Don't fiddle with the controls, Donald

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photo by Donald Kinney

On Tuesday morning prospects for sunrise photographs didn't look good, so I tuned in to my old standby--Alpine Lake and Dam--it's not far away, but a million miles away in a distant galaxy, if you know what I mean.



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photo by Donald Kinney

I don't know where I got this idea, but I decided to heave a large rock out into the water to see what would develop. To my amazement I think I caught a bit of static on Channel44.



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I turned a few knobs and pushed a few sliders...



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...and pointed the camera towards my beloved Mount Tamalpais.
Lets all say it together; "Tam - al - pie' - us. There--I think you've got it.
Zowie! Ka-bam! Pow! Tune in tomorrow. Same time, same Bat-channel.


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San Francisco's NorthBeach, early morning

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photo by Donald Kinney

Now, THIS doggie illustration is what I call "art". It comes from the soul of the neighborhood, and of course, the artist. A far-cry and a sight-better, in my opinion, than what is offered in San Francisco's stuffy museums and galleries.



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And I bet I could also call this scene "art", if I knew the right people. But I don't, and so I won't. Only a few people, I'm afraid, will ever see MY photographs--welcome to the club. Admission is always free.



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There's some great curio shops on upper Grant Street in NorthBeach. That's a photo of Kenneth Rexroth belting out poetry to the beat of a jazz trio.
Now, I'm as "old-as-dirt" but the whole "beat" scene happened a bit before my time.


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curious vegetation

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photo by Donald Kinney

I should probably give this idea a few more minutes in the oven, but perhaps you've heard my half-baked theory that the stranger the plant, the farther out in space that particular vegetation originated.



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But there's the problem--I suppose I'm trying to find answers to the question of beauty. Maybe I should just absorb beauty and let it work it's miracle.



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...



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...


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Coho Salmon now spawning in Lagunitas Creek

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photo by Donald Kinney

This is my creek. The mighty and beautiful, and mighty-beautiful Lagunitas. "La-goo-ni'-tas" -- the word means "little lagoons" in Spanish, so I'm told.



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For the past few days I've been watching "Mom" here, dressed smartly in red and gold, guarding eggs that she has deposited in the gravel creek-bed.



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And here she is again, watching her beau kick up a little sediment as he goes about the important business of fertilizing her eggs.



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So, after depositing 2500 to 5000 eggs, and after "Jack" has had his day, "Mom" here will have completed her three year life cycle and die. A year in the creek as a juvenile, and two years at sea--always able to "sniff out" the particular stream or tributary of her birth.


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views from Marin Headlands

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photo by Donald Kinney

I'm not sure self-proclaimed titles are worth the paper they're printed on, but as Marin County's unofficial "Local Tourist" it's my duty to visit all of the local hotspots and places of interest. That's the Golden Gate Bridge in the foreground, and the suspension span of the Bay Bridge in the background.


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From Hawk Hill, the tallest peak in the area, it's a steep descent on a twisty one-way road to Black Sands Beach.



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The movement of the glistening surf on the dark sand captivates me.



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And the ocean calls...


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early morning dreams

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photo by Donald Kinney

About four years I can remember most of us being caught up in a fervent hope that with change we could make a difference. But once again, it's the old story of the wolf being dressed in sheep's clothing. Drat! Fooled again!



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So, I'll just have to settle, I suppose, for a different kind of peace. My own.



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I will continue to find peace in my own little early morning world. An extraordinarily nice time of the day. A time of day that any type of war seems inconceivable. Oh, I am such a dreamer...


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Donald Kinney, local tourist

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The great thing about living near San Francisco is that I get to play the role of tourist without having to venture far from home.



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Sometimes it's a big adventure...



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and sometimes it's small.



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But it's not difficult to find a place for a delightful early-morning walk-around in San Francisco. The trick is to get to these places, like like Fisherman's Wharf and Pier39, before the hordes of genuine tourists arrive.


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Cypress trees in fog, Land's End

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photo by Donald Kinney

Tuesday morning a thick blanket of fog covered my entire world.



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So I tried to make the best of it.



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I visited some Cypress trees I know, at their home--Land's End in San Francisco.


