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. 

Duck family (1 May 2026)

I startled them by saying, "OOOOH!" too loudly. 

Two pale blue-green boats (27 April 2026)

 Boats come in so many shapes....

Ceiling (26 April 2026)

 The ceiling above Shiota's show was also vivid, but more geometric.

Blood and biology at Chiharu Shiota show (26 April 2026)

I work at a cancer medicine company, and some of the art by this artist, who was treated for a cancer, really resonated with me!

 

Tilted and Filtered Bridges (25 April 2026)

Being able to distort a view is a handy thing.  These were tilted in my phone, then filtered with "Shift."
 

Hydrangeas in a Vase

The blues really perked up once I trimmed their stems so they could absorb more water. 

Go Vals! (Valkyries vs Storm pre-season game 25 April 2026)

This is one of the most cheerful, family-friendly, women-friendly, diverse, feels-safe-bringing-the-baby-(with-sound-blocking-headphones) fandoms EVAH. 

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.