those gorgeous clouds and more

I have been packing like crazy..... I am down to those tiny little nonsense things that mean nothing to others, but to you they mean the world, and hold so many memories... of places seen and things done. I have too many of them already, and building even more all the time. I've already missed one deadline.... suitcases all too heavy, folding bike in a box too dam big and too dam heavy.

things seen recently on the streets when I can break away from the nightmare of packing...

ooooh, how embarrassing!!!

I was driving back to get my sister and her grandson who I had dropped off in the Marina earlier. I then drove downtown to a gallery to see an exhibition - afterwards I dashed back to the Marina to get my droppees (iz dat a word?) when after parking, I spotted the glorious view of the crescent moon and a bright planet not too far separated. I thought this is even better than the Jupiter, Moon and Mercury of last summer! So after having everyone in the car, I dashed home and after dropping them off, got the camera, tripod and my newly-acquired remote camera timer (never used) and went downstairs to the street below to capture the rare scene! If you've ever been to my part of North Beach ~ or any part of this City for that matter ~ it's shewn with telephone cables and wires all over the place! I thought Europe was bad at obstructing what would normally be a gorgeous view with those awful ugly useless cables and wires! Well, I discovered after returning here that SF is even much more worst! grrrrr

It's so disgusting to think that while on that sidewalk, many people walked past me, not looking at where my camera pointed, or even a bit interested in the rare performance above their heads! What a sorry state of our society where we think the iPod attachment to our "minds", the texting on the cell.... or even the stress of a workday is much more important that the heavenly and visually beautiful things we avoid/miss in a day, week or during our lives... simply because we don't take a split second to look around us or even take an interest of what's going on around us on the street and look up.

sigh......

After testing out my timer - how cool - I thought what an useless foto to just show the Moon and lovely Venus ~ why not get a picture of both with some City landmark? So I looked around... I could only see Coit Tower as a possible point of interest that I could even possibly think of finding it together with these heavenly stars right now. So jump in the car, dash yet again to the Embarcadero and drive slowly and all the way looking to the right to see whenever I even had a view of the moon and Venus. Eventually finding a spot when I could see the two players, I parked, got the tripod then set about looking for a place where I could SEE Coit Tower and the performers behind the lit tower. At one time, I was on a street - or thought I was on a public street when a car stopped not 10 feet away, and with the window glass lowering, the driver stated that I was on private property and if I could step OUT to the sidewalk.... I pointed I wasn't photographing the buildings but the moon, and he insisted still I move out to the sidewalk to which I obliged..... how stupid... and also the sentiment of several people who saw and heard the exchange of words.Getting off a few snaps but as the moon and planet were sinking lower into the skyline, I moved across the street where there was a uniformed privated security guard standing, hands in pockets. how unprofessional!! I went about setting up the tripod again to snap some shots and when I moved into an adjoining green area which again I thought was public property, this guard jumped up and stated in a clear voice that I should stay on the sidewalk! I looked at him and stated I was leaving the area and walking through the green area to the other sidewalk... and left that stupid area and its guards. How paranoid can a society get as to not even allow a photographer snap pixs of something beyond its property... what a sick society this is beginning to develop into.

On the other side, I could see that I was going to have problems... the moon and its companion were too low, there were too many trees and lamp-posts and other obstructions, so I had to get farther away... so with extended tripod and mounted camera, I cross two major and busy thoroughways to look... and after a few monutes I found a place where I could see not only Coit Tower and its two dancers, but a good portion of all three not blocked by things. Having the long 170-500 Sigma lens, I would get only a very tight closeup view of the scene before my eyes. A lot of people passing by commented on the scene we observed and I replied between snaps - I was happier that here on the Embarcadero the people were much more human and I felt better.... happier that I was again among people who took the time to observe and therefore... to live! sigh..... I just cannot wait till I am back in my spanish apartment to live permanently!

Another photographer showed up eventually, his tripod-mounted camera at the ready. At one point he set up about 30 feet away from me, and though he had nodded his head at me and waved as he passed, later whn I attempted conversing with him, he never replied and within a few minutes, he left in the dark without even a wave.... still many people here spoke to me and even stopped to snap pixs with their own cameras, as if I were their inspiration.

sigh....

