April 30, 2008

more botanical gardens


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photo by Donald Kinney


click photo for full-size image
photo by Donald Kinney


click photo for full-size image
photo by Donald Kinney


click photo for full-size image
photo by Donald Kinney



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April 29, 2008

U.C. Berkeley Botanical Gardens


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photo by Donald Kinney

A year ago I had never heard of the U.C. Berkeley Botanical Gardens, way up above U.C. Berkleley, just below the Laurence Hall of Science.

I shot there last year with a mid-western photog. buddy, and he was telling me how photos of succulents, especially "groupings of three" are all the rage at art-shows and exhibits in places like Ohio and Pennsylvania.

Anyway, at the Botanical Gardens they have all these signs warning you not to touch the prickly cactus, but my buddy couldn't resist picking a few stray bits of debris off some spines -- sticking himself pretty good in the process.   Of course he started bleeding like a stuck-pig, and I'm sure it was painful too...

So here's the deal -- yes, definitely go to the incredible U.C. Berkeley Botanical Gardens, and yes, visit the prickly cactus, but heed my warning:   don't touch...



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April 28, 2008

co - coa


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photo by Donald Kinney

This is on the side of an old barn in Petaluma, California.
The broadside is advertising Ghirardelli Brand of Cocoa, a local favorite.

Everybody knows about Ghirardelli Square in San Francisco -- they've been cranking out chocolate in that location since 1852 -- Q -- but do you know where Ghirardelli was located before that? -- A -- Hornitos, California, between Merced and Yosemite, about ten miles off Highway 140.   It's a middle-of-nowhere kind of place -- the sad little town where Domenico Ghirardelli ended up after a failed search for gold in the surrounding hills.   Ghirardelli didn't stay in Hornitos long.   Myself, after having visited Hornitos on a few occasions, I can see justification for the quest of a place more lively.

Long ago, when I was probably about 14, our family was making a trip to Yosemite and I made sure our itinerary included a side trip to Hornitos to see the church that Ansel Adams had shot years earlier.   Of course, my shot of the church was nothing like Ansel Adams' shot, but it was fun recreating the event anyway.

Our family stopped at the cafe in the tiny Hornitos downtown area, and that's where the story of Ghirardelli surfaced -- they had Ghirardelli this, and Ghirardelli that, so they were definitely using the Ghirardelli name to their advantage to merchandise their products...   We all had sasparillas at the bar, and I doubt if we left without a good supply of Ghirardelli chocolate.

April 27, 2008

Heather Wilcoxon's art car


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photo by Donald Kinney

click photo for full-size image
photo by Donald Kinney

click photo for full-size image
photo by Donald Kinney

Yes, folks, it's Heather Wilcoxon's art car, permanently "parked" at Galilee Harbor, Sausaltio -- stuffed-in and stuck-on with every goofy little kid's toy imaginable...


Henry Wilcoxon is one of the actors that Cecil B. de Mille made famous back in the '30's in films like Cleopatra and The Ten Commandments.   All dressed up and painted, he made a convincing Indian.   Heather, who I knew years ago, is one of Henry's daughters.


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April 26, 2008

buck, Mt. Tamalpais


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photo by Donald Kinney

This steep hillside on Mount Tamalpais is like an everchanging canvas.
I make a point of taking a good look at it every time I pass by.
It is always different...   The other day it was dotted with this deer.
I got this shot and went on about my business, but on my return trip I found it dotted with two deer.


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April 25, 2008

fountain in Sausalito


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photo by Donald Kinney

This is the often photographed fountain in Plaza Vina Del Mar, Sausalito, just catty-corner across the bay from San Francisco.

Here's a few more shots:

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photo by Donald Kinney

click photo for full-size image
photo by Donald Kinney

click photo for full-size image
photo by Donald Kinney



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April 24, 2008

s p l a s h


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photo by Donald Kinney

I think the best place to shoot splashes is at Pebble Beach (not the one down by Carmel) -- on the San Mateo coastline, south of San Francisco, just north of Bean Hollow Beach.   Look around that area and you will find the same type of eroded sandstone as they have 200 miles to the north at Salt Point.


