February 28, 2011

sloshing around at Roy's Redwoods


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photo by Donald Kinney

Recently I bought a pair of rubber boots and on Saturday I got to try them out at my beloved Roy's Redwoods, a delightful redwood studded area that has to be one of Marin County's best kept secrets.



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photo by Donald Kinney

With all this recent rain, streams and rivulets abound.   Normally, at this time of year people and animals are advised to stay out of the creeks -- vulnerable Coho Salmon eggs can be disturbed and crushed, but "progress" downstream from Roy's Redwoods has now made it impossible for the Salmon reach this area for spawning, so it was o.k. for me to go sloshing around -- crossing creeks that would normally have stopped me.   It was all great fun.



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photo by Donald Kinney

"Sinbad's Dad" had a great name suggestion yesterday -- I could call the next "Un-named" or "Occasional" creek that I found "Every-once-in-a-while" creek.   So there you go, a suitable name for this little creek that is normally dry as a bone.



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photo by Donald Kinney

An even nicer view, I think, of "Every-once-in-a-while" creek.

For this shot I was using my old funky tripod -- "old Sticky" -- and it's the first time I've made a shot by standing directly in the creek.   It was all great fun.   Once a kid, always a kid, I suppose...



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February 27, 2011

Occasional Creek, number 2


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photo by Donald Kinney

There's a plethora of mossy trees in the more shaded areas of my beloved Mount Tamalpais.   When the rains arrive the moss perks up and stands tall and proud.   And yes, it is just as vividly green as you see here.



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photo by Donald Kinney

I think that these sword ferns probably know exactly where they are and what is going on -- and are happy to be where they are.   Like the moss, they also seem to perk up with all of the available moisture.



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photo by Donald Kinney

More of those mossy trees.   The trees don't seem to mind -- sort of a warm jacket, I suppose, for all this cold weather we've been having.   (((brrrr)))



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February 26, 2011

photos from Nicasio, Cailifornia 94946


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photo by Donald Kinney

A week or two ago I noticed these daffodils and others that had sprouted in the "home run zone" of the baseball diamond that sits smack dad in the center of Nicasio, California.   I rarely plan my shots, but I kept thinking it might be a cool shot if I could get the daffodils and the church in the same photo.   So on Thursday I had the opportunity to get back out there and try my luck.   I put the camera directly on the ground and then used my right-angle finder attachment to be able to see into the viewfinder.

I'm not completely happy with how this (above) turned out -- maybe I'll shoot it again on a sunny day, and maybe there will be less wind, allowing me to use a slower shutter speed so I can stop the lens down farther for more depth-of-field.   But there you go for now -- daffodils and the church at Nicasio.



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photo by Donald Kinney

While I was shooting this I couldn't help thinking of my good buddy, the most talented and wonderful Julie Michelle, a San Francisco photographer and writer. You will enjoy reading her poem, "History's Child" and seeing the photo she used here.



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photo by Donald Kinney

This is the "old" fire station in Nicasio.   They've since built a much more modern station up the road a bit.   Progress in Nicasio moves at a snail's pace...   Frozen-in-time -- it's pretty much the same way it was 100 years ago. Nicasio is located in west Marin County, not far from where I live.



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February 25, 2011

good morning, on a grand style


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photo by Donald Kinney

It's always different, but generally there is a bit of drama in the morning sky over San Francisco.   (((hmmm)))



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photo by Donald Kinney

The twenty minutes or so before the sun appears is usually when most of the excitement happens.   Sometimes it can be quite a scramble to get in position in time.   (((yawn)))



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photo by Donald Kinney

And generally the sun appears -- unless it's a rainy day like today.   I think I may just go back to bed this morning and catch up on a bit of sleep.   (((zzzzz)))



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February 24, 2011

Occasional Creek, revisited


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photo by Donald Kinney

A few days ago we had some more heavy rains -- and even some snow at the higher elevations -- so I thought I should get back up to Occasional Creek on the northern flank of my beloved Mount Tamalpais.



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photo by Donald Kinney

And yes, Occasional Creek was chugging along at a delightful pace.



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photo by Donald Kinney

Even the ferns were digging it...

Occasional Creek (it doesn't seem to have a real name) feeds into Lilly Lake (this may not be a real name either) and then Lilly Lake drains down into nearby Alpine Lake (yes, that is it's real name), eventually making it's way over the dam's spillway and to the beginning of the mighty (beautiful) Lagunitas Creek.   Two miles downstream the Lagunitas Creek flows into Kent Lake (another dammed reservoir), and then once again it becomes the Lagunitas Creek on it's way to Tomales Bay and out to the Pacific Ocean.

Amen.