Then when I uploaded these pixs to my photo website, I mislabeled the images as being the crescent Moon with Mercury when it was actually Venus! I wasn't going to change the pictures but I hate being wrong, and displaying inaccurate information, so I deleted them and uploaded corrected versions of the images that you enjoy now....

fog horn sounding in the distance

... cable cars rumbling along on their ancient tracks, the gripman dingling the bell as the car nears an intersection. These are the sounds I hear, as I did as a child in my distant past, and amazingly again, as an adult thrown into the events that Life hands us...

The day started overcast but like my little town in southern Spain, the sun burned that off and by noon it was a clear sky and lots of spring-like warmth. Outside for most of the day, it was great for a brisk walk in a thin tee-shirt, if I had my Life alone here. That being not the case, by time I returned in the early afternoon, I was thinking of blinding myself during another sunset.... fog was popping up here and there... Alcatraz was wrapped in fog now, and a few minutes later, it was visible again. I love seeing Alcatraz when the fog lies behind the island, and not in front... it's mysterious that way.... and I enjoy that view.

As the time for the sunset neared, today at 6:43pm, I readied my equipment then drove down busy traffic-filled Lombard Street to the freeway, then up to the bridge where it was smooth sailing up to the fog-encased toll plaza. I cut to the right to get off and to get to the bluffs where I could see the ocean... if that were possible.

I marveled at the sight of the fog as I drove down Lombard.... the fog was as thick as that New England pea soup and perhaps even thicker, and I wished for a looong red light so I could grab the camera and shoot it, but no... the luck of the Irish followed me as usual and it was all green lights all the way....

The sun soon dipped below the level of the fog, and it was a sight to behold: the upper edge of the fog soft but golden by the glorious brightness of the sun... one could watch this, hold a gasp within... then it was gone.

Did anyone else notice this delightful detail of our everyday lives?

No....

I was saddened by that fact, and that I keep myself within a self-constructed cell... unseen but there all the same; a cell that I would love to escape to Spain if I had the means.

Once returned, I saw the thickening fog sweep in strong - it was thick at the bluffs also, with nothing but the beach about 235,2 feet below me could be seen in the silence. The fog came in on quick waves of gray air, and I could actually see the wisps of fog blowing me around me.

Do you see the fog?

from my rooftop, looking toward Telegraph Hill and Coit Tower, the golden spray of sunset extended east

and watching the thin low layer of fog roll in toward the East Bay, layered by the golden stretch of sky above...

better than better?

It was a nice drive to the eye clinic in San Jose; I've been admiring the views each time and finally after four trips, I finally remembered to load up with the camera and stopped to catch the sights I've been thinking about many times but captured only in my mind.

My eyes weren't too bad; I could see about 75 feet and make out street signs and such, so it wasn't like the first few drives after the surgery. Today it even rained.... so the wipers were used for about ten minutes. The clouds were gorgeous and there was a bit of free-standing fog in the calm air.

Once there, I was checked and my eyes analyzed and I was sooo relieved to hear that my eyes were not as damaged as I had thought. The cute doctor (female of course) told me of a patient she had who really screwed up their eyes.... mine was nothing in terms of severity. She did however warn me about not using the lubricating eye drops enough, which was my situation.

Before continuing home, I met with my brother for lunch and walked around a bit in downtown San Mateo, snapping some pictures of the unique architecture in the immediate area, then after leaving him at his home, I made a trip to get some snaps of glass....


I went to nearby Oracle headquarters in Redwood City; this complex of glass buildings is so reflectively beautiful! I've been there several times already for fotos and will be more in the months to come. If you're in the area and haven't seen them yet, you need to see them!

When I got back into the City, driving down Jones Street the fog was just in the background behind Alcatraz, and it was lovely; but the camera was directly behind me and there was no place to park, so I parked at home, got back there walking up two steep grade 6 hills and got the shot! :-)

In just the four minutes and 32 seconds it took me to return to a spot on the hills to see through the mess of criss-crossing telephone and electrical cables and wires, The Rock was already being draped in the fog....

Upon arriving at home, I started using the eye drops right away.... previously I would forget and would use the eye drops as few as five times a day. With just five drops in each eye over a three-hour period today, I found my eyes to be in heaven and my vision visually improved! Everything is soooo sharp!!! So, I will be using these much more often in the future as it'll keep my eyes moistened and allow them to heal quicker.With my moistened eyes functioning better, I can see a large advertisement painted on the side of a tall building two blocks away. I can easily make out street signs at even further distances. I can see license plates two cars away..... I just need to get into the habit of using the eye drops much more often.

Wow, the world is so nice and clear when your eyes are well-lubricated!