Sunny Southern California

The month started out beautifully with a trip down south to visit Corey’s mother and help her with taxes and other nuisances. Spring is late this year, but there were balmy evenings and flowers blooming around San Diego and Oceanside.

Mission Calla Lily

Oceanside Gentleman

Oceanside Harbor

Oceanside Sunset

San Francisco

Next, I went to San Francisco for a few days to take a Photography Class with Peter West Carey. I wanted to improve my technical skills and be more comfortable with camera controls. This was a good basic class and certainly helped me.

The weather was stormy that weekend, but there’s always something to see and do in the city by the bay.

Bay Bridge Blues

Pensive Photographer

Orchid Painting

Oakhurst Disaster

When I returned home on Monday, the storm had turned violent. High winds and snow wracked the area and wrecked trees and power poles. Yosemite National Park closed down and most of the homes in the mountain area were without power. I parked my car at the top of our road and tromped down almost a mile to get to our house. Corey’s car was bogged down in two feet of mud. Our house was cold and dark, but a fire blazing in the fireplace and candles soon remedied the situation. Shame we were running low on firewood…

After two days of camping out in our own house, we retreated to the comforts of a hotel down in Fresno. Ah, for the pleasure of a hot shower! Besides, there were bookstores to explore and enjoy the photography books while sipping hot tea. And of course, there were photos to take.

Calla Colors

When we returned home as the power returned, I pointed out that one of our poor pine trees was leaning precariously against one of the power lines. We called the power company to warn them, and eventually a man came out to see the situation for himself. He blanched at the tree smoking against the line, called their tree service, and turned off our power again.

It was late at night when the tree service actually came down to fix the problem in the drizzling dark. Not only did they free the wire from the tree, they made sure that the tree did not fall upon the cowshed in our field. Our power company, PG&E, really worked hard to repair the damage of the storm.

So this year, March came in like a lamb, and went out with a bang. It really was a mad month, indeed.

Somber Spring

You never know what to expect from the weather in San Francisco – the infamous fog can create cold gloom even in the middle of summer. The weekend was cool and blustery with clouds that strayed through the sky providing many moods to the sights and sounds of the city by the bay. It was a perfect opportunity for photography.

Here are my impressions of the beauty of Fisherman’s Wharf.

The Sights

Wharf at Night

Building Flag

Blue Mermaid

Sea Lion

The People

On the weekend, Fisherman’s Wharf is filled with tourists, street vendors, performers, and artists.

The Sax Player

Boudin Breadmaker

I had to stop at the bakery and have some clam chowder in a sourdough bread bowl. After all, the clam chowder and bay shrimp cocktails are part of the traditional ambiance for the Wharf.

Stavin Marvin

This street performer calls himself “Starvin Marvin” and is quick with a song or rhyming patter to entice donations. He’s been performing on the corner by Ghirardelli Square for years. His brash friendliness and warm smile light up even a foggy afternoon.

Artistic Approaches

Here are some artistic variations I made from my photographs.

Golden Gate

The Golden Gate bridge is one of the iconic images of San Francisco. Here’s a vision of the fog and the early morning fishermen on the breakwater with the bridge.

Bay Sailing

Sailboats dot the bay in front of Alcatraz Prison.

Sax Player Portrait

I loved this man’s face as well as the smooth tones he played with his saxophone.