Here's two from Salt Point:

click photo for full-size image
photo by Donald Kinney

click photo for full-size image
photo by Donald Kinney




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April 23, 2008

Sunrise, McNear's Brickyard


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photo by Donald Kinney

You can't see them in this photo because it's much too dark, but three tall smokestacks stand in the blackness of that hill.   It's the McNear's Brickyard, which has been churning out bricks out there on Point San Pedro since 1868.   This area is between San Rafael and China Camp, on the north-western portion of upper San Francisco Bay.

This hill is about the only hill left out there.   The other one that would be on the left has been completely levelled for it's valuable aggregate by the Dutra Quarry Company.   Now they are starting to excavate material on the backside of this hill, so it may be considerably shorter in the near future, or at least end up with a scooped out backside...

In addition to a couple hundred luxury homes that will eventually be built on the site of the excavation, the Dutra Company is planning to do another little development -- a cluster of modular buildings to support quarry operations.   This planning report is boring as hell, but it explains Dutra's plans.

Something that makes much more interesting reading is the McNear's Brickyard webpage.   It has a few great historical photos of the area, and you can find out all about bricks...


---------------   EXTRA   --------------------


Do yourself a favor today and spend a few minutes over at:
http://tomatefarcie.blogspot.com
for three U-Tube videos of 6 year old Connie Talbot's incredible voice.   But caution here, you'll probably need some tissues to mop up your tears of joy for this angelic little singer that's probably going to make-it-really-BIG-one-day...

------------------------------------------------




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April 22, 2008

one way trip


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photo by Donald Kinney

Happy Earth Day, everybody!   And I mean that from the bottom of my dark and crusty heart...   And no matter what your religious convictions are, it's fairly certain that life itself is a one-way trip.   Ashes to ashes, dust to dust, and all that jazz...   Or as my mother, God rest her soul, used to so frequently point out -- "You're going to burn in hell, young man, if you keep that behavior up".

I snapped that photo on Sunday at the Half Moon Bay Cemetery.   It's not an easy place to find, but living or not, it's a great place to spook around.



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April 21, 2008

Big hearts in S.F.


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photo by Donald Kinney

In 2004, 130 giant hearts were created by local artists and placed in various locations around The City.   The goal was to raise one million dollars for San Francisco General Hospital Foundation, but after auctions of 111 hearts and publication of a limited edition book, more than two million dollars was raised.
This heart still remains, throbbing with emotion, downtown in Union Square.


Read more about The Heart Project at: http://www.sfghf.net/hearts.php


BY REQUEST (taken a couple years ago on Chestnut near Divisadero)

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April 20, 2008

down and out in S.F.


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photo by Donald Kinney

In the past I've been morally guilty of snapping homeless people from a distance and without their permission, but yesterday, after a great little conversation with that fellow on the left, I asked -- just as an afterthought if I could take his picture.   He enthusiastically said YES, so I did...   Not far up the street I ran into the sick and frail man on the right, and asked him the same question -- he also enthusiastically said yes...   --Now, how a person living with the horror of A.I.D.S. can be enthusiastic about anything is beyond me, but it is an experience that I will never forget.

Since these encounters and three more that day, I have been counting my blessings -- realizing that I could have, and still can very easily end up in a similiar situation.   My blogging buddies, Plug1 and Plug2 over at www.whatimseeing.com actually do something about their concern by helping out to feed the homeless at St. Anthony's Dining Room, so perhaps I should get off my soapbox and get over there and see if I can help out.



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April 19, 2008

morning, Golden Gate Park


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photo by Donald Kinney

Who has time for sleep when there are photos out there to be taken?

A couple years ago someone gave me some good advice about photography -- they told me to just "put my camera away in the middle of the day".   The first and last few hours of the day are known as "the Golden Hours"...   But of course I realize that shooting only early and late is unrealistic and unnecessary for a lot of situations, but I just wanted to pass that along...

