We got to see the Space Shuttle Endeavor!

I remember when Neil Armstrong first set foot on the moon in 1969. Our TV had died and we had to run to a friend’s house to watch it. I remember the first shuttle launch in 1981. I was watching when we lost the Challenger and now I’ve seen Endeavor airborne for the last time. Endeavor was riding atop a 747, and they did a slow flyover of the Golden Gate Bridge. It was magnificent.

These photos aren’t perfect, but I don’t care. I was there and I got to see it! Lastech deserves extra thanks for the trip to see it. He didn’t get near enough sleep and had to go to work this afternoon. I married a heckuva guy.

September 7, 2012October 28, 2013

Friday has gone to the fishies

In keeping with JBoD’s current aquatic themes, this Friday is dedicated to fishies. Ok, it’s koi.

I’ve posted about the Japanese Tea Garden in Golden Gate Park, but I haven’t really highlighted the koi. And they deserve the spotlight. After all, they’re beautiful and plentiful.

Japanese Tea Garden Koi — Photo by Rudha-an

Continue reading “Friday has gone to the fishies”

August 29, 2012October 28, 2013

Sometimes it’s the little things

Sometimes we get in such a hurry that we miss out on the little wonders. I mean the kind of things that you only see if you’re taking the time to really look at what is around you. I’m learning to go slower and pay attention when I’m outdoors. We have managed to find plenty of odd bits of art outdoors and I wrote about it last year in my post Art in Nature. This time, I found a few more little things, but nature made rather than man made.

I’ll leave you with a final thought

It’s not what you look at that matters. It’s what you see. ~Henry David Thoreau~

July 9, 2012October 28, 2013

Racing on the Streets of San Francisco

One of the most famous movie car chases took place on the streets of San Francisco. Now, DCshoesFILM presents Ken Block’s Gymkhana Five. Wow

May 28, 2012October 28, 2013

Blooming discoveries, Batman!

The month of May, when plants grow and bloom, has been spectacular this year. Ka-Pow!
Bookending a visit to the California Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park were a solar eclipse on the 20th preceded by the apparition of the Perigee (or Super) moon on the 5th. Whamo!

Eclipse and Perigee

This trip to the Academy of Sciences was made even more enjoyable because of the San Francisco Neighborhood Free Days, making our visit free. Zing!

The California Academy of Sciences — The Academy of Sciences, earthbound spaceship…

Having said that, and after viewing all the exhibits, it is well worth the regular admission price. We will take you along on our trip in three segments. The fourth would have been the Planetarium, but since photographs were forbidden and the material copyrighted, we are left with the aforementioned celestial shows available to all (or most). Zoosh!

I have played with the solar eclipse pictures a bit as the originals look like this and are not sexy enough (crash!):

eclipse seen through pinhole and screen — Pinprick through cardboard equals…

Solar eclipse with clouds — Clouded eclipse

supermoon over water — Supermoon over the Bay

Supermoon looks like Mars — A Martian looking moon

UP NEXT…

May 27, 2012October 28, 2013

Happy Birthday to the Golden Gate Bridge

75 years ago today, the Golden Gate Bridge opened to pedestrians. A day later, it opened to vehicles. Named for the straight that it spans, the orange vermillion bridge has withstood the test of time. Its art deco style has attracted visitors from all over the world. She’s a beauty no matter what time of the day it is or if it’s rainy or foggy. She never quite looks the same way twice and in the ten years that I’ve lived here I never get tired of looking at her. The Golden Gate Bridge takes my breath way every time.

To find out more, visit the Golden Gate Bridge website.

For more photos and history see:
Sunrise at the Golden Gate Bridge and the Marin Headlands
Fort Point photo gallery
Walking Fort Point and its seven feet deep walls

April 3, 2012April 3, 2012

Tuesday: With Spring Colors

Spring has arrived and the local wildflowers have erupted everywhere. More about that tomorrow. Today, I present a funny LOL starring sphynx kitties and a new video by OK Go. This new video is as colorful as the season. You can visit their YouTube page or their homepage.

February 9, 2012

A musical interlude and the content of things to come

I’ve been mulling over a review of the Mexican film “we are what we are“, finding it just about as difficult as reviewing, say, “rubber“. 2010 turned out to be a great year for quality films.

So as I’ve done in the past, I will do a sort of trifecta, in which I will use two other films which content helps gain an appreciation for the first one. These are Takeshi Kitano’s Yakuza movie “outrage” and Britain’s “Brighton Rock“, adapted from Graham Greene’s novel.

All three are terrific dramas well worth checking out. In the mean time, we hope you might enjoy a sampling of music we love. The first by French duo June and Lula: “I’m not going”.

Then from Brittany, Nolwenn Leroy’s “Tri Martolod”.

And from 1980’s Belgium, Front 242’s “welcome to paradise”…

December 20, 2011

Twofer Tuesday: Holiday Music

Another Tuesday rolls around and it’s time for a bit of holiday music. The first piece is Carol of the Bells by ThePianoGuys. The second is a tribute to Hanukkah, which begins this evening.

November 5, 2011

Musical archeology: where the switchblade came from…

Made you look. Okay, what was with the switchblade waved by Julien Doré in his video “les limites” posted here previously.

Glad you asked, because thanks to some hardcore detective work (okay: reading comments on youtube), we knew the video was inspired by an old Serge Gainsbourg song, back when they were called ‘clips’. Question was: which one? After hours of research fueled by coffee and aspirin, we found it in Gainsbourg’s song “les yé-yés”.

More can be found about the yé-yés here.

Now, Gainsbourg was always a better songwriter than singer and had a hit in 1965 with “laisse tomber les filles” sung by France Gall, then 17. This song might sound familiar as Quentin Tarantino used it in “Kill Bill”:

Now you know. Let’s bask again in a bit of retro-cool with another version of Doré’s song: it’s got dogs, a rooster, a pony!