An Amazing Day at Montara Mountain in Pacifica

It was a typically cool June morning in San Francisco. Gene and I were up relatively early for a training hike for our Yosemite trip. Something close to home and spectacular was what I wanted. "California Hiking" gave this one a 10/10 for view with a degree of difficulty of 4/5. Perfect! And only 30 minutes from the Castro. The views and the flora/fauna lived up to the hype. Here's a view looking north and just slightly west toward the town of Pacifica. Mount Tam is in the background.




Can you make out the Tower on top of Twin peaks on the right side of the photograph and the towers of the Golden Gate Bridge somewhere in the middle?




Looking East toward the Bay:



As we neared Montara Mountain, several thistles were in bloom. The silvery stalks end in delicious magenta flowers that the bees were going wild over. The were drunk on the pollen.





















Above is the bee butt shot! To the right the bee appears submerged in the thistle.






And now for the art shot of the day:






And then there's the wild Douglas Iris:



This lizard let me get extremely close before it scuttled off, perhaps hoping its protective coloration would hide it from a potential large predator with a Pentax.




And now for the photograph that put a smile on my face. I have been photographing butterflies since I was in high school. I remember chasing a fickle monarch butterly in Owl Head Park. This one stayed put long enough for me to get perhaps the most gratifying shot of the year.

Turtle Count at Stow Lake in Golden Gate Park

It was a beautiful, clear day for a turtle count at Stow Lake. Turtles were basking in the warm sun, though this mammal was a bit cold in shorts and tee shirt.

This threesome looked like they were having a good time:




I spied two turtles hiding along the rocks just off the lake:




Toward the end of the outing, an unusual turtle, basking. Someone must have released this nonnative softshell turtle into the lake:

Gazing Toward the East

One of the great pleasures of my office in Hayes Valley is the small balcony that it opens onto and the views it affords. The War Memorial Opera House and City Hall form the background of this photograph on a rainy-end-of- April day.


Let the sun shine in later in the day:

















Looking due East, I see the wonderful reds of the buildings across from me. The faded white lettering advertises the Estrella Apartments. The area has a star theme with restaurants named Stellines, Della Stella. There was also the late Blue Star records, of blessed memory.






And as I work into the gloaming (always looking for an excuse to use that word), the sky takes on a wonderful hue.

Iron Woman of Hayes Valley

The transformation of Hayes Valley in San Francisco is almost complete with the arrival of a giant iron woman who has ensconced herself in the small park at the end of the Octavia Freeway. Captured in a pose of pure frustration, she questions the chaos of the universe. Where and how do we locate meaning?

Queen Charlotte Sound and the Kaikoura Coast

To continue the belated postings from New Zealand...

Gene, Paul and I flew to the South Island and enjoyed a great lunch at a winery near Nelson. What pleasure to be able to go wine tasting and then enjoy my favorite glass of Pinot Noir at lunch overlooking the vineyards. That evening we heard a contemporary classical music concert at church, featuring San Francisco guitarist, David Tannenbaum--we do indeed live in a global village.

The next day we headed south toward Queen Charlotte Sound, dealing with the now usual drama of trying to drive on the other side of the road. My favorite trick is turning on the windshield wipers when I really want to hit the turn signal.




A photograph of the Sound from a particularly scenic pull out, that also featured a short hike. The sound of cicadas was overwhelming, drowning out all out sounds--imagine a wall of insect sound.





Am I wearing a bathing suit? A quick stop at a local watering hole on the Pelorus River for a dunk.




And then on to the our three day trek on the Kaikoura Coast Trail, which was built by three farms along the coast who got together to organize a tramp through their properties. I call it backpacking light. We carried day packs and our food for the day, while our bags we transported from farm to farm for us. We stayed each night at the different farm.






The first day, we hiked over the coastal mountain range to the sea. The photograph above is looking north, taken from a rest hut, where we treated ourselves to tea and a nap (for some). We hiked through forest and then emerged into the rolling hills you see here.







Not a lot of flowers along the route, but this one caught my eye.




Our second day entailed a long hike along a rocky beach. Rough on my feet, but Gene was having a good time.







The sandstone cliffs were quite friable. Remarkable were "fossil" shells embedded in the rock. I picked up a small piece of one and put it in my backpack. It was dust by the time we got to the farm.


























Amazing what a little paint will do to touch up the flora!



Can you tell it's windy?




Our last look at the sea, before we headed back over the coastal range.

Rangitoto

Aside from its incarnation as a work of art, Rangitoto is a volcanic island, just off the coast of Auckland in New Zealand. It is a young soul: by the standards of islands, it is only 600 years old. I read that the Maori who were already living in New Zealand were awed at its creattion. Imagine a volcanic eruption creating land out of fire and sea.




This view is from the peak which we hiked up on a warm summer's day. Auckland is beautiful. Funny how cities can look calm through the haze of distance and blue skies.


The island is made entirely of black, jagged volcanic rock that was killer on my boots. I admit I am a klutz, but by the end of the hike, my soles were shredded.









Some people got tired on the hike and needed an afternoon nap. I hate naps. As AE Houseman wrote,

Clay lies still, but blood's a rover;
Breath's a ware that will not keep.
Up, lad; when the journey's over
There'll be time enough for sleep.

A Rainy Day in San Francisco

At last a weekend at home. And the rain was falling. I ate breakfast to the sound of rain splattering against the skylight in a darkened kitchen. Ah that "good to be inside, reading by the fire" feeling. I hope the Sierras get much needed snow. This print captures my rainy day mood today: the solitary hut, trees bare but just starting to bloom, the hope of a wet green spring and the heat of summer to come.

The woodblock print is by Shiro Kasamatsu, entitled Suenaga District in Rain, 1939.