California, #3 of 3

post #425 -- am publishing this 425th weekly blog a whole day early! girls gone wild!

          On the last evening of my California visit, Liz showed me the area of Mill Valley which is made up entirely of house boats, a whole small village of them. I never even knew this place existed! We walked up and down all the piers, and I loved it!  Lots of color, lots of potted plants, lots of surprises....

       This photographer (me) malingers, while her friend leads the way....

cat serenity:

The whole time we were walking up and down the piers the tide was low: 

whimsy, again and again:

      At first, I assumed that this duck was a carving, with feathers placed around it, one more work of whimsy. But when I looked more closely (thank goodness I did) I saw breathing!  I assume someone worked hard to make the duck feel so welcome, though, of course, perhaps it was a breathing piece of art! I know that a bird will stay on a nest if there are eggs newly hatched, but, in any case, I was touched by the beauty of it all.

      The morning of my return home, it was raining as I took the wonderful bus at 7 a.m. from Mill Valley directly to the SF airport. This meant I crossed the Golden Gate Bridge en route, headed toward San Francisco and beyond. I had time to take this one photo, with my iPhone, while the bus was moving across the bridge. I couldn't believe how it turned out. I share these words about how it happened because it's such a thrill to capture one's emotions in a moment that unexpectedly presents itself. I was sad to leave, glad I had been able to come, so thankful for friends, and, always, grateful that I still love making photos. The seeing seems to help me make sense of so many things.

 

My plane from SF was delayed three times, so, essentially, I spent a day in the airport, and I didn't see my checked bag for a day and a half.  But, hey, my two planes were took off and landed safely, and the airline put many of us up in the Hilton Hotel across the road from the Chicago airport. I slept in a Murphy bed! with a great mattress! Once we actually were flying somewhere, I couldn't help taking photos of moments when sky, clouds,and light from the sun banded together.

     

A totally different look outside the next day on the way to Lexington:

A last note: I saw this large photo during my visit, in a restaurant in Ukiah, and I wanted to make some joke here about how I got slowed down by some construction problems getting across the bridge..... However, I realize that my humor might not make enough sense to share.  (Sometimes my humor doesn't make any sense, but other times..... ) Seriously this photo shows the Golden Gate Bridge under construction, in the 1930s. It was way ahead of its time, and it changed the whole region. Everyone, here's to adventures, every single one.

California, #2, more walking around

post #424
           I'm home again, where it's not yet fully spring, and these California blooms help with the waiting for flowers in Kentucky. I didn't take my heavier camera with me on this trip, so I did the best I could with what I had.
           I have 24 photos to share left -- too many for one post -- so I'll be having a third California post next Sunday.

 IN LIZ's TINY FRONT YARD:

mint to be....

a good year for lemons

also a good year for limes

plum blossoms

THE RED WOOD TREE:

extra close neighbor, long timer

seen through the sky window in the guest room

seen from the front yard

INSIDE THE ENTRANCE OF THE HOUSE, a genuine warm welcome -- from dolls that belonged to Liz's mother:

          I'll be forever grateful for the six day visit Liz and I had together. We've been friends for 55 years! I will post the remaining photos next week. (True confession: I traveled light, but I am still not fully unpacked.... )

on the road again

post #423
       Greetings from .... well, feel free to figure it out by looking carefully into the distance in the first photo for a famous landmark that exists nowhere else. I am riding in a bus from the airport.

         Roads and more roads are taking me to places I don't usually go. My good friend, Liz, knows where to walk on roads that go to the nearby Pacific Ocean.  (Ha, another clue!)

See, I really do have my friend with me, and here she is up close and personal with the cliffs at this beach.

        Everywhere we walk  -- beach or neighborhood  --  are flowers and blooming plants of all sorts along the way:

Roads even take us to the big city, so we could visit their well known museum of modern art.

Guess what -- photographers absolutely love to end up at a large exhibit of a "kindred spirit" photographer! Five rooms are filled with the work by Louis Stettner, whom I didn't know a thing about before this trip.

     Back out on the street, I see a familiar sign -- used in George Ella Lyon's autobiography for children because she remembers staying here as a child and loving the sound of the words Hotel Pickwick.

        Well, I hope the Golden Gate Bridge could be seen in the middle of the first picture, and, along with a couple of other clues, it's by now clear I am visiting in San Francisco. I haven't been here in a long time.

        I hope everyone has roads to explore at times in their lives. 

ice appreciation #2 -- now that spring is a mere week away

post #422
       

ice forming on the pond, last winter, at my house

another other moment of ice forming on the pond

The next two photos were posted on my blog a few years ago, but they are special. The photographer is JOHN FLAVELL. This is the same waterfall of last week's photos, but they were even more beautiful the day he was there.  I love the second photo, which shows a detail from the middle of the first photo. Magical. Thank you, John, for loving these woods of ours, and for sharing your views of this place.

 

creek ice, up close and personal

also along the creek

This photo was made by Rebecca --  the same waterfall, last week's version.

Please remember that if you click on any photo, they all line up like ducks at the bottom of the screen. If you then click on them one by one, they are seen larger and sharper. Enjoy!

I'm still looking for two more photos that I want to include in these two ice-themed posts. I hope to post them very soon.  I should make a sort of pun by including the fact that I'm trying NOT to have a melt down while looking for them......

Ice is nice when not on the roads or breaking branches.

post #421
           Slippery times. We are once again not getting the worst of the storm of the week, but it will be very cold for a few days. 
           I hope somehow everyone has at least seen some of the beauty outside. In case not, I've decided to post some ice photos, all made during the past 5 years. 
           I always am conscious of being privileged to have a warm, dry place at my home. 

Please note: Soon you will realize this post had to end rather abruptly because I can't get the space to expand. My apologies. I would rather post it now, however, and fix it later, or perhaps do a second post on this subject. 
           

It rarely happens that the top and the bottom of this frozen waterfall meet in the middle. Here is an example of making ends ALMOST meet. One time a friend and I heard a big crash on our way to "the big waterfall".  We surmised that the top section has simply fallen off all of a piece.

cliffs and rhododendrons

the white ribbons of frozen creeks

ice mystery in McCreary County, in southeastern Kentucky

delicate shapes for the moment

 

 

two glorious shapes from under the waterfall in the next photo

overhangs, along the creek

spray art

back up at the pond