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...)

Fun in Kobe 2024 - Waterfalls and Emerald Streams

Nunobiki Falls called to me, so I took a cable car up to a local decorative garden, and then hiked to it.  This was a long hike with few other people around, and signage only in Japanese for most of the route.  I was concerned I was lost, but it turns out there is an all-uphill route that visitors favor, while I had chosen the long downhill route.

It is LOVELY.  And the color of the water that goes to Kobe for drinking is GORGEOUS. 

Fun in Tokyo 2024 - Matcha and Wagashi

I was able to enjoy hot matcha with wagashi, a traditional rice-based sweet, in a building on a decorative pond.  It was tasty! It was seasonally decorated! It was... really pleasant.

Fun in Tokyo 2024 - Tokyo Ramen Street

As a religious vegetarian with gluten intolerance, I felt very left-out about the stretch of Tokyo Station dedicated to ramen, that special noodle dish written in foreign characters (but which we think of as exclusively Japanese).  However, vegans recommended a place that wasn't on the Tokyo Station Navi app called Soranoiro Nippon, and I eventually found it!  It has gluten-free brown rice noodles, which can be added to their vegan tan-tan noodle soup.  The soup itself isn't entirely gluten-free, but my condition allows for some minor, incidental gluten, so I went for it.  It was superb - I have no regrets!

Fun in Tokyo 2024 - Lotus Ponds and Temples

There is a famous pond filled with giant lotus plants, and...  I have finally visited it!  And had a chance to see the cool temple that sits within it.

Shinobazuno pond was all I'd hoped for.  And the temple is grand, as well!

Fun in Tokyo 2024 - Art Supply Heavens

Pigment Tokyo is a temple to color, and I was able to visit this famous shop, purchase pigments I want to turn into paints, and wallow in the joy that comes from having countless choices that run the full length of the store.

P.S.  I should show that, shouldn't I?  I'll add one more photo here:

(See what I mean?  And yes, I lost my mind in the best sense.)

I also made a special trip out to Kawachi Art Supplies, where I met the owner in her home studio (downstairs in the building at center bottom), got to see where she makes oil pastels by hand, and purchase a set of them.

  The colors are gorgeous! And the texture is so buttery...  I'm giddy to use these.