No stories – just nice angles.

So, I plan to learn more about technical issues like white balance, better use of flash, better use of tripod, experimenting with depth of field, night shots, and intentional blur (motion).  I know how to do all of these things but had gotten lazy about actually incorporating them into pics.  I had just become a snapshooter with some good equipment.  Now I am going to learn to use the equipment to the max!  I also intend to do a better job of post processing as up to now I have been taking the easy route with light adjustments through picasa.  Time to learn to process raw and use photo shop the way they were intended.

However, the quality and composition of my pics aren’t up to the others I would like to emulate, but here are some I did while running around the city in the last few days trying to pay more attention to technical issues.

Watching the Lowe’s project continuing to rise.

The bottom of the bolts that hold the walls up.

The brace above the anchor.

Bracing and the plumb line to line up the forms.

Rebar that will support the floor.

High noon at the palace of fine art.

Palace of Fine Arts under a big sky.

The Roman ladies draped over the columns.

Can you say depth of field?

We all take too many pics of flowers, but they are so beautiful!

Some Shiva Goddess in front of City Hall.

Her head.

City Hall silhouetted by sunset.

USF is a major school surrounded by many busy streets.  McAllister St. is a major street starting way downtown and ending  just around USF.  However, this block between Stanyan and Parker is right beside the school and has a great collection of little Victorians on it.  Some are even owned by the school that they use or rent to their faculty or VIPs.  So I was out driving between errands and suddenly realized I was right there.  Whip out the camera for a few quick shots – a little cloudy – and back on the errand run.

Check these out.  Just a sample.  There are more quaint houses there and even more on the surrounding blocks hold many others but not all as well maintained.

Here’s another pic from Yosemite.  Now you know how people can come to imagine God is watching over Half Dome?

First of all, I LOVE the Exploratorium.  There are terrific exhibits and experiments for kids of all ages.  It is lots of fun for middle school age kids who have a science curiosity (and their parents) but there is something for everyone.

Secondly, for each night event there is a theme with special exhibits and entertainment related to it.  The one I went to was on geometry so had exhibits on torus figures, origami, stacking unusual shapes, mobius strips, Klein bottles and interesting figures in topology that I had no idea how they were made.  There were also large structures that people could climb on and through.  Lots of fun and mental stimulation.

Then, there was an aerial display – a ribbon acrobat, a duet on an aerial hoop, and a guy balancing a huge metal cube while hanging in the air.  Really an excellent event.

Pics show the story.

I’ll be there next month when a burning man organizer talks about temporary and vagabond communities.  What can those displays be???

We did EAT a lot.  Each wedding had a 9 course dinner for starters, and the BBQ had lots of meat and beer, and we wound down with a “simple” dinner at Tangerine Monday evening.   Whew!  Need to do some double workouts.

People rarely read the sources like the Declaration, the Constitution, the actual words of a contract, the text of a court case, even the bible, but they should.  Many people spout off a phrase here and there, and some of those are even wrong, misquoted, or taken from some other source.

If a dispute arises you MUST go back to the actual language (and in legal cases the other relevant cases interpreting the original) to determine your rights and obligations.  Sounds kind of lawyerly, doesn’t it?  Of course, intelligent minds will differ in their interpretations sometimes…

Now I’m off to my nephew’s back yard BBQ to eat burned meat like any other red blooded American.  In case there is any doubt, I am VERY happy and proud to be an American.  Happy Fourth!

And, as often happens on camping trips, we had Ron & Mary join us for a few days so had some fun visiting times, too.

Best way to see the pics is to go to the web album rather than me re-post here.

Enjoy!

http://picasaweb.google.com/photobugMK/YosemiteCanon#

Way back 9 days ago (last Sunday) Cory & Devon came to visit so we ate, played w/ a new portable tunnel in the living room, and went for a walk in the park.  Devon likes the dirt and sticks better than the plants, I think.

Then it was on to overeating.  First the Red Cross lunch on top of the Merchant’s Exchange building.  Then lunch with life long friends at Harding Park golf club where they do hold major tournaments – including Tiger Woods, even.  (Side note:  Lisa at that lunch had her wedding reception at the Merchant’s Exchange building  5 yrs. ago.  Coincidence?)  Same day – Sr. Gladys had a certificate for Credo… so we had to spend it.

Saturday nite – bonfire on the beach.  Perfect weather.  You can’t count on that too often at Ocean Beach.  Sunday – visit San Mateo’s Japanese Garden.  Take the accelerated tour below.

Life will only slow a little for a short while.  But that’s what makes life interesting.

We enjoyed seeing various friends and family, then on the active front I went to San Francisco’s Carnaval Sunday both to look and to take some pictures.  My overall opinion is that it is not as vibrant or exciting as it was a few years ago.  Don’t know why.  It’s not bad…  just not as good as it was.  And it never was like Mardi Gras or Rio’s Carnaval.   A good celebration for the Mission district, though.  More pics here.

Then we went to lunch with P’s brother on Monday and after went on a short, impromptu walk along Candlestick Point.  Not an area we think of going to all that often even though it is nearby, but there were lots of picnickers, walkers, kids near the water (too cold to swim), fishermen/women/kids, and of course, windsurfers.  This is a popular sailing site when it is windy, which it usually is in the spring and summer.  I sailed here often in my windsurfing days if Chrissy Field was foggy or short of wind so this visit was nicely nostalgic.  Set of pics here.

Hope you had a great 3 day weekend, too.  But remember why we have it – to remember our soldiers.  They do not get to pick which wars they get sent to, but they go when called.  Support them, but write your politicians when the soldiers are sent to wage war you think shouldn’t happen.