Leaves -- hanging, fallen, and drowned

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photo by Donald Kinney

Happy Halloween everybody!
But with the terrible storm in the East, I'm feeling just a little bit more than guilty for allowing myself to enjoy the season.



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photo by Donald Kinney

Not really, but Kitty and I used to ALWAYS go out trick-or-treating.
She would INSIST I put on that dreadful ape costume,

but what I really hated was being on the end of that leash...



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photo by Donald Kinney

As a kid, and really--I am STILL just a kid--Halloween was all about candy. Not that there wasn't enough sugar in my life--I just about sent our family to the poor-house with my dental bills--but if someone was handing out free candy I was ALL over it. Seriously, I would come home with a full shopping bag of goodies, empty the bag and then go out for more. If I changed costumes I could hit all of the most generous homes a second time. Never once did I ever knock on the door of my dentist.


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sun, moon, and fog

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photo by Donald Kinney

The great actor, Sun, struggling past barriers for a grand entrance...



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photo by Donald Kinney

The Sun's understudy, Moon, 180 degrees away and sinking rapidly...



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photo by Donald Kinney

Veiled atmospherics, Fog, blesses the land with cool moisture...


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Lagunitas Creek, a colorful experience

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photo by Donald Kinney

4:28AM... The words are just not forthcoming. Today I will give you silence.



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photo by Donald Kinney

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the way I see it

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photo by Donald Kinney

So, yes, there is a BIG difference between artists and photographers.
I cringe when I hear photographers being referred to as artists.



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photo by Donald Kinney

For an artist, creation of their work starts in their head. They pool their thoughts into an idea and use their skills and insight to make these concepts visible and permanent.



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photo by Donald Kinney

On the other hand, photographers are opportunistic. We "look" for ideas according to our own personal interests. Sometimes the search can be difficult, and other times quite easy. But really, and speaking for myself here, there is very little thought that goes into wrangling images.
It is generally a rodeo...


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design by nature, design by man

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photo by Donald Kinney

2,000 little Donald Kinneys, peering into bubbles at the beach...
Hmmm... Is it nature or is it science? Maybe a bit of both.



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photo by Donald Kinney

In the 1950's Marin County had grown to the point where the county offices were busting at the seams. A new building was needed--but just not ANY type of building.



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photo by Donald Kinney

At the time, Modernism was all the rage. Function follows form, and all of that arty nonsense... One of the County supervisors, Vera Schultz, had a subscription to "House Beautiful Magazine" and had fallen in love with the work of the hottest architect of the era--Frank Lloyd Wright. Forget about the premium price--Ms Schultz convinced the voters of Marin County that we needed to build a "statement".



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Frank Lloyd Wright arrived in Marin and visited the prospective Civic Center site. A rolling hill and a cow pasture close to Highway101 just north of San Rafael. I suppose Wright already had visions of circles and spires, but just by the careful choice of colors he intended to make this new civic center appear like it was "one with the earth", calling it "organic architecture". I think he succeeded, but in the end local residents either strongly loved the new building, or hated the design with a passion. The debate has continued.

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a foggy and steamy Mt. Tamalpais

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photo by Donald Kinney

The skies are clear and sunny now, but we've had a bit of rain make its way through Marin County in the past few days.



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Steamy fog develops and then quickly dissipates. Quite a show to behold.



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Sometimes words fail me...


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color on the water

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photo by Donald Kinney

Memories came flooding back to me as I was peering into this calm pool of Lagunitas Creek water. It reminded me of my 15 year career in the '70's and '80's of formulating water-base paints and inks.



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photo by Donald Kinney

The microscopically small company I worked for manufactured "Versatex Textile Paint" and we supplied fabric printing ink to businesses and artists.



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Ah yes--yellow green... Ah yes--golden yellow... Ah yes--sky blue...
Hey boss-man, what batch of color are we making today?


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Sunrise, a secret time of day

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photo by Donald Kinney

Perhaps if I lived on a farm I might be milking the cows about now.



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photo by Donald Kinney

But no, I'm checking the GOES weather satellite image for signs of clearing.



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photo by Donald Kinney

And it looks promising for photography this morning. I'll keep you posted...


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a busy lake named Alpine

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photo by Donald Kinney

One of a chain of five man-made lakes that provide drinking water for Marin County, the lake named Alpine is probably my favorite.



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photo by Donald Kinney

Curious and abstract and artful happenings can take place on its surface.



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Swimming is prohibited--unless you happen to quack and have webbed feet.



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A tricky lake, more than willing to turn the surrounding hills upside down.


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illuminated trees of San Anselmo

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photo by Donald Kinney

They are rare, but I still know of photographers who shoot with film. And they make quite a production out of it, doing everything possible to ensure that they are going to get one single perfect exposure.



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photo by Donald Kinney

Someone once claimed that if we were to focus the attention of 10,000 Chimpanzees on 10,000 typewriters, then eventually, given enough time and patience, it is quite conceivable that one of the Chimps would type out one fairly intelligible sentence. (I'll keep trying...)



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The other morning--oh so early--while on my way to find the sunrise I noticed that San Anselmo's tree lights were still on.



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Lights just as bright and fascinating as ever. Made me feel like a kid again.


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spirits of early morning

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photo by Donald Kinney

It is not a foolproof system, but generally I let the spirits guide.



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photo by Donald Kinney

My destination must generally seem obvious...



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photo by Donald Kinney

...to everyone but me.


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a grand and thick fog at Nicasio

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photo by Donald Kinney

Fog was grand and thick Thursday in the Nicasio area of west Marin County.



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photo by Donald Kinney

A perfect place for photo-snappers and web-savvy spiders.



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The cool expanse of a low cloud. From there to there and there was more.


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the color of water

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photo by Donald Kinney

With water in shade, the surrounding colors are reflected by this rippled mirror, the mighty Lagunitas Creek.



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photo by Donald Kinney

Peaceful now, but in two months our rains will come. Our bucolic creek will become a raging torrent.



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plants and colors from Outer Space

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photo by Donald Kinney

I sometimes label the unknown, like these far-out plants, as having originated in Outer Space.



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After all, Outer Space is a vast realm, so I hear...



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Even beyond imagination, so I am told...


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leaves, turning and falling

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photo by Donald Kinney

I took my camera for a walk in the woods.



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photo by Donald Kinney

Before long we found quiet water.



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And leaves that had turned color and were about to fall.


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