Saturday, February 15, 2014

Love And The February Full Snow Moon



"You know, when it works, love is pretty amazing. It's not overrated. There's a reason for all those songs."

~Sarah Dessen, This Lullaby

Yesterday was a busy day... and night! Not only was it Valentine's Day, but it was also the rise of the Full Snow Moon! I had a full day editing photos, and then Alan brought home some Italian food so I wouldn't have to cook. THAT'S LOVE! LOL. Funny how it's the smallest gestures that say the biggest messages sometimes.Not that bringing home Italian food is a small gesture, trust me, I appreciated it and getting an evening off, to just cuddle up with my fellas... all 4 of them now... made for a very happy Valentine's Day!

And with that little extra energy, I was able to go out last evening with the cameras, and photograph the Full Snow Moon, which rose at 6:51 p.m. Pacific Time. I had a lovely clear view, which was a relief, because there is more rain heading into the Bay Area soon! No fog. No clouds. Just amazingly clear skies. The temperature was even agreeable, especially for February, it was 57 degrees. Nice. So, I got this month's full moon, so now, with a little luck, I will be able to continue my full moon series. Come on luck... stay with me!

Full Moon And Romance...


Mood: Happy

~Me :)

Friday, February 14, 2014

Happy Valentine's Day



"Love is a canvas furnished by nature and embroidered by imagination."

~Voltaire

From Me To You...

Happy Valentine's Day 

Mood: Grateful

~Me :)


Thursday, February 13, 2014

Art About Town: Berkeley... The Poetry Panels On Addison Street



"Only the very weak-minded refuse to be influenced by literature and poetry."

~Cassandra Clare, Clockwork Angel




I spent the day yesterday lost in Public Art, in and around, Berkeley, a town rich with beautiful pieces of art on display in the open for all to enjoy, as well as gorgeous architecture and natural beauty. But yesterday, it was all about the art, and the poetry panels on Addison street. I had first photographed the panels that line Addison street, back in 2005, but every once in a while I get the urge to return and redo the photos with different lighting and different thoughts running through my mind. It was this particular poem that resonated with me the most yesterday, it left me with a warm feeling of contentment.. I hope you like it.

Spring Harvest Of Snow Peas
By Maxine Hong Kingston

They're taller than me
I taste and eat as I pick along
choose the flat big ones and baby ones,
and leave the bulging pods for shelling or seed.
The purple and Lavender blossoms
and the blue blossoms were above me
and touch my neck.
I stand on the ledge of the box, reach for more,
and remember my mother and father growing snow peas every season.
When she could hardly see anymore, my mother showed me
by feel how to plant 3 seeds per mound.
Every day, enough for dinner, and leaving at neighbors doors.
The birds surround me and eat and sing. I am unequivocally happy.

Isn't that A beautiful Poem?




Mood: Inspired

~Me :)


Wednesday, February 12, 2014

At The End Of The Day...



"There's a sunrise and a sunset every single day, and they're absolutely free. Don't miss so many of them."

~Jo Walton

I love sunsets... but who doesn't? I love photographing sunsets because it means I have spent another day on earth, and for that I am grateful. Not everyone will be lucky enough to see the end of any given day. Sunsets remind me to be grateful.

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

Tuesday, February 11, 2014

I Heart San Francisco



"San Francisco itself is art, above all literary art. Every block is a short story, every hill a novel. Every home a poem, every dweller within immortal. That is the whole truth."

~William Saroyan

Probably one of my worst kept secrets is that I am crazy, stupid in love with San Francisco. I love every single inch of it. I love that you can drive from neighborhood to neighborhood and know you have stepped into a new and different story of the city. I love a slice of warm, authentic San Francisco sourdough on a cold day. I love getting sand beneath my toes at Ocean Beach, and walking the trails at Land's End. I love exploring the amazing public art, but my heart belongs to the Golden Gate bridge. Every time I see it, it's like I am seeing it for the very first time! I haven't done any photography from this perspective, in the Marin Headlands, for a long time, so last week when I was up there, taking it all in, leaving left a small ache in my heart. Like leaving a lover behind.

But I repeat myself... I have said that before... right?

No doubt I will probably say it again.

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

Monday, February 10, 2014

Winter Light



"Sometimes I arrive just when God's ready to have someone click the shutter."

~Ansel Adams



Late last month, I decided to do some coastal photography between Half Moon Bay, and San Francisco. The weather was more mid autumn, than mid winter, but I wasn't complaining because it was allowing me to get in some needed time with my cameras, working with the winter sun. Shadows, bright sunbeams, and lots and lots of light unique to this time of year. I had a really productive day, and was on my way home, when I noticed this roadside memorial, near Half Moon Bay. By chance, traffic was stopped in just the right place for me to see the late afternoon sun, shining filtered through the eucalyptus trees. It was a beautiful golden light, and it was perfectly placed over the white memorial wreath hanging on the chain-link fence. 

I snapped off several pictures, from different distances. On the last shot I took, I saw an orb above the wreath. It was disappointing, because I wanted to be able to properly identify the memorial by including the name, and the orb would make the picture imperfect. But when I got home, and looked back through my photos, I saw something I found rather beautiful and extraordinary... it hadn't been just one orb hovering above the wreath, but rather a pattern of wreaths that made up what looks like a flower! I don't usually post photos of memorials, but this one was so special that I felt like it was to be shared.

I tried to find out online about name on the wreath, Seth Koller. There wasn't much, but apparently he was a much loved young man, of about 16, who was tragically hit by a car, along that stretch of highway, in August of 2009. There was one small article, posted in the Half Moon Bay Review, that gave me a sense of who he was, and I am glad I got a chance to learn a little about him. In the years since his death a creativity scholarship fund has been started in his name, for the students of Half Moon Bay. When I took the photo that day, I was feeling a very calm, and inspired by the light shining over that memorial, I was only stopped there a moment, but I am quite sure I won't forget that moment any time soon. 

A simple white wreath, with the late afternoon winter sun, and a set of orbs floating above it, forming a lovely flower.

It was a moment not to be missed.

Mood: Inspired

~Me :)




Family And Friends Mourn The Death Of Coastside Teen
(Half Moon Bay Review)

Sunday, February 09, 2014

The Sand Between My Toes



"The beach is not a place to work; to read, write or to think."

~Anne Morrow Lindbergh, Gift From The Sea

Last Wednesday was an extraordinary day with the cameras. The whole day was a study in light and shadows. It was a perfect day for making mistakes. I really stretched my creative muscle, and just relaxed. I stopped here first. Point Montara State Beach, which is on the California coast, just south of Pacifica. It is just north of my favorite lighthouse at Point Montara. Isn't it lovely? And everything was coming together to just fill my soul. The air, sigh, so clean and cool, and the gentle waves were just touching my toes, but it was the sand between my toes that felt the best. It's a funny kind of magical when you can bring all your senses into your photography. Just remembering it right now, makes me feel, well, warm and happy inside. It was a good day.

Mood: Very Happy

~Me :)