San Francisco designs

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photo by Donald Kinney

I'm not sure if this restaurant, on Broadway near Larkin, is still in business -- but they probably have the most beautiful and interesting engraved doors I've seen in a long time...



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photo by Donald Kinney

Early Sunday morning I took a stroll along the upper-class shops on Union Street.   Someone is VERY good with a pair of scissors...



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photo by Donald Kinney

And if money is no object, shopping for clothes on Union Street is the place to do it.   Like they say -- "if you need to know the price, you probably can't afford it"...


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afternoon at China Camp

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photo by Donald Kinney

Spring...   The sun goes a bit higher and the shadows get a bit shorter...



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photo by Donald Kinney

The Douglas Irises put on an art show...



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photo by Donald Kinney

And the California Poppies pop...


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San Francisco windows

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photo by Donald Kinney

San Francisco is full of bold and interesting designs, making the photographer's job pretty darned easy...



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photo by Donald Kinney

And while you can find some good bargains in San Francisco, watch out for Price Cleaners Price Cleaners -- they might charge you double.



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Most of the restaurants are still closed when I go spooking-around.   That's good, because most restaurant owners and patrons don't appreciate being on "Candid Camera".   I found this still life (of sorts) on Columbus Avenue.


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spirits of Bolinas

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photo by Donald Kinney

It's full steam ahead for Spring-time beauty in Bolinas.   Right now I doubt if there is any more peaceful or colorful place than the graveyard, about a mile east of town.

That bright yellow flower is Oxalis pes-caprae, a common non-native garden weed around these parts.   When I was a kid we used to call it "sour-grass" because of the tart and juicy stems, and other kids used to call it "dog-grass" because of rumors that dogs can't resist passing a patch of Oxalis without peeing on it.



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Wedged in between the Coast Cafe and the Market is a little nook of spirituality...



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photo by Donald Kinney

Some people stop by for a brief prayer or medetation...
Others may live a trinket...   And others may take a photo or two...



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There is a delicate balance between "tourist types" and the residents of Bolinas -- a few of the businesses depend on outside visitors, but many of the locals want to keep their paradise unspoiled, private, and real.

Want to see more of Bolinas?
Then click on over to the Bolinas set of what I call my "Big" site.


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wild art in Bolinas

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photo by Donald Kinney

Bolinas Beach has sections of a long cement sea-wall that's the perfect canvas for creative expression of budding artists.   I think someone did a dynamite job on this mandala...



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photo by Donald Kinney

And Bolinas seems to have a potential Picasso here...



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And this seems to be about an inconsiderate surfer, Kurt, who has a bad habit of "dropping in" on waves, stealing them from other surfers.



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And turkey vultures dance...


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dinnertime in Bolinas

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photo by Donald Kinney

Oh yum -- crab for dinner...   Where's my bib?



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And yes, it happens -- it's all a natural part of the food chain.

I snapped these photos on Tuesday out at Bolinas -- a quiet and rather secretive town on the coast -- where the cycle of life goes on...


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Chinatown tour

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photo by Donald Kinney

jux-ta-po-si-tion   
1.   An act or instance of placing close together or side by side, esp. for comparison or contrast.
2.   The state of being close together or side by side.

Lets see, which way is better -- the old or the new?   And perhaps more importantly -- can both styles co-exist?



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Couldn't miss the colorful sign -- I should have stopped for a taste...



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These look like some sort of Pistachio nut, but that's just a guess...
A "nut" took the photo too, but lets not go there...
I wish I had gotten a bit more depth-of-field with the shot, though...



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Next time I go to the supermarket I think I will, too, contemplate each piece -- selecting only the finest, and/or those putting out the best vibes...


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a Sunday walk in S.F.

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photo by Donald Kinney

I'm not too much into frilly stuff, but I think these are called pettycoats -- I found these hanging in a costume shop across the street from CalaMarket on Hyde near California Street.



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I can't resist a shot into an empty restaurant -- usually it has to be empty or I end up getting yelled at...



