things old at China Camp

click photo for full-size image
photo by Donald Kinney

Netting bay shrimp at China Camp still takes place, but the catch these days is only a small fraction of what it was in the late 1800's. Several of the old structures remain, such as this roof to the shrimp processing shack.



click photo for full-size image
photo by Donald Kinney

I suppose that if doors could talk this one would have quite a few stories. It's the rear of the drying kiln, which might explain the bit of burnt wood on part of the door jamb.



click photo for full-size image
photo by Donald Kinney

And Holy Cow, do we ever have some major rust going on here...

China Camp is located on the shores of San Pablo Bay -- the northern "thumb" of San Francisco Bay. Fresh water releases from the Sacramento Delta into San Pablo Bay have been cut over the past several decades, resulting in elevated salinity levels, which is an inhospitable condition for Bay Shrimp.


CLICK to visit my Daily-Duo. 
CLICK to visit KittyBLOG -- the daily doings of my cat.
CLICK for what I call my BIG site.


Your comments are invited and welcome.

Lagunitas Creek report

click photo for full-size image
photo by Donald Kinney

I have a mountain and I have a creek, and an ocean and a large orange bridge too, but today we're going to take a muted look at my creek, the Lagunitas. And it's mighty now -- with all this rain we've been having, but it will be back to it's bubbling and slower self in the months to come.



click photo for full-size image
photo by Donald Kinney

Oh Lord, have mercy on the Marin Municipal Water District. Brave ones who have attempted to intervene with the forces of nature. But nature as we know, always wins. For instance, a few years ago the Water District placed dozens of large logs in the creek, lashing them in place with cables as best they could. The logs were supposed to provide shelter for salmon hatchlings, but most of the logs were ripped from their anchors by storms the following winter.

But you won't find a more heavily studied creek than the Lagunitas. The Water District has a staff of scientists to keep an eye on creek conditions and trends. Seems like they're always trying to measure the size and flow-rate of the creek in various spots. I don't want to spoil your day so I won't even mention how they use electroshock to immobilize fish in fenced-off sections of the stream to count the elusive critters.

Anyway, the Federal Government contributes money to keep an eye on the Lagunitas Creek, and the net result of all this studying by the Water District is the realization that the numbers of Coho Salmon who return to the Lagunitas to spawn have declined over the past several years.   Read article.



click photo for full-size image
photo by Donald Kinney

Anyway, I'll continue with my own little less-than-scientific studies by staring into it's occasionaly still waters.   Kind of pretty, isn't it?


CLICK to visit my Daily-Duo. 
CLICK to visit KittyBLOG -- the daily doings of my cat.
CLICK for what I call my BIG site.


Your comments are invited and welcome.

three totally different photos

click photo for full-size image
photo by Donald Kinney

If moons were eyes and contrails were lips, this drawing in the sky might form one-half of a smiley-face.



click photo for full-size image
photo by Donald Kinney

This location is Wilson Hill Road, west of Marshall. Tomales Bay is a fjord-like finger of water, rich in farmed oysters. Point Reyes National Seashore, a vast area, lies beyond the ridge in this photo.

All the green in the foreground is part of a ranch that has been on the market for about 30 years.   Hopefully, if sold, the hillsides won't get dotted with houses.



click photo for full-size image
photo by Donald Kinney

And here's another photo I shot recently but never found anything to pair it up with. It's a sign that I see frequently -- near the corner of Van Ness and Lombard -- but not only until recently did I get around to shooting it.


CLICK to visit my Daily-Duo. 
CLICK to visit KittyBLOG -- the daily doings of my cat.
CLICK for what I call my BIG site.


Your comments are invited and welcome.

thistles at Roy's Redwoods

click photo for full-size image
photo by Donald Kinney

The other day I was enjoying my outing at Roy's Redwoods so much that I decided to hike around it's full perimeter, and at it's farthest corner to the south-east I found this fine stand of thistles.



click photo for full-size image
photo by Donald Kinney

These are left over from last year's crop -- now just brown skeletons of their former prickly glory.



click photo for full-size image
photo by Donald Kinney

Wikipedia article on Thistles

Older photo of Thistles.


