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.
Looking to the East toward San Lorenzo and the Oakland airportLooking to the North East toward Oakland and BerkeleyClouds and sun
After that, we went to McLaren Park to take a walk around the reservoir and watch the dogs play in the water.
The reservoir appeared calm at first glanceAs we watched, we saw a duck. Not far behind was the dogThe duck was taking the dog for a swim
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.
Romance in the sun. The male (right) was courting his lady
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.
San Francisco Earthquake of 1906: Market Street, west of Powell and Fifth Streets, showing area east of Taylor and Powell Streets. This is the main part of the retail district of San Francisco, ca. 1906
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.
Photograph of a Camp in Golden Gate Park Under Military Control After the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake, 1906
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.
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.
Lotta’s Fountain located on Market St. and Kearny
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.
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.
The California State flower is the Eschscholzia californica. Known as the California Poppy or Golden Poppy, it is springing up everywhere. Here in San Francisco, it grows in the cracks of sidewalks and roads and can be found in all the parks. It varies in color from white to dark orange.
We try to slip out to catch the sunrise, but sometimes we leave much earlier. The very early morning hours are usually calm, beautiful and full of wildlife. Late last year we went to the Legion of Honor to take pics and watch for wildlife. While we didn’t get any photos of wildlife, we did get a few of the museum.
Legion of HonorGuardian lionLegion courtyard by LastechRodin’s The Thinker by LastechArch over the entrance by Lastech
Last Wednesday, I posted about the Return to Cataract Falls. After we left the shady ferns and mosses of Cataract Trail, we headed to the top of Mt. Tamalpais. It was getting a bit late in the afternoon, but that didn’t stop us.
On Saturday, we got to see another glorious sunrise. We love the Marin Headlands as they provide a stunning view of the the Golden Gate, The Golden Gate Bridge, and the San Francisco Bay. For some reason we saw no wildlife with the exception of birds. It was odd as we usually see dozens of black tailed deer, not to mention the squirrels and bunnies playing murder ball in the road.
Still, the Golden Gate Bridge and the San Francisco skyline looked beautiful in the morning light.
The Golden Gate Bridge and the San Francisco skyline
Even the chert had a pretty red glow that morning.
Red chert
I do wish we had seen more wildlife. Maybe we’ll get lucky next time.
Timing and weather finally permitted us to head back North to Marin County to visit Cataract Falls again. We wrote about our first trip back in October of 2010. They are located on the West end of Alpine Lake on the Northwest slope of Mt. Tamalpais. We weren’t sure if the falls would be flowing or not as we are way behind on our rain for the season. However, we had two good rainfalls just before we went, so we were in luck.
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 Pillars of the Past is the first landmark mentioned in the movie, though not shown900 Lombard was the home of the leading male characterThe Brocklebank building at 1000 Mason on Nob Hill was where the leading female character lived
The characters visited other places in and out of The City. I present them in no particular order.
Mission Dolores, the site of a mysterious graveThe California Palace of the Legion of Honor was home to a mysterious paintingThe two lead characters paid a visit to Muir Woods, North of San FranciscoThe movie couple took a stroll around the Palace of Fine ArtsFort Point, the site of major drama. The chain link fence was erected after 9/11 and was not present in the movie
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.
We love Strybing Arboretum in Golden Gate Park. I forgot, they changed the name. It’s now called San Francisco Botanical Garden at Strybing Arboretum. While I’m completely unimpressed with the name change, I love to visit the Arboretum. It is free to the San Francisco residents and there is something new to see every time we go. Here are a few examples.
Yellow ProteaFuzzy seedsLeavesRed and white ProteaTree fernSeeds glowing in the sunFlower floating on waterWestern scrub jay
