Showing posts with label Baker Beach. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Baker Beach. Show all posts

Sunday, March 04, 2007

The Puppy Song In February

"I've seen a look in dogs eyes, a quickly vanishing look of amazed contempt, and I am convinced that basically dogs think humans are nuts."

-John Steinbeck

Have you ever looked at your pet, be it dog, cat, hamster, opossum, parrot, rabbit, goldfish, ostrich, cobra, otter, chimpanzee, and noticed them looking back at you, with an expression on their face that seemed to say... "Just what exactly is wrong with you?" LOL. Sometimes, I will be sitting here at my computer, writing an email, which I tend to say out loud as I write, or maybe editing some photos, when I will feel the strangest sensation that I am being stared at. Some might think their house is haunted, but not I, because I know when I turn around, there will be Elvis... contemplating the wonder that is me.

He always has this, somewhat perplexed, yet completely loving look on his face when he is looking at me, as if he is thinking, "I don't get it, she is weird, but she is mommy, so I love her." LOL. And he does. We are best friends, and over all we do understand each other, still, there are those times when I think both of us wonder about each other. Cat, unlike dogs, do not have to love you if they don't want to. They are much more discriminating when it comes to love. Dogs will pretty much love anyone who feeds them. For the most part. When you have been gone all day, a dog will run to the door to welcome you home, a cat will shoot you a look that says, "What took you so long?" Again, not all dogs and cats are the same, Elvis usually meets me at the door, because he wants to be fed, always, and he is not afraid to tell me the minute I come home. :)

Sometimes I miss having a dog. Cats don't like the beach, and sometimes, I miss playing on the beach with a puppy. I spotted the dog in the above photo at Baker Beach, in early February, when I was there to photograph the arrival of the Queen Mary 2. I had a blast watching him running in and out of the surf, playing in the cold winter water of the San Francisco Bay. Actually, I suppose at that particular point it is actually the Pacific Ocean, as it is just outside the Golden Gate. But he was a happy camper all the same. I could imagine him on his own surf board, riding the waves to shore, barking happy thoughts, and wondering to himself, why his human companion doesn't go to the beach every day. How nuts is it, to not go to the beach every day? :) There is nothing like a warm, sunny day in winter, sitting on a California beach, listening to happy noises, and having your own happy, nutty, thoughts.

The Puppy Song
By Harry Nilsson

Dreams are nothing more than wishes
And a wish is just a dream, you wish would come true, woo woo

If only I could have a puppy, I'd call myself so very lucky
Just to have some company to share a cup of tea with me
I'd take my puppy everywhere, La, La La, I wouldn't care
And we would stay away from crowds, and signs that said
No dogs allowed
Oh we, I know he'd never bite me, whoa la, la, la,
Oh we, I know he'd never bite me

If only I could have a friend to stick with me until the end
And walk along beside the sea, share a bit of moon with me
I'd take my friend most everywhere, La, La, La, I wouldn't care
We would stay away from crowds with signs that said no friends allowed
Oh we, we'd be so happy to be whoa, la, la, la
Oh we, we'd be so happy to be together

But dreams are nothing more than wishes
And a wish is just a dream, you wish to come true
A wish to come true.

-OndineMonet
"Wishes In February
Baker Beach
February 4, 2007
Afternoon

Monday, February 05, 2007

The Other Sunday Show

"Come, cuddle your head on my shoulder, dear. Your head like the golden-rod, and we will go sailing from here to the beautiful land of Nod."

-Ella Wheeler Wilcox

If you live in the Bay Area, and weren't a big fan of the Super Bowl, then there was a different show you might have been catching. The arrival of the Queen Mary 2, as it sailed under the Golden Gate Bridge. While she was due to arrive at 3:00 PM, she was more than an hour late, but she was well worth the wait. The ship is as tall as a 21-story building, and longer than the Eiffel Tower is tall. To date, she is the second largest passenger ship in the world, having been surpassed by the "Freedom of the Seas," which is 1, 725 feet long. First-class tickets aboard the Queen Mary 2, for it's current, "Around The World In 181 Days" cruise cost, $185,905 per person, while the least expensive cabin goes for about $21,000.


When the ship visited Long Beach last year, it was estimated that more than 100,000 people were on hand to see the ship arrive. There probably wasn't that many people today, but traffic was still a nightmare, and parking was extremely difficult. We were lucky to find a spot at Baker Beach. The weather at the beach was glorious, so it was a great place to watch the ship slowly sailing under the gate. From far off, she looked almost like a giant gray ghost. It was somewhat eerie. Also from our vantage point, we had a nice view of the Liberty ship, Jeremiah O' Brian, which was one of the Queen Mary 2's official escort ships. That was fun for me, because my father, in his retirement, worked on board the Jeremiah O' Brian as part of it's restoration crew. I missed my father a bit today, he would have loved seeing the Queen Mary 2 arrive. :)

Queen Mary 2

Gross Tonnage 150,000 tons
Length 1132 feet
Beam 135 feet
Beam at Bridge 147 feet 6 inches
Draft 32 feet 2 inches
Height 236 feet 2 inches
Passengers 2,620 (3, 90 max)
Decks 19

Queen Mary 2 Website Cunard
Queen Mary 2 Bridge Cam

Note: The ship will be leaving San Francisco, bound for Australia and Hong Kong, on Monday, February 5th, at 5:00 PM Pacific time.

-OndineMonet
Queen Mary 2
San Francisco, California
Sunday, February 4, 2007
4:00 PM