CLICK to visit my Daily-Duo. 
CLICK to visit KittyBLOG -- the daily doings of my cat.
CLICK for what I call my BIG site.


Your comments are invited and welcome.

Roy's Redwoods

click photo for full-size image
photo by Donald Kinney

Now, just because it's called Roy's Redwoods doesn't mean it's still owned by some guy named Roy (((Roy was his last name in the 1860's by the way))). These days ANYONE can visit -- the meadow -- the tall redwoods -- and anyone can hike the challenging trails. No charge (((unless you want to send me a dollar))). Not a lot of people -- it's wild and totally isolated from the cities over the hill.

But only certain "locals" seem to know about the place -- and they usually learn of the place from friends or family. It's a bit of beauty people pass on.



click photo for full-size image
photo by Donald Kinney

A few years ago (((and I did this almost each day for almost two years, almost religiously))) I hiked to the top of the hill at Roy's Redwoods. It really IS a measure of endurance to be able to clamber up that steep trail, and it was a lot easier when I made the effort almost everyday.



click photo for full-size image
photo by Donald Kinney

One of the great things about clambering up and down the trails at Roy's Redwoods is the opportunity to discover interesting patterns, like this decaying oak log, during rest-stops.



click photo for full-size image
photo by Donald Kinney

In another few days this stream -- this one is on the east border -- will slow to a trickle. But for now this water will join with the San Geronimo Creek, and then into the Lagunitas Creek on it's journey to Tomales Bay and the Pacific Ocean, about 15 miles away.

to quote the online Encyclopedia Brittanica:

Tucked into West Marin's San Geronimo Valley, just a few hundred feet from Sir Francis Drake Boulevard, you'll find a meadow circled by bay trees, madrones, and enormous old-growth redwoods--some of them 250 feet tall. This is Roy's Redwoods preserve, a 377-acre park that's been home to a ranch, a commune, and even Ewoks for a 1984 George Lucas TV movie.

Old-growth redwoods are rare in the Bay Area, so these trees are special. While some trees at Muir Woods are over 1,000 years old, the oldest trees at Roy's have lived a mere 400 to 500 years. But it's hard to say how old a redwood is: New trees, clones of their parents, sprout from an older tree's trunk, eventually leaving distinctive family rings. At Roy's Redwoods, 200-foot giants encircle spaces that once held their parents.

Past the redwood grove, follow the 2.5-mile Roy's Redwoods Loop Trail through sunny areas dotted with coast live oaks, then descend through a damp, thickly forested canyon. The trail opens up at the base of a hill, passing the San Geronimo Golf Course. Roy's Nature Trail spurs off the main loop trail just beyond the redwood grove... [[[that's where the first photo was shot]]] [[[and they call it a "Nature Trail", and it is, but there are no signs explaining what everything is]]]

CLICK to visit my Daily-Duo. 
CLICK to visit KittyBLOG -- the daily doings of my cat.
CLICK for what I call my BIG site.


Your comments are invited and welcome.

skin of the deYoung Museum

click photo for full-size image
photo by Donald Kinney

The skin of San Francisco's deYoung Museum reminds me of the halftone dot pattern they use in lithographic printing.

Swiss architects Pierre de Meuron and Jacques Herzog decided to focus on sensations, not forms. They wanted to created architecture that touched all our senses in an overall experience. As you might imagine, the wild plans created quite a stir with the general public -- oh, you know, everybody is a critic. But despite a lot of "designing by committee" and cost over-runs the far-out place finally managed to get built. It opened in 2005.



click photo for full-size image
photo by Donald Kinney

The copper 'skin' was chosen for its aging and changeable qualities through the oxidation process, which will give it a rich green patina over a period of time allowing it to blend with the natural surroundings.

