Wednesday, March 31, 2021

Petroglyph Camping - 2

Sunset, White Mountains - Owens Valley  1979

Creek - Owens Valley  1979

While Joe was busy taking notes and measurements I puttered about with my cameras. As sunset lingered on the snow-capped White Mountains we threw down our sleeping bags and ensolite pads on the sandy desert floor and slept at the site overnight. Late at night we were awakened by an extremely odd sound . . . running water! What? Stumbling around we saw the source: a fast-running channel of water sparkling in the beams cast by our flashlights. Obviously some irrigation mechanism upstream had triggered the water release. Getting up in the morning, the stream still running, we were thankful that we hadn’t chosen that particular dry stream bed for our sleeping bags!  

Tuesday, March 30, 2021

Petroglyph Camping - 1

Petroglyphs - Owens Valley  1979

 
Joe - Owens Valley  1979

Eric Ritter, in a 1983 review in the Journal of California and Great Basin Anthropology, reasons that “Even well-studied rock art sites, through reexamination and rethinking, can yield significant information. Such is the case with W. Joseph Mundy Jr.’s ‘An Analysis of the Chalfant Canyon Rock Art Site, Mono County, California.’. . . an important point in the author’s discussion is the dismissal of the hunting magic hypothesis owing to the absence of game portrayals, game trails, etc. . . . Overall the author’s site analysis is thorough and sensible.”

***

In 1979 I accompanied my brother Joe north from Los Angeles to the rock art site he was engaged in researching, bringing along my Nikon-F 35mm and Mamiya RB67 medium-format cameras. I’m not sure if I knew at the time that the area was called “Chalfant Canyon.” Traveling north from Bishop on highway 6, it seemed then just a series of cliffs located down a nondescript road. Idly viewing the cliffs, the rock art gradually came into focus: abstract and figurative motifs in a variety of configurations.

I'm thinking that we probably discussed the "hunting magic hypothesis" and such, but I don't remember exactly. While Joe was busy taking notes and measurements I puttered about with my cameras admiring the rock art and the spaciousness of the overall desert scene.

Monday, March 29, 2021

Monday Cow Blogging

 

Cow (San Geronimo Valley) - Marin County  2021

7:20 AM. Yes, a horse would be more picturesque. 

Sunday, March 28, 2021

Marin Landscapes

 

Fire Road, Hills - Marin County  2021

Forest - Marin County  2021

Morning walk photos taken with a Nikon Z5. 

Saturday, March 27, 2021

Around the House

 

Contrail (Fairfax) - Marin County  2021

Palm in Corner - Marin County  2021

iPhone photos. 

From The Online Photographer: "I've never been attracted to the square aspect ratio per se. Most times I've shot with square cameras, I crop. It's only attractive to me on the iPhone because it makes the 'camera' more natural to handle, removing some of its inherent awkwardness."

Friday, March 26, 2021

Tree Trunks (Dominican)

 

Tree Trunks (Dominican College) - Marin County  2021

Nikon Z5 settings: 1/20th second, f9, zoom lens at 36mm.

Thursday, March 25, 2021

Plants (Dominican)

 

Daphne, Redwood (Dominican) - Marin County  2021

Euphorbias, Window (Dominican) - Marin County  2021

I was driving home from Terra Linda using surface streets, when I remembered that a) I had the Nikon Z5 resting in the back seat of the car and b) I was quite close to the Dominican College campus. This was in February, so I made a quick trip over there for some winter photos.

Alas, I don't have any plant IDs for these nice looking specimens. 

[Update]: Frequent commenter judit has kindly provided plant names. Thanks!

Wednesday, March 24, 2021

Tulip Tree

 

Tulip Tree (Dominican) - Marin County  2021

As seen while walking around Dominican College in February.

Tuesday, March 23, 2021

Spring Blossom

 

Blossom (Dominican) - Marin County  2021

Cherry blossom? Plum? Don't know. Photo was taken in February, so technically not Spring, but in California, trees often start leafing out during the winter.


Monday, March 22, 2021

Monday Duck Blogging

 

Duck - Marin County  2021

He was down at the pool, being stared at by the cat.

Sunday, March 21, 2021

Woodacre Sightems #3

 

Wheelbarrow (Woodacre) - Marin County  2021

Woodacre Junction - Marin County  2021

Wheelbarrow has been seen before.

Saturday, March 20, 2021

Woodacre Sightems #2

 

No Outlet, Fog (Woodacre) - Marin County  2021

Carson & Oak Grove (Woodacre) - Marin County  2021

Nikon Z5 photos.

Friday, March 19, 2021

Woodacre Sightems #1

Road, Fog (Woodacre) - Marin County  2021

Park & San Geronimo Valley Drive (Woodacre) - Marin County  2021

Early Sunday morning.

Thursday, March 18, 2021

Redwoods, Branches & Fence

 

Redwoods (San Geronimo Valley) - Marin County  2021

Branches & Fence (San Geronimo Valley) - Marin County  2021

Photos taken using a Nikon Z5.

