Northbeach, San Francisco

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photo by Donald Kinney

If we travelled back in time just about 50 years, and if you were there, then you would have heard my mother scolding me about taking photos of signs. "You'll waste all of your film on signs, Don", she would say.   Yes, I wasted a lot of film on signs...



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photo by Donald Kinney

Northbeach is home to San Francisco's Italian and Sicilian communities, although I'm pretty sure the census details show the residents are mostly Asian these days.



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photo by Donald Kinney

Parts of the old San Francisco are slipping away -- today you might not recognize some of the old neighborhoods.

The Fillmore District for instance, was bulldozed in the name of urban renewal. The "South of Market", once well known for it's smelly skid-row, has sprouted tall office and condo buildings, most of which now stand empty waiting for either the economy to turn around, or the dot-com boom to resurface.



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Well, if you live in San Francisco and need a hip atmosphere to rejuvenate your alcoholic buzz at 6AM -- then you'd better head down to Vesuvio.   Nothing says "San Francisco" better (?) than having a smoke while standing in Jack Kerouac Alley, next to City Lights Books on Columbus.



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sunrise, Loch Lomond Spit, near San Rafael

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photo by Donald Kinney

Well, apparently I got to watch this particular sunrise all by myself.   Usually the usual gaggle of morning strollers are out with their dogs enjoying the early morning air on Loch Lomond Spit, but on Saturday everybody must have been sleeping in.



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photo by Donald Kinney

Was the sky really that orange?   Yes it was...



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photo by Donald Kinney

Actually I left before the big sun-ball arrived -- I think most of the drama happens before the sun makes it's appearance.   For some reason it's not quite the same thing with a sunset -- they fail to grip me the same way as a sunrise.



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photo by Donald Kinney

In these troubling times, just a little reminder about what this world is supposed to be about -- let's keep the goal of peace in our heads.

CLICK for a similar and probably better photo taken of this same subject two years ago.   I'll let you in on a little secret here -- I painted those lights into the photo in both photos, new and old.   I intend to try shooting the scene again at night when the lights are actually on, so stay tuned...



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reflecting on Nicasio Reservoir

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photo by Donald Kinney

Ask any Marin County photographer if he/she thinks the waters of Nicasio Reservoir can be rather amazing, and they would probably agree -- for a reservoir, it's a rather special place.



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photo by Donald Kinney

Occasionally there is a dead stillness over the Nicasio Valley.   The valley that the water district flooded in the 1950's.



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photo by Donald Kinney

Water as smooth as glass...

I was on the lookout for River Otters (Dec. 31 edition), but sighting them is rare, although I did hear from another local resident who also recently spotted River Otters playing and carrying-on, on Lagunitas Creek near Irving Bridge.



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The first three shots (above) were taken on Friday, but a day earlier Nicasio Reservoir looked like this -- overcast and cool, with stark whites and blacks -- just another face of the lake.   Today it's probably going to be different.



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Redwoods at Muir Woods (part 2 of 2)

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photo by Donald Kinney

As you may have guessed, Muir Woods was named in honor of John Muir; famous for his exploration and description of the Sierras, and his tireless efforts towards the establishment of our National Park System.



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photo by Donald Kinney

One hundred fifty million years ago ancestors of redwood and sequoia trees grew throughout the United States.   Today, the Sequoia sempervirens can be found only in a narrow, cool coastal belt from Monterey to Oregon.

Before the logging industry came to California, there were an estimated 2 million acres of old growth forest containing redwoods growing in a narrow strip along the coast.

By the early 20th century, most of these forests had been cut down.
Just north of the San Francisco Bay, one valley named Redwood Canyon remained uncut, mainly due to its relative inaccessibility.

This was noticed by U.S. Congressman William Kent.   He and his wife, Elizabeth Thacher Kent, purchased 611 acres of land from the Tamalpais Land and Water Company for $45,000 with the goal of protecting the redwoods and the mountain above them.

In 1907, a water company in nearby Sausalito planned to dam Redwood Creek, thereby flooding the valley.   When Kent objected to the plan, the water company took him to court to attempt to force the project to move ahead.   Kent sidestepped the water company's plot by donating 295 acres of the redwood forest to the Federal Government, thus bypassing the local courts.

On January 9, 1908, President Theodore Roosevelt declared the land a national monument, the first to be created from land donated by a private individual.   The original suggested name of the Monument was the Kent monument but Kent insisted the Monument be named after naturalist John Muir, whose environmental campaigns helped to establish the national park system.     [source:   Wikipedia]



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The star attraction of the Muir Woods is the Coast Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens).   These relatives of the Giant Sequoia are known for their height.   While redwoods can grow to nearly 380 feet, the tallest tree in the Muir Woods is 258 feet.   Strangely, though, the trees come from a seed no bigger than that of a tomato's.   The average age of the redwoods in the Monument are between 500 and 800 years old with the oldest being at least 1,200 years old.     [source:   Wikipedia]



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Redwoods at Muir Woods (part 1 of 2)

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photo by Donald Kinney

(((Yesterday I used a horizontal version of this scene as the banner)))

And yes, this is the ever popular Muir Woods National Monument, about ten miles north of the Golden Gate Bridge as the crow flies.   If you are a tourist visiting San Francisco then a tour-bus trip over to Muir Woods is probably on your schedule.