Just kidding, but evidently the Swiss architects had erroneously heard that we only have sunny days in California so they thought a vast perforated skin would be enough of a barrier from the elements.



click photo for full-size image
photo by Donald Kinney

This pillar is part of the Park Bandshell, and of course the tower in the distance is the deYoung's Education Center, museum offices, and Observation Tower.

Bet you didn't know that about 37 years ago I took a nice young lady on a date to the Park Bandshell, but the date turned to disaster when she didn't appreciate the um-pa-pa band that was playing. Heck, I thought the band was pretty good, but she never wanted to go out with me again, so, a visit to the Park Bandshell always brings back some minor regretfulness.



click photo for full-size image
photo by Donald Kinney

And of course, with events like the annual Bay to Breakers footrace and Pride Parade there is nothing unusual about naked men and women letting it all-hang-out in public. Still, if you have a pulse, you can't run around with knives...


CLICK to visit my Daily-Duo. 
CLICK to visit KittyBLOG -- the daily doings of my cat.
CLICK for what I call my BIG site.


Your comments are invited and welcome.

Lupine and Douglas Iris

click photo for full-size image
photo by Donald Kinney

This year we have an abundance of Douglas Iris, but not as many as these Lupine compared to last year. I just wanted to file that as my official report.



click photo for full-size image
photo by Donald Kinney

Lupine arrives in two shades -- a true blue (((first photo))) and this more purple or violet strain.

The bright and contrasty background color caught my eye. The wind was blowing but I like the movement from the wind combined with the selective focus. The camera was probably moving too. A very moving photo I'd say.



click photo for full-size image
photo by Donald Kinney

Here's the Wikipedia link to Douglas Iris.



click photo for full-size image
photo by Donald Kinney

That's right, folks, all this action taking place right now on the slopes of our beloved Mount Tamalpais, Marin County, California.


CLICK to visit my Daily-Duo. 
CLICK to visit KittyBLOG -- the daily doings of my cat.
CLICK for what I call my BIG site.


Your comments are invited and welcome.

Mount Tamalpais

click photo for full-size image
photo by Donald Kinney

I hope I don't spoil your appreciation of this photograph if I admit I took the lazy photographer's approach in the making of this image.   I shot it out my car door just outside of where I live, on the Fairfax to Bolinas Road.   My stereo was blasting a Beatles song that I don't hear very often, my heater was on medium -- I wasn't going to get out into that wet grass if I didn't have to...

Actually, I've found the car door window frame makes a great place to brace the lens.   I don't begrudge getting out of the car, but I HATE using (((and carrying))) my tripod.



click photo for full-size image
photo by Donald Kinney

I think this is what they mean when they say partly cloudy on the weather forecast.

It's White's Hill, just northwest of Fairfax.   Going over Whites Hill on Sir Francis Drake Boulevard will deliver you into San Geronimo Valley, which is the beginning of "west" Marin County -- a vast expanse of cows and farms and rolling hills, and all sorts of photographic opportunities.



click photo for full-size image
photo by Donald Kinney

And speaking of vast, here's some prime watershed at Alpine Dam.   This area is part of Mt. Tamalpais State Park.   Mount Tamalpais is sort of the "crown jewel" of Marin County.

All sorts of hiking opportunities, and believe it or not, Mount Tamalpais is the birthplace of the Mountain Bike.   A group of four local "boys" started the craze by beefing up their old heavier-frame bicycles with gearing systems, shocks and whatever else it took to get crazy on the trails of Mount Tamalpais.

To quote Wikipedia:

The name mountain bike first appeared in print in 1966 as "mountain bicycle". The mountain bike was a modified heavy cruiser bicycle used for freewheeling down mountain trails. The sport became popular in the 1970's in Marin county.

click photo for full-size image
photo by Donald Kinney

The color on this sort-of purple Iris is not as common as the sort-of blue Iris in the background.   And this is a great year for Iris.   Come back tomorrow and I'll show you some more.


