Red and White (but not specifically Swiss)

Details from the longest lasting flowers in a bouquet from earlier in the week.  The tie in to my new, red Switzerland hat was not planned.  

Pier 70 Building 12 interior (13 June 2026)

I'm so enamoured of the industrial exterior that I don't usually venture into Building 12, but I had friends I was giving a tour of Potrero Point to, and so we went inside.  There is currently a small-but-high-quality art exhibit of paintings by nearby artists with shipyard/shipping themes.

Scenes from a library (which is actually a bar)

What a nice, semi-secret room. 

Suddenly, Switzerland (13 June 2026)

I found myself saying Grüetzi! and wearing a red hat with a Swiss flag on it upon stumbling into the Qatar vs. Switzerland world cup soccer (football) viewing party at Parklab.  The Swiss hype booth (Swiss and hype not being words I ordinarily use together) was a happy surprise.

Scenes from the East Bay (earlier in June 2026)

The sunny weather has made it difficult to go inside to work when it is still cool in the mornings or in the evenings; midday, work is GREAT because it is air-conditioned!

These are two scenes from the eastern shore of the bay.  The Pelican is ENORMOUS.  The sailboat, the Lady J, was washed up onto the rocks a couple weeks ago, and remained in good shape - but without an obvious path back across the mud flats to open water.   A storm managed to relocate it, but also pushed water into its open interior...  It is sad to see such a nice little boat in this state. 

Embarcadero Center with great landscaping (earlier June 2026)

The Embarcadero Center, the massive office-and-hotel-and-outdoor-shopping complex that shapes part of the Financial District's skyline, has very thoughtful and colorful landscaping.  

Historically I recall the landscaping was simpler: there were many hanging vines from the planter boxes that were built into many of the structures, notably including the Hyatt Regency atrium.  The outdoor patios in the lower-rise shopping center have always had many green elements, but in recent years those have been refreshed pleasantly.  Succulents now dominate the rooftop patios, with a mix of blooming shrubs, colorful maples, and other small trees.

I worked on contract at a few law firms in or near the complex, and so spent time there decades [cough] ago.  I find the new landscaping quite appealing, along with the updated outdoor furniture.  It's a pleasant area to spend with some takeout food, an iced coffee, and/or a book on a warm day.

Along with the rest of the Financial District, which hasn't recovered from shifts in working patterns since the peak of the COVID pandemic nor from corporate landlord fantasy rents (a problem in the City that officials are reluctant to address), I'm hoping this area is lively again in the future. 

Polaroid Purple 600 Reclaimed

Every so often, Polaroid comes up with a use for its chemical byproducts, and the latest version of this oddly creative recycling effort is Polaroid Purple 600.  I'd describe this is a pink-to-pale-violet base with dark areas rendered in deep blue.   Since it is darker than something like Yellow Duotone (where the background is yellow and the tones are black), I sought out high contrast architecture for my testing, since nothing will be as bright as white.

This film is made for 600 cameras, but I wanted to shoot in my beloved SX-70 Sonar, so I put a new, neutral-density filter over the lens in a new holder.  This isn't how I usually do this: there is a neutral density film that I can insert on each film cartridge, but this should have been easier, theoretically.

I initially was afraid my package wasn't working - my first print was gray, then showed a faint image, then faded...  I read the instructions: it takes TEN TO FIFTEEN MINUTES for this particular emulsion to develop.  (Instant? [cough])  I found a lobby to sit in while I waited for the first images to develop out, so I could make some adjustments to my exposure going forward.  I did try a light exposure indoors, and that was my only failure today.  

The images turned out well.  The look is novel.  I hope it is more stable than most other new Polaroid emulsions are!

Faceted Reflections (6 June 2026)

The clouds eventually did arrive during my long and pleasant walk, and I loved what they did on the surface of this building. 

The Design Museum, London (May 2026)

My jet lag (the 8 hour time difference) is catching up with me, so I'll just say that I enjoyed the Design Museum again, including a special exhibit (not illustrated here) of designs by Nigo, the founder of A Bathing Ape, who has been involved in a range of western design houses, plus Simone Brewster's sculptures and patterns.  And the bookstore.  Always the bookstore.

There was more to this trip than my jetlag will allow me to describe, so I'll keep some of those details to myself for now.  Just know that London has lots of interesting ingredients! 

Kew Gardens: Some Flowers (May 2026)

The plant collection at Kew is delightful.  No, I didn't take detailed notes about what these are: I was too busy trying not to collapse from the heat.

The heat wave was a deterrent, but as I remarked to my cousin, the absence of ambulances parked outside suggested that it might be at least somewhat cool within the gardens.

I can pretend I'll use each of these for watercolor painting studies someday, though that remains unlikely.
 