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February 23, 2011

Embarcadero Center area of San Francisco


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photo by Donald Kinney

This is the amazing fountain on the east side of the Alcoa Building -- oh you know, the tall dark building with criss-crossed "X"'s on it's exterior.



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photo by Donald Kinney

As their centerpiece, each of the four Embarcadero Center buildings has some sort of massive sculpture sprouting out of a fountain or pool at their base.



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photo by Donald Kinney

I can never get past this eyeglass store without pausing for a few shots.   Same thing happens when I pass by the Victoria's Secret store, but I'll spare you from the lurid and rather suggestive shots I snapped there.



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photo by Donald Kinney

I also can't seem to get past a bridal gown shop without shooting through their windows too.   A little secret here -- I love wedding dresses, even though I am 100% "straight" and also kind of a slob when it comes to my own clothes.   But bridal gown or not -- I think I know beauty when I see it.



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February 22, 2011

the mission at San Juan Bautista


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photo by Donald Kinney

Sunday before last got in the car and ended up about 100 miles to the south, inland a bit, at the California Mission town of San Jaun Bautista.



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photo by Donald Kinney

The mission was built immediately adjacent to the San Andreas Fault and has suffered damage from numerous earthquakes over the years, but it has never been completely demolished.   source: Wikipedia.



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photo by Donald Kinney

And yes, it is amazing that the mission, built of adobe (mud and straw) and unreinforced flat rocks, sitting almost directly on the San Andreas earthquake fault, has continued to remain mostly intact all these years.



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photo by Donald Kinney

Silly me...   I should have known that if I arrived on a Sunday morning they would be holding services inside the mission -- it's something that has been going on for the past 214 years.

But I DO have photos of the interior of the mission from my last trip here two years ago -- check out the first page of my California Mission set on what I call my "big" site at: http://www.photoarrow.com/201californiamissions.html.



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February 21, 2011

snow on Mt. Tamalpais


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photo by Donald Kinney

Oh yeah, I know what you're thinking -- "big deal, a dusting of snow" -- but let me tell you that when this phenomenon occurs it really IS a BIG DEAL around these parts.



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photo by Donald Kinney

I shot these early Saturday morning when everyone was waking up and realizing that our beloved Mount Tam had snow on it.   Of course, the roads up there are closed when this happens, but that doesn't stop hundreds of locals from walking up the road, with snowboard or sled in tow.



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photo by Donald Kinney

And for these shots I got to use my new third-generation Canon 2x tele-extender, which turns my 70-200 zoom into a 140-400 zoom.   This new tele-extender has been getting good reviews -- only problem is that I need to be especially careful to brace the camera solidly.   I reluctantly used my tripod.



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February 20, 2011

groovie photos


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photo by Donald Kinney

The problem with this photo, as I see it, is there is no indication of scale.   My first thought was that the image needs something, perhaps a cow or two, but I just don't know.   In any case, I think its kind of a "groovie" photo.



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photo by Donald Kinney

These are the sand dunes right along Highway 1, near Pescadero State Beach.



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photo by Donald Kinney

And yes, that is blowing sand.   If the sand had it's way it would (god forbid) quickly cover the highway.   Clearing the drifting sand off the roadway keeps Cal-Trans busy.



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photo by Donald Kinney

So far I haven't had any luck, but I've been trying to get my good buddy from Ohio, Jan Bell of Bell Images interested in visiting the fabulous beaches of the San Mateo Coast (about 20 miles south of San Francisco) on one of his photo-adventures out here in the West.   Jan is an absolutely fabulous photographer -- I think he could do wonderful things with these dunes.



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February 19, 2011

China Camp - in the rain


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photo by Donald Kinney

A guy like me needs "heaping-helpings" of solitude -- and one place I can find it is at my beloved China Camp.

That's a duck-blind in the center of the photo -- and being part duck myself, I strongly disapprove of the sport(?) of hunting.



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photo by Donald Kinney

These are the tidal lands of San Pablo Bay, which is the northern "thumb" of San Francisco Bay.



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photo by Donald Kinney

Oh yeah, did I mention it was raining?



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photo by Donald Kinney

We had almost no rain in January -- delightful weather in fact -- many trees decided to get on with the business of blossoming a bit early.   Unfortunately we're getting more rain now and the temperature is decidedly chilly.   But yeah, Spring (and taxes) is right around the corner.



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February 18, 2011

a short tour of Marin County


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photo by Donald Kinney

On the right is the mountain with two names -- it's Black Mountain on the map, but most folks with a bit of imagination call it Elephant Mountain.   But sorry -- only part of the elephant is showing in this photo.



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photo by Donald Kinney

That's my beloved Mount Tamalpais in the background, and of course my equally beloved weeds and stickers in the foreground.