CLICK to visit my Daily-Duo. 
CLICK to visit KittyBLOG -- the daily doings of my cat.
CLICK for what I call my BIG site.


Your comments are invited and welcome.

ripples at Alpine Dam

click photo for full-size image
photo by Donald Kinney

Hey, how do you like my ripples?   I think they're pretty cool, and they're really easy shots to take.   I got these up at Alpine Dam, on the northern flanks of Mount Tamalpais.



click photo for full-size image
photo by Donald Kinney

Golden ripples reflecting the hills.



click photo for full-size image
photo by Donald Kinney

And artistic ripples.   Rather graphic, don't you think?


CLICK to visit my Daily-Duo. 
CLICK to visit KittyBLOG -- the daily doings of my cat.
CLICK for what I call my BIG site.


Your comments are invited and welcome.

designs, S.F. Botanical Gardens

click photo for full-size image
photo by Donald Kinney

We had a real gully-washer of a storm roll through yesterday, but on Saturday I saw a bit of dryness on the horizon so I blasted over to the City.   After a few short walk-arounds in the Castro, outer Mission, and the really funky Ocean Avenue, I ended up in Golden Gate Park.



click photo for full-size image
photo by Donald Kinney

Now, I'd say that the San Francisco Botanical Gardens don't hold-a-candle to the University of California Botanical Gardens above Berkeley, but these gardens have a lot to offer.   Spring is doing it's best to bust-out, despite all this rain we've been having.



click photo for full-size image
photo by Donald Kinney

The Botanical Gardens are only a hop, skip, and a jump away from the Conservatory of Flowers which has a wealth of tropical plants, but I decided save the Conservatory for another visit -- just too many people inside of that gigantic green-house on weekends.



click photo for full-size image
photo by Donald Kinney

But wander around the San Francisco Botanical Gardens early on any weekend and you won't run into too many people.   Lots of little places to get lost in nature -- even though it IS located smack-dab in the middle of the concrete and asphalt zoo we call San Francisco.


CLICK to visit my Daily-Duo. 
CLICK to visit KittyBLOG -- the daily doings of my cat.
CLICK for what I call my BIG site.


Your comments are invited and welcome.

on Polk Street, San Francisco

click photo for full-size image
photo by Donald Kinney

Now, I don't think I've seen a guess the number of jellybeans in the jar contest since I was about 12 years old, but there it was -- a huge square jar of jellybeans and a sign announcing that a prize was going to be awarded -- $50 to the closest guess by a person 12 and under, and another $50 in the 12-and-up division.   And no, I didn't go inside and register my estimate, but I probably should have.



click photo for full-size image
photo by Donald Kinney

This was Thursday, and I had I found a great free parking spot on Bay Street near Fort Mason.   I thought it might be a good starting point for a little ramble on the streets of San Francisco.   I gravitated over to Polk Street and before long I was again marveling at this curious sign which seems to cover both ends of the spectrum.



click photo for full-size image
photo by Donald Kinney

While waiting to cross the street I heard someone calling to me in a soft but pained voice.   It was Roger, and curiously enough he didn't ask for the dollar bill I had at the ready to give away to any poor soul who asked.   What Roger wanted me to do was to go inside Liquor and Tea with the dollar he already had (he had three) and buy him a bag of sour-cream-and-cheddar potato chips.

I asked him why he couldn't just go in the store and buy them himself, and he replied that they wouldn't sell to him because "he was a bad person or something".   In any case, I bought Roger the chips, wished him well and continued on my way.



click photo for full-size image
photo by Donald Kinney

When I got to the other side of the street I turned around and snapped this photo of Roger sitting there with the bag of chips in his lap and a bottle of wine in a bag at his side.

It reminded me just how lucky I am to have escaped this same fate -- after all, I don't think I am any better than Roger in any sort of way.   Hell, years ago I was at those same depths of alcoholism, and I probably still have just as many loose-screws, and yes, I like sour-cream-and-cheddar potato chips too...


