Photocosm

Sunrise and Clouds

They're back.  Devoted readers of this blog know I don't care much for sunny days. Blue sky wipes out half the frame in a photo. A blue sky in a photo is dull unless it accentuates something in the lower half of the photo. You see this in color photos, and even more in black and white images. Anyway, after weeks of clear and dull skies, we've got clouds again. I could not be happier, unless I were richer. If I won the lottery, maybe I'd move to Scotland.

Here's the dawn at a pier near the San Rafael Bridge.

The Lark. It's a landmark in Marin County. They've announced a tribute to director and actor Sydney Pollack.  He made some of the smartest and most admired movies of the last thirty years. If today's hotshot directors could make just one or two of the films Sydney Pollack created, they could call it a career. He also acted quite well, though he limited his roles. He was Dustin Hoffman's agent in Tootsie, very funny. In the Robert Altman movie, The Player, he played the lawyer for Griffin Mill (Tim Robbins). There was no doubt that Pollack, simply playing the role of the lawyer, could in fact have been the lawyer for Griffin Mill. And look at those clouds behind the theater.

The San Rafael Bridge from Corte Madera.

The clouds lasted the morning, it felt like Christmas or at least National Low Pressure Month. The forecast is for more of the same tomorrow. I am so happy, I'm going to brush all my teeth.

Happy Birthday, Sue!

Sunrise and Moonset

There's a period early in the morning when the low sun bounces off the walls of businesses along east-west streets. I've seen this in San Francisco near the Bay Bridge, and you get this in San Rafael as well. You won't see the sun always, it's hidden behind a sign or a building, but you get this bright softness on the street and the storefronts.

Here's another exoticar on 4th Street, I don't keep up with the Ferrari models. I don't think I could keep up with their insurance premiums, either. But thank goodness there are people with enough money to pay for mobile art. I've seen a Ferrari or two around here and a couple of Aston Martins.

Another view of the Ferrari. Nice lines on the sidewalk, too. I would find it hard to own a car that didn't reach my knees. They are beautiful to watch, though.

Here's a moon photo in a San Anselmo gallery window.  You don't see fine art pieces leaning against the window very often. Seemed to be an accidental metaphor or a visual pun or something funny. Ansel Adams is known for his photo Moonrise, so here is a kind of Moonset.  The photo was upright the next day.

Here's the view above an awning in Ross, and beneath the awning is the entrance to a bicycle shop.

We finally got my beloved clouds back. Here's the view from Tiburon. The Golden Gate Bridge is on the other side of that ridge. We've had a terrible stretch of clear skies and windy bright days. Sunlight is fine for digital color photos, but black and white is my preference, and I just don't shoot a lot of film unless there's fog or clouds. I'm waiting for July the way baseball fans wait for Opening Day.

Sky Captain

Who knew Monday was such a popular day to fly. I was at the post office in Emeryville to see the new commemorative stamps, but they were sold out of the series of stamps I wanted to see: America's Beloved Genetically Engineered Microwaveable Foods. When I walked out, the eastern sky was filled with parallel lines. They were contrails from airliners. Some would say these were actually chemtrails, but they didn't smell like chemtrails.

A bit later, another airliner was crossing the eastern sky. What was its problem? All the other airliners were flying in parallel, just like the Thunderbirds or the Blue Angels. It should be easy for the next airliner to find its place and stay there, but no, this airliner was cutting across the beautiful lines like it just saw the exit ramp. Maybe the pilot just wanted to make a statement: Fly with Diagonal Airlines, we go where the others aren't.

The beautiful green hills of the Bay Area are tanning well, now that the rainy season has ended.

 

And now for something a little coincidental. I have driven by this farm area near Novato for years, but they're going wino now. The sheep and the cattle were served their papers. Seems kind of mean to give cattle a three-day eviction notice, they have their routine, but now the place was being converted into vineyards. I pulled over and shot a few photos just to see how the sets of lines would look. As it turned out, the day I shot this new vineyard photo was the day Robert Mondavi died. The man who maybe more than anybody else brought worldwide respect to California wines passed away in nearby Napa Valley.

It hasn't been all clear skies for the Bay Area recently. Here's the ferry coming into Tiburon.

 

Looks like a black and white photo, doesn't it? It's low tide in Tiburon, looking west toward Sausalito.

The Appearance Of Restriction

I was taking the elevator up a tower that allows people in Emeryville to cross the railroad tracks without being run over by skateboarders. The people who maintain the elevator have had problems with damage to the elevator window. The latest quick fix is this tape job. The shopping center in Emeryville and a few office buildings can be perceived despite the taped homage to The Departed.

Here's the front window of the Michael Feldman studio in San Anselmo. I'll get around to presenting more photos of his little shop, but it's always interesting to walk by and see what's new.

I was passing a recycling center in Berkeley and pulled over violently and without signalling my lane change, just so I could get this photo. I was walking at the time. Here are flowers in bloom on the fence. Behind is an assortment of windows for sale.

Have you ever wondered what happens to used lawn furniture once the party's over? Somebody hosted a fundraiser to save the earth.

There's a place where dreams come true and people live forever. Unfortunately, it's an auto shop in Oakland.

Actually, I was attracted to this side of the fence because of the possibilities for an abstract black and white photo. The parallel lines, the wind-shredded tent, the lines of the car. It almost looks like a black and white photo here, except for the yellow. It was a previous business that tried to use the white tent for painting work. The present owners run a tire store there. Maybe sometime they'll park a black car here, that will be a more interesting photo perhaps.

Alcatraz Visit - Part 3

There's a bit of tension when you visit Alcatraz. On one hand, there's a beautiful setting in the San Francisco Bay, and the visitors are allowed to take their own self-guided tours. Visitors can wander around, the National Park Service employees there hang around in case somebody has a question. On the other hand, most of the island is off limits. Fences surround most of the buildings on Alcatraz. It's a bit like the Henry Ford remark when his Model T car dominated sales in the United States in the early 1900s: customers could have the car painted in any color they liked, so long as it was black. You can go anywhere you like on Alcatraz, except the places with fences.

The restrictions at Alcatraz are easy to understand, though. The buildings have decayed, many of them are next to cliffs, the interiors have not been converted to exhibits for visitors, and there isn't a large enough Park Service staff to run a large operation. Still, there's enough to justify a visit. Time flies fast on the island.

This is one of the buildings built on the cliffs bordering the east side of the island. I believe this is the Warden's House. Although the building has been gutted, you gave a good view through it.

This is a thin pipe attached to a concrete wall. It's next to the ramp that takes visitors from the ferry to the main prison cell house. It's an example of the abstract beauty which can be found almost anywhere on the island.

Here's the inside of a cell. Not much to look at. This was one of the least favored cells, too, always cold because of the concrete floor. The cells on the upper levels were a bit warmer.

Here's a circular staircase on the floor level of the main cell block. Prison guards enjoyed walking down the staircase from the second level because it made them feel stylish. Many a guard circling down was heard to utter, "I'm ready for my close-up."