beauty along the way

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photo by Donald Kinney

Over yonder, California has one major and tall divide--the Sierra Nevada Mountains--keeping most residents contained, bound and restricted; so as not to spill out into the nothingness of Nevada on the eastern side.



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photo by Donald Kinney

Yes, these are Aspen trees near the summit of Carson Pass, and they were putting on a show of Fall color that I hoped I would find.

Oh Lord, you see, I was first introduced to the Sierra and it's valley, Owens, when I was just a wee lad. My Aunt and Uncle were most generous to take me along on their camping and backpacking adventures. They knew all the names of the mountain peaks and were keen at reciting Latin and common namess of all the wildflowers, bushes and trees we passed on our treks.



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photo by Donald Kinney

This jagged scarp is another mountain pass--Monitor Pass--that I needed to traverse in order to make my way down into the upper part of Owens Valley. I made it with ease in my car but in earlier days some old crusty miner would have had to amble down the rocky ridge on foot, maybe with a mule in tow.



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Okay, everybody in the room who HASN'T heard of Mono Lake, please raise your hands. Okay, you can put your hands down now.

We can thank Ansel Adams for pointing out the beauty of Mono Lake--the place has achieved Mecca status in the minds of lesser known photogs.

Anyway, what we have with Mono Lake is a lake that doesn't drain to the sea. It is alkaline and continues to concentrate salts from runoff. Big and weird "stalagmite-like" formations known as Tufa "grow" near the shore and are more pronounced in current decades because the level of Mono Lake has dropped.

There IS hope for Mono Lake--bird species are being protected, brine shrimp are thriving, and the level of Mono lake is gradually rising. But in sharp contrast is Owens "dry" Lake, about 100 miles to the south--destroyed by the Los Angeles Water Department in their evil plot against the farmers of Owens Valley in the 1920's. An aqueduct and huge pipes were built to rob the Owens Valley of it's water--without it Los Angeles wouldn't have grown so large.



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photo by Donald Kinney

A similar view of Mono Lake. Recently I've been doing more panorama, or what I call my "skinny" shots.




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it was a GREAT vacation - glad to be back

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photo by Donald Kinney

Dateline:  October 3, 2012
I got up early and braved the freeway as far as Auburn where I was able to explore the less traveled parts of California--navigating the ups-and-downs and round-and-arounds of historic Highway49.

I was on a quest for gold--I expected I might find some at Sutter's Mill at Coloma, where gold was first discovered on January 24, 1848.



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photo by Donald Kinney

In the fall of 1847, James W. Marshall began constructin of a sawmill for John Sutter on the South Fork of the American River. Marshall found gold in the mill's tailrace, and by that simple act, the course of a nation's history was changed.

The secret couldn't be kept, and before summr arrived, the area was filled with '48ers. Before the year was up the hills for dozens of miles around felt the tread of miner's boots and the ring of their picks. [source: "Gold Rush Country", a Sunset Discovery Book, 1961]



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Reports circulated that nuggets could be plucked right out of the creek. And although I've never tried I bet there is some romance to be found in sloshing river-bottom sand around in a pan. I used to enjoy playing with mud.

On display at Coloma were several machines used in various mining processes. Steam power was popular but probably the most arduous task was just getting machinery and equipment into the area.



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This is the WESTERN side of the Sierra. Check back later and in a day or two we'll finally get to Bodie, California--the prize of my trip--a genuine gold-mining ghost town on the EASTERN side of the Sierra.



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Oh yeah, it's going to be a long, long ride. Anybody need a haircut?


CLICK for the very "best" of my work on my "big" photo website.

Hey folks, I'm on vacation! See you on the 17th.

notice: this blog and Don will be on VACATION October 3 through the 16th!


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photo by Donald Kinney

As you may know, my little lover, Kitty, passed away 2 or 3 months ago, and although I've had to deal with death in my family before, Kitty's passing has been an exceptionally difficult pill to swallow.

But now, without "daddy" duties that have kept me close to home I am able to roam--and it's been years since I've actually travelled any distance--so I'm taking off. I think I'll visit part of the Gold Rush Country first, but then head over to eastern California to the old ghost town of Bodie, then do a whole lot of spooking and snooping around in the Owens Valley, Death Valley, the Mojave Desert, and where ever else strikes my fancy.



