McLaren Park

April 25, 2012October 18, 2013

Clouds, Doggy Exercise, and Reptile Romance

The rains are almost done for the season and the clouds will make way for the summer fog, but it has been glorious. When the clouds are that great, it means a trip to Sierra Point with the camera.

Sierra Point — Looking to the East toward San Lorenzo and the Oakland airport

After that, we went to McLaren Park to take a walk around the reservoir and watch the dogs play in the water.

The dog never did catch up with the duck. When the dog got too close, the duck would flap partway across the pond to lengthen the lead. Then the dog would chase the duck until it got too close and then it would start all over again. Twenty minutes later, the duck was still leading the dog around the reservoir. The dog got his/her exercise for the day.

After the entertainment provided by the dog and the duck, we headed back to the car. On the way, we found a pair of lizards enjoying the sunshine. The male lizard was doing a little romantic dance for his lady lizard that alternated between head bobbing and push ups. He was quite enthusiastic. We moved past quietly so as to avoid disturbing their budding romance.

April 11, 2012October 9, 2013

Between the Storms

I’ve mentioned before that winter is normally our season for storms. It didn’t happen this time. Sadly, San Francisco remained dry and well behind on the annual rainfall. Spring has tried to make up for it. We have had quite a few storms come through already and more are on the way. I can’t complain as I love everything about rain. I love the sound of it on the skylight. I love the smell of wet soil and tree leaves. I even love to walk in it. On Sunday, we were between storms so we went for a walk in McLaren Park.

Continue reading “Between the Storms”

September 7, 2011October 30, 2013

The Dogs of McLaren Park

San Francisco is an extremely pet friendly city and it shows. On any given day, we can find scores of dog walkers at the various parks with their furry charges. Since we live fairly close to McLaren Park, we like to go visit the duck pond and watch the dogs swimming and playing.

Continue reading “The Dogs of McLaren Park”

August 15, 2011October 18, 2013

Summer Fog, Naked Ladies and Big Birds

Fog — Bernalwood from Twin Peaks hiding in the fog

It is summer in San Francisco, meaning lots of fog and cool temperatures. We returned to Twin Peaks to check out the view and this is what we saw.

Later, we went to McLaren Park to visit the duck pond. That’s when I saw the naked ladies. No, not the porn variety. The flower variety. 🙂 They are popping up all over the city and providing a wonderful splash of color against the summer browns and golds that prevail at this time of year.

Also at the duck pond…

I don’t want to forget the big birds. I could hear the hawk having a conversation of sorts with another one that I couldn’t locate. The crow was just being a crow and posed nicely for me.

August 3, 2011October 18, 2013

Lastech’s Clouds

As I mentioned before, I have been sorting Lastech’s photos and uploading them to Flickr. I came across these. It’s usually sunny or rainy. Clouds like this are not as common. It’s beautiful when it happens though.

Lastech’s clouds need a bit of music. I found this piano piece and I think it goes very well with the clouds. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

July 26, 2011October 18, 2013

Hill Hopping and a Sunrise

As most people know, San Francisco has a lot of hills. Many of those hills have parks and open space at the top. They make wonderful places to catch a sunrise or sunset, depending on location.

We started our morning on Bernal Heights. The area is nicknamed Bernalwood and is topped by a pretty grassy hill with a few trees and a microwave tower. It provides a beautiful vantage point for watching the sun rise over the bay. It also provides a great view of downtown and the Bay Bridge.

After the attack by the killer skeeters, we decided to hop to another hill and visit McLaren Park.

Looking back at Bernalwood from McLaren Park, I couldn’t resist another pic. It looks rather pretty in the morning light.

The pond below the blue water tower was as smooth as glass.

July 18, 2011October 18, 2013

San Francisco wildlife and a some flowers

The other day, we wandered up to the nearby park. We just felt the need to get out for a bit. I found myself chasing a butterfly called the Pale Swallowtail.

I also saw a beautiful Red-shouldered Hawk.

May 31, 2011October 19, 2013

Clouds over San Francisco

I’m sorry we haven’t been posting more. Lastech and I are getting used to a new work schedule so the posting times are a tad off these days. We’ll get adjusted soon.

It is almost the first of June and it’s still raining here. We should be well into the dry season already. Sadly, the cold and rain that we’re getting here is turning into horrible swarms of tornadoes to the East. I love the rain, but I hope this ends soon.

The other day, we took advantage of the sunshine and went to McLaren Park to visit the duck pond (reservoir). It wasn’t raining, but the clouds were beautiful. First, we walked up the hill to the water tower where we had a wonderful view of Bernal Hill and downtown San Francisco.

After that, we headed on down to the pond. The pond is where a lot of people take their dogs for a swim and water games. There were quite a few dogs, so the ducks were hanging out under the shrubbery. The clouds were beautiful and so was the pond.