July 31, 2010

more from Lagunitas Creek


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photo by Donald Kinney

Arguably, that iconic word from the '60's -- GROOVIE -- was the best descriptor we ever came up with.   Here, have some GROOVIE water.



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photo by Donald Kinney

And of course, if it was a contest, FAR OUT would come in a close second.
Here, have some FAR OUT water.



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photo by Donald Kinney

But let us not forget COOL -- it pre-dates even an old fossil like me.
Here, have some COOL water.


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July 30, 2010

shores and banks of the mighty Lagunitas


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photo by Donald Kinney

The shores and banks of the mighty Lagunitas Creek.
Where beauty butts-up against beauty.

Technical note:   I used Photoshop's "SmartBlur" filter on this image. The "SmartBlur" filter retains edge sharpness while blurring the interior of shapes. It's the only Photoshop filter I have any use for -- sometimes it can be used to rescue an otherwise hopeless photo. CLICK to see the un-altered image.



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photo by Donald Kinney

The shores and banks of the mighty Lagunitas Creek.
Where a blackberry vine can ramble on,
with only a mirror to talk to.



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photo by Donald Kinney

The shores and banks of the mighty Lagunitas Creek.
Plants with mysterious purposes that are probably more complex than we can fully understand.



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photo by Donald Kinney

The shores and banks of the mighty Lagunitas Creek.
Sturdy plants with curves to beat-the-band. Rumbling water for music.


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July 29, 2010

late afternoon, Point Bonita


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photo by Donald Kinney

I showed the horizontal version of this photo on the header yesterday, but I think this vertical of the same subject might be a bit more  d r a m a t i c .



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photo by Donald Kinney

And speaking of  d r a m a t i c . . .   Mantovani and Yani were standing by.



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photo by Donald Kinney

And the sun, of course, calls the shots.
For my camera, when it dips into the sea the party is pretty much over.


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July 28, 2010

along the way to China Camp


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photo by Donald Kinney

Forty years ago, everyone passing by on their way to China Camp would scratch their heads and wonder what this sculpture was all about. And they still do -- the mystery continues today.

What crazed metal sculptor pulled this off? Does it have a title? What is the significance of those short stubby nails piercing metal? Oh heck, I could think of all sorts of questions to ask.



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photo by Donald Kinney

I'm just going to leave this one to your imagination, folks. Be careful...



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photo by Donald Kinney

I found this fine specimen of a Cat-Tail along the way to China Camp.
I used it on Sunday's edition of KittyBLOG.



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photo by Donald Kinney

This is my new "thing" -- shooting through Volunteer Oats or whatever else might be at hand. I kind of like the depth -- hope you do too.


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July 27, 2010

Sweet Bobby McGee


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photo by Donald Kinney

After shooting this fine old truck -- I don't know the make or year -- I thought could do no other than to paste-in the entire lyrics to Sweet Booby McGee. Lots of LA LA LAs and DE DE DEs...

Fortunately, I've (((temporarily))) returned to my senses so I won't suffer you through the lyrics. You can play the videos should you be in the mood.



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photo by Donald Kinney

CLICK for some great old photos of Janice, and of course, a borrowed ride with Bobby McGee.



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photo by Donald Kinney


CLICK for Kyle White busting out the tune with the greatest of ease.



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photo by Donald Kinney


CLICK for Pink getting in on the act.


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July 26, 2010

Industry


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photo by Donald Kinney

Rusting monuments to World War II, Korea, and Vietnam.
Pipes, pipeways, and corrugated roofs -- standing heroic -- showing off their artfulness in afternoon sun.   All quiet on the Western Front...



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photo by Donald Kinney

These photos were shot in Mare Island Naval Shipyard at the very top of San Francisco Bay. It was a busy place until the Navy shut down their ship-building and repair operations in the 1970's.

The neighboring City of Vallejo, once a bustling and prosperous Navy town, has now turned into one of the Nation's top rated cities for crime, violence, and danger. The City of Vallejo is completely broke. Vallejo is not a pretty picture.



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photo by Donald Kinney

Looks like this complex design must have kept the engineers and draftspeople busy. Then there must have been the poor scruffs who had to screw and rivet it all together. Someone seems to have given it a good paint job, but that was definitely a while ago.


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July 25, 2010

Energy and Power


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photo by Donald Kinney

Apparently it takes oodles of electricity -- power on an industrial scale -- to make the vast quantities of gasoline required by our thirsty automobiles.



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photo by Donald Kinney

This is the refinery in Martinez, in the upper east quadrant of San Francisco Bay -- I think the brand they use is "Shell".   Visitors are not welcome.

Now, I don't know why I feel I need to tell you this, but all my life I've snickered that just by blocking out the "S" in "Shell" the result is "hell". It was merely a stroke-of-luck and/or a walk-in-righteousness that my Dad always filled up at Union gas stations.



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photo by Donald Kinney

California needs power -- and lots of it. Moving it around is probably even more complicated than it looks.
Location:   Sherman Island, lower Sacramento Delta area.