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photo by Donald Kinney

This is a new sign and business on Polk Street...   Looks like they are covering both ends of the spectrum...




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Looks like the "Daisy Duke" look is back in style...
And I've got dibs on that leg -- I've always wanted to make a lamp out of one of those...


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trees at play

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photo by Donald Kinney

Eucaliptus, playing with forms and shapes...



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Redwood, playing with the mist and light...


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lines

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photo by Donald Kinney

Power lines...   engaged by the eye...



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And bridge lines...   swallowed by the fog...



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One thing about man -- he establishes a lot of lines...


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at Rodeo Beach, Marin Headlands

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photo by Donald Kinney

Well, after I used this photo as yesterday's header I thought I should make an effort and find out the name of this noble plant -- after all, it chooses some of the prettiest spots to spread it's roots...   Well, I haven't done my research -- can anybody help me out with the name?
UPDATE:   this plant is Kniphofia, or torch flower.
Thanks to Anna for the botanical name


((( See today's Daily-Duo for two more photos of this plant )))



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Like to get sand in your shoes?   Like to accidently get your feet wet by not paying attention to the surf?   If you answered yes to one or both -- then Rodeo Beach is for you...

((( No, I still haven't found out why they named the beach "Rodeo" )))



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But the only drawback of visiting such a beautiful area is having to share it with the occasional film-crew.   I'm still scratching my head, but this must have been an advertisement for horse blankets -- the horse had a whole neat stack of them on his back.



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And yes, there is a sign to the contrary, but dogs run free...

Actually, this photo of the dog and the photo of the foamy-surf were taken last year and are from the Point Bonita set of what I call my "Big" site.


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more Spring color

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photo by Donald Kinney

Spring has sprung, regardless of most everything else...



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Spring color

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photo by Donald Kinney

Here you go -- a bug's view of San Francisco...



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I'm going a bit buggy with all of this Spring color.



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poppies

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photo by Donald Kinney

The poppies are popping in California, and it's quite a sight...



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Our winter rains came very late this year -- but it rained buckets, cats, and dogs -- much to the delight of the wildflowers and grasses.



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two tunnels in Marin County

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photo by Donald Kinney

Ever stop to think why San Francisco needs a Golden Gate Bridge?
So the residents of Marin County can get to and from "The City"...
And through the Rainbow Tunnel we "Marinites" must pass...

In the photo above you see the northbound lanes, but coming south in the other bore can be highly inspirational with a great view of the Bridge and City (although I suppose the view is a bit less inspirational if you are having to go to work).

Call it the "Waldo Tunnel" if you must, but the first bore of what most everybody now calls the "Rainbow Tunnel" was carved out in 1937 and the second bore (shown here) was added in 1954.   I was just seven years old in 1954, but I vividly remember traffic whizzing in both directions through just one bore.

Everybody seems to think that hippies painted the rainbows in the '60's, but actually the rainbows on the portals of Waldo Tunnel were the brainchild of Alan Hart, head of the San Francisco District of Highways in 1970.   "Unartistic" highway officials in Sacremento were caught off guard and flabbergasted by the boldness of the rainbows, but public reaction was so strongly in favor of the innovative paint job that the rainbows remained.

The rainbows get repainted every five or ten years now, but they never make them bright enough for my tastes and they fade quickly.   Hey, no problem -- I Photoshopped some extra color into them...



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Just a few hundred yards south and about three hundred feet below the Rainbow Tunnels is the old military tunnel that runs from Alexander Avenue out to the Point Bonita area of the Marin Headlands.   This tunnel is about a quarter-mile long, and is dark and drippy in spots.   One-way traffic, of course -- you often have to wait five minutes for the other direction to pass through.

And remember that the speed limit in the tunnel is 25...   Oh, the nice lady copper in the unmarked GGNRA cop car let me go with a warning, but she told me that "41 just wasn't going to cut it"...   Oh, I suppose they also have a rule against stopping in the tunnel to shoot a photo, but let's not go there...


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