Winter Swoosh

"The problem with winter sports is that

...follow me closely here.. 

they generally take place in winter."

~Dave Barry

Okay, so I don't absolutely hate winter. In fact, I kinda love winter. That is the one time of the year when California is most likely to see actual weather. Rain, cold breezes, even the occasional decent dusting on snow on Grizzly Peak Boulevard or other slightly higher peaks around the Bay Area! But one of my favorite parts of the colder months actually begins in late autumn, just before Thanksgiving, when all the area ice skating rinks open for the holidays. 

I just had to fit autumn in there a little.

Anyway, the rinks usually stay open a couple weeks into January, and it just wouldn't be the holiday season if we couldn't go to Embarcadro Center or Union Square and watch folks swoosh on the ice. Oh how I wish I could join them, but I never learned how, and now with my arthritic knee it would probably be impossible, but it's okay. Sometimes watching someone else have fun is just as fun as actually participating! I love watching the young ones, trying to teach the parental ones. That always makes me smile!

Swoosh.

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

Baby It's Cold Outside! + Art About Town: San Francisco "The Tulip"

"December's wintry breath is already clouding the pond, frosting the pane, obscuring summer's memory..."

~John Geddes

It rained on Friday night! It also rained in the wee early hours of Saturday morning! Snow had been predicted on and off all day Friday, and I really got my hopes up, but alas, there was NO snow come early Saturday morning. Well, at least, not where I live. In fact, you had to drive all the way down to Mount Hamilton to find snow, and that was at the very top of the mountain, at the Lick Observatory. 
Oh well. At least it cleaned the air, and made for an absolutely beautiful Saturday! Crossing the Bay Bridge into San Francisco, you could see forever! 

I was tempted to ask Alan if he wanted to head over to Marin County for the day, after we finished at the Embarcadero, but I was a bit tired, so we just made it an early afternoon and came home and cuddled. We don't get Saturdays together very often, but I talked him into playing hooky so we could play in the snow. When it didn't come, we decided to just go with Plan B. That's what this year has been all about you know, Plan B! LOL. But am I complaining? Well... yes... but I am also thanking my lucky stars! Life is just one long adventure! You just have to go with it!

Saturday December 7th, 2013

It's Not Autumn Yet!


The Embacadero Center


Embarcadero Center Ice Rink



Art About Town: San Francisco... "The Tulip" By John C. Portman


I love this sculpture. I photograph it every chance I get! It can be seen from all over the Embarcadero, while on the ferry and from Treasure/Yerba Buena Island. It stands three stories tall, and at night makes a lovely appearance outlined in tiny, clear lights. I have done posts about this sculpture before, but each year I have to revisit it and photograph it especially for the holidays! I only wish my photographs of it did it any real justice! It's breathtaking!

It was a good day! A crisp, bright, beautiful day, and time with the love of your life, what more can a girl ask for?

Mood: Very Happy!

~Me :)

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 :)

Who Needs Rockefeller Center?

"Too bad Lassie didn't know how to ice skate, because then if she was in Holland, on vacation, in winter, and someone said, "Lassie, go skate for help," she could do it."

-Jack Handy

I have been watching movies and TV shows for years that feature skating at Rockefeller Center, in New York City, and I would daydream about how beautiful it must be to see it in person. New York City is at the top of my wish list of places to see one day, I would especially like to spend the holiday season there sometime. I would like to see the Macy*s Thanksgiving Day Parade, and then the rest of the holiday celebrations throughout the season, finally bringing it all together by seeing the New Year come in while partying in Times Square. Romantic isn't it? Well, I am beginning to think that daydream won't be happening for me, but I am not too upset, because I think I have the next best thing right here. Holiday Ice Skating at Justin Herman Plaza on the Embarcadero, in San Francisco.

I don't know how to ice skate mind you, but I love watching the folks who do. The families, the couples on dates. Grandparents with the little ones. It is a nice vibe. You can't feel bad inside while watching them have fun. Happiness is contagious. I know of what I speak. For years and years I let ghost of Christmas past bring me down, which can be absolutely miserable for yourself and those around you. Finally, I pulled the chip off my shoulder, and removed the stick from my bum, and got on with the business of living happy. A few years ago, someone I loved, left my life at Christmas. I miss them so much sometimes, but life has gone on. I think of them at the holidays, and wish them love and happiness, and I spend a couple minutes in that reflection, then I move on. What else is there to do? Yes Mr November, sometimes I still miss you, but you were right... life will move you forward...

...And into the light if you are lucky enough to have the will to embrace it. "But how can I appreciate Christmas when it has been so commercialized?" Christmas hasn't been commercialized, that is a silly thing people say when they want to feel superior. Christmas is what you decide it is. Hanukkah is a celebration that everyone can participate in, Jewish or not. It's about miracles after all. New Year's Eve really doesn't have to come with pressure filled declarations of resolutions, it can simply be about the the chance to start over, with a better attitude. I think about these things while I watch the ice skaters at the Embarcadero. After all, I got up this morning, not everyone will be that lucky today. Life, and the holidays, are what you make of it, you can't expect others to fill the void you have, you have to make your own happiness. There I said it. ;)

Now... on with the skating...







