Photocosm

Going Down

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There's a lot of construction going on throughout the Bay Area. Of course, you have to break a few eggs sometimes before you get to build the new structure. For example, I used to walk by a packing plant in Emeryville where the Dole company once stuffed green beans and corn into cans. If you drive by that location today, you'll see Pixar Animation.

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Here's another Emeryville project which has not be identified yet. It appears part of the building is being deconstructed, and part of it will be allowed to stand. Guess which part is going down. 

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The steam shovel pulls down the wall under the steady hand of operator Mike Gorbachev.

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Mission Accomplished. Really, mission accomplished.

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The construction team convenes to celebrate the achievement. They'll remember this day for the rest of their lives, assuming they all die by the end of the month.

Animal Morning

The Bay Area had a lot of wildlife today...fortunately.

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My good deed for the day. I braked quickly when I didn't need to stop. There was something in the corner of my eye on the left, it turned out to be a deer racing from left to right. An instant later, this doe sprinted across Sir Francis Drake Blvd. 

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Here's a seagull sitting atop a restaurant in Tiburon, the moon up and to the right. The blackbirds seem to own the sky these days, so when I see a seagull it seems odd. So far, judging by behavior, the crows appear smarter.

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Ah, I knew them when they were puppies. To protect their identities, let's call them Ricky and Lucy. Now and then in the north bay of the San Francisco Bay Area, I see a lady who delivers sushi and car parts to local businesses. You won't believe the number of auto mechanics who need their sushi. 

Anyway, this lady adopted a couple of pups after her previous dog died. When I first saw them, the dogs were napping together in a box inside her van. They were like hamsters, except they didn't need those cedar shavings in their cage. Since then, they've really packed on the pounds. It's always a joy to see them.

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Winter is coming and these guys were flying north? Maybe they fly to Lake Merritt in the morning, then spend the night back in Berkeley. Why not? Everybody else around here has to commute.

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Thinly Veiled Mist

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We've been getting "insincere fog" lately in the San Francisco Bay Area. During the summer, there is widespread dense fog which can cover the bay and last well into the next day. Years ago, in the Sunset district of San Francisco, one neighborhood went 40 days or so without seeing the sun. 

Now that we're into the autumn, though, fog doesn't last so long in those same widespread areas. You might be driving in the morning before sunrise, admiring the dense fog which makes the traffic look surreal, and then by sunrise the fog has lifted. You look back at the commute and think it was a dream.

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Here we have a scene in Corte Madera, shortly before sunrise. The heavy stuff has vanished, but visibility is still limited. The birds don't care, they smell breakfast at the McDonald's. The crows love McGriddles and the seagulls fight over McMuffin scraps.

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A shot of a creek in Mill Valley. When I drove into town before sunrise, mist was hovering over the creek and making it seem like a scene from Scotland. When I had returned from downtown, minutes later, you could see the joggers. What a downer. Some joggers should not be seen.

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Some of the valleys will have dense fog well into the morning, even after nearby Fairfax and San Anselmo are cursed by clear skies. You'll listen to KCBS radio and they'll mention pockets of dense valley fog. Here's Nicasio Valley around 9am.

The Land of Lincoln

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About a month ago, when I flew to St. Louis to visit family in Illinois, we drove up to Springfield. It's the state capital, we visited Springfield 40 years ago. 

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Here's the railroad station in downtown Springfield. I believe this is the one Abraham Lincoln departed from when he won election in 1860 and journeyed to Washington.

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The Abraham Lincoln National Museum is impressive. It gives you a fascinating look at Abe Lincoln's life. The picture here is the White House facade replicated in the museum. The museum gives visitors an excellent feel for the nature of the times in which Lincoln lived, his difficult life, and his contributions to the United States -keeping the United States from falling apart, for starters. Easily worth another visit, and there's also the presidential library across the street. 

Given the election tomorrow, it's interesting that one of the museum exhibits is a video control room similar to what you'd see at a news station -lots of televisions. It recreates the coverage of the 1860 election as if it were taking place today, and it's anchored by the late Tim Russert. 

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The state capitol building is massive. It was desolate inside, though. Somebody said they had been in session recently, but after lots of work, were in recess. I loved recess.

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You're looking at the old state capitol building. This is where Senator Obama announced his candidacy for President. The old capitol was closed for the event, so nobody probably got the chance to visit. Too bad, it's rich in history and well-maintained.

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This is the assembly of the old state capitol. There's a stovepipe hat, upside-down, on a desk in the center of the photo. That's where Abraham Lincoln served when he was a member of the Illinois Assembly. 

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The office of the state governor as it appeared around 1860.