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early visit to Ghirardelli Chocolates

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photo by Donald Kinney

Well, only half of this image is mine--I'll let you guess which half.



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May I be the first to wish you a very happy "GH".



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Now, this and the next are not new photos, but first appeared on the September 15, 2011 edition of AphotoAday. This Ghirardelli barn sign is in the town of Petaluma, about 40 miles north of San Francisco.



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And I'll say it again; wishing you a very happy "GH".


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Point Reyes, mostly black and white

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photo by Donald Kinney

In the 1970's the Federal Government established Point Reyes National Seashore, a huge area of surf, plateaus, and salty oyster laden lagoons. Working dairy and cattle ranches remain as part of the history of the area.



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Point Reyes Lighthouse, in the far distance, about half-way down that rock. The "thing" with lighthouses is that they need to be located low enough so the fog, sometimes only a short distance above the water, doesn't obscure the light.



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Abbott's Lagoon... There's a long but splendid walk out to the ocean.



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One of my favorite places at Point Reyes is the historic Strauss Dairy, at the north end of Point Reyes, just above McClure's Beach. In the late 1800's milk produced here at Strauss Dairy was being turned into cheese and butter, then delivered on boats to a hungry San Francisco, 40 miles to the south.


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incense smoke

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photo by Donald Kinney

The original "Don" is long gone, but near where I live is an old funky corner grocery named "Don's Market". The other day I stopped by and bought some smoke in the form of incense from India.



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I didn't quite know what to expect, but I gave it a whirl.



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Momentary sculptures. Scroll-work carved ever so briefly.


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high and dry at China Camp

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photo by Donald Kinney

The way I see it, problems for China Camp go way beyond California's massive budget problem which will probably force closure of this State Park near San Rafael some time next year.

San Pablo Bay (the upper thumb of San Francisco Bay), is connected via the Sacramento Delta to two of California's two major rivers, the Sacramento and San Joaquin, and over the years Mercury and Cyanide used in the gold refining process has leached into tributaries of the Sacramento and San Joaquin.



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The other problem is that salinity levels in San Pablo Bay have risen over the years to the point where Bay Shrimp no longer thrive. Frank Quan nets a meager catch today compared to the tons that were pulled out a century ago.

Diversion of fresh water for irrigation of Central Valley farms through the California Aqueduct has cut the amount of fresh water eventually entering San Pablo Bay. Prior to water diversion, San Pablo Bay would flush itself out, keeping it's salinity low--a more conducive environment for Bay Shrimp.



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It's a pile of beached boats. I don't know the proper term. If they were in the water they could be called a flotilla. Perhaps it is what it is--just a pile.



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This project has been sitting here a full year now--Frank was fiber-glassing a dinghy but this is as far as he's gotten. A bit of sanding and a few coats of marine paint and this baby is going to be good as new.


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China Camp on San Pablo Bay

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photo by Donald Kinney

A Chinese shrimp-fishing village thrived on the northern shores of San Francisco Bay (this is San Pablo Bay to the east of San Rafael) in the 1880s. Nearly 500 people, originally from Canton, China, lived here in its heyday.



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Chinese immigrants found employment building mines, railroads, tunnels, levies, and generally doing the heavy-lifting "White Man" didn't want to do. But work ran out and by the 1880's the Chinese found themselves without jobs--needing other employment. Discrimination against these foreign workers was rampant, however netting Bay-Shrimp was one industry left open to Chinese.



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Today the fishing village is maintained by the Park Service, with the help of Frank Quan who lives here, a descendent of one of the original residents.

Sadly and with regrets, China Camp State Park is scheduled to be closed due to budget constraints sometime next year. Frank's future is unclear at this point.

I'll have more photos from China Camp tomorrow...


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trees at China Camp, Marin County, California

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photo by Donald Kinney

This image started out and remained a hopeless mess in Photoshop until I decided to take one last desperate move--to "posterize" the tones into a handful of hues.



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Another posterized image. China Camp is looked after by the impoverished Califonia State Parks, but is on the list to close next year--I don't know the exact date. (((See my Facebook page today for the full list)))



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And I don't know the extent of the State Park closure. It would be difficult to keep everybody out. China Camp is a popular get-away for runners, hikers, and bicyclers--and Don has his camera...


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