nevada  2007

Cold in Yosemite

Mt Dana, Snow - Yosemite  2017

Fritos and Beer - Yosemite  2017

Mike stopped along the Tioga Road for lunch on his way to his campground outside Bishop. A recent storm system had dumped some snow on Mt. Dana and the meadows below . . . and there was a slight breeze. Wind chill! Not cold enough to stop Mike from having his traditional lunch of Fritos and beer, of course.

After going through Yosemite and turning onto highway 395, he drove south. He finally found a campsite around the 8000 foot mark, somewhat later than he'd have liked.

Campsite - Sierra Nevada  2017

Hanna's Birthday!

Hanna & Mike - San Francisco  2013

Wow!

Galen Rowell Gallery

Mountain Light Gallery (Bishop) - Sierra Nevada  2017

Rowell Adopt-A-Highway Sign - Sierra Nevada  2017

Mike had two trips of interest in the past few months: a) to the Sierra Nevada in late September, then, b) to Japan in November.

So, he's going to post some photos from both trips in the coming weeks, on and off. That'll be nice.

***

So, Mountain Light Gallery in Bishop is closing. Too bad!

There's an Adopt-A-Highway section of the road outside Bishop where maintenance is being done in the Rowells' name.

To be honest, Mike was always envious of the prices displayed in the gallery.

Rowell Print Prices Sign, Spider (Bishop) - Sierra Nevada  2017

Monday Pigeon Blogging

Pigeon, Pumpkins - Sausalito  2017

Pumpkins positioned in front of Sushi Ran; pigeon peering down from fountain.

. . . from the archives #98: Salt Wells - Nevada 1988

Salt Wells - Nevada  1988

“All quiet at the cathouse / Way out in the desert, time passes slowly between customers.” (SF Chronicle) 2002

Alas, destroyed by fire in 2007.

More recent photo of the area: Outside of Fallon.

Marin County Black and White

Door Blocked - Marin County  2017

Umbrella, Shadow - Marin County  2017

Some folks apparently know in advance whether or not the photo they just took is meant to be sans color. Not me, alas. I just futz around in Photoshop.

More Smoke Photos

Parking Lot, Smoke - Marin County  2017

Truck, Smoke - Marin County  2017

Back in Marin, and more smoke photos from last October.