There's snow every winter.

I heard somewhere that there was some snow on the pyramid. I've been to the Luxor casino several times and during Winter it's not unusual to have some snow in Las Vegas.

So what's the big deal?

Ah, #43

One #43 sent another #43 a note:

A note from George W. Bush (President #43) to Cade Foster. Foster was the Alabama field goal kicker who missed the uprights in the Alabama vs. Auburn game. His jersey was #43.

Thanksgiving 2013

I posted this display on the main www.winnacker.com/ page for Thanksgiving, but I was not satisfied with the definition, i.e. too blurry.
So, here it is again, in a format that anyone can click on and expand. There really are an awful lot of commercial airplanes in our skies, especially on the day before Thanksgiving.

Click and enjoy.
Later, I checked and found the U.K. on October 31, this year:

Seems, rather empty, no? But I don't know if the comparison is fair.
Finally, try a YouTube of world air traffic, and watch as the sun traverses the globe:

http://youtu.be/NNzTPfARdwQ

Fun!

I never thought...

Here it is, folks. The long-awaited 4th bore of the Caldecott Tunnel, the major artery between SF/Oakland and the teeming masses on the Eastern side of the Oakland Hills.

I didn't think I'd live long enough to actually see this thing, but it opens next week! It's really going to help Westbound traffic in the evening. Other times, other direction, not so much.

Finding a picture of a place you have visited/passed through many, many times over the years, and feeling the resultant twinge of nostalgia, is a good feeling. Today, Tuesday, just such a picture is posted to www.winnacker.com . It's from the little town of:

You know that feeling, don't you?

One more from Marin

The coastline at Marin County, where the continent meets the ocean. It's so close.

A bit more of the same (if you know what I mean.)

This photographer lives, and prowls, in Marin County, an incredibly beautiful corner of the Bay Area. He's a bit of a typical, naive political liberal (as are most folks who live in Marin) but his camera work is splendid.
Here then, from Donald Kinney, is...

More Ripples

(My title, not his)

Mt. Diablo

This beloved bump in the landscape of the Bay Area has become a favorite of ours since we moved to a house with a view of the mountain from our kitchen window.

On September 8, 2013 some errant sparks from a target shooting spree set some of the mountain's   grass on fire. And the burning grass soon set the shrubs on fire, and the burning shrubs set the trees on fire, and soon our mountain was on fire.

We watched the fire at night for three nights. The fire burned South along the Western flank, the turned East and burned that side. It was under control after two nights and finally out after five.

Diablo Magazine (www.diablomag.com) published the best photo of the fire that I have seen as their cover. It looks to me that it was taken from Walnut Creek, Pleasant Hill, or Concord.

Our modern times

Sometimes, the story of our lives.

Starry Night

Recall this? By Vincent Van Gogh?

 There it is. Upper right.

Nice painting, Vince. Way to go!

Weekend Idle Time

Good luck, friends.

:)

A bracing 50 m.p.h.!

Diddle around with the following and see the final development of sailing:

http://youtu.be/pRQJRhPg6J8

www.http://youtu.be/pRQJRhPg6J8

Bay Area Fog

Simon Christen has done a vimeo which I find pretty interesting. Our summer fog is indeed an object of beauty and wonder.

So, click, or cut, paste, whatever, and enjoy:

http://vimeo.com/simonchristen/adrift

Gordon Jenkins conducts

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=dJIN4-bPMto

Click, cut, paste, whatever. This is a charming 7-minute YouTube of Frank Sinatra in the recording studion with the Gordon Jenkins orchestra.

A beautiful song, typical of the time (ca. 1965) augmented by shop talk and comments.

You will enjoy. That's an order. I loved it. :)

Artemis!

There she is, at full speed, up on her foils.
San Francisco Bay today during practice rounds.
There may be no faster sailboats than this year's America's Cup boats.
Wow! :)

That's us! Up there in the sky.

That's Earth, as seen from behind Saturn. Do we live in an exciting time or what?

The Mighty have Fallen

Ford Motor Company, Detroit Michigan, 1913

Beautiful West Marin County

Donald Kinney is a photographer residing in Marin County and capturing its contrasting splendors daily at http://aphotoaday.blogspot.com. His lens travels from China Camp on San Pablo Bay, up and around Mt. Tamalpais, and down to the meadows and beaches at the edge of the continent.
Recently he posted a scene which perfectly typifies the character of Point Reyes and West Marin County.

Click to enlarge.

This, ladies and gentlemen, is important!

It's the first landing at sea of an RX-47 drone. Granted the seas were calm, but you have to start somewhere. This experimental craft was first waved off in a planned maneuver and then came around for a second, successful landing, catching the third wire.

You will be hearing much more about these things. Related: the useful life of U.S. aircraft carriers has just been extended greatly.

Stay tuned. . .

Definitely San Francisco

This is so absolutely descriptive, I could not resist.

Thanks to SFist, and to Google, Blue Bottle, Satyrs, Dolores or Bernal Park, etc., etc., etc.

In June???

I know; I know. California can always use more rain. But, in JUNE? Give me a break!

Our new neighborhood friends

Whilst on a brief visit to the Big Island and several time-sharing friends, we were led by necessity to leave our deer-protection fence open.

Bad idea.

DW#1 returned to a Saranap where all her rose and cosmos flowertops had been chewed off, her strawberries and tomatoes swallowed, and her gourds gone.

Large rats, some with antlers.











 

Just a picture

I get nostalgic every now and again.

:)

It's the real thing

Coca Cola's new advertisement for India and Pakistan:

http://youtu.be/ts_4vOUDImE

Cut and paste, and be impressed. I'll bet it sells a lot of Coke!

Memorial Day 2013

Now, listen to a few words from Johnny Cash:

http://youtu.be/mbbGi3mTjCo


(Just cut and paste)(One of these days, I'll learn how to embed.)

Building Faces IV

Unattractive cap, I guess. And, what's with the tongue?

Building Faces III

I know this one. It's "Louie," right?

Building Faces II

I don't know. Maybe an angry cat?

Building Faces

A chickadee?

Erosion is a Powerful Force

Grand canyon of the Colorado River cuts its way across the deserts of Arizona.

(Click to enlarge)

Walk-off Hits!

The Oakland Athletics have an endearing way of celebrating a game-winning hit::

Go A's!

Believe in Mass Transit

Travel together, whenever you can.

Golden Gate Bridge 50th

It bent in the middle. In 1987. Remember?

Boston Marathon

Sad. Watertown Massachusetts this afternoon.

Spring in Saranap!

It took awhile, and the weather is still a bit iffy, but DW#1's gardening is really paying off. Marvel with me:

Americas Cup update

Here's a shot of Emirates-New Zealand boat between trials off the coast at Naples, Italy.

Very colorful, with lots of sponsors. Whether it represents New Zealand, or the Emirates, I have no idea.

In any case, they deserve the brief rest between time trials.

Americas Cup 2013

As we approach the Americas Cup Race on San Francisco Bay later this year, we're starting to get some good pictures of the boats and their crews.

This is a shot of  "Artemis", one of the catamarans. I am totally captivated by the design of these boats and their resultant speeds. There will be, I guess, no faster wind-powered boats designed for many years.

Expect to see many more pictures here and @americascup on Twitter.

Sakura!

DW#1 gazes in wonderment at the cherry blossoms which today celebrated with blooms the anniversary of her birth.

Mighty impressive on this rainy, damp morning.