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photo by Donald Kinney

My greatest fear is that during this break you are going to forget about this humble blog, so PLEASE make a note to come back on October 17 and find out what kind of trouble I managed to get into on my adventure.

And during that time, if so inspired, please feel free to fall-by my NEWLY REVISED website and see the changes I've just finished making. What I've been calling my "big" site has been substantially downsized and refined. I've reduced the number of sets from 30 to 20, and now each set only has 15 images--not multiple pages. The process of paring down the images was painful but I think Photoarrow.com is now edited down to a much more digestible form.

For 14 more like the Lagunitas Creek photo above, I encourage you to visit: http://www.photoarrow.com/981lagunitascreek.html



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photo by Donald Kinney

For 14 more like the California Coast photo above, I encourage you to visit: http://www.photoarrow.com/831californiacoast.html



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photo by Donald Kinney

For 14 more like the China Camp photo above, I encourage you to visit: http://www.photoarrow.com/841chinacamp.html



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photo by Donald Kinney

For 14 more like the California Missions photo above, I encourage you to visit: http://www.photoarrow.com/201californiamissions.html



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photo by Donald Kinney

For 14 more like the Wild San Francisco photo above, I encourage you to visit: http://www.photoarrow.com/151wildsanfrancisco.html


Remember, folks, I'll be back with a plethora of new photos from my vacation adventures, so PLEASE circle October 17 on your calendar.
Hasta la vista...

trying to turn it into art

notice: this blog and Don will be on VACATION October 3 through the 16th!


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photo by Donald Kinney

Welcome to Alpine Dam on the flanks of our beloved Mount Tamalpais. The rippled water here can sometimes put on quite a show.



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photo by Donald Kinney

And although I titled this post "trying to turn it into art" I cringe at the idea of being called an artist. But in a few more years and with a bit more diligent practice I hope to be comfortable with the title "photographer".



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And of course, I have no illusions of rising to the grandeur of the greatest photographer of all time--Edward Weston--but I am reminded of a story...

Early in Weston's career he had been granted important exposure in a showing of his work. Just prior to the opening he received a copy of the show's catalog, however he was aghast when he saw his name listed as "Edward Weston, photographic artist". Angrily, he fired off a letter demanding that his title be changed to "Edward Weston, photographer", which for him seemed totally adequate. Maybe I'll get there--s o m e day...



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reflecting on Rodeo Beach

notice: this blog and Don will be on VACATION October 3 through the 16th!


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photo by Donald Kinney

At low tide and with the sun at my back, the yellow and green cliffs at Rodeo Beach were putting on quite a show when I visited a few days ago.



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photo by Donald Kinney

But then, at the same spot but looking towards the sun, a whole different situation developed.



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photo by Donald Kinney

Rodeo Beach is a great place to visit with a friend...



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photo by Donald Kinney

...and also a great place to "go fly a kite", as has been suggested to me so many times over my lifetime.



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photo by Donald Kinney

And if you want to get your feet wet, Rodeo Beach is a dandy place to do just that. Even if you want to stay dry my suggestion would be to remove your socks and shoes--those waves can be pretty darned sneaky.



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the lake at Nicasio

notice: this blog and Don will be on VACATION October 3 through the 16th!


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photo by Donald Kinney

And once again I found myself out in west Marin County on the shores of the lake at Nicasio. The lifting fog can sometimes put on quite a show.



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photo by Donald Kinney

But I'd have to admit Nicasio Lake is actually a reservoir. A person or creature isn't going to find any true lakes here in Marin County, but over the years our water district has created six reservoirs that fit the bill nicely.



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photo by Donald Kinney

Nicasio Lake is home to many crafty spiders...



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...and a few rather artistic cat-tails.



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San Francisco's deYoung Museum

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photo by Donald Kinney

It's big, odd, and ugly... Pretentious as all get-out--but it does house some magnificent collections of art and has hosted some really great traveling exhibits--the Chihuly Glass exhibit a few years ago easily comes to mind.



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But this is the most recent iteration of the building. The 1895 Egyptian style building was destroyed in the 1906 earthquake, and it's replacement--in the Spanish Renaissance style--started dropping pieces of it's highly ornamental exterior in the late 1940's. After the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake that building was closed and "the powers that be" realized they needed something new (and expensive).



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Voters rejected bond measures twice, but finally a bond measure succeeded and with heavy support from private and corporate donations this new building went up. Some people loved it and some people hated it--such is life in San Francisco.