Wednesday, March 17, 2021

Canal Sightems

 

Painting (San Rafael) - Marin County  2021

Agave (San Rafael) - Marin County  2021

More Canal District iPhone photos.

Tuesday, March 16, 2021

San Anselmo Windows

 

Window (San Anselmo) - Marin County  2021

Window (San Anselmo) - Marin County  2021

iPhone photos. I've been using the square format more often recently. Reminiscent of my old Mamiya C220 twin-lens film camera . . . which I still have.

Monday, March 15, 2021

Monday Crow Blogging

 

Crows (Fairfax) - Marin County  2021

One for sorrow,

Two for joy,

Three for a girl,

Four for a boy,

Five for silver,

Six for gold,

Seven for a secret never to be told.

***

(I don't know what happens if there's more than seven.)


Sunday, March 14, 2021

Bay, Oak Trees

 

Bay, Oak Trees - Marin County  2021

Taken during a February hike. Cold.

Saturday, March 13, 2021

March 13

 

Gym Door (Closed) - Marin County  2021

March 13, 2020:

On March 13 Mike drove over to the gym. He took highway 101 south from San Rafael to the exit leading to Sir Francis Drake Boulevard. 

Once at the gym it was clear that the parking lot had quite a few empty spaces.

Attendance in the gym was low. Mike used the treadmill while listening to a podcast, then skipped the weight machines. Did he realize as he left that he probably wouldn't be going to the gym for the rest of the year?

***

Lead story from the March 13, 2020 edition of the San Francisco Chronicle:

Good morning, Bay Area. It’s Friday, March 13, and the ripples of a global pandemic are being felt in the region and around the world. Here’s what you need to know to start your day.

San Francisco’s 113 public schools — serving 54,000 students — will shut down for three weeks starting Monday to curb the spread of the coronavirus as the city struggles to prevent a surge in cases, the district announced Thursday.


***

March 13, 2021:

Well, 24 Hour Fitness declared bankruptcy in 2020, then closed their Marin County location. The building is still vacant, all the windows papered over. 

Mike purchased a Fitbit watch early in the shutdown, resulting in daily early-morning walks throughout Fairfax (many photos taken . . . some posted on the blog.)

San Francisco's schools were shut down for more than three weeks. They're still closed.

[UPDATE]

We got our second Moderna vaccine shot March 3rd! (At the Terra Linda High School gym.) 

Chills and a fever during the night, but better by next day afternoon.


Vaccine Location (San Rafael) - Marin County  2021

Friday, March 12, 2021

Tree, Sky #8 & #9

 

Branches, Sky - Marin County  2021

Branches, Sky - Marin County  2021

More photos of Marin County's winter skies. Both photos taken with a Nikon Z5. 

Thursday, March 11, 2021

Redwoods, Fog

 

Redwoods, Fog - Marin County  2021

Redwoods, Fog - Marin County  2021

The trail in back of the school goes up a winding trail to a ridge. Once there you can look across to the redwoods on the hills to the south.

Wednesday, March 10, 2021

Canal Sightems

 

Food Truck (San Rafael) - Marin County  2021

Element X (San Rafael) - Marin County  2021

More iPhone pix from the Canal District in San Rafael.

Tuesday, March 9, 2021

Dentist's Office

 

Chair, Dentist's Office - Marin County  2021

Open (Dentist's Office) - Marin County  2021

Very spartan. But nice.

You check in, then wait outside to be called. 

Monday, March 8, 2021

Monday Cow Blogging

Cows (San Geronimo Valley) - Marin County  2021

Mid-morning. As I recall, I noticed these clouds and had to drive over the hill to see if any cows had made themselves available for a photo op. They had!

I used a Nikon Z5.

Sunday, March 7, 2021

Buckeyes

 

Buckeye, Fence (San Geronimo Valley) - Marin County  2021

Buckeye, New Growth (San Geronimo Valley) - Marin County  2021

Top photo taken in January, the bottom on in February. 

Very many photos of buckeye trees on the blog!

Saturday, March 6, 2021

Kaiser Hospital Sightems

 

Hazardous Area Sign - Marin County  2021

Blue Tubs - Marin County  2021

Taken in January. It was warm in the sun.

iPhone photos.


Friday, March 5, 2021

San Francisco Sightems

 

Stairs - San Francisco  2021

Lake & Park Presidio - San Francisco  2021

Stairs have been seen before, in 2018.

iPhone photos.

Thursday, March 4, 2021

Branches - 3

 

Branches, Blackberry Leaves - Marin County  2021

Same scene as prior days, but with blackberry leaves. Nikon Z5.

Wednesday, March 3, 2021

Branches - 2

 

Branches, Sky - Marin County  2021

Same location as yesterday. I used a Nikon Z5 with a 24-200mm zoom lens.

Tuesday, March 2, 2021

Branches - 1

 

Sidewalk, Branches - Marin County  2021

Just up the street from us, going towards the school. Photo taken with an Olympus E-M1II and a Panasonic 12-60mm zoom lens.

Monday, March 1, 2021

Monday Turkey Vulture Blogging

 

Turkey Vultures - Marin County  2021

. . . in flight. And also, earlier, sitting on a post.