Twelvemonth

A friend who likes to break us out of our SF habits took us down to plant-based restaurant Twelvemonth in Brisbane, on this gorgeously sunny day.  The space was pleasant; the food was pretty; the company was fun. 

24th Street BART Mural (refreshed)

I was afraid it would fade away, but it has recently been refreshed!  
 

Glam Window (Lan Jaenicke)

What shiny, lovely dresses...

 

Lady of Wheat and Snakes

Such an interesting wall, this is... 

Verticals

 

The tower (has birds nests in it)

And I watched the birds come and go...

 

M for Mission

 

Past Posters

 

Sunshine at Land’s End

 

Sunday the forecast delivered what it promised: sunshine. While it remained misty along the coast, it was clear enough for me to test some color transforming film, and to get plenty of exercise while admiring our local flowers and landscapes. 

Spring (springing) around town

The landscaping around town is enjoying the weather, which has been quite foggy and windy of late, and yet they still know it is spring.

These plants at Salesforce Transit Center's fourth floor rooftop garden are bursting with color.

Here at home, nasturtiums are brightening my walkway.

 

Lilac of the moment

I've seen it from the stairwell, but I finally went out to look at my lilac up close. 

Unnatural colors of the fun type

 

Reflection with subtle blues

The blues and tans in this are quite satisfying...

 

Geranium showing off

 

Violet radial

 What a color!

Verticals

All of my plans for the weekend were dependent upon sunny weather with sharp shadows.  Luckily for me, I left the house at 9am to follow an opening in the clouds.  Unluckily for me, that opening lasted less than two hours...  But I was happy to have even that!

Here's that garage at UCSF Mission Bay that I once described as where Darth Vader would park, and I meant that as a compliment.

 

Irresistible surface for texture fiends (Los Federales)

And Morphosis, the firm behind the design, made the other side of the building look COMPLETELY different...

Cherry Blossom Festival

I love cultural festivals!  The SF Cherry Blossom festival is lively, and the grand parade is colorful and accessible.

The Taiko drumming groups are fun, fabulous, and can be heard from great distances!  Their energy is impressive (and it's almost impossible not to move to their beats).

A friend is going to be in our local Carnaval parade in May, so it was fun to point out the success of this collection of dancers - how they fill the street with color, energy, and music.

The Cherry Blossom Court, resplendent in gorgeous kimonos as always... 
 

The Taro Mikoshi!  The volunteers carrying it were so amped up!  They are a small storm of energy as they carry the portable, sake-laden shrine down the street...

It was fun, as always!

Colors for a Bay Farm Island Flag

 

Self portrait (boots) with sunlight through the scaffold

I spent a lot of time looking at the different circles...  They are strangely satisfying. 

Narrow Building, Downtown San Francisco

 

Stern Stone Head

 

Yet another form of pink for spring

 

Bay FC

I went to my first soccer match, which was Bay Football Club versus Chicago.  It was... a lackluster game, without much control over the ball.

The best scores were by #14 for Chicago - she won me over by doing a full backflip and making it look effortless after her first goal.

Spring in the neighborhood (flowers)

Usually I can name all of the flowers, but most of these are not local, so... Definitely a California Poppy in the upper right, likely scabiosa in the lower left, and some succulent in yellow.  The others... 

Spring on the north side of town (flowers)

The COLORS!
 

Gorgeous Day, Presidio National Park (again)

I returned to the northeastern edge of SF today.  I used up a new roll of film AND the last of my very-expired 120 film, had fabulous tacos from a truck that was generous with guacamole (El Fuego), and marveled that I get to live in this city.

 I usually shoot the Presidio in monochrome, but yes, the reds to call to me.

Lovely head of metal

This is the head of a very tall sculpture that has been installed at the head/foot of Market Street - it's at least four stories high - and now that you can't see the head up close (because: height), I want to share that it is gorgeous!  Look at the eyelashes!  Look at the hair!  It's really quite lovely.

Pale yellow ice plant flower (07 April 2025)

So cheerful!
 

Giant Echium Variety Pack (07 April 2025)

Giant echium make such great landscape STATEMENTS, and do so well along the SF bay's shore...

 

Spring at Presidio National Park (06 April 2025)

I have cameras to test and expired film to play with, so I went out to San Francisco's own Presidio National Park to enjoy all that it has to offer.

I remain impressed by the development of the park facilities over the freeway: the "Tunnel Tops" area has been turned into a very popular, very attractive destination in its own right.

The landscaping looks AMAZING this time of year, and I am still stunned by the novelty of pincushion protea that aren't blooming symmetrically.  (How?  Why?)

People enjoy the Main Post lawn and those wild, bright red chairs (which also make for vibrant photos). The lawn is giving the illusion of not being crowded because everyone has someone in line at a food truck (outside the boundaries of the image).

I wanted to compare my trusty Yashicamat 124g to the experience I'd had the previous day in a much larger Mamiya, and so took the time to shoot with it to compare.  Both require some work in loading and unloading, and I MADE MISTAKES out of old habits that I didn't even realize I retained (such as loading the film to the 220 mark, even though 220 film isn't even made now!).

 I had a great time, and will be back to test other film soon...

Golden State's Own Poppies

Clusters of California poppies are appearing nearly everywhere after recent rains: they are so vividly cheerful!

Dusky pinks and yellows

Small signs of warmer weather in my neighborhood. 

18th Street painted plants

 

Saturday Teals

 There was more than one color of the day, but teal was definitely on the list.

2025 Tokyo Highlights: Returning Home

I took some photos to celebrate my trip home on a very long Sunday.  I had a full Sunday in Tokyo, with my flight leaving at nearly 10pm, but crossed the date line on the way home, and arrived at Sunday mid-afternoon in San Francisco.  

I'm still not fully healthy (and long flights don't help!), and will manage my return to work as carefully as I can.

2025 Tokyo Highlights: Camellias and More

There were signs of spring beyond the cherry blossoms!  Great camellias abounded.  Plus whatever this gorgeous white flowering shrub is (spotted in the Imperial Palace East Gardens).
 

2025 Tokyo Highlights: Hie Shrine

This was my first visit to the Hie Shrine.  I had already bought all the charms that exist (at Meiji Jingu), so I didn't shop here, but enjoyed this shrine complex atop a hill, surrounded by highrises.