the sun knows a few good tricks

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photo by Donald Kinney

Late Tuesday afternoon I wondered if I could find any more gold at the far end of Rodeo beach.



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I came home with some "gold" in my shoes, only to find the next morning that it wasn't gold at all, but mere sand.



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Same beach. From 180 degrees in the other direction the view is golden.
I guess it's all in the way we look at it...



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And if we were looking for answers, we probably could ask this surfer dude.


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Pigeon Point Lighthouse, once again

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photo by Donald Kinney

My new pet project is photographing Pigeon Point Lighthouse, a two hour drive south on a dark and winding Highway One.

See an earlier post I did on Pigeon Point Lighthouse



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I left Marin County at 4AM, figuring it would still be pretty dark at 6AM, especially on a drizzly day. I'll have to give it another try when there is a bit of fog. No shortage of fog in this location, roughly half way between San Francisco and Santa Cruz.



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When I get near Pigeon Point Lighthouse I usually think of how many hundreds of time I've passed by. My family would take this route on our frequent trips to visit "Grandma" who lived here in Marin County, so I've got bragging rights on how many times I've traveled up and down Highway One from Marin County to the Monterey Peninsula. (I grew up in Pacific Grove)


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morning view from Stawberry

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photo by Donald Kinney

I've got to thank Vlad who emailed yesterday with a suggestion to crop two large black beams off the right side of this image. They weren't adding anything. Much better this way. Click on image to see un-cropped version (yesterday's banner).



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Location: Strawberry underpass, Highway One-Oh-One, southern Marin County, looking towards Sausalito, Oakland, and San Francisco.



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Birds in the water, Sausalito, the City, sky.
Seems like a logical progression.


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a steamy reservoir at Nicasio

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photo by Donald Kinney

I'm a tenderfoot when it comes to cold weather, but when temperatures dip to freezing on the shores of Nicasio Reservoir, magic can happen.



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It's a monumental struggle between the sun and stubborn fog. Usually, the sun eventually wins.



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Residents and visiting waterfowl tend be just a little bit camera shy. These birds saw me coming.



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On my way back from Nicasio I stopped by Lagunitas Creek, and yes, it was doing the same steamy kind of thing. Make mine a cup of coffee...


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San Francisco's Chinatown

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I was trolling up Chinatown's Ross Alley, perhaps a bit later than I normally do, when a parade of youngsters came marching down the street, flailing their arms in foreful poses. Martial arts students--boys and girls--I think that's great!



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I'll tell you, in Chinatown shoppers go through each and every leaf they buy.



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I've put a whole lot of miles on hand-trucks, so I had to stop and admire this fellow as he coordinated his load. Chinatown does it differently than Safeway. Deliveries come in off the street. It's a busy jumble of incoming freight, people on the sidewalk, and daily specials displayed outside the stores.



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I am always astounded by the amount of food that goes on sale in Chinatown. But it IS a very densely populated area. Most residents buy their food each each day--most families lack refrigeration.



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Lets go home and eat!


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I enjoy a colorful sunrise

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photo by Donald Kinney

My last job was working as an indentured slave in the depths of a salt mine, and although I was required to show up for work very early in the morning I rarely caught a glimpse of the sunrise.



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I had no idea sunrises could be so entertaining, or so extraordinarily beautiful, or so wonderfully quiet.
This is San Pablo Bay, which is the upper "thumb" of San Francisco Bay.



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But now I know what the birds know--all those years of being called a "birdbrain" now seem less of an insult.



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So there you go, a glimpse of what you may have missed this morning. Thanks for stopping by, tell your friends, and I hope you have a great day!


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California gold

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photo by Donald Kinney

For me, photographing is a bit like fishing. I never know what I might catch, or if I'm going to catch anything at all.



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But Tuesday afternoon I had a plan. I would go down to the far end of Rodeo Beach and photograph, once again, the yellow cliff reflections in the shaded wet sand.



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Perhaps most of you know that I an old self-centered bachelor who has never taken-the-plunge, so it's probably fitting that I have never understood why so many jewelry stores are located in the tourist areas of San Francisco. I mean, these tourists are on vacation--shouldn't they be doing more touristy kinds of things other than shopping for jewelry? I fail to understand. I just don't get it. Makes absolutely no sense to me. But yeah, I suppose that's why I'm still single. Praise the Lord--and you can probably thank your Lucky-Stars that you aren't or were never married to ME!


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steamy lake at Nicasio

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Compared to the rest of the Nation, I suppose our weather out here in California must seem just a bit boring. Usually it's just some variation on clouds, sun, and maybe--just maybe--rain.



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So when a California guy like me sees steam coming off a lake, it's quite a novelty.



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Here comes the sun...


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once upon a creek

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Truth be told, it's been getting getting more difficult recently finding images in my beloved Lagunitas Creek. The water level has been changing, canceling out some of my favorite spots.



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But in some spots it's the same old quiet designs,



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and, yes, they still DO soothe my deep and dark little soul.



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Well gosh, I don't think I've ever reported on the golf-balls of Lagunitas Creek. But yes, each year I find a few at my favorite location on the creek. I've never found them at any other spot. The San Geronimo Golf Course is five miles upstream, bordering one of Lagunitas Creek's tributaries--the San Geronimo Creek. Some errant golfer didn't realize his flub would eventually turn out to be a hold-in-one.


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Changing of the Guard

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Sinbad's Dad has provided a great title for this composite image--"Changing of the Guard". But I'm not exactly sure of the dynamics of the changing process going on here. To me it looked like bird "B" was being more than a little bit rude about muscling-in on bird "A"'s territory.



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Bird "A". Proudly guarding the sunrise--about two minutes before bird "B" arrived.



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Now, I can't exactly tell which bird this is. Could be "M" or maybe even "T".
I just don't know... So difficult to tell at a distance.


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but I'll settle for a leaf

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photo by Donald Kinney

Photographically, I suppose I am motivated by by the promise of something new or unexpected, or bold or glorious,



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but I'll settle for a leaf.



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And give due respect for snagging stickers on a blackberry bush that I have been oh-so-carefully been ducking-under and going-around since Spring.


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The Lagunitas Creek - where Coho Salmon spawn

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Recently there has been more water flowing in my beloved Lagunitas Creek. Partially because of the smattering of rain we had a week ago, but largely because of Federally mandated water releases from upstream reservoirs to keep the endangered Coho Salmon happy and in a mood to spawn.



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Some of the first returning Coho Salmon were spotted a few days ago, but the majority will wait until the heavy rains in early January. No need to rush the process--death follows shortly after spawning. Sad, but true.



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Stories from the late 1800's report a creek swollen with returning fishies. But today, experts estimate that less than 200 Coho Salmon will complete the cycle this year. I'll keep my eyes open again this year but it's been three years now since I've spotted even one Coho. They are elusive. Wish me luck.


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Rodeo Beach in the fog

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Even when Rodeo Beach is pretty much thoroughly fogged in...



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...in a departing glance I sometimes am able to find a colorful sunset.



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Splash! Where I had been earlier. Just me and that gull. Pretty much...


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Fall, going out with a gust

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You know what some say--California has no real discernible seasons, but I beg to differ. We always have a splendid Fall, and it just fell.



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Always a few hangers-on. But not for long.



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And when all the leaves have dropped we have the opportunity to purchase colorful flowers. Is this not a great world, or what?


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