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photo by Donald Kinney

Time Travelers from the distant past would probably be scratching their heads at this latest design. A windmill that pumps electrons instead of water -- now, that would take some explaining.
Location:   Montezuma Hills, between Fairfield and Rio Vista.


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July 24, 2010

Madrone Trees of our beloved Marin County


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photo by Donald Kinney

With arms ready for a hug -- what ISN'T to like about a Madrone tree.



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photo by Donald Kinney

Beautiful even in in death. A playground for bugs. A perch for birds. An artful subject for the lens of Donald Kinney... Useful trees, these Madrones.



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photo by Donald Kinney

And this is the exact time of year when the madrones shed a paper-thin layer. The older copper colored skin gives way to a new greenish layer.



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photo by Donald Kinney

If I didn't have anything to do today I'd run down to City Hall and see if I could get the Madrone nominated to be the official tree of Marin County. Oh we have our Redwoods and a whole lot of other very nice trees, but I think if the Madrone ISN'T already our official "County Tree" it darn well ought to be.

BUT -- just maybe -- if I had a doozy of a botanical name like "Arbutus Menziesii" I think I might just keep it a secret.


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July 23, 2010

China Camp, part 2 of 2


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photo by Donald Kinney

I visit often, and there is rarely a visit when I am not inspired to shoot this roofline and smokestack design. This time, using Photoshop I removed the color in the original and "posterized" it, limiting the number of gray shades.



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photo by Donald Kinney

It's an undisputed fact -- barnacles and other encrustations that glom on to your bottom-side WILL slow down your boat, dingy, surfboard, or battleship.



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photo by Donald Kinney

Well, I should have known I wouldn't find any reviews on "Yelp" about the China Camp Cafe, so you are stuck with MY review -- even though it was 40 years or so since I was last inside the joint. Not much has changed inside so I've been told. Old Frank opens the place for a few hours on weekends.

We arrived hungry -- Jim, Laura, me; and it was quickly decided that we'd give the local shrimp a try;   "Three shrimp cocktails, please, Mr. Quan", we probably said... "Sure, right away", a 40 year younger Frank probably said.

Well, we got our shrimp cocktails alright -- they were still in their little fancy jars -- oh you know, the ones you buy at the supermarket. It was a HUGE disappointment. We grumbled to the bottom of our fancy jars -- making complaints with every plastic fork-ful about there being more tomato-sauce than shrimp.




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photo by Donald Kinney

Twenty or thirty years ago the China Camp was turned into a State Park, but in a stroke of wisdom the park service is keeping the area pretty much as it was.



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photo by Donald Kinney

The tide comes in, and it goes out... And sometimes it goes WAY out... This is about as FAR OUT as it goes...


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July 22, 2010

China Camp, part 1 of 2


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photo by Donald Kinney

While spooking around on the hillside out at China Camp on Tuesday this composition -- I think it's a pleasant one -- hit me squarely in the eyes.
For full "hit" effect, please use sound-effects-panel from yesterday.



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photo by Donald Kinney

And of course, when I got home I had to tell Kitty all abut these cat-tails.



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photo by Donald Kinney

China Camp is actually a State Park but on Tuesday it was just me, Frank Quan (((the last remaining resident of China Camp))), and these three women who were trying their best to figure out how to steer a rowboat.

In the center of the photo is the Grace Quan, a recently built but completely authentic Chinese Junk. The Grace Quan is named after Frank Quan's mother, who has been described as being full of piss and vinegar.



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photo by Donald Kinney

Starting with the Gold Rush in 1849, masses of Chinese immigrants came to California willing to work for pennies doing the dirty and dangerous work of building the west.

Those Chinese who wanted to get into fishing or shrimping in America were severely restricted and regulated, but a large colony started to grow here starting in the 1860's. China Camp is on the western banks of the upper "thumb" of San Francisco Bay.



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photo by Donald Kinney

And this is the home of Frank Quan, as mentioned, the last remaining resident of China Camp. Frank served in the military during WW2, but otherwise has lived here all his life. CLICK to see photo of Frank Quan

Frank still does a bit of netting for Bay Shrimp, but due to high salinity levels his catches keep getting smaller. Fresh water from the Sierras that would normally flush this part of the bay gets diverted for agriculture.


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July 21, 2010

the Central Coast of California


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photo by Donald Kinney

I've always remembered seeing these humorous and wonderful plywood cutouts at a roadside artichoke stand in Castroville, California; so I'm guessing the signs are slightly older than me -- I'm going to be 63 soon. Ouch...





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photo by Donald Kinney

Our family passed through Castroville several times a year on our way back and forth to Grandma's house. That would be my Mom, complaining that she just didn't have a pot big enough!!! A big sign in Castroville proclaims the small town "ARTICHOKE CAPITOL OF THE WORLD"



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photo by Donald Kinney

Highway One now skirts the burg of Watsonville these days, but for years we had to drive across the streets of this busy farm town -- an interesting multi-cultural experience, every time.

Huge quantities of strawberries are grown near Watsonville -- if they don't call themselves the "STRAWBERRY CAPITOL OF THE WORLD", they should.

For this photo I stopped in the break-down-lane on the narrow and elevated freeway. The workers quickly figured out I was snapping their photo and didn't seem to mind -- taking just a second to do a bit of clowning for us.



