Glow SF Kickoff with Dancers

The pre-lighting event is festive!

I love that kids have no hesitation about dancing in public with people in LED costumes.  Adults should figure out how to retain this skill.

Kids should have fun, but not ALL of the fun!

My Cousin says that this costume reminds him of the aliens in The Abyss.  (Trust my dear Cousin to choose a good sci-fi reference!)

It was nice to see dancers and spectators having fun.

 

Holiday Lights

The usual, though the palm trees have fewer lights than usual, depriving me of my California-flaunting opportunities. 

Ferris from Afar

I saw this from a distance, and hoped it would be the sort that goes fast and makes visual swirls on film, but it is one of the more reasonable, sedate models.

SF Beneath Clouds

Little did I know when taking this photo, after discussing a bike trip down the California coast with a commute pal, featuring a long aside about historic tsunamis up in Crescent City, that we would be under a tsumani alert ourselves...  The danger passed, it was all fine (and we are on an inland bay), but it still felt quite EVENTFUL.

Nursery plants

My cousin needed some plants, and I got to ride along!  

Presidio in Sunshine 2/2

So many good shades of red today...  Also: now I know there is a food truck that serves tahu goreng, and I needed this info!

Presidio in Sunshine 1/2

 It is late November, but it got up into the 50s, and was a visually glorious day.

Autumn at the Pavillion

When I lived near Golden Gate Park, it felt like my backyard, so I almost posted that this is a scene from my backyard (the internets are gullible, I've read), but it felt wrong. 

Sunlit in Golden Gate Park

I was able to take off my puffy vest in the warm sunlight... and have well-lit subjects. 

Botany in color

Such great colors today...  Yes, it is late November, and yes we are so lucky. 

Autumn colors

The fact that it is turning red at a different speed in different parts of the tree makes it work for me. 

New Oil Pastels (24 Nov 2024)

I finally opened up the box of Kawachi Oil Pastels from Tokyo, and they are even creamier and dreamier than they look.  I haven't used oil pastels in years, but finally came to acccept that chalk ("soft") pastels are too dusty for me, and that oil is a better solution.  And these... they are SO GORGEOUS!

I need to get to know them, so I'm trying laying them on thick (left), laying them on thin in linear ways (bottom), and blending with my finger (top right).  Oooooooh, blending is so nice...  I'm afraid I'm going to have to take on several subjects (including recent, improbably colored sunsets!) once I have a feel for how to control these.  

Hot sky, cold morning (20 Nov 2024)

The glow was a bit too much for my phone sensors, but it really was volcano-themed. 

Mosaic Rooster (20 Nov 2024)

Look, a visual art form that I do not do!  This proves... something.

Festive, crisp evening (18 Nov 2024)

The heat lamps glowed hot... 

Colorful lunch (9 Nov 2024)

I have an easy time eating all the colors...  also, the food at La Mar is SO PRETTY. 

Colorful breakfast (9 Nov 2024)

the little colorful potatoes aren't half bad this year.  And they taste good with poblanos (because: what doesn't?).

Tuesday, a gorgeous autumn evening

 Yes, I swooned. 

Fun in Japan 2024 - Vegan and Vegetarian Food

I have dietary constraints, but I was able to eat very well, thanks to temple-style vegan restaurants, a rare Thai restaurant that served the same kind of Thai food we have in California (very vegetarian friendly!), and South Indian foods.  I'm not showing ALL of the meals (I'm omitting hotel breakfasts, snacks, and an AMAZING daal), but despite all the planning and patience required, I did eat well.

This concludes my 'top ten' themes, for the folks who want a peek but not to soak in my travel photos from this trip.

Fun in Kobe 2024 - Sorakuen Garden

I waded through nostalgia as I returned to this garden after a multi-decade gap.

It remains lovely, and well maintained.  Plus: it has autumn color!  And koi.

I sat in a little pavilion on top of a small hill, listening to the sound of a waterfall, and enjoying the views.  It was a satisfying, cooling, aesthetically pleasing visit.  I'm so glad I returned!  (I'm eager to see how my infrared images of this garden turn out...)