Yes, it’s a happy monday for me. We had RAIN! I love the smell of wet pavement and grass. I love the sound of it on my roof. I just love it.
Here are a few pics from the last sunset we went to watch. We didn’t get any rain, but there were a few storms offshore. You can see the rain off on the horizon. Did I mention that I love rain?
Counting down to Halloween on this gloomy Tuesday morning, let’s stroll through Autumn, Ray Bradbury’s country.
I hope you’ll enjoy these photos as I do, taken between the beaches of San Francisco, Golden Gate Park and the Shoreline at Mountain View, CA.
“That country where it is always turning late in the year. That country where the hills are fog and the rivers are mist; where noons go quickly, dusks and twilights linger, and midnights stay. That country composed in the main of cellars, sub-cellars, coal-bins, closets, attics, and pantries faced away from the sun. That country whose people are autumn people, thinking only autumn thoughts. Whose people passing at night on the empty walks sound like rain.”
― Ray Bradbury, The October Country
Continue reading “Moody Tuesday: silver skies and grey waters”
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.
The last time we went to Baker Beach, it was nice soft sand. Two other times it was rocky and I’ll admit that was an interesting surprise. By rocky, I don’t mean a few pebbles here and there. I mean really rocky.
Ok, ok, maybe your Monday isn’t marvelous. You gotta give me brownie points for trying though.
Lately we’ve been exploring beaches. Our previous trip took us to Ocean Beach. This time we went to Baker Beach which is SSW of the Golden Gate Bridge. It was cold, but that didn’t stop us from walking in the surf. It was a glorious morning with porpoise and happy dogs and beach art.
Ah, San Francisco… We fancied a trip to Baker Beach yesterday and took a long walk barefoot through the edge of the surf, having the enchanting experience of watching porpoises breaching the waves just offshore.
At one point a sea lion pup watched us before slipping back under the water, while dogs chased birds and each other, a perfect jellybeansofdoom kind of day.
I’ve lived in San Francisco for ten years. I love the beach, but I’ve spent little time there. The water here tends to be a bit cool for my taste at less than 60 degrees. Lastech and I have decided to start exploring the beaches and that means we’ll even get our feet wet when it’s safe to do so. There are one or two beaches that can be dangerous even if you’re only ankle deep.
Our first stop was Ocean Beach
A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about our trip to Point Reyes National Seashore and the lighthouse. This time, I thought I would share a few photos of the wildlife we saw.
Point Reyes has a vast amount of wildlife. It’s a wonderful site for bird watching, whale watching and more.
I have a confession to make. I’m a cartophile. I’m not a collector. I’ve no desire to hang them on my wall. I have a collection, but they’re my trusty AAA roadmaps. I have a pile of them. We use them to figure out where we want to explore next. It’s great fun finding places we haven’t seen. This time, I pointed at Point Reyes National Seashore. For some reason, in spite of the fact that it was only 40 miles away, we had not yet paid it a visit.
The area where the picture was taken regularly sees winds of 40 mph, and a weather station once recorded a gust of 133 mph..!
According to the National Park Service:
Point Reyes is the windiest place on the Pacific Coast and the second foggiest place on the North American continent. Weeks of fog, especially during the summer months, frequently reduce visibility to hundreds of feet. The Point Reyes Headlands, which jut 10 miles out to sea, pose a threat to each ship entering or leaving San Francisco Bay. The historic Point Reyes Lighthouse warned mariners of danger for more than a hundred years.
Point Reyes National Seashore is also where Sir Francis Drake is most likely to have landed. Drake’s Bay is named after him.
Follow along for our visit to the lighthouse.
Continue reading “Point Reyes National Seashore: The Lighthouse”
Located in Golden Gate Park, the National AIDS Memorial Grove is a testament to love and grief. According to the website:
The National AIDS Memorial Grove, located in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, is a dedicated space in the national landscape where millions of Americans touched directly or indirectly by AIDS can gather to heal, hope, and remember. For all the promising prospects on the horizon, AIDS continues to invade our lives, violate our past, and rob us of our comfortable assumptions about the future. The sacred ground of this living memorial honors all who have confronted this tragic pandemic both those who have died and those who have shared their struggle, kept the vigils, and supported each other during the final hours.
Continue reading “The National AIDS Memorial Grove: Grief and Beauty”
