Round Robin Challenge: On Location

Painted Ladies or The Six Sisters
Alamo Square Park
San Francisco, California

"You can fall in love at first sight with a place as with a person."

~Alec Waugh

RRC: On Location

Hollywood Location Scouts listen up! I have found your next awesome places to feature in a movie!



I bet you have seen this lovely row of six Victorian houses somewhere before! If they look kind of familiar, bet you can't place them, let me help. They were featured in the opening credits of the ABC comedy, Full House, and have at least made an appearance in approximately 70 or so other TV shows and movies! The park across the street from the houses, Alamo Square Park, is lovely and interesting all o it's own. Not only does it face these famous houses, but features a rather interesting attraction called a shoe garden, which contains every size, shape, color and style of shoes you can think of, all placed in loving tribute to someone. That's the cool thing about places like San Francisco, there is so much beauty right in front of you, but you never know what wonderful, magical gem might be just across the street, hidden away, waiting to be discovered.

Now, I Give You San Francisco At Christmas...


Union Square
December, 2012
San Francisco, California

It's not that Union Square, in San Francisco, hasn't been seen in a major motion picture, as a matter of fact it can be seen in the opening scenes of Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds, but wouldn't a movie about a romance set during Christmas be beautifully filmed in San Francisco? Our skating rinks could give the Rockefeller Center ice rink run for it's money!

Need A Great Picturesque Place For A Character To Grab A Bite To Eat?


Tony's Cable Car (Menu)
2500 Geary Blvd
San Francisco, California

Look no further! Tony's Cable Car serves up the BEST burgers in San Francisco! Not only is it conveniently located on Geary boulevard, but it would be adorable featured in a movie as just what it is... a quaint neighborhood burger place. God, I get hungry for their burgers just considering it! Hollywood needs to make this place a STAR!

And Now For The East Bay... Berkeley


Tilden Park Berkeley, California

If you can't find a place to relax in Tilden Park... you don't want to relax! On the other hand, if you can find something to do in Tilden Park... you don't want to do anything fun! Tilden has Little Farm, The open space botanic garden, Lake Anza for swimming, plenty of trails for jogging, the carousel and steam trains for the kids. I love this place! Berkeley in general is a pretty photogenic place, and it's not that it hasn't had it's share of movie moments! The Graduate was partially filmed here, but I think 40 years later, it should get another chance to shine!

More From Berkeley...



Last, But Not Least, I Bring You To One Very Photogenic Spot In Sacramento...

 
Tower Bridge
Sacramento, California

Wouldn't the Tower Bridge make a spooky movie... spookier? I always have the best time photographing this bridge. And to make it all a little bit more spooky, it is located near Old Sacramento, which gives one a small step back in time to wooden streets and Old West storefronts!

Hollywood... Have I Made My Case?

Okay, now that you have seen my On Location  destinations, go see what the other participants are up to. Just click the link at the beginning of this post to be redirected to the official Round Robin blog where you can find the list of participants, and all the information you need to play along!

See You At The Movies!

~Me :)

Looking Back At May 2013

Common Buckeye (Junonia coenia)

"The two most engaging powers of a photograph are to make new things familiar and familiar things new."

~William Thackeray

Another month of my life has come and gone. Did I learn anything? Perhaps. LOL. Will I remember to use it, reference it, or otherwise allow it to make me smarter? Well... for that you will have to stay tuned! I know you will be on the edge of your seat! LOL. Anyway, here is a nice round up of the amazing moments I experienced in May, shared by my camera and me.

Looking Back At May 2013...











And now on to June! What will I see with my camera? My camera and I will take it one step at a time and We'll see!

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

Smile... Pass It On

"Does the giraffe know what he's for? Or Care? Or even think about his place in things? A giraffe has a black tongue twenty-seven inches long and no vocal cords. A giraffe has nothing to say. He just foes on giraffing."