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photo by Donald Kinney

We had rain in December, very little in January, and now we're catching up on our quota with some rip-roaring storms.   Trying to find a few photos in this kind of weather can be a bit of a challenge but this snap in Sausalito was an easy snag.



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photo by Donald Kinney

And of course, this time of year shadows can grow quite long.



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February 17, 2011

Mare Island Naval Shipyard


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photo by Donald Kinney

Mare Island is a peninsula alongside the city of Vallejo, California, about 23 miles northeast of San Francisco. The Napa River forms its eastern side as it enters the Carquinez Strait juncture with the east side of San Pablo Bay. Mare Island is considered a peninsula because no full body of water separates this or several other named "islands" from the mainland. Instead, a series of small sloughs cause seasonal water-flows among the so-called islands. Mare Island is the largest of these at about 3.5 miles long and a mile wide. The Napa River widens and forms an excellent harbor between Mare Island and the mainland.
[ source: Wikipedia ]



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photo by Donald Kinney

In 1775, a Spanish explorer, Perez Ayala became the first European to land on what would become Mare Island. This area was part of Rancho Suscol, deeded to General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo in 1844. Originally named Isla de la Plana by Ayala, the island became a waypoint for early settlers. In 1835, whilst traversing the Carquinez Strait, a crude ferry transporting men and livestock capsized in a squall, among the livestock feared lost in the wreckage was General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo's, Mexican Commandante for Northern California, prized white mare. Several days later, General Vallejo's mare was found on the island, having swum ashore. The island was renamed by Vallejo to Isla de la Yegua, Spanish for Mare Island in her honor.
[ source: Wikipedia ]



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photo by Donald Kinney

In 1850, Commodore John Drake Sloat was ordered to lead a survey party in quest of a logical site for the nation's first Pacific naval installation. Sloat recommended the island across the Napa River from the settlement of Vallejo; it being "free from ocean gales and from floods and freshets."

On November 6, 1850, two months after California was admitted to statehood, President Fillmore reserved Mare Island for government use. The U.S. Navy Department acted favorably on Commodore Sloat's recommendations and Mare Island was purchased in July, 1852, for the sum of $83,410 for the use as a naval shipyard. Two years later, on September 16, 1854, Mare Island became the first permanent U.S. naval installation on the west coast, with Commodore David G. Farragut, as Mare Island's first base commander.
[ source: Wikipedia ]



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photo by Donald Kinney

For more than a century, Mare Island was the United States Navy's Mare Island Naval Shipyard. The growing size and number of the country's naval fleet was making older facilities obsolete and led to increased building and refitting of shipyards nationally. A 508-foot drydock was built by the Public Works Department on an excellent rock foundation of cut granite blocks. The work took nineteen years and was completed in 1891. During the Spanish-American War, a concrete drydock on wooden piles, 740 feet long, was completed after eleven years of work, in 1910. By 1941, a third drydock had been completed and the drydock number four was under construction. The ammunitions depot and submarine repair base were modern, fireproof buildings. A million dollar, three-way vehicle causeway to Vallejo was completed.

Before World War II, Mare Island had been in a continual state of upbuilding. By 1941, new projects included improvements to the central power plant, a new pattern storage building, a large foundry, machine shop, magazine building, paint shop, new administration building, and a huge storehouse. The yard was expected to be able to repair and paint six to eight large naval vessels at a time. Several finger piers had recently been built, as well as a new shipbuilding wharf, adding one 500-foot and a 750-foot berth. It employed 5593 workers at the beginning of 1939, and rapidly increased to 18,500 busily engaged by May 1941, with a monthly payroll of $3,500,000(1941). Then came Pearl Harbor. In 1941, the drafting department had expanded to three buildings accommodating over 400 Naval architects, engineers and draftsmen. The hospital carried 584 bed patients.

In 1969, the US Navy transferred its (Vietnam War) Brown Water Navy Riverine Training Forces from Coronado, California, to Mare Island. Swift Boats (Patrol Craft Fast-PCF), and PBRs (Patrol Boat River), among other types of riverine craft, conducted boat operations through out the currently named Napa-Sonoma Marshes State Wildlife Area, which are located on the north and west portions of Mare Island. Mare Island Naval Base was deactivated during the 1995 cycle of US base closures, but the US Navy Reserves still have access to the water portions of the State Wildlife Area for any riverine warfare training being conducted from their new base in Sacramento, California.
[ source: Wikipedia ]



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photo by Donald Kinney

In 1993, Congress approved the findings of the Base Realignment and Closure report, leading to the closure of Mare Island Naval Shipyard. The shipyard had long been the economic engine of the city of Vallejo, having reached an employment peak of 40,000 workers during World War II, and even employing 10,000 workers after scaling back in 1988. When Congress ordered the base closure, the shipyard employed 5,800 workers.

