Wednesday, September 30, 2020

Basketball Court, Oleanders

 

Basketball Court - Marin County  2020


Oleanders - Marin County  2020

As the sky grew lighter it became apparent that the orange tint wasn't going to go away. A school light cast our twin shadows onto the basketball court.

Then, some oleanders on the main road. (Not a cure.)

Tuesday, September 29, 2020

School, Smoke - Early Morning

 

School Window (Fairfax) - Marin County  2020

School, Smoke (Fairfax) - Marin County  2020

September 9th. As we set out for our Tuesday morning walk we were surprised at how dark it was. We made out way up to the school at the end of the street where one of the rooms was brightly lit. As the gloom started to decrease there was a noticible orange tint to the sky.

Monday, September 28, 2020

Monday Crow Blogging

 

Crows - Marin County  2020

September 9th. Photo taken at the Richmond Bridge outlook in Marin County. I used a Olympus E-M1II with a Panasonic 12-60mm zoom lens.

Sunday, September 27, 2020

Smoke

 

Sunrise, Smoke - Marin County  2020

Dirt Road, Smoke Light - Marin County  2020

So, since mid-August wildfire smoke has been a continuing feature of Bay Area air.

Saturday, September 26, 2020

Fires & Smoke

Smoke Light (Fairfax) - Marin County  2020

Woodward Fire Sign (San Anselmo) - Marin County  2020


As it turned out, the exciting thunder and lightning storm had started several fires. One was close by: the Woodward Fire at Point Reyes. Interestingly enough, the same area was the site of an earlier burn event - the 1995 Mount Vision fire. 

Mike has hiked the Woodward Trail before, passing though the burn area.

 

Friday, September 25, 2020

Poison Oak

 

Poison Oak, Bay Trunks - Marin County  2020

Poison Oak - Marin County  2020

August 16. The poison oak leaves starting to change color. 

Thursday, September 24, 2020

Fences

 

Fenceposts - Marin County  2020

Dried Grass, Fenceposts - Marin County  2020

August 16. One of the places that I regularly visit for fence photos.

Wednesday, September 23, 2020

Maple Leaves

Maple Leaves, Rain - Marin County  2020

Maple Leaves - Marin County  2020

August 16, 2020. Raindrops from the storm the night before collected on rapidly turning maple leaves.

Tuesday, September 22, 2020

Storm Clouds

 

Storm Clouds - Marin County  2020

August 16, 2020. During the night there had been some light rain, along with flashes of lightning and (sometimes very loud) thunder.

When it was light enough it became apparent that impressive clouds were still overhead. Mike headed out to the San Geronimo Valley with an Olympus camera and an iPhone 7 Plus to take advantage of the shade provided by the overcast sky. First, yesterday's cow stop, then on to the Willis Evans trail area.

Monday, September 21, 2020

Monday Cow Blogging

 

Cow - Marin County  2020

Taken at my favorite cow-viewing site. A dark, overcast sky; there had been some rain overnight.

Sunday, September 20, 2020

Flamingos / Maple Tree, Shed - Berkeley

 

Flamingos - Berkeley  2020

Maple Tree, Shed - Berkeley  2020

Per Margaret, that maple tree needs to be planted in the ground.

Saturday, September 19, 2020

Berkeley Flowers

 

Flowers - Berkeley  2020

Fig Leaves - Berkeley  2020


Photos taken during a visit to Margaret's place in August.


Friday, September 18, 2020

Fennel, Graffiti / Golden Bear Storage

 

Fennel, Graffiti - Berkeley  2020

Golden Bear Storage - Berkeley  2020

Golden Bear is ever watching.

Thursday, September 17, 2020

Berkeley Doors

Blue Door - Berkeley  2020

Bibliopolis - Berkeley  2020

More in my "Door" series.

Wednesday, September 16, 2020

Asphalt Company

 

Railroad Tracks, Asphalt Company - Berkeley  2020

Door, Asphalt Company - Berkeley  2020

The storage tanks have been seen before on the blog, but back then I didn't know that they were part of an asphalt company.

Tuesday, September 15, 2020

Berkeley B&W

 

Plant, Shadows - Berkeley  2020

Chainlink Gate - Berkeley  2020

iPhone photos, taken on 5th Street in Berkeley.

