Miscellaneous

(So, I had these two pics and no place to put them.)

 I would take my new Jeep out for a spin,

but, then I'd have to buy some insurance.

:-)

Percussion Time! (In a three-piece suit)

http://youtu.be/wgaD54YcXpA

(I can't seem to do easy links any more. My fault. So cut and paste if necessary. Tks.)
(Tried again Saturday morning.)

Which Was Wrong?

Three pics are of relatively recent man-made objects. Each was designed to be attractive.

As for me, I see humor in each. And, I wonder if Frank Gehry's work will be considered as poorly as the Edsel design now is.

Memories

Please forgive the lack of scale and the reprehensible color combinations but, guess what we found this weekend. Memories of warmth, anyone? :)

This Is Just Plain Fun!

http://twistedsifter.com/2011/08/20-clever-logos-with-hidden-symbolism/

Just click on cut & paste the link above and enjoy a few minutes of design magic.

BTW, if you have a Google toolbar up above, highlighting the URL will cause it automatically to show up in the search box on the G toolbar. Then simply click on "Search." Thank you, Google.

Slow Boat to Sitka

There are a few things to be learned from a luxury summer cruise to Alaska in 2011:

• Cruise life is sybaritic (and should be done at least once in one's life.)
• Alaska is a very big forested state with many islands.
• Alaska's economy, in the small, coastal towns we visited, is anemic.

That said, some memories:

 Let's see...Vancouver, Mandatory Abandon Ship Drill,

Hubbard Glacier (in the distance), Enjoying the Verandah, Ketchikan...

 Ketchikan downtown, Sitka downtown

And, after the cruise, on the deck on Lopez Island, WA.
Nice trip. Enjoyed by us both.
(Thanks for looking.)

San Francisco Summer Fog

That thing the fog does from William Couch on Vimeo.


The Fog is wonderful. I watch it most often flowing over the Oakland Hills to Orinda. This is the view from a roof in the City.Thanks to William Couch. 

Nostalgia

I do remember, foggily, those long-ago days.
(Do not fret. DW#1 pan fried Dover sole for dinner tonight. That got me to thinking.)

Golf is for Views

Rummaging through some files, and found the following:

This is the approach to the ninth hole at the Presidio Golf Course in San Francisco. The course opened to the public in about 2008.
Of architectural interest is, on the left, the Club House, which is on City land. In the middle, in the distance, is the Lone Mountain campus of the University of San Francisco. And, on the right, is the gorgeous tiled dome of Temple Emanu-el.
It's a memorable view, even if you miss a hole-in-one by six or seven strokes.

America's Cup 2013

San Francisco Bay is getting ready for the 2013 America's Cup. The course is inside the Bay, so there are many sites from which to view the races.
The following aerial map is taken from the preliminary environmental documents. Pick your place and set out your lawn chair early. (Click to expand.)

I thought it was interesting...

...and you might, also:

Getting Old Hurts

Haboob!

And here I thought these dust storms (haboob in Middle Eastern Arabic) occurred only over there in the vastness of the deserts. But, on Tuesday in Phoenix:


I'm impressed. Anyone want to buy a time-share in Scottsdale? Cheap price.

America

Earthquake, tsunami via Twitter

This is a fascinating study of Twitter traffic before, and just after the seismic event in Sendai, Japan:

How to Build an Automobile

Now this is how you build a car. Pres. Obama owns one or two auto factories, so he might learn from this:



Wow!

Scenes from Above

Here's what a camera might see when grabbed by a hungry seagull. Just what you'd expect, except for the stingy nips at the end:

Sutro Baths

Some of you who have driven West on Geary Street to the Pacific and the Cliff House (v. 3.2) may have parked in the lot overlooking the Sutro Baths. This is what they looked like back in the day:

Here's a bit of nostalgia from ABC7:

(Postmortum. Today, 6/25/11 I noticed that the clip from ABC7 TV has disappeared, or expired, or otherwise died, and Flash can't play it anymore. Soribouthat.)

Just wondering...

Don't have a bicycle, so I don't know. But, does every bicyclist have one of these? (No, not the seat!)

The Gap meets Beethoven

He's 3 years old, but the music is good. (Don't pick your nose, kid!)

Grand Rapids MI

GR is on the opposite side of the State in which I was born, but this is a long and friendly recitation of a well-known song by some of the folks there. You may enjoy it.

Classic Sinatra

I snagged these pix off the internet this morning. For those who have residual admiration for Frank Sinatra, they may be interesting:

Pacific Grove, California

Squeezed in between Monterey and Carmel, Pacific Grove is a friendly, old-California charmer of a small city. We are lucky to have friends with a condo in Pacific Grove. Golf between rain showers on the Pacific Grove Links (the poor-man's Pebble Beach,) dinner at the Sardine Factory, Monterey Aquarium, wine deep inside the Carmel Valley, all make for a pleasant few days.
Behold:

 The condo deck, bedrooms up above, ocean views throughout.

 Monterey Aquarium

 Our sea-going friends. DW#1 was really getting hungry.

Wine in the Carmel Valley Village

The Passage of Time (cont'd)

The subject is oft-pictured Alamo Square in San Francisco. Bounded on one side by Hyde Street, it's a feature on every Bay to Breakers footrace.
Early 21st Century:

Early 20th Century:

I find the contrasts interesting.

Split Decision

(I'm hoping that, politically, this one is right down the middle.)
Two views of President Obama's speech on the Middle East on Thursday:

Lighthouses

We had Pigeon Point up above a few days ago, in an enhanced picture taken on the one day of every year when the original Fresnel lens is lit. The lens was shipped around the Cape in the 1800s. A reminder (which can be expanded):

Here's another lighthouse, from somewhere in Michigan, if memory serves. It's just a guess, but I'd guess that the photo was taken during the Winter months:

Finally, a lighthouse that is almost all light. This is Pt. Bonita on the Coast in Marin County:

Just back from Vegas

only to find this in my pocket:

This may be a bit difficult to explain. Working on it.
(click to enlarge; then, destroy)

Time Passes; Things Grow

Of course I'm talking only about the roses on the rose arbor.

I can't tell . . .

. . .if these pics are real life or Photoshopped. Breathtaking, in either case.

(As always, click to enlarge.)

Please Do Not -

dress your infant as a taco, vegetarian or otherwise:

 

Thank you in advance. :)