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photo by Donald Kinney

The idea of covering the exterior with a perforated copper skin is rather unique but serves no practical function. The off-kilter "arty" tower houses the museum's offices and very little art, but has a fabulous observation deck with splendid views of San Francisco and beyond.



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selective focus -- Transamerica Pyramid

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photo by Donald Kinney

I seem to be stuck in the same old rut of going over to San Francisco early on Sunday mornings, but the idea of not having to feed a parking meter or use a parking garage seems extraordinarily appealing.



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You'll typically find me walking around Northbeach and Chinatown--two of the safer areas in San Francisco--but again, I've gotten stuck in this rut--a broken record so to speak. So last Sunday I decided to explore the hill above Chinatown with it's rather fine views of the Transamerica Pyramid.



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photo by Donald Kinney

Just too bad these unsightly wires got in the way... But, oh, I'm just kidding. I had an absolute blast framing up several compositions like this. People walking by were giving me that familiar look as if to ask; "What in the world is this guy shooting?" or "Aren't those wires going to get in the way?".



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clouds at sunset

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photo by Donald Kinney

I am a big fan of sunrises, but sunsets--not so much. Sunrises and sunsets are two completely different animals--and you sleepy-heads are just going to take my word for it when I say that with a sunrise there is usually a whole lot of drama in the sky about 20 to 30 minutes prior to the actual arrival of the fireball.



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photo by Donald Kinney

But yes, these shots were snapped near sunset. And yes, this vantage point is the China Camp area--one of my favorite spots to shoot sunrises.



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A sunrise is the promise of a new day--a fresh start. But I've heard rumors that some folks have a difficult time getting out of bed so early. Probably those same folks who seem to come-alive with the setting of the sun. Different strokes, I suppose, for different folks. Yawn...



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San Francisco's City Hall

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photo by Donald Kinney

They don't build them like this anymore...



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photo by Donald Kinney

San Francisco's City Hall was destroyed in the 1906 earthquake, but was rebuilt to it's former glory in 1915.



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This impressive style of architecture is Beaux-Arts, and was a monument to the City Beautiful movement that epitomized the high-minded American Renaissance of the 1880s to 1917. The structure's dome is the fifth largest in the world. [source: Wikipedia]



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When I visited Thursday evening the building was almost completely empty--normally it is a very busy place. As I slowly walked up these steps I noticed the janitor with a wet mop waiting patiently for me to get out of his way. I sort of wanted to stop and tell him about my extensive work experience with pushing a mop around, but I felt I had already slowed him down enough with my lazy stroll up his stairs. Maybe another day...



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pre-dawn at Marin Civic Center

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photo by Donald Kinney

Must tell you how much I appreciate the input on the poll/voting system. I am sometimes caught-up in the experience of making the image; and can lose sight of the overall success of a photo.

I'm showing a different version of the image here today. CLICK if you missed yesterday's more squarish image. Yes, I agree with the general concensus--it's probably just an "o.k." photo.  Must do better...



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Nevertheless, these are lights at Frank Lloyd Wright's fabulous Marin Civic Center.



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photo by Donald Kinney

Frank Lloyd Wright named this style of architecture "organic", as if it was one with it's surroundings.

If you missed my posts from a few days ago of Marin Civic Center, scroll down to the October 17 and 18 editions.



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a walk in the woods, poetically

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photo by Donald Kinney

I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.

A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the earth's sweet flowing breast;

A tree that looks at God all day,
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;

A tree that may in Summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;

Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain.

Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.



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And so it went--I was in the seventh-grade and my report on my "favorite poem" was due...



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It took a bit of courage but I handed-in the report, knowing full well that I might be asked to read the poem--uncensored--to the class. Yes, the poem contains the words "breast" and "bosom", which had me in quite a tizzy.



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But yes, I got an "A" on my report, and THANK GOD I wasn't called to read the poem. The teacher did, however, leave me a little note on my report informing me that Joyce Kilmer was not a woman as I had mentioned, but indeed, a man. I remember being just as flabbergasted as a seventh-grader can be. I assumed, going forward, that poetry could be dangerous territory.



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tranquility at sunrise

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photo by Donald Kinney

It's just about 20 minutes before the sun pops up. This is when color is at it's fullest. And when tranquility is at it's mostest...



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photo by Donald Kinney



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photo by Donald Kinney



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photo by Donald Kinney



CLICK for what I call my BIG site.