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I have to admit to a love/hate relationship with Muir Woods -- and I've heard other "locals" express the same opinion.   Don't get me wrong -- it's a beautiful and dramatic place (((a stream runs through it))), but there's just way too many visitors for a truly peaceful visit.   I visited last Wednesday on a cool and cloudy day -- a slow day for visitors -- I had a very pleasant afternoon.

A fun game to play at Muir Woods is to eavesdrop on all the foreign languages being spoken, then guessing the nationality of the visitors.
It's not at all unusual to not hear one word of English being spoken.



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photo by Donald Kinney

Muir Woods somehow escaped being harvested for it's valuable timber -- other coastal canyons weren't as lucky.   Seeing a forest of old growth Redwoods is a treat indeed.   Some trees are over 1000 years old but most large trees are in the 500-800 year range.

In 1907 plans were drawn up to dam this redwood studded canyon to supply water to nearby Mill Valley.   Fortunately, William Kent bought the 633 acres, staved off development, and in 1908 he donated the land to the Federal government for the establishment of a National Monument.   More on the story tomorrow.



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once again, the Lagunitas Creek

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photo by Donald Kinney

With all the recent rains my beloved Lagunitas Creek has gotten faster, wider, and deeper.   It's roar has gotten louder, and I'm pretty sure if I fell in I might get even wetter...



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Oh, here's that same mossy tree I showed you a week or two ago.   Right now it's residing right on the edge of the water -- another big rainstorm will flood it's base.



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photo by Donald Kinney

On Monday our morning temperature had dropped to freezing, and maybe just a bit below.   I had a hunch that steam might be rising off the creek.



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photo by Donald Kinney

Since I rarely use a tripod I am often forced to use wide lens apertures, and this results in a very limited depth-of-field -- the range of in-focus parts of the image is limited, giving good visual separation between the front and rear of the image.



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photo by Donald Kinney

Continuing on the out-of-focus background topic --
Had I put my camera on the tripod, I may have been able to take a long exposure at a small f-stop and thereby have everything in focus from front to back -- but the photo would look horrible because everything would be a jumble.   The selective-focus simplifies the photo, in my opinion.


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tourist attractions of San Francisco

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photo by Donald Kinney

Someone was telling me that if you have a transit-pass the cable cars are a great way to get around San Francsico.   Otherwise the fare is $5, one way, age 5 and up.

I've never ridden a cable car -- I haven't wanted to look like a tourist.   Maybe I'll give it a try.   I shouldn't let the tourists have ALL the fun.



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photo by Donald Kinney

It was only 9AM but the cartoon sketch guy was apparently out to lunch.
I wanted to ask if I paid extra, if he could make me look like Tom Selleck.



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A heads-up to tourists -- you may THINK you're going to find parking at Coit Tower, but you probably won't.   And forget the $5 climb to the observation tower -- they have scratched plastic windows and the views aren't all that good.

But, if you can find a way to get there, Coit Tower has a large collection of fresco murals in it's circular lobby depicting the struggle of the common worker.   These walls were done by artists working under grants from the WPA during the great depression of the 1930's.

When the doors first opened many local citizens were aghast at socialist themes in some of the artwork. One section contained a Russian symbol that was deemed so offensive it was ordered to be white-washed over.   The orientation focuses mainly on "leftist" and socialist topics, popular in the 1930s.



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A frequent mistake is to credit Diego Rivera with the murals at Coit Tower, but in reality, 26 artists worked on the murals, although many had studied under Rivera or were influenced by his style.   Victor Arnautoff, himself a student of Rivera, directed the technical aspects of coordinating the artists and assistants.   (((a job probably similar to herding cats)))

CLICK for my set of Coit Tower frescos on what I call my "big" site.


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more streaming sunlight

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photo by Donald Kinney

Looks like I should be on the lookout for more streaming sunlight -- the sun seems quite willing to cooperate when the foggy conditions are just right.



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A beam of light, cutting past the edge of a tree like a knife...



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Cracks between trees so narrow that light has difficulty penetrating.


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streaming sunlight, Mt. Tamalpais

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photo by Donald Kinney

This year I definitely intend to squeeze more streaming sunlight into my life.   And I've found the perfect place for when streaming sunlight conditions are just right -- near where Ridgecrest Boulevard meets the Fairfax-to-Bolinas Road.



