Uploads from Jill Clardy, tagged ca, with geodata

A Different Point of View

nobody@flickr.com (Jill Clardy) — Sat, 18 May 2013 23:11:00 -0700

The cat perched on the man's shoulder seemed about to leap off at any moment ! A stroll on the boardwalk at Pacific Beach in San Diego is great for people watching. You will see the weird, the wacky and the wonderful :)

Ancient Moai Relics - in San Diego !

nobody@flickr.com (Jill Clardy) — Sat, 18 May 2013 12:25:18 -0700

Jill Clardy posted a photo:

Grumpy looking guys, eh? Maybe they wish they were facing the beautiful Pacific Ocean rather than the tacky tourist shops on the boardwalk :)

No I'm not visiting Easter Island.... spotted these on the Pacific Beach Boardwalk in San Diego. Most people just walked by without noticing the clever sand sculptures!

Behold the Redwood

nobody@flickr.com (Jill Clardy) — Mon, 13 May 2013 16:53:48 -0700

Jill Clardy posted a photo:

Living in Redwood City, one might expect to see lots of redwood trees; unfortunately they were mostly logged out by the late 1800's. However in our neighborhood, they were planted in some of the common areas when it was landscaped in 1989 and they have already grown to a majestic size. Standing directly adjacent to a redwood and looking straight up gives you a great perspective - and makes you feel quite small. It's good to know that this tree will outlive me by many decades if left alone....

This meets the 365 Group theme of the week - unusual point of view.

Bounty of the Farmer's Market

nobody@flickr.com (Jill Clardy) — Sat, 11 May 2013 19:01:42 -0700

Jill Clardy posted a photo:

We made a quick trip to the downtown farmer's market today and picked up a few fresh veggies. The vendor told me that the purple garlic was the "best garlic in the world" so I bought 3 heads of garlic! I also got purple basil and a purple onion. What shall I make with all this red and purple bounty?

Victorious

nobody@flickr.com (Jill Clardy) — Sun, 24 Mar 2013 20:25:00 -0700

Jill Clardy posted a photo:

We watched the Stanford Women's Basketball team defeat Tulsa, 72-56. The score was tied at half-time, 24-24, and the Stanford girls stomped Tulsa in the 2nd period. Coach gave them a good talking-to in the locker room during half time ! In 26 seasons at Stanford, Coach Tara VanDerveer has earned an amazing 709-149 (.826) record.

Stanford will play Michigan on Tuesday night and we'll be at that game too.

This is the last day with the rental Canon 100-400mm L lens hanging from my neck, and I'm still undecided about which lens to rent for the trip....

A Day At the Tracks

nobody@flickr.com (Jill Clardy) — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 19:23:00 -0700

Jill Clardy posted a photo:

We visited Golden Gate Fields in Emeryville (near Berkeley) for the first time ever today, though we've passed right by the tracks many times. It is adjacent to the very busy highway 80 just north of San Francisco. It was a successful day, as we each bet $2 on every race, and came away with our initial stake and found $1 on the sidewalk on the way out :)

I rented the 100-400mm L lens to test it out and see if I want to rent it for our upcoming trip to Peru and Ecuador. I was really fighting the push-pull telescoping adjustment until I figured out how to adjust the tightness of the ring properly. I really put it through its paces today with nearly 300 photos of fast moving animals. The horses race at speeds up to 40 mph around the 1 mile oval track. Though many images were blurry, there were plenty of keepers, including this one. We spent most of our time up high in the Turf Club which has a great view of the entire track, but for this particular race we were down in the Winner's Circle standing right by the finish line.

I'm going to use the lens for 2 more days, but I think I'll have to make room for it in the travelling camera bag....

Street Photography #7 - The Boys on the Plaza

nobody@flickr.com (Jill Clardy) — Sat, 02 Mar 2013 16:24:35 -0800

Jill Clardy posted a photo:

After a week of mostly slim pickings for my street photography challenge in the 365 Group, I hit paydirt today ! I went to downtown Palo Alto where the streets are always busy on a weekend. The cloudy day made the lighting easier. The color is too good to do a B&W conversion on this one.

These kids were hanging out at the fountain and I think the older ones were threatening to push the little one into the water.

Some of my other favorites of the day follow - sorry I can only post them on the day they're taken !

Simply Delightful

nobody@flickr.com (Jill Clardy) — Sun, 24 Feb 2013 16:40:19 -0800

Jill Clardy posted a photo:

This one is for the flickr Friday group, from which images will be selected for a posting on the flickr blog. These cafe chairs at the Allied Arts Guild caught my eye due to the bright blue color and simple design.