I snapped this shot in Golden Gate Park at about 8AM on Thursday -- it was quite a sight...   I was worried that the effects would quickly disappear so I didn't bother with my tripod or exposure bracketing, but I think it was a pretty good snag, anyway...   I posted it on FredMiranda.com yesterday for their advice and got some helpful suggestions.



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April 18, 2008

Ice-plant


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photo by Donald Kinney

Ice-plant is a familiar sight to anyone who has ever driven down a California freeway, but according to the Wikipedia it is actually an invasive species.   Quote:  "Ice-plant poses a serious ecological problem, forming vast monospecific zones, lowering biodiversity, and competing directly with several threatened or endangered plant species for nutrients, water, light, and space."  End Quote.

And although it may be an invasive species, it's definitely here in California to stay.   It makes a great soil retainer, requires very little water, and is -- at least in my opinion -- beautiful beyond description...

In my old home-town of Pacific Grove, a man by the name of Mr. Berwick, with the aid of a few Boy Scouts, started planting a miniature vareity of ice-plant along the waterfront back in the 1940's and it has been flourishing ever since.   It is "picture-postcard pretty", and tourists always go home with great photos.   Yep, invasive or not, ice-plant is definitely o.k. in my book...



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April 17, 2008

Cafe Divine


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photo by Donald Kinney

On weekends in San Francisco, one of the better spots to visit is the area around Washington Square.   You can fall-by Peter and Paul's Church to confess your sins, go a half-block up the street to Mama's Restaurant and sit outside and sip your cappachino and munch on pastry, or wander through Washington Square and watch the Asian Americans going through their methodical Tai-Chi routines.   And after all is said and done, you can gaze up into the antique windows of Cafe Divine and think of the past...

But under NO circumstances should you take your camera one block over to Green Street.   If you do, you are likely to have an unpleasant encounter with the bartender of Columbus Cafe -- a dive -- who will come running out and demand to see your photography permit.   If you are unable to produce one, and even though you kindly try to explain that you are only photographing for-fun, he will tell you that that doesn't matter -- and will proceed to try to confiscate your camera.   He is not a very nice man, and that description is being kind...   Yes, that happened to me about two years ago -- but I pulled a swift one on him and returned early one morning and snapped a photo of his funky establishment from the window of my car -- ready to make a quick escape if he came running out to harass me again...



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April 16, 2008

sunrise


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photo by Donald Kinney

On Monday I got up at an un-godly hour and sped down to Land's End to catch the sunrise from a different angle, only to find a disappointing fog bank that would have blocked the view.   I thought I had just enough time to buzz over to Sausalito and see if conditions were any better there -- and they were...


click photo for full-size image
photo by Donald Kinney



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April 15, 2008

Bank of the West, S.F.


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photo by Donald Kinney

San Francisco's Market Street gets kind of "seedy" when it crosses Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh Streets, but farther down towards the bay it is a bit safer and the architecture is kind of interesting.   But still, it's advisable to be aware of your surroundings -- be sure to carry your wallet in your front pocket.   I don't get over to San Francisco all that often, but when I do I generally carry some cheap insurance with two or three dollar bills in one shirt pocket, and a "fiver" in the other.



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April 14, 2008

Douglas Iris


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photo by Donald Kinney

I have never seen such an incredible display of wildflowers as we have "going on" this year.   I think the best place to see them is at Chimney Rock at Point Reyes, and on Saturday I headed out there early, because I knew the motion-inducing breeze would be increasing as the day progressed.   The morning couldn't have been nicer -- usually it is cold and foggy out at that isolated spot -- but the wildflowers seem to thrive in the harsh conditions.



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April 13, 2008

California Poppy


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photo by Donald Kinney

Marin County is full of all sorts of little detours and escapes, and one of my favorite is Laurel Grove Avenue through the upscale community of Ross.   This is where rich, famous, and successful people live in stately homes with well manicured gardens -- some behind gates, and some not.   In earlier days you might have spotted Sean Penn and his family out for an after-dinner walk up the road, or other svelt health-conscious residents out jogging -- I always imagine them as important doctors or captains of industry, keeping tabs on the battle-of-the-bulge...