The vision of rebuilding Mare Island as a vital place where people lived and worked was a key goal in the base conversion planning process undertaken by the city of Vallejo in the early 1990s.
Preservation of many of Mare Island’s 661 structures and other cultural resources was an additional factor in the planning process. As the oldest shipyard and naval facility on the West Coast, the shipyard earned a National Historic Landmark designation by the federal government in 1975. In 1979, California listed the entire naval base as a State Historical Landmark. In 1999, the city of Vallejo added Mare Island to the National Register of Historic Districts with 42 individual city landmarks.

Finally, as with any restoration of an industrial, brownfield landscape, both city and government agencies required environmental review, toxics removal, and soil mediation before any new development and reuse.

In 1998, the city of Vallejo contracted with Lennar Mare Island LLC to redevelop the island’s 5,657 acres into a multi-use community. Lennar Corporation contracted the Sausalito-based SWA Group, to provide a Master Development Plan for Vallejo, additional historical research and landscape architectural services.

The final land-use plan SWA submitted to the city of Vallejo in 2005 divided Mare Island into 13 specific zones, including a university district, and industrial zone, historic core, and residential neighborhoods. In addition, 78% of the entire island was set aside for wildlife habitat and wetlands, parkland and open space, and dredge ponds.

SWA’s site plan began with the island’s grid of small, tree-lined streets and extended them so that they terminate in dramatic views of the bay and river and a new public waterfront. The historic core was repurposed as a new town center with retail, entertainment attractions, and additional, higher-density housing. Other improvements included a new grove of Canary Island Palm trees and London Plane trees along the G Street corridor, one of two entry points on the island. This feature enhances a visitor’s sense of arrival and frames the long view of Mt. Tamalpais across the San Pablo Bay.

In 2007, Lennar Corp finished construction on three new residential neighborhoods. Farragut Village, with 277 new homes in a site layout and landscape pattern designed by SWA Group, was the first completed neighborhood. Additional neighborhoods include Coral Sea and Kirkland Isle II. When all construction is complete, Mare Island will have 1,400 homes and condos, plus 7,000,000 square feet of commercial, retail, entertainment, and industrial space.

Mare Island’s new residents petitioned Lennar Corp. and the city of Vallejo to drop the dredge ponds, whose role had been to collect silt, drainage, and storm water from both the Napa River and the Bay and instead restore that acreage to wetlands. Both city officials and the developer agreed and in January 2006, the land use plan was amended to add the Mare Island Shoreline Heritage Preserve. An advisory board was appointed by the city to restore the 215-acre site into publicly accessible parkland.

Overall, the conversion and reuse of Mare Island will result in the 3,075 acres of protected tidal and nontidal wetlands providing wintering habitat for thousands of shorebirds and waterfowl. For example, during the migrating season in February 2008, thousands of people attended the three-day San Francisco Bay Flyway Festival on Mare Island, cosponsored by Lennar Mare Island LLC. The event, which included an art show, exhibitors, and music, marked the annual return of more than a million shorebirds, ducks, geese, and hawks to the Bay Area.
[ source: Wikipedia ]




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February 16, 2011

sheep and windmills -- Montezuma Hills


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photo by Donald Kinney

On Saturday I ended up spooking-around one of my old favorite haunts, the Montezuma Hills, rolling hills at the base of the Sacramento Delta; between Fairfield and Rio Vista, California.
[ as you can see, I am clueless about punctuation ]



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photo by Donald Kinney

This is sheep grazing country but the low and rounded hills are primarily used for growing wheat.



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photo by Donald Kinney

Over the past 40 years or so I've watched the Montezuma Hills sprout a tremendous number of new and massive wind turbines.


photo by Donald Kinney

Above is a shot I made in the Montezuma Hills about 30 years ago.
Sorry to report that from between the ages of 23 to ten years ago at age 53 I did relatively little photography, although I never stopped "looking".



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photo by Donald Kinney

The new and the old...
Yesterday I had some teeth pulled -- this morning I feel old, about 101.



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February 15, 2011

versatile water -- artful and fun


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photo by Donald Kinney

I've visited my beloved Lagunitas Creek so many times I call it my own.
Oh, I suppose the Marin Municipal Water District and the State of California Parks System might have other ideas about ownership, but hereby I claim -- for you and me -- the artful waters of the mighty Lagunitas Creek.



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photo by Donald Kinney

I was having trouble this morning finding other suitable Lagunitas Creek photos to go with the first photo, so I thought you might like some recent surfer shots.



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photo by Donald Kinney

I shot these with my new 2x tele-extender which lengthens my zoom to 400mm.



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photo by Donald Kinney

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