A weekly theme is posted on Fridays, and images adhering to that theme must be taken and posted between Friday and Sunday at midnight to be considered. This week's theme is "Keep It Simple". Last week's theme was "When Night Falls" and here's the flickr blog post:

blog.flickr.net/en/2013/02/22/flickrfriday-when-night-falls/

www.flickr.com/groups/flickrfriday/

Diptych #6 - The Barn Woodshop at Allied Arts Guild

nobody@flickr.com (Jill Clardy) — Fri, 22 Feb 2013 16:12:00 -0800

Jill Clardy posted a photo:

I think it's safe to say that I have learned how to do diptychs in Adobe Photoshop CS6 ! The weekly challenge in the 365 group is forcing me to open up all my manuals for cameras, lighting, and software :)

Today, we went to Rubio's in Menlo Park for fish tacos. I had brought the camera, of course, in the never-ending pursuit of the daily picture, and took pictures of some of the decor in the restaurant and my tasty plate of shrimp tacos - just in case.

But then, we decided impulsively to visit the nearby Allied Arts Guild which I haven't been to in years. The gardens aren't fully in bloom yet, and some of the artisan's shops are closed on a quiet February day, but we stepped into "The Barn" Woodshop. What a trip back into history! The shop has been at this location for 84 years and is currently run by the grandson of the man who founded it. It's stuffed chock full of terrific old furniture pieces, mantels, cabinets, tables - all waiting to be bought and/or refurbished. They also have original vintage tools - we didn't see a modern bit of machinery in the place except for the smartphone that the man was using. It's truly a time capsule of vintage craftsmanship. Some of the tools and furniture details are shown below. I only had the 60mm macro lens with me so had to concentrate on the details.

Allied Arts Guild is run for the benefit of the Lucille Packard Children's Hospital at nearby Stanford University.

www.alliedartsguild.org/

San Francisco Skyline from Aboard the USS Hornet

nobody@flickr.com (Jill Clardy) — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 19:23:00 -0700

Jill Clardy posted a photo:

We visited the USS Hornet today, a retired U.S. navy aircraft carrier permanently moored in Alameda. Alameda was at one time a very busy Naval Air Station until it was closed in 1997. Redevelopment of the vast property seems to be stalled. Perhaps eventually homeowners will be able to enjoy this great view of the City across the Bay. When we came out onto the deck at the end of our tour, the city was completely obscured by fog.

Visiting on a drizzly midweek day was perfect timing as we had the ship almost to ourselves. It is chock full of interesting exhibits about not only life on a ship, but many of the other Essex class warships. We were guided through the engine room, mess halls and sick bay by a very enthusiastic and knowledgeable docent

The Hornet participated in important battles including the Doolittle Raid and the Battle of Midway and recovered the Apollo 11 crew and capsule. She was in service from 1943 to 1970.

www.uss-hornet.org/

Hearst Castle - La Cuesta Encantada

nobody@flickr.com (Jill Clardy) — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 18:32:09 -0800

Jill Clardy posted a photo:

While waiting for our bus to take us to the top of the hill for our tour of Hearst Castle we wandered around the grounds of the visitor center. The Castle crowns the hill with a breathtaking view of the surrounding hills and the Pacific Ocean. No wonder it is called the enchanted hill.

www.hearstcastle.org/

Napa Valley

nobody@flickr.com (Jill Clardy) — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 19:57:00 -0800

Jill Clardy posted a photo:

Viewed from the deck of the Miner Family Wine Tasting room. Before bud break in the spring, you can really appreciate the symmetry and geometry of the precisely laid out vineyards.

minerwines.com/

Beringer Rhine House, Napa Valley

nobody@flickr.com (Jill Clardy) — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 17:19:00 -0800

Jill Clardy posted a photo:

Beringer is the oldest winery in Napa Valley, and perhaps the best known too. They're famous for rich "big" cabernets and have won many awards. We stopped for a short visit at the house and grounds, though it was too early in the day to enjoy a wine tasting as we had just finished brunch. We did enjoy a nice chat with the tasting room attendant, since she had no other customers on a Monday morning, and we learned a lot about the different grapes and growing process.

From Hyde Street Pier

nobody@flickr.com (Jill Clardy) — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 18:40:30 -0800

Jill Clardy posted a photo:

I thought this rusty ancient tug boat made a dramatic foreground for the San Francisco city line above Ghirardelli Square. A weekday afternoon is definitely the best time to visit this place which is usually swarming with tourists.