In any case, Laurel Grove Avenue is an escape from the congestion of the college in Kentfield, and on Friday I spotted a huge patch of California Poppies that screamed out photo opportunity.   I flipped-my-wig over the bright color, and my camera followed-suit by also going nuts -- it didn't quite know how to handle the intense reds, oranges, and yellows.   I guess it assumed that if this guy wants color, I'm going to give him color...   When I first looked at the results I said -- oops, so I toned down the color saturation substantially, but decided to leave the image a bit over-saturated to remind me of all that intensity that was going on in the scene.


In the comments Sean was asking what Saturation is -- here is what the Red Histogram looks like for the poppy photo.   The reds are "blown out" (busting through the top limit of the graph), which is considered "bad form" amongst experienced Photoshoppers.




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April 12, 2008

sea-lions at Pier39, S.F.


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photo by Donald Kinney

Wednesday while on a leisurely walk along San Francisco's waterfront on my way over to the Tibet protest, I stopped by the incredibly tacky Pier39 to take a look at the only thing that Pier39 has going for it -- it's sea-lions.   Unfortunately my snaps of the sea-lions were nothing special, but I stopped on my way out and snagged these two durable creatures.



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April 11, 2008

concerned soul


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photo by Donald Kinney









Well folks, it looks like in my un-official poll it's about one vote FOR more protest photos, and one vote AGAINST more protest photos.   So I flipped a coin, and tails-it-is.   Here's four more...



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April 10, 2008

EXTRA -- Olympic Protest in S.F.


















- - -   if you don't tell me to stop, I'll have more tomorrow   - - -


A huge crowd flocked to San Fancisco yesterday to protest the brutal teatment and killing of innocents in Tibet.   At this point, the Olympic Torch is nothing more a symbol of China's oppression and covered-up murder on the peaceful citizens of Tibet.   The protest was large, loud, colorful, intense and angry -- but it was quite civilized, and it seemed like everybody was having a good time, while throwing a political fit at the same time...   Bless Asian Americans...

Egret at San Pablo Bay


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photo by Donald Kinney

I've got to do some more work on this photo, but I thought I would show it at this stage anyway...   I need to crop it, bring the brightness up on the bird, straighten the horizon, lighten the water a little bit, get rid of the lens flares, clone out some small birds, and remove lights in the background -- I guess...

Those are a few of the great suggestions I got yesterday over at:
http://www.fredmiranda.com -- and everybody seemed to like the photo, but of course, anything can be improved...   If you have a suggestion on how to improve this photo, please let me know.   I think it would make a nice LARGE print -- whenever I get into making large prints...



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April 09, 2008

basket weaving material


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photo by Donald Kinney

Now, I am certainly no expert on the Native Indians who made a home in this paradise we know today as Marin County, but I'm pretty sure they would have found this particular plant useful for their tightly-woven baskets.   Near this same spot (Roy's Redwoods, near San Geronimo) a friend showed me a ground-hugging plant called "soap-root".   We dug it out of the ground, crushed it's roots in our hands, added some water (from the nearby bucolic creek) and presto, we had a soapy lather with which to wash our hands.   Worked great!



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April 08, 2008

original or crispy


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photo by Donald Kinney

Sunday morning I somehow ended up in San Francisco, and when I spotted a vacant parking spot near the corner of Taylor and Pacific I grabbed it and walked down the steep hill to Chinatown.   I managed to snag this photo, and I think I'll eventually crop it into a square, but I thought it was kind of interesting. --Looks like Colonel Saunders isn't the only one who offers both original recipe and crispy...



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April 07, 2008

gates and spire - Marin Civic Center


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photo by Donald Kinney

Although there were trials and tribulations along the way, Frank Lloyd Wright had a long and successful career as an architect, but by the '50's when he designed the fabulous Marin County Civic Center I'm pretty sure his staff did most of the actual design work for the nuts-and-bolts of the structure.   But I'm sure F.L.W. oversaw the really important design details.   My only question is; "what in the heck were those architects smoking?"...



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