CLICK to visit my Daily-Duo. 
CLICK to visit KittyBLOG -- the daily doings of my cat.
CLICK for what I call my BIG site.


Your comments are invited and welcome.

Cat-Tails near Inverness

click photo for full-size image
photo by Donald Kinney

You may remember me showing a photo or two of this Dacha, a Russian style vacation home, a while back.   In the distance is Black Mountain, sometimes called Elephant Mountain.



click photo for full-size image
photo by Donald Kinney

These Cat-Tails are a bit more than tattered from all this Winter rain that we've been having, but I think they are still standing proud.



click photo for full-size image
photo by Donald Kinney

Now, the Wikipedia says cat-tails (((I probably shouldn't be adding the hypen))) have a proper name of Typha, but they have other common names of bullrush, reedmace, punks, and what I think is my favorite -- corndog grass.   With apologies to Kitty I'm going to start calling them sausages...



click photo for full-size image
photo by Donald Kinney

And there it is again -- Black Mountain in the distance.   This spot, at the southern end of Tomales Bay is directly on the San Andreas earthquake fault.   I was hoping the fault-line would start jiggling (((oh what am I saying?))) so I could get a bit of a ride, but earthquakes seem to happen only when we least expect them.   Our last really big one on this fault was in 1989, and it was a real doozie!   It caused major destruction and loss of life in San Francisco.


CLICK to visit my Daily-Duo. 
CLICK to visit KittyBLOG -- the daily doings of my cat.
CLICK for what I call my BIG site.


Your comments are invited and welcome.

on a grand scale

click photo for full-size image
photo by Donald Kinney

Rainy days are generally no fun for photographers of the great outdoors, but actually conditions haven't been all that bad.   Stormy one minute and sunny the next, and interesting and dramatic transitions between the two extremes.



click photo for full-size image
photo by Donald Kinney

This is up on our beloved Mount Tamalpais.   The hills are a vivid green now.   The road up here is appropriately named Ridgecrest Boulevard, and dozens of automobile commercials have been filmed on the twisty and undulating road.



click photo for full-size image
photo by Donald Kinney

These clouds were moving fast and I had to remind myself not to dawdle.   However if I had missed these, another puffy set would have probably appeared within minutes.   This is part of Black Mountain, sometimes called Elephant Mountain, not far from the lake at Nicasio in west Marin County.


CLICK to visit my Daily-Duo. 
CLICK to visit KittyBLOG -- the daily doings of my cat.
CLICK for what I call my BIG site.


Your comments are invited and welcome.

Castro District, part 2

click photo for full-size image
photo by Donald Kinney

I'm not exactly sure of the message the person with the bright-red nail polish was trying to convey, but the result did catch my eye.   Snap.



click photo for full-size image
photo by Donald Kinney

A sight like this in San Francisco, on Market Street just down from Castro, is certainly not uncommon, and I usually see no real value in capturing candid shots of despair, but this little tableau really stunned me in a most bothering sort of way.   She was snoring softly.   The pigeon was eyeing the cat kibble.   I need to go back, find her, and give her some money.   Just so sad...

There is just something dead wrong with a former teacher ending up on the cold and hard streets.   I blame that Buffoon, Arnold "The Terminator" Schwartzenegger -- the man who was supposed to rescue us from the previous Buffoon (Gray Davis).   We can also put a good deal of the blame on San Francisco's Mayor, Gavin Newsom, who seems to be a unique hybrid of Buffoon and A**hole.



click photo for full-size image
photo by Donald Kinney

And gosh, you don't think I would go to the Castro District and not come home with a few photos like this, do you?   This blog is supposed to be rated G, so I'm afraid I'd better not show you some others.

But I finally figured out how to make an "animated gif" using PhotoshopCS3 -- even realizing that the effect is rather obnoxious.   Oh, I couldn't restrain myself...


CLICK to visit my Daily-Duo. 
CLICK to visit KittyBLOG -- the daily doings of my cat.
CLICK for what I call my BIG site.


Your comments are invited and welcome.