The Gorgeous Tulip sculpture at Embarcadero Center. This is one of my favorite pieces of public art in the Bay Area. :)

If you need a bit of uplifting reading, I came across a different take on the old holiday classic, It's A Wonderful Life. The new approach concerns what it would be like if George Baily had Type 1 Diabetes. Go give it a read.

"If George Baily Had Type 1 Diabetes."
By Carey Potash ) dLife

-Carly
"Skating In The City"
Justin Herman Plaza
San Francisco, California
Saturday, December 20th, 2008
Late Afternoon/Early Evening

The Last Autumn Sunset Of 2008

"I didn't ask for it to be over, but then again, I never asked for it to begin. For that's the way it is with life, as some of the most beautiful days come completely by chance. But even the most beautiful days eventually have their sunsets."

-Unknown

Last September, just a few days before the seasons changed from summer to autumn, I was on the San Francisco peninsula, doing some photos along the coast. We had the most beautiful sunset that night, so, in that I knew I was going to be busy the rest of the week, I decided to stop in at the Point Montara Lighthouse photograph one of the last summer sunsets for the year. It was absolutely spectacular!

As most sunsets do, that one inspired me. I thought about maybe doing a last photograph of each seasons sunsets, if the weather permitted. It was looking like I was not going to be able to capture the last sunset of autumn, do to all the storms we have had recently, but yesterday was completely clear, absolutely gorgeous. Warm, sunny, and lovely start to finish. The weatherman said it would be the day to get all the last minute holiday deeds done, because it was going to last only one day, the last full day of autumn!

We have everything done, so we used the opportunity to go across the bay into the city, to watch the ice skaters at Justin Herman Plaza at the Embarcadero Center. December has been such a blink for us, that we hadn't had the chance to get over there until yesterday! Actually, the ice skating rink has been there since mid November, but as I said, time has just been a blink! I will share those photos after Christmas, this entry is all about the sunset, and how it looked from Treasure Island, facing back toward the Embarcadero. I love it during this time of year, with the buildings downtown outlined like packages! I love San Francisco. :)

The Last Summer Sunset Of 2008!

-Carly
"Last Sunset Of Autumn 2008"
Treasure Island
Oakland/San Francisco California
December 20th, 2008
Sunset

A Night Out With Alan

"I often think that the night is more alive and more richly colored than the day."

-Vincent Van Gogh

Alan and I had a date the other night. We date often, and I think it's one thing that has kept us young at heart. It's not really important where we go, or what we do, but it is important that we leave work, and the day to day details of life behind. No ranting about how completely stupid George Bush really is, and no ranting about how completely stupid Alan thinks George Bush really is either! LOL. Honestly, if you think I am bad, you should hear him rant sometime. LOL. He makes me laugh when he makes fun of Bush and Cheney, and when I laugh, down goes the blood sugar. Alan is good for me. :)

Anyway, back to the night out. We love going into San Francisco and exploring, but this time of year we actually haunt a couple of neighborhoods religiously. One of our favorite spots is Justin Herman Plaza. From early November through the end of December, there is the added attraction of the Holiday Ice Rink. Its fun to watch the skaters, mostly families sharing time together, having fun. :) It's life affirming. We usually watch from rink level, but this year we decided to also watch from the third level of the Embarcadero Center. It was cold, but it couldn't have been more fun.

Afterwards we walked around the plaza and did some window shopping, and a little dreaming I suppose. We talked about this Christmas, and how it is his year to make me breakfast in bed. I have earned it. I usually stay up all night, wrapping packages, and chatting with my best friend H. P. so it's kind of fun to make something delicious, and then climb into bed with Alan and have breakfast before he leaves for work. This year, however, Alan has the day off, so, I will probably still chat with H. P., but I will probably go to bed a little earlier then I usually do, and wake up a little later in the morning to a nice warm breakfast. :) I'm looking forward to that. :)

After we got the details for Christmas worked out, we made another date to comeback here in a couple weeks. We will probably do some shopping here, and then hop over to Union Square to do some night photography. All the decorations are up throughout of the city, so there are lots of opportunities to get in some time with the camera. I need a lot more practice with my night photography. It's really nice when he brings his camera along, honestly, he takes the most wonderful photographs. I wish he would start blogging again, but with his current schedule it would be difficult. Still, he may have to make a guest appearance here on Ellipsis. We'll see.

And now, into the night...

The San Francisco skyline, as seen from Treasure Island. All the buildings in the Embarcadero area is outlined to look like packages for the holidays. :) This photo really doesn't do the scene justice. :)

The view of the city looking south, toward Mission street.

The View from the third floor of the Embarcadero Center.

Beautiful, fun, and the it has the gorgeous Ferry Building in the background. :)

"The Tulip" is designed by artist, John C. Portman Jr. It is outlined in lights, and spans three stories. An amazing piece of art. One of my favorite pieces along the Embarcadero.

All decorated for the holidays, this over crossing is a lovely place to grab a sandwich and a hot beverage, and watch the world go by.

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-OndineMonet
"Skating In The City"
Embarcadero Center
Justin Herman Plaza
San Francisco, California
December 3, 2007
Early Evening