Art on Hyde

 Up top: the rear of the Orpheum Theater has a mural by eL Seed called "Chiaroscuro: Light Within the Shadows," (missionlocal.org) which has a partner mural within San Quentin.  

Bottom: neon sculpture by Kongkee titled "Taotie" on the east terrace of the Asian Art Museum.

Both pieces look great to pedestrians walking down Hyde toward Market Street.

Metal sail and government reflections

The big metal sail, and the reflections of an older federal building, give the shady, north side facade visual interest. 

2026 SF Cherry Blossom Festival

It's that time of year again, and even though I'm STILL recovering from this week's massive migraines, I braved the "cloudy" weather and went out to watch the parade.  

The parade is short (2 hours!), it has firetrucks and toy-like cars, it has popular dogs marching along with their owners, it features TAIKO DRUMMING (which I always love), and it features people in colorful costumes filling the street.  I'm a huge fan of the Yokakoi dance supergroup, made up of multiple teams that are so energetic and fill the street with sound, movement, and color.

The parade is so cheerful!

This is one of those especially festive days when I want to SHOUT the thing that everyone already knows, that  'I LOVE SF.'

The mikoshi (a portable Shinto shrine) looked amazing (and SUPER HEAVY), and the volunteers who carried it on their shoulders, packed closely together, did a great job.

(Somehow, while this was all going on, I did NOT have a headache!  What a nice break from that.)

Hydrangeas (18 April 2026)

Just looking at them is refreshing... 

Double Cherry Blossoms (18 April 2026)

SO PINK!  SO RUFFLED! 

Superb door hardware (18 April 2026)

Such a good door. 

Mikoshi blessing (18 April 2026)

I arrived in time to participate in the prayer to bless the mikoshi that will be in Sunday's parade, and for the safety and well-being of all who carry it, plus the community.  It was sweet.  (Also: great hats.) 

Hard Civic Surfaces (18 April 2026)

It was bright at Civic Center yesterday, despite the "cloudy" forecast (and updated yet inaccurate hourly conditions).  I liked looking at each of these. 

Three images of Robert Woodward's Peacock Fountain (nicknamed Dandelion Fountain)

Peacock Fountain by Robert Woodward is well-known in my family: my father photographed it extensively in black and white in my childhood, and his photographs hung in his parents' home.

I think of it fondly.  Embarcadero Center casts a long shadow over it, which makes taking well-lit photographs difficult.  I spent time sitting in the shade, waiting for the slot of sun between buildings 2 and 3 to light it.  My patience paid off.  While it was never FULLY lit by the narrow shaft of sun, it was lit well enough for me to photograph it to my satisfaction. 

Views in and Around Embarcadero Center

I had an elaborate discussion with my Cousin based on how NEW Louise Nevelson's 'Sky Tree' sculpture (the dark, shiny one) looks, before he concluded that it has been retreated (re-anodized?).  It looks so clean!  So new! I didn't recognize it, though I have images of one side of it in my archive. 

Levi Plaza

Designer Barbara Stauffacher Solomon has been such an influence in California!  Not just her amazing work at Sea Ranch, but also at SFMoMA, and now Levi Plaza.  

So many flowers!

I had expected rhododendrons, and there were some in their glory, but there were also many other glories.

Saturday in GGP

I stopped believing the weather forecast last year: this was supposed to be "cloudy" all day... 

Fast lights on an inky bay

Coming on the heels of long exposures of cars, I decided to create some long exposures of boats.  San Francisco Bay is VERY deep black at night, and there are some evening ferries that pass near a fishing pier, so I could get reasonably close to them before the bright lights of their piers flooded them.  So last night, after dinner, I grabbed my tripod and Lomo Instant Wide Glass camera (with fresh batteries!), and headed to that pier.

The way light scatters on the surface of the water, reflecting more brightly than their source shines directly, is quite interesting to me. 

This was a fun experiment, and I'm glad I tried it with bright, close boats rather than with more distant ships at night.

Echoes sculpture by night

The sculpture "Echoes - A Voice from Uncharted Waters" by Mathias Gmachl looks fabulous at night!  

(This installation is part of the Port of San Francisco's Big Art Loop.)

The Refreshed 'Bay Lights' are even brighter!

So bright! So vivid!  I'm delighted that the Bay Lights installation has returned, and looks so wonderful. 

Sunday Colors

I had big plans today, but by noon I realized it was too hot to stay outside.  But: there was a lot of color while I was out! 

Saturday Colors (28 March 2026)

It was bright once I left the foggy beach! 

No Kings 28 March 2026

 That combover costume is SUPERB!  Here are just a few favorite scenes.

Looking down at beaches, looking over batteries

There were a lot of people out, but it didn't feel or look crowded.