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.

 

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.

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...

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).
 

Botanical Garden at Camellia Time

Collage 1: Top: Peach colored vireya rhododendron; red camellia
Middle: pink camellia detail, white camellia with red stripe; magnolia detail
Bottom row: red camellia, pink camellia

The camellias in my neighborhood have been blooming, and I finally got out to the San Francisco Botanical Garden (formerly known as the Arboretum, which it still also is!) to appreciate them.  While I was there, I was able to appreciate other plants as well!

Collage 2: Top: Agave (probably), red camellia, magnolia (tulip style)
Center: white camellia
Bottom: pink furry protea, euphorbia, two enormous tulips in pale and medium pink

Collage 3: Top: white rhododendron with hot pink markings, white camellia

Bottom: pink magnolia, yellow center detail of a protea shrub, pink spray of holly

Late Plum of Early Spring

The plums with purple leaves are supposed to bloom after those with pale green leaves, but SOMEONE didn't get the memo. 

Plums Say it is Spring

 The plums are rarely wrong on this topic. (Taken on Tuesday, Feb 8th.)

Spring springing

Plum and quince

Early February Botany

I was looking at plants during my walk today.  I am ALWAYS looking at plants!  

Without getting technical, these are: (top) magnolia, willow, eucalyptus; (middle row) rhododendron, plum, camellia; (bottom) acacia, camellia, plum (or really early cherry, but it should be plum based on the time of year). 

Spring in my neglected garden

Spring continues

I went outside to buy groceries earlier this week!  While sweating inside my mask, I spotted these irises, which are blooming happily, and not sweating under a mask at all.

Irises arrive late spring/early summer around here.

It was difficult to compose this image, because the irises and some native wildflowers sit in a deep drainage basin that helps prevent localized flooding near the base of my hill, but the basin also (unintentionally) collects plastic bags and discarded face masks.  'Lots of cropping happening here to eliminate those.  (Now is NOT the time to go touching discarded medical masks on the street for the sake of composition.)

Easter photo bouquet

These flower are in spring-like, happy, pagan Easter colors, and I enjoyed them in place of candy today (which I have been resisting, so there is none in the house). 

It feels good to see something bright and natural, and to enjoy it with enthusiasm...  Life is complicated for humans right now, due to unwise human behavior, and so little celebrations of being alive are appropriate.  Really, little celebrations of being alive are ALWAYS appropriate, there is just more to contrast that with right now...

Wishing everyone safe and healthy spring holidays!

Pink for late spring

Lilac time

At least, it is lilac time in my little microclimate.  Your local seasons may vary!

Ever grander wisteria

Every time I look at it, there is MORE of it...

Sunday morning in my garden

Last year, I had my yard violently cleared beyond what I intended (who tosses out potted plants from a patio when clearing overgrowth in yard??) in preparation for construction that... should have already been completed.  My yard was quite bare, which is giving me a chance to start over after construction (should that ever occur!).

The autumn rain pleased my established plants, and delighted many hidden seeds, which are eager for more rain.

I've been engaging in SF's Social Distancing experiment to prevent the rapid spread of coronavirus for two weeks, and wanted to spend some socially distant time outdoors, without venturing far from home.  A little time in the garden with a cup of hot sencha and my iPhone camera allowed me to appreciate the expanding vision of spring that my yard contains.

Top: tea tree (maybe Leptospermum scoparium), local alyssum, some kind of crocosmia
Middle: local flower (Fumaria capreolata!), euphorbia, camellia (likely japonica)
Botton: California poppy (Eschscholzia californica), wood sorrel (Oxalis stricta), camellia (Camellia japonica).

Plum time warp to earlier spring

The plum trees with purple leaves lost their blossoms in my neighborhood weeks ago, yet just over a mile to the west, in an adjacent neighborhood, I found one that was in the early stages of leafing out, and still had blossoms.

When we speak of microclimates in San Francisco, they are much smaller than you think they are, sometimes just a few blocks that are in a different season than the adjacent ones.

Wisteria (being more so)

The image posted earlier was just a warm up for this, I see now.