~Robert Fulghum, All I really Need To Know I Learned In Kindergarten

I spotted this goofy giraffe near the Oakland Zoo. I love it. Is it public art? You bet! Does it make me smile? Of course it does! I wish there was more stuff like this around. I would love to see art taken seriously in public schools again. Can you imagine how much nicer one's commute would be to see the occasional wild animal, or vase of flowers, or even just an amazing smile or message like... "Have  A Nice Day"... painted on a support beam or overpass? Great things can begin with a smile.






Mood: Happy

~Me :)

The Sad Little Bear

"A bear teaches us that if the heart is true, it doesn't matter much if an ear drops off."

~Helen Exley

While I was photographing the gorgeous sculptures in the temporary sculpture park in Oakland on Monday, I just happened to spot this medium sized brown bear sitting on the balcony of an apartment  across the street. I couldn't quite make out the details of his face, but decided to take the photo anyway, because it was such an interesting sight. When I got home, and saw it on the computer, I knew I had to post it. The bear looks so sad, so lonely. I don't think I have ever seen one quite like it. The face of that medium brown bear nearly broke my heart.

I would like to think that it doesn't always have such a sad look on it's face, but rather from time to time he smiles a big broad smile. Times like when it's favorite human in the whole world is home, or when it's favorite canine or feline is chewing or drooling on his ear. Of course in the rational world stuffed bears have no emotion at all, and while I kinda count on the rational world, particularly in times such as these, I have to admit, I don't mind the occasional pondering about the feelings of Teddy Bears.

 

Mood: Silly

~Me :)

Art About Town: Oakland; Dandelion, By Karen Cusolito

"Art and love are the same thing: It's the process of seeing yourself in things that are not you."

~Chuck Klosterman, Killing Yourself To Live: 85% Of A True Story

Yesterday, Memorial Day, is a perfect day for hunting down Public Art. The traffic is low, and their is very few people moving about, so unobstructed views of the art, makes the whole trip a much nicer experience. Although, sometimes I actually enjoy watching others enjoy the art along with me. I don't know... I guess it just all depends on my mood. Yesterday it was cloudy and on the verge of raining, which is my favorite kind of day. Clouds and mist do something to outdoor sculptures. To me it somehow inspires a deeper appreciation for sculpture. I am not sure why, but it does. I think I must have a bit if Lilly Munster in me. Give me a cloudy day, a picnic basket, and sculpture park, and I am one happy lady. Oh and of course... my cameras.



This sculpture, "Dandelion" by Karen Cusolito, was one of 9 sculptures that grace this temporary sculpture park, the Uptown ArtPark, at 19th and Telegraph avenue in Oakland. I was able to photograph all 9 sculptures in this exhibit, all by crafted by different local artists, and I will be posting the rest of them over the next few months, along with public art from various other Northern California cities. Even with the incessant sunshine, I can't think of a better way to spend a summer then by photographing beautiful public art.

Stay Tuned!

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

Memorial Day 2013

"The bravest are surely those who have the clearest vision of what is before them, glory and danger alike, and yet notwithstanding, go out to meet it."

~Thucydides

Have a relaxing, peaceful and safe Memorial Day.

~Me :)

Blue Heron At Crissy Field

"Birds know themselves not to be at the center of anything, but at the margins of everything. The end of the map. We only live where someones horizon sweeps someone else's. We are only noticed on the edge of things; but on the edge of things, we notice much."


~Gregory Maguire, Out of Oz

I wish I could have done better with this photo, but I was just so in awe of this Blue Heron that I wasn't ask focused as I should have been with the camera. Pun intended. Sometimes you have to miss really good moments, in order to capture the scene in front of you. Sometimes it's better to just enjoy the moment as and accept the memory rather than trying to make the moment immortal. It's always a split second decision. Good. Bad. Or otherwise. Over all I am happy with the photo as is. But the moment... it was a moment of unbelievable beauty.

Mood: Happy

~Me :)