It's a 1914 tug built in England and operated on the River Tyne. No idea how it ended up here !

www.nps.gov/safr/historyculture/eppleton-hall.htm

Street Photography #4 - Tulips, Tourists and Turbans

nobody@flickr.com (Jill Clardy) — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 18:26:00 -0800

Jill Clardy posted a photo:

Today was a great day for street photography ! I had a Groupon for lunch at Alioto's on San Francisco's Fisherman's Wharf, and after lunch we wandered along the wharf and over to Pier 39. It was a beautiful afternoon in the City, not too crowded. Most of the tourists were foreigners - I heard so many different languages that I couldn't identify them all. These 2 gentlemen (Sikhs?) seemed to be having a serious conversation among the souvenir shops and food vendors on Pier 39. They looked at me when I lifted the camera but I shifted over to photographing the tulips, then recomposed quickly just before pressing the shutter.

Fortunately I had the camera set at F22 just then, so had a deep DOF; otherwise the men would probably been out of focus since I had initially set focus on the tulips.

Street Photography #3 - Dog is My CoPilot

nobody@flickr.com (Jill Clardy) — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 18:05:00 -0800

Jill Clardy posted a photo:

Another less than satisfactory day of attempted street photography. It was so odd to drive down the main street in San Carlos and see nearly every parking space full, but still NO PEOPLE ! I think it's a post-apocalyptic world....

The only remotely interesting thing I saw is this guy pulling his dog behind him on the bike in a baby trailer. I saw him from across the street, but couldn't get in position quick enough to get a good POV.

Monterey Bay

nobody@flickr.com (Jill Clardy) — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 17:18:21 -0800

Jill Clardy posted a photo:

During the lulls between whale sightings on our whale watching cruise last month, we could admire the breathtaking scenery on Monterey Bay. It was a perfect winter day - blue sky, blue water, big puffy clouds, not too cold....

Street Photography #2 - At the Bus Stop

nobody@flickr.com (Jill Clardy) — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 16:49:29 -0800

Jill Clardy posted a photo:

B&W conversion seems to be the thing to do to make Street Photography look more gritty and real and interesting. There was NOTHING happening on the streets of suburban Menlo Park today, and no treatment is going to obscure that fact ! I wandered up and down both sides of Santa Cruz Avenue. Some shops are closed today, restaurants are empty, streets are deserted - looks like a holiday. At one point I saw an ambulance and thought of following him to see where he was going... :)

Some of my other attempts are shown below. I need to find somewhere tomorrow where people actually hang out! I think we'll head up to San Francisco later this week - that's definitely fruitful territory for street photography.

Street Photography #1 - What Is That Thing?

nobody@flickr.com (Jill Clardy) — Sun, 24 Feb 2013 16:24:26 -0800

Jill Clardy posted a photo:

The "Street Photography" weekly theme for the 365 group is challenging when you live in the suburbs...there is no one on the streets - people drive everywhere. When I backed my car out of the garage to leave, not a single person could be seen on my street.

So I went to Stanford Shopping Center in Palo Alto (yes Stanford University owns a shopping mall!) where you can always do some people watching, and I could carry my camera under the ruse of photographing their beautiful flower plantings. Technically, since it is private property, people photography is probably discouraged, but I see people there all the time photographing the flowers and their kids and each other.

I snapped a few of this guy with his tiny dog as he walked by, but couldn't really get a good image because he was walking quickly away from me. Later, as I strolled around the mall, I came across this scene where he was discussing his tiny dog with other shoppers. I thought it was amusing that this big burly guy had a tiny purse dog - it could probably sleep in his shoe! Clearly, he was very proud of her and had brought her to the mall to be noticed:) It is a very dog-friendly outdoor mall, and many merchants put dog water bowls outside their stores.

Some of my other attempts are shown below. I decided to carry the 50mm prime lens because it so small and unobtrusive.

Diptych #4 - Edgewood County Park Wildflowers

nobody@flickr.com (Jill Clardy) — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 16:28:00 -0800

Jill Clardy posted a photo:

Continuing with this week's theme of "Diptych" for the 365 group, I set out to visit Edgewood County Park this morning with the intent of capturing at least 2 different wildflowers. For the longest time, maybe 3 miles into the walk, I saw only the blue Hound's Tongue. Finally when I crested the hill and headed back into the shaded oaks, I found the Indian Warriors that grow beneath the oaks. It's still a bit early for wildflowers, and the peak bloom is expected in March.

It was a beautifully clear day, and when I crested the hill I gasped as I saw the ring of hills surrounding the south bay area dusted with snow from yesterday's cold storm.