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This area is a low spot on the ridge so fog sometimes comes roaring through these trees like a freight train.   Most of the time the trees drip moisture -- a genuine little micro-climate within the Redwoods, Firs, and Laurels.



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Something universally pleasing about streaming sunlight, I think...   And gosh, I got 9 "wow" votes yesterday in the poll, so I thank you very much -- as you can imagine it was a definite pleasure shooting these.


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Carson Falls, Mount Tamalpais watershed

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photo by Donald Kinney

Years ago I wouldn't have shared the secret and somewhat hard to get to Carson Falls in the northern Mount Tamalpais watershed.   But the secret is out -- just about everybody in Marin County knows about Carson Falls these days -- it's only the difficulty of getting there that keeps the masses away.



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Directions?   You need directions?   Well, it's out the backside of Fairfax, California; on the long and twisty Fairfax-to-Bolinas Road, which snakes it's way over the skirts of Mount Tamalpais.   A mile or two out of town is the Pine Hill trailhead, and all you've got to do is make it to the top of Oat Hill and down the other side -- so that doesn't sound so bad, does it?   Oh gosh, it was a much easier climb when I was younger...



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The big news is that there is a new Carson Falls trail down the backside of Oat Hill -- the old trail was usually a muddy mess on an iffy hillside, but the California Conservation Corps has built a splendid new trail down to the falls through a delightfully mossy forest.

Carson Falls is seven falls in total, but the one shown here is the largest.   In the past this has been a popular skinny-dipping spot, but these days people are warned to keep out of the water to avoid disturbing the eggs of the Yellow Legged Frog.   There are also endangered Newts in the area.

The flow of water over Carson Falls slows to a trickle during summer months -- best time to see it gushing like this is just after a substantial rainstorm.


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SS Jeremiah O'Brien [part 2 of 2]

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photo by Donald Kinney

The Jeremiah O'Brien has a plethora of photo-ops.   Picture taking here is as easy as a snap...   As easy as falling off a log...   So easy that even a Cave man like me was able to get some pretty good photos onboard.



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photo by Donald Kinney

I've always thought that the big horn-shaped air intakes are photogenic.
And in the other photo one has to wonder what flows inside that big red pipe.



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photo by Donald Kinney

Well, I was drafted into the Army (((way back in 1969))) so I guess I was in the wrong branch of our military to get clued-in on certain facts of life.



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And even though I admit to never having thoroughly understood all the facts of life, I DO know that to turn a valve off you turn it CLOCKWISE.



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If you're over 62, $5 and an extra push up the gangplank will get you onboard the SS Jeremiah O'Brien.   Don't miss the engine room -- it's the main attraction onboard.   It's on three levels and is an intricate tangle of pipes, valves, piston crankshafts, and unidentifiable gizmos.



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SS Jeremiah O'Brien [part 1 of 2]

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photo by Donald Kinney

Wednesday morning found me climbing onboard a fully operational WW2 Liberty cargo ship, the SS Jeremiah O'Brien, docked, and ready for close inspection at San Francisco's Fisherman's Wharf.



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The O'Brien is one of two surviving operational Liberty ships of the 2,710 ships of this class that were built.   Liberty ships, along with similar Canadian and British ships were the mainstay of the Allied logistic effort during WW2.   Without the military and civilian cargos delivered by these ships, victory would not have been achieved.   A national treasure, the O'Brien serves as a living memorial to the men and women who built, supplied, and sailed Liberty ships.
[source:  SS Jeremiah O'Brien brochure]



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photo by Donald Kinney

With German U-boats sinking ships within sight of the U.S. east coast, Great Britain under siege, and the Japanese conquering Asia and the Western Pacific, it was absolutely essential to build a large U.S. Merchant Marine to carry both combat supplies to Allied fighting forces and food and fuel to Great Britain and the other allies.   The U.S. became the "arsenal of democracy".   Typewriter firms built rifles, auto-makers turned out tanks, and millions of Americans migrated to build Liberty ships in yards near major cities around the country.
[source:  SS Jeremiah O'Brien brochure]

The O'Brien needed to defend herself -- these were dangerous waters -- many ships were sunk.   Many more died.



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But THANKS, SS Jeremiah O'Brien for the work you did.   You helped win the war by delivering the beans and bullets!     more tomorrow...



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throwing Frisbies at Ocean Beach

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photo by Donald Kinney

Meet Mr. Frisbie...   Probably just your typical San Francisco goof, but there's no doubt about a guy who carries a bag full of Frisbies -- this guy is into tossing Frisbies, seriously.   Here he was throwing the Frisbie as a boomerang -- doing a little dance while he waited for the Frisbie to return.



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Throwing boomerang Frisbies at sunset -- doesn't get much better than this.




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The sun comes up and the sun goes down, usually with a bit of beauty.



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Hope everybody has a great day and gets to snag a few colors today.   Sunrise and sunset -- weather permitting, it happens most every day.



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