below Phoenix Lake, Marin County

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photo by Donald Kinney

Early on Thursday morning the clouds just weren't cooperating. So, with my tail between my legs I began my return trip home--when I had the brilliant idea of stopping by Phoenix Lake, a gem of an area behind the upscale but sleepy town of Ross.



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photo by Donald Kinney

Below the dam, the creek regains some of it's original flavor.



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photo by Donald Kinney

Stream-side shaded trees stay snuggled in mossy coats of green.



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photo by Donald Kinney

Eventually I noticed that the forest was becoming illuminated. Thursday actually turned out to be a rather pleasant day, indeed.


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feathered friends - at work and at play

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photo by Donald Kinney

Oh lord, I just couldn't resist the temptation of using one of Photoshop's ready-made filters--"plastic wrap" on this image. Of course, the result will be deemed trite and probably turn-the-stomachs of a lot of self-professed Photoshop-experts, but I like it, sort of, more than I probably would want to admit. CLICK to see the image before I applied the Photoshop filter.



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photo by Donald Kinney

I've heard--among flocks of birds, the flight towards breakfast is almost as fun as playing with the syrup and toothpicks when they arrive.



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photo by Donald Kinney

Others of a more singular nature search for tasty worms in the mud.



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photo by Donald Kinney

And some feathered creatures have been busy...



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photo by Donald Kinney

This Woodpecker could be one of the culprits.
(not a new image)


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Columbarium - "the San Francisco treat"

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photo by Donald Kinney

Last Saturday it was raining and I realized I needed to decide on something quiet and dry. The Columbarium, San Francisco's huge domed Greko-Roman style mausoleum was the obvious choice.



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photo by Donald Kinney

At the entrance is a tribute to San Francisco's own Harvey Milk--camera store owner and tireless civil rights worker.

None of Harvey's ashes are inside this memorial. Most of his ashes were scattered at sea by his friends. A small portion of them were buried under a plaque in the sidewalk in front of his old camera store at 575 Castro.



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photo by Donald Kinney

A lively group, those Fernandos.
I couldn't peek, but probably no cookies in those colorful jars.

What sets San Francisco's Columbarium apart from most other mausoleums is the curious display of personal objects from the person's life. For instance, one simple crypt contains not only a jar of ashes, but the dentist's drill, his Leica camera, and a proud but rather small golf trophy.



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photo by Donald Kinney

Nobody is going anywhere any time soon...
High and dry on a rainy Saturday morning, ad infinitum...



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photo by Donald Kinney

This is getting a bit long.  CLICK to view the entire spectacular window.


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one sunrise, many moods

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photo by Donald Kinney

Looking at the mass of blue with the wide lens...



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photo by Donald Kinney

And in a bit closer, and a bit later, for red and orange with the zoom.



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photo by Donald Kinney

One bird...



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photo by Donald Kinney

Two birds...



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photo by Donald Kinney

And seventeen.



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below Alpine Dam, Mount Tamalpais

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photo by Donald Kinney

Right out west of Fairfax is the beginnings of my beloved Mount Tamalpais. And the nice thing about it is that EVERYONE loves Mount Tamalpais--it's where we recreate.



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photo by Donald Kinney

And it's finally flowing... Over 20 tributaries feed into the Lagunitas Creek, and although the creek has to make it's way through another large reservoir, Kent Lake, I suppose Alpine Dam is the official beginning of my beloved Lagunitas.



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photo by Donald Kinney

And this is the amazing Mt. "Tam".   Evidently, doing a duet with herself.



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photo by Donald Kinney

left: After a heavy rain the ferns perk up, while moss turns a lively green.

right: Just downstream from Alpine Dam is a much shorter man-made dam.


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Lagunitas Creek - and her talents

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photo by Donald Kinney

At first glance it's just a jumble of fresh creek water, but the mighty Lagunitas is sometimes capable of turning it's surface, ever so briefly, into transitory and fleeting works of art.



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photo by Donald Kinney

We've finally gotten some rain and are getting more later this week. During a heavy torrent, the creek swells. Huge trees get undermined and fall in. The riverbanks of the mighty Lagunitas adjust themselves--always anxious to try a new course.