Monday, September 14, 2020

Monday Dog Blogging

 

Dog - Berkeley  2020

Dog relaxing outside Vivarium, the East Bay reptile store.

Sunday, September 13, 2020

Berkeley Flowers

Flowers - Berkeley  2020


Flowers - Berkeley  2020

For the past few months Mike has been quite constrained in his travels. No trip to Japan, and no camping outings. Places he's been to: Marin County and Berkeley.

These nice looking flowers seen at Margaret and Jim's house in Berkeley.

Saturday, September 12, 2020

M & G

 

M&G (Fairfax) - Marin County  2020

Kind of an impulse stop. It was close to lunch time, so we pulled into M&G's parking lot and got takeout! Burgers 'n fries, of course. And easy enough to take home without the food getting cold. It was good!

Friday, September 11, 2020

Costco

 

Costco Return - Marin County  2020

Latte - Marin County  2020

This was our first visit to Costco in quite a while. Mainly to return a defective outdoor heater . . . once that was done we ventured inside and bought some heavy duty extension cords, then left.

Mike's last latte was had on March 10 . . . this purchase on August 19 at a nearby Starbucks broke the months long latte-free spell.

Thursday, September 10, 2020

San Rafael Sightems

 

Road Construction (San Rafael) - Marin County 2020


Theresa and Johnny's (San Rafael) - Marin County  2020

Photos taken while making necessary visits to San Rafael.

Wednesday, September 9, 2020

Neighborhood Plants

 

Agave - Marin County  2020



Artichoke Thistle - Marin County  2020

So, at times our walks take us past the playing field, where a little side path leads to a cul-de-sac street with some interesting plants as seen here.

Tuesday, September 8, 2020

School

 

Learning is in the Process - Marin County  2020

Umbrella - Marin County  2020

The school at the end of our street has been closed since last March. Some of our daily walks take us through the school property, where we frequently come upon the blackboard shown above. "The Learning is in the Process, not the answer."

How true!

By the way, that umbrella has been seen before, with a junco, in happier times.

(Last week, parents were seen driving up to the school to pick up student materials that were needed for distance learning.)

Monday, September 7, 2020

Monday Deer Blogging

 

Deer, Gate (Fairfax) - Marin County  2020


Deer, Trash Cans (Fairfax) - Marin County  2020

More urban sightings.

And for another sighting from New Mexico near Los Alamos, see the below photo taken from inside her house by my sister-in-law Kay. Whoa, deer and cat! 

" . . .  it's hard to tell but the buck is ~8ft away from the window,"


Deer, Cat - New Mexico 2020 (Photo K Beeley)

Sunday, September 6, 2020

Marquard's, 1999

 

Marquard's - San Francisco  1999

Closed in 2004:

Marquard's Smoke Shop feels like a little slice of Sam Spade's San Francisco. Squint through the dusty windows under the vintage awning and you can almost picture the hard-boiled private eye sauntering in for a bottle of whiskey and a pack of smokes.

But by the end of the month, the newsstand on the corner of Powell and O'Farrell streets will go the way of many mom-and-pop shops, closing as commercial rents soar out of reach.

Saturday, September 5, 2020

Point Lobos - 1999

Grass, Ocean - Point Lobos  1999

Wave - Point Lobos  1999

Taken in the days when Point Lobos wasn't inundated by crowds. 

The community has spoken, and State Parks has listened: Starting as early as next summer, visiting Point Lobos State Natural Reserve will require a reservation, aimed to prevent the park from being loved to death, and to curb the sometimes chaotic parking on the side of Highway 1.

“I’ve heard from docents who used to help visitors see whales, and now they’re picking up diapers, says Kate Daniels, chief of staff for County Supervisor Mary Adams, whose district includes the Carmel and Big Sur coast.

Friday, September 4, 2020

Oroville

Alley (Oroville) - Butte County  1997

Club Sierra (Oroville) - Butte County  1997

Some friends of ours used to own a trailer in the woods near Oroville; I was able to stay there a few times. Photos were taken with a Mamiya twin-lens reflex.


Lake Oroville - Butte County  1997