splish, splash, I was taking a bath

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photo by Donald Kinney

Splish, splash, I was taking a bath.



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photo by Donald Kinney

Tiny Bubbles.



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photo by Donald Kinney

Give Peace a Chance.


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a stop at the lake

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photo by Donald Kinney

With more rain Nicasio Reservoir will soon fill to maximum level.



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photo by Donald Kinney

Curious how the cold mornings never seem to run out of fog.



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photo by Donald Kinney

Some folks fish. I sometimes try hooking the sun.



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photo by Donald Kinney
Here's for ducks! With luck, the pesky photographer will leave.


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Lagunitas Creek - Arts and Trades

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photo by Donald Kinney

For the young but talented Lagunitas, it was either take up a career in music, or concentrate on the art for which she had such a fluid inclination.



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photo by Donald Kinney

A pallet of colors from which to choose, but not much time to perfect her technique. It's a yearly process. Seasons pass quickly. Lots needs to be accomplished.



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Leaves are part of the overall scheme. Lucky leaves often float on her length for long distances. Some pause at every opportunity.



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photo by Donald Kinney


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upside down

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photo by Donald Kinney

Under just the right circumstances the world will appear upside down.



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photo by Donald Kinney

As you know, generally, the heavens are supposed to float on top.



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photo by Donald Kinney

Curious stripes...



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photo by Donald Kinney

...curious quackers.


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It's been gloomy outside

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photo by Donald Kinney

It's been gloomy outside. The sun has been trying to peek through.



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photo by Donald Kinney

A puzzle for the foliage.



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photo by Donald Kinney

But the birds don't seem to mind.


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it's been raining

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photo by Donald Kinney

It's been raining and it's going to rain some more. It's going to rain a whole lot more.



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photo by Donald Kinney

On Wednesday morning I went on a splendid steep hike in Cataract Canyon. The trail is SO demanding that I renamed it "Cardiac" Canyon long ago.



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Cataract Creek flows all year, although it does slow to a trickle during Summer. A beautiful eyeful now, but after our next really substantial rains Cataract Creek will become a gushing torrent. I can promise you some nice waterfalls.


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an alpine setting on Mt. Tamalpais

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photo by Donald Kinney

No shortage of fog recently. Here it is wrapping the shoulders of my beloved Mount Tamalpais.



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Alpine Lake lays nestled in the folds of the valley. It's not a natural lake, but it does have a bit of the character of an alpine lake.


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after the rain

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photo by Donald Kinney

It's been raining. The moss and ferns have perked up.



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photo by Donald Kinney

Leaves have been putting on quite a show this year.



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photo by Donald Kinney

The California version of a New England Fall...



On my Mac I did what I think is a cool screensaver with these three images as a slideshow. It has some motion to it, drawing you in to the picture and then reversing direction in the next image. I believe this works on a Windows machine too. I'm not much of a slideshow or screensaver guy, but I found this combination of today's photos, with today's foggy header shot, looks pretty cool as a screensaver. It's a four image slideshow.


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views from Covello Point

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photo by Donald Kinney

Yesterday's poll on this image surprised me, so thank you very much. I am the WORST when it comes to evaluating my own work. Some stuck-up photographers would NEVER even consider shooting the Golden Gate Bridge.



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photo by Donald Kinney

Mainly, I am at odds with the official photo-policy of the Golden Gate Bridge, prohibiting commercial photography (offering photographs for sale) taken while standing anywhere on Bridge District property unless a $2000 per day permit is secured. The problem is determining what is and what is not Bridge property--it's a rather gerrymandered layout that includes the full length of Alexander Avenue, an extremely dangerous road that many bicycling tourists use on their way to and from Sausalito.



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But back to one of my favorite spots--Covello Point--to which the overpaid and underworked Bridge Board of Directors have no claim. This is my favorite vantage point to view and shoot the City.



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Covello Point also has a splendid view of Angel Island. I don't own a wide-angle lens so I had to "stitch" together three images in Photoshop for this panoramic view.


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an abbreviated visit to Rodeo Beach

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photo by Donald Kinney

It's a drippy and dark relic left over from WW2, but the tunnel from Sausalito to my beloved Rodeo Beach is always an adventure. It's only wide enough for one lane of traffic, so it's generally a five minute wait while the traffic coming the other direction finishes coming through.



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So, on Saturday I headed out through the tunnel--I had a suspicion there would be some cool waves at Rodeo Beach, which turned out to be spectacularly true. The storm moving through the area had the waves whipped up into a state of fury, and an opposing wind was blowing spindrift in the most beautiful manner.

I was remarking to myself what a remarkable morning it was going to be. Freezing cold and windy, but the waves were putting on quite a show. My mood changed when I realized I had been SO distracted that I failed to notice a foamy encroaching wave that soaked me half-way up to my knees. Letting out a string of obscenities, I decided to cut my visit short. At my advanced age it is probably better if I don't flirt with hypothermia. There will be other days with even bigger more sneaky waves. I can't wait...


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along the way...

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Believe me, with vague memories of a lifetime of doing nothing much of anything other than going-to-work-and-doing-meaningless-tasks-that-nobody-really-appreciated, I think it's quite a novelty these days that I can spend my mornings independently, chasing down a whim.



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I wanted to explore the vast bay tidal lands that lie to the east of Highway One-Oh-One near Corte Madera and Larkspur. I parked in a small shopping center and began my trek, only to notice glassware on display in the window of our local Bev-Mo. I couldn't resist.



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Finally, I was able to tear myself away from civilization and head out into the tidal lands where I found this Egret busily searching for breakfast...



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photo by Donald Kinney

...and the warmth of the sun.


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far, far removed -- the outer limits of Marin County

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photo by Donald Kinney

Plan "A" was a short trip out to the lake at Nicasio to photograph the morning fog, but when I arrived there was more fog than lake and the chances of getting any photos seemed slim.



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photo by Donald Kinney

Plan "B" was to head over the hill to Hicks Valley and Cheleno Valley--rural parts of Marin County so far removed from civilization that only a rancher or some farm animal would be able to call home.



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A tiny creek, the San Antonio, is the dividing line between Marin County and it's neighbor, Sonoma County. Dividing the territory up; the lower part of this photo is in Marin County and the upper part of this photo is Sonoma County, with the city of Petaluma just beyond.



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Along the way I stopped to chat with some cattle. Fine animals, peaceful and "outstanding in their field"...

Starting back in the 1960's, the local milk producer, Clover-Storneta Farms, introduced a new advertising campaign featuring their mascot, "Clo the Cow". Lee Levenger started an ad campaign that continues to this day, using a simple but clever (clover) play-on-words to get the message out.




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reflections at Alpine Dam

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photo by Donald Kinney

By now you probably know how much I enjoy shooting the reflections in my beloved Lagunitas Creek, but I've been finding them other places as well. These images are from Alpine Dam, which WOULD be part of Lagunitas Creek if the damn dam wasn't in the way.



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photo by Donald Kinney

A golden hillside mixed with a blue sky. It probably doesn't get any more "California" than this.



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Ah yes, reflections. Powerful enough to turn a landscape on it's head.


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Fall, at Lilly Lake, Mt. Tamalpais watershed

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photo by Donald Kinney

Now, Lilly Lake isn't large, and I'm not even certain it has an official name.



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photo by Donald Kinney

But to me it's always been Lilly Lake. In Summer months frogs play here, but they are elusive.




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Currently, leaves are dropping. Painting a picture, of sorts. Not intended for a stuffy gallery with price-tags or to jive with decor on someone's wall, but right where art belongs--where it is. Patiently waiting to be seen. Not really caring if it is or not.


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