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photo by Donald Kinney

And, yes folks, Spring is right around the corner...


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"Kinney" Creek - revisited

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photo by Donald Kinney

It's been raining in California. Last Sunday I saw a break in the clouds.



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photo by Donald Kinney

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photo by Donald Kinney

...


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sightseeing on San Pablo Bay

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photo by Donald Kinney

Often thought of as a separate bay, San Pablo Bay is the northern "thumb" of San Francisco Bay. Fresh water not siphoned off for agricultural purposes in California's Central Valley eventually makes it's way to San Pablo Bay via the Sacramento Delta.

That's Mount Diablo in the distance--on the east side of what we Bay Area folks call the "East Bay".



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photo by Donald Kinney

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photo by Donald Kinney

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photo by Donald Kinney

A Blue Heron.



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photo by Donald Kinney

Snapped in February 2010, this is not a new photo (I always mention when an image is not new), but I thought I would include it in the series to add a bit of a-c-t-i-o-n...

The image is from the "creatures" set of what I call my "big" site at http://www.photoarrow.com/771creatures.html


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Frank Quan's front yard at China Camp

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photo by Donald Kinney

Yes, that's Frank Quan's shrimping boat tied up to his pier on yet another glorious and rather orangey morning at China Camp.



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photo by Donald Kinney

Technicolor skies, but they didn't need much Photoshop.



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photo by Donald Kinney

100 years ago the China Camp area would have been busy with boats setting nets and pulling in a bounty of Bay Shrimp. Today the last resident of China Camp, Frank Quan, continues the tradition of setting his net--and hoping for the best. Salt-intrusion into San Pablo Bay has diminished the catch to a fraction.



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photo by Donald Kinney

And this is where Frank Quan lives--directly on the shore of San Pablo Bay. I don't know Frank all that well, but we exchange hellos when I see him puttering-about. We are both bachelors so I think we have a certain unspoken camaraderie.



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And this is the handsome young man of China Camp himself, Frank Quan, snapped in November of 2009. And yes, except for a tour of duty in the Navy during WW2, Frank has lived and fished at China Camp his entire life.


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good morning - Golden Gate Bridge

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photo by Donald Kinney

In her spare time and when sunrise isn't far off, the Golden Gate Bridge has been known to play a few tricks with light.



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photo by Donald Kinney

And sometimes, during these dark and quiet times,



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photo by Donald Kinney

the moon might be the only one watching.


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Webb Creek - on the backside of Mt. Tamalpais

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photo by Donald Kinney

Every once in a while the San Francisco newspaper will do a feature on Webb Creek, Steep Ravine and the Dipsea Trail; and for a while thereafter the number of visitors to this gushing creek will swell--but usually I'm just about the only person there.



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photo by Donald Kinney

Webb Creek gets wide and swift after heavy rainfall, and finally, just recently, California received some substantial amounts precipitation.



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photo by Donald Kinney

So, they call it the Dipsea foot-race, and starting in Mill Valley the route goes directly over the shoulder of my beloved Mount Tamalpais and down along Steep Ravine and Webb Creek. In June Webb Creek isn't quite as spectacular, but imagine a foot-race along the Redwood studded beauty of this area.



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photo by Donald Kinney

But yes, this is the back-side of Mount Tamalpais. Cliff-hugging Highway-1 is just a short distance away. The long expanse of Stinson Beach is a mile or so to the north. Be that as it may, for all practical purposes, this area has an encompassing feeling of being far, far removed from civilization.


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China Camp Village - on San Pablo Bay - part 2 of 2

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photo by Donald Kinney

Seems like I've been to China Camp nearly one million times, and I don't think there's ever been a visit that I haven't tried framing-up this composition, just one more time.



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photo by Donald Kinney

California has a plethora of 278 State Parks, but China Camp is one of the 70 scheduled to be closed on July 1. It is unlikely that California will emerge from its massive indebtedness any time soon. Some public organizations are trying to coordinate plans with the State to run some of the parks on their own--stay tuned.



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photo by Donald Kinney

Time passes slowly at China Camp. Frank Quan is the only remaining resident--it is unclear whether he will be allowed to continue living at the village when the park closes.



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Frank seems to be stocking up on paper towels--maybe he's staying.


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