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photo by Donald Kinney

If you've driven north of Santa Cruz you've undoubtedly seen this fine old truck with the King Kong sized strawberry.



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photo by Donald Kinney

Going south in the morning it was sunny, but coming home in the afternoon the fog started to come in and I had to rely on all the usual navigational aids -- oh you know -- lighthouses, fog horns, curb feelers, radar, etc...


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July 20, 2010

NEWS EVENT -- Julie Michelle shoots Don

check it out:
Well known, loved, and super-talented San Francisco photographer, Julie Michelle, shot Marin County photo-hack Donald Kinney on Sunday while on a CaliberSF photowalk in SOMA. "Enough of that bastard" she was heard to say as she was led way in handcuffs -- blood still dripping at the scene from Don's lifeless body. "And I'd do it again", she was again overheard saying -- "I shot him and I shot him good" -- "he had it coming" snapped a photo of me and another photog (Brian Seward) "in our green shirts" on today's edition of CaliberSF.com

About eighty "crazed" photographers met up at SOMArts on Brannan at 8th, and we had great fun walking around the South of Market Area shooting whatever tickled our pixels.

Carmel by the Sea


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photo by Donald Kinney

I suppose this soft chalky rock might have a fancier name but I've always known it as Carmel Stone, quarried from nearby Carmel Valley. It has a flat grain that splits nicely.

Carmel is filled with more than it's share of art galleries and this invitingly lit place is one of them. You'll also find fine books, rare wines, gourmet food, botiques, and little places to stay that will more than likely do a Harry Houdini to your vacation funds.



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photo by Donald Kinney

I suppose living in a stone house would be very civilized, for a civilized person with a LOT of money. (((Is that an oxymoron?)))   This fine home has a waterfront view of Carmel Beach, Carmel Bay, and the Pacific Ocean beyond.



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photo by Donald Kinney

Well, it took me 35 years to finally get here, but on Friday I visited the Weston Gallery in Carmel. And what a treat! They have some VERY nice images on display by some very well known photographers, and of course Edward Weston himself.

I idolized Weston when I was a teenager -- and still do. He has a strong graphic approach to his compositions and he was able to discover the most beautiful and unusual subject matter. He worked simply, making contact prints with negatives from an 8x10 view camera, never feeling the need to enlarge any of his work. But time marches on -- visit the Weston Gallery these days and you can go home with a HUGE and reasonably priced Pepper #30 under your arm (and a smile on your face).

Be prepared to pay several thousand dollars for a photograph by one of the "GREATS" these days, and even more for an Edward Weston or an Ansel Adams, so I suggest you keep in mind that you can currently buy original Donald Kinney (19"x13") prints for a mere $100. What a bargain! Buy two and get free shipping! Come on people, what you waiting for? Christmas?



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photo by Donald Kinney

Oh, did I mention I grew up, oh so many years ago, in nearby Pacific Grove?
A fine way to spend Sunday afternoon might be for Dad to pack everybody in our yellow 1947 Pontiac and drive around Seventeen-Mile-Drive and Carmel's narrow Ocean View Boulevard.

Dad would always point out the oceanside homes of the rich and famous, including the stone castle (Tor House) of well known poet Robinson Jeffers.



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photo by Donald Kinney

As I was leaving Carmel Mission I spotted these sheep grazing out by where the Carmel River meets the sea. That's Point Lobos in the background.

If I had canvas and brushes with me I would have tried my best to paint you a picture. I wonder if I would have been successful reproducing the tranquil feeling. Probably not -- it's probably better that I stick with the camera.


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July 19, 2010

Carmel Mission, part two


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photo by Donald Kinney

O.k., just so you understand -- you DO know that I meant the background to be slightly out of focus, don't you?

I only mention this because the photo might not look quite right given just a quick glance. Anyway, I was playing with selective focus by using a fairly large lens aperture.



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photo by Donald Kinney

Hey, it looks like a good gig... Strive to be head mucky-muck at Mission San Carlos Borromeo del Rio Carmelo and you just might someday wear this beautiful crown of gold.



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photo by Donald Kinney

And how DID I know that I was going to take this hallway photo? -- oh, probably because I used to shoot the exact same view when I was a kid, oh so many years ago.

Now here's the deal on this photo -- except for a slight amount of sharpening, no post-processing was done to the original image. This is a rare occurrence -- there's usually all sorts of behind-the-scenes adjustments and hocus-pocus going on with my photos. You're not supposed to notice -- that's the goal.



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photo by Donald Kinney

This was the dusty and wild west -- a priest needed to wash up on a regular basis. That mirror was probably shipped "around the horn" from Europe.



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photo by Donald Kinney

In the center it looks as if part of a word has gone missing. What could it be? The place the priest kept putting his finger or pointer? Or maybe it was a bad or strong word that needed censorship?

Growing up in a very straight-laced family, we kids were STRONGLY discouraged in saying bad or strong words. Better not say "HELL" around my mother -- or there would be "HELL" to pay. And don't even THINK about saying anything else. Best idea yet -- just don't think -- no way of getting into trouble THAT way...


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