Kew: A Fox (May 2026)

I was startled to encounter a fox in Kew Gardens while seeking sculptures in an exhibit.  There is a lot more going on with its tail than I expected.  (Having just read 'The Fox Wife.' I already had foxes on the brain...) 

Kew Gardens: Victorian Styled Steel (May 2026)

The last time I was at Kew, I think the upstairs balcony of this particular conservatory was closed, so I was too delighted to get to go up the spiral staircase and see the ceiling structures up close.

As someone who got an A in truss design, I was too thrilled to look at this ceiling.  As an added bonus, this was one of the temperate conservatories, so it wasn't as hot as other structures, and so I didn't fear collapsing from heat stress.
 

The Lloyds Building Looks both Futuristic and Dystopian (May 2026)

It's retro! It's punk! It's surely in the background of one of the many versions of Ghost in the Shell!  Richard Rogers apparently had a lot of mechanical feelings he needed to express in the design of this particular structure.  Goodness. 

Various walks along the Thames (May 2026)

I've walked along the Thames River in prior visits, primarily on the sidewalks of riverside streets.  This time around, I sought out the Thames River paths on both sides of the river, including the Queens Walk.  While these are often interrupted, portions of them offer car-free walks and riverside views atop the various reinforcements to the channel's artificial walls.  

These paths were especially pleasant for evening walks when the sun was low in the sky, offering mild releaf from the heat wave toasting Europe during my visit.  The paths were generally clean, had low lighting, offered entrances for many riverfront restaurants and businesses, and had others out walking as well.  Away from major landmarks like Tower Bridge (at top of this entry) and a venue with music where people were dancing, the paths were rarely crowded. 

The moon was out and visible at dusk, which made for a pleasant sky.

I hadn't seen beaches anywhere but near the Tate Modern before walking from that museum all the way to the ferry service to cross the river to Canary Wharf, yet there were many small, rocky/sandy beaches along the river's shores.  And so many quiet neighborhood streets, whose quiet hid what were surely very high prices.


 

The fancy sorts of poppies (May 2026)

There was a garden along the River Lea, and these poppies were in it.  So vivid!  So festive! 

East London and Stratford on the Line (May 2026)

While in East London and Stratford, I walked a sculpture path called The Line, which follows the Lea River and features large and small scale sculptures and parks.  The north end features Anish Kapoor's "ArcelorMittal Orbit," which is Britain's tallest sculpture (subject to change).  

The sculpture itself features the world's longest tube slide for humans, designed by sculptor  Carsten Höller.   I was interested in riding the slide, but didn't want to wait for an open time slot.  From the viewing platform up top, it looks like something from a festive nightmare.  I asked a woman who rode it if it was fun, and she said, "Yes, it was TERRIFYING." Which... isn't entirely an endorsement?

I took many photos of the sculptures along the route, but here is an amazing roof on an old mill, local graffiti, plus one sculpture (the tower), which all linger in my mind.

East London Royal Victoria Docks (May 2026)

Hello!  I'm back from a visit to London.  I'd previously been to this fun city four times for work during my global role glory days, plus once for fun to meet with a friend (who didn't arrive) pre-COVID, so this was my sixth visit and my first since COVID.  

My plans including meeting three pen pals (one well known to me, two new), taking long walks, going to museums, buying books, and dining.

My friend C booked our hotel we would share for the first three nights, though her flight was so delayed, she didn't arrive until the early hours Saturday.  She booked it in East London, which has undergone significant redevelopment from an industrial wharf to a new, fashionable district.  I was surrounded by new buildings, construction cranes, a futuristic City Hall, young men zipline waterskiing (!?!), and crowds in full costumes attending Comic Con!  It was a bit surreal, but I joked to a man in a cape that I'll just pretend London is always like this.

Lasers and pyramids (17 May 2026)

A photographer friend alerted me of an Art event: lasers shooting out from the Transamerica Pyramid building onto other local buildings, thanks to the Illuminate team.  He'd gone out to photograph them Saturday night, and the event was one weekend only, so I rushed out Sunday night with a Tripod and Instax Wide film to try my luck.

It was a lovely evening, and I encountered many friendly geared-up photographers on Pier 14, plus more spontaneous laser appreciators as I approached the pyramid from North Beach.

I stayed out far too late on a 'school night,' but it was worth it. :) 

Conservatory of Flowers, featuring Flowers and other Cool Plant Features (17 May 2026)

I don't get to the Conservatory of Flowers in Golden Gate Park often, but it is always a pleasant visit when I can go inside. The glass house once is the oldest surviving wooden glass conservatory in the US, and there is a philodendron over 110 years old within it, which I've wanted to show to my own philodendrons over the years as a way of providing them with a role model.

I visited to play with a specific novelty camera, but couldn't resist taking images of details that stood out to me.

 

Reflections, Filtered (7 May 2026)

I sometimes understand why people like filters.  Sincerely.