It was one of those WTF moments. We sat on a bench on a hill to enjoy the view. Then we looked up. 🙂
The bottle wasn’t the only thing in the tree. Lastech spotted this one.
A tree with a drinking problem
Tulips
I was lucky and got some pics of the tulips at Pier 39 before they were gone.
2012: JBoD’s year in review
Happy New Year!
Now is the time to take a minute and look back on this past year, and the ways it affected the JBoD microcosm.
We spent much of 2012 watching sunsets and wildlife (fins!) from local beaches, but in April, we chose to visit the neighboring hill known as Bernalwood where stunning California poppies in full bloom awaited. On another more recent trip, amazing clouds treated us to an ‘air show’…
In May, we finally managed a trip to see the California Academy of Sciences. The albino alligator named Claude is a real beauty.
I took a lot of photos, so it’s in four parts. One, two, three and four.
In May, our glorious Golden Gate Bridge turned 75 years old. I’ve lived here for ten years and I never get tired of seeing her.
In June, a contractor working a few doors down from our home base cut into a gas line, resulting in a gas explosion and fire. Purely by chance, prevailing winds minimized the spread of the damage, a very good thing considering how long it took to shut off the gas. The kind of scene best left in movies, not real life. The Pointy Eared people weren’t amused…
Then in July, we lost our sweet, comical tyrannical food thief Kitsy to FIP. It was sudden and awful and I still haven’t been able to write a proper post for him. As for Lastech, he is still coming to terms with the possibility that the virus which took him might have been introduced by Miss Jenny. So little is known about FIP and no test being available, it remains a painful mystery.
In August, we went to the park on a foggy morning and came across some wildlife with a pissy attitude.
In September, Miss Nightshade Jenny brought me a most bizarre gift.
Later in September, we got to see the Space Shuttle Endeavor fly over the Golden Gate Bridge. Incredible!
In November, we went to the Japanese Tea Garden and Arboretum for a bit of zen. We wound up having a wonderful surprising encounter with a hawk.
A week or so later, we went exploring the Coastal Trail near the Golden Gate Bridge. We encountered another hawk, a couple of hummingbirds, a slug and a wonderful sunset.
We finished off the year by exploring the cliffs around Battery Mendell, a coastal battery that was built before WWI.
That was our 2012 for the most part. Some was good and some was bad. Hopefully, 2013 will be an even better year.
Happy New Year from JBoD
Rudha-an, Lastech, Tito, and Miss Nightshade Jenny
Serious about their sunbathing: The California Sea Lions
The other day we went down to Pier 39 to mingle with the tourists. I had been wanting to take some pics of the sea lions and I finally had my chance.
Continue reading “Serious about their sunbathing: The California Sea Lions”
From the inside looking out
I had a few photos that I like because of the perspective. Sadly, one or two have some serious purple fringe from heck, but I can live with it. I just wouldn’t hang them on my wall. Someday, I’ll have a DSLR with some good filters. Before I do that, I need a computer that can handle the memory usage.
April 18, 1906, 5:12 a.m. The Great Earthquake of San Francisco
On April 18, 1906 at 5:12 a.m. the people of San Francisco and the Bay Area were awakened by violent shaking. The ground shook for a whole minute and when it was done, the city and it’s people were devastated. The magnitude 7.8 was felt all over California, Western Nevada and Southern Oregon.
While the quake caused massive damage, it was the fire that completed the devastation. Of a population of about 410,000, up to 300,000 were made homeless. The death toll was originally reported as a mere 375 because government officials felt that the true number would hurt real estate sales and the rebuilding effort. It’s now estimated that a minimum of 3000 perished in the quake and ensuing fire. Chinatown, with a population of around 14,000 was destroyed and the dead were never counted. As a result, the true death toll of the 1906 quake will never be known.
Every year the event is commemorated and attended by the survivors. The number of survivors have been dwindling over the years. This year, three of the four remaining survivors attended the parade and private dinner on Tuesday evening.
From the San Francisco Chronicle:
William Del Monte and Winnie Hook, who are both 106 and George Quilici, 108 — will all be on hand to remember the great earthquake and fire.
Ruth Newman (b. 1901), the other survivor, wasn’t well enough to attend.
This morning, the survivors met at Lotta’s Fountain. There, they had a moment of silence beginning at 5:11 a.m. to mark the time of the quake.
Lotta’s Fountain is San Francisco’s oldest surviving monument. It was donated to the city by Lotta Crabtree and dedicated in 1875. In the aftermath of the quake and fire, people met at the fountain to exchange news and find out who was missing and who wasn’t. That is why it is used today to commemorate the Great Earthquake of 1906.
In 1910 Lotta’s Fountain was a meeting place again when the famous opera soprano, Luisa Tetrazzini came San Francisco and kept a promise to sing in the streets. At the fountain, she gave a free concert that was attended by an estimated quarter of a million people.
For more information, please visit these links.
Virtual Museum of the City of San Francisco
The Great 1906 San Francisco Earthquake at the USGS
Fake Tales of San Francisco: Name That Movie
Over the years, the city of San Francisco has starred in quite a few books, movies and tv shows. Steve McQueen and Clint Eastwood have driven its streets. Dashiell Hammett also made San Francisco the stage of The Maltese Falcon. One can even take a 4 hour Dashiell Hammett walking tour. Contagion was one of the more recent movies that was filmed here. It is also the host of the headquarters and council chambers of the United Federation of Planets and Starfleet.
Not long ago we watched a movie starring our wonderful city. Watching it, I realized that I had photos of almost every place that was important to the story and I decided to play a little game. I’m going to post the photos and maybe you can figure out which movie we watched. I don’t think it will be difficult for the movie buffs out there.
The characters visited other places in and out of The City. I present them in no particular order.
If you have figured it out already, good for you. For those still struggling, I have placed several photos below the fold that should provide the answer.
Continue reading “Fake Tales of San Francisco: Name That Movie”
San Francisco’s Embarcadero at Night
I need a lot more practice, but I managed to grab a few night shots of the Embarcadero and San Francisco’s skyline from the pier.
Continue reading “San Francisco’s Embarcadero at Night”
Manic Monday Mish Mash
I was digging through some photos and found a sampling worthy of sharing.
Lastech is the first one up. He took the next two photos.
The fun thing about driving around in San Francisco is finding streets we haven’t explored. That way, there’s something new around every corner. That’s how we found these colorful houses.
Manic Monday and Yoda
Not long ago, we went to explore the Presidio in San Francisco. Located on the North East corner of the Presidio is Letterman Digital Arts Center, home of Industrial Light & Magic and LucasArts. The campus is beautiful with very nice landscaping touches.
Of course, going there meant paying a visit to Yoda.
Annnnd, since it’s Monday and everyone needs a good laugh, here’s a Star Wars video by OkGo.