The Photographers

"Life is a journey, photography is thy shepherd."

~Destin Sparks

It was nice to get in a little bit of photography as the sun went down on the Independence Day! I don't get that opportunity very often, especially in the summertime, but holidays like Independence Day, and the fact that we don't have to be up early the next day means being able to photograph some spur of the moment subjects. Like the one you see above. As the sun was going down, the bright glow turned everything north of Yerba Buena Island a gorgeous silvery/green glow. Alan and I have briefly stopped on the island to see if we could get a good parking spot to view the fireworks, alas it was not to be, but we did pass the photographers lined up on the side of the cliff facing the city. I couldn't pass it up! I had to shoot past Alan, who was driving, but it was worth a bit of a body contortion to get the shot! Oh my... we had a lot of fun! Alan is a pretty good sport! I kinda like that guy!

:) Look at what the camera and I saw...











Everybody was taking pictures. Most just turned their engines off, and turned their cameras on, and enjoyed the fabulous fireworks display! For a photographer like me, life doesn't get much better!

:)

Mood: Happy

Me :)

But That Was Yesterday...

"The timeless in you is aware of life's timelessness. And knows that yesterday is but today's memory and tomorrow is today's dream."

~Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet

Here are the best of my photos from last night's fireworks show in San Francisco. The fireworks were launched from just off Pier 39, so anywhere along the Embarcadero made for terrific viewing! And surprisingly, the traffic was light. With the BART strike in day 4, most folks from the East Bay either stayed local, opting for the fireworks shows in Berkeley or Oakland, or they only traveled as far as Yerba Buena Island, but not into the city. Alan and I braved the city! It's a tradition... traffic or no traffic... we have been Embarcadero spectators for years! Why break with tradition?

:)

 

 

I've done better photography in July 4th, but we had fun! And besides, for me, fireworks photography is a safari, if it was super easy it wouldn't be as much fun! I like having to really work for the shots I get! :)


Mood: Happy

~Me :)

July 4th, 2013

"What is the essence of America? Finding and maintaining that perfect, delicate balance between freedom "to and freedom "from."

~Marilyn vos Savant, in Parade

Have a safe, happy, fun, respectful, restful July 4th!


For Your Enjoyment, Here Is A YouTube Report On The San Diego Fireworks Fail Of 2012
And Up Close...



And The Finale Of The San Francisco Independence Day Fireworks Show... 2013



Mood: Hopeful

~Me :)

I'm Sure The Cactus Is Happy

"God, it was hot! Forget about frying an egg on the sidewalk; this kind of heat would fry an egg inside the chicken."

~Rachel Caine

It's been hot the last few days. The Bay Area doesn't usually see temperatures like we have been experiencing this week. It's absolutely stifling! Sheesh. But yesterday was supposed to be the hottest day of the week, so that's a good thing, but I have to say, I am more than ready for this summer to be over! Only 10 weeks, or so, to go!

Blech. :(

Mood: Roasted

So, how about a little music to cool things down?




~Me :)

4:17 A.M.

"We must have a pie. Stress cannot exist in the presence of a pie."

~David Mamet, Boston Marriage

 

Yesterday was, Monday July 1st, 2013, in case you managed to miss the date. It's not often, at least it doesn't seem like it's often, that a month begins with a Monday, but July did, and therefore I decided it was the perfect time to start a new diet. You see, the handy little diet journals, that my HMO sells in the pharmacy, begins on a Monday, which is great, but if the Monday I begin a diet on doesn't begin on a Monday, of the first of the month, I find the whole prospect doubly daunting! LOL. I blame my dad for situations like that, he suffered from OCD you see, he would sometimes have to check the front door to see if it was locked, four or five times before he could leave the property with any confidence that we wouldn't come home to a completely looted house!

So yesterday Alan and I both committed to beginning a new diet. Mostly it's a diet in the sense that we will be eating better, and more regular, as opposed to having dessert every night, or replacing dessert with more organic fresh fruit. We are in the best, and most delicious time of the year for fresh fruit and vegetables, hell we have some growing right in our garden! But along with the dessert goes the midnight eggs at picturesque diners, or eggs served at 4:17 A.M., kettle corn, extra large containers of popcorn with extra theater style butter type stuff. No more handfuls of nachos or gummy bears for dinner. Sigh. And Greasy, juicy, cheese loaded hamburgers I will miss you the most!

Oh well.

Eating right doesn't mean giving up stuff the way it once did. The big juicy burgers, will be replaced with leaner ground beef. The nachos will be replaced with baked crackers and hummus, midnight eggs will be replaced midnight boiled eggs or egg white quiche made with roasted veggies! All things I love, but am usually too lazy to make the extra effort for. I guess I got a bit lazy a while back, but now it's time to act like a grown up again! Whatever that means... I mean... I still feel like I in my 20s, well except for each morning when I try to get out of bed. Or the afternoon when my body screams for a nap, or at 10:00 P.M. when my eyes are drooping and I fall asleep watching the news.

God I am OLD. LOL.

But as long as I am not dead I can change my bad habits... right? And hey, my total caloric intake yesterday was 1090 calories, which was 200 calories under my goal! I am off to a great start... right?

Uh huh.

"Everything you see I owe to spaghetti."

~Sophia Loren


Mood: Happy

~Me :)

Garden Update July 1st 2013

"The serene philosophy of the pink rose is steadying. It's fragrant delicate petals open fully and are ready to fall, without regret or disillusion, after only a day in the sun. It is so every summer. One can almost hear their pink fragrant murmur as they settle down upon the grass: 'Summer, summer it will always be summer.'"

~Rachel Peden

As much as I dislike the summer, and it's oppressive heat, I love what happens to all the roses, leaves and vegetables in the garden! It's gorgeous right now, and it's a happy feeling that it will only get more delicious and fragrant! The next couple months should be stunning!

The Japanese Maple...



The Heirloom Tomatoes...



The Pears...



And to go along with all this loveliness, I got to hear the ethereal musician playing his sax, but today he had some friends playing different instruments along with him. It's lovely. I am so glad he lives in my neighborhood.

:)

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

Despicable Me 2 + Looking Back At June 2013

"All I need to make a comedy is a park, a policeman, and a pretty girl."

~Charles Chaplin

Okay, so how cool is that photo? LOL. Alan were on the freeway, on our way to my birthday dinner at Red Robin, when I spotted this funny little blimp! From several miles back it kinda looked like a big Tweety bird, but then it sort of looked like a Pepperidge Farm goldfish, but the color wasn't quite right for either of those, at last we got close enough to see it was a minion from the about to be released movie Despicable Me 2!

I checked out the website last night when we got home, and it seems the #DESPICABLIMP is making it's way around the country from east to west! The website is asking folks to snap a photo and upload them using the hash tag above, so I am glad I was able to get a few photos as we drove by. It was a great photo for posting on the last day of June!

Anyway, here is look back at what caught my eye in June, 2013!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I was busy a lot in June, and didn't get to go out with the camera as much as I would have liked, but it gave me a chance to look into the archives and highlight some previously unpublished photos. I like doing that once in a while, it allows me some time to take a closer look at my photos in a different way.

Okay... on to July! :)

Despicable Me 2 Official Website

#DESPICABLIMP  website

Mood: Happy

~Me :)