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Bay Bridge Construction |
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Construction on the east span of the Oakland Bay Bridge as of December 24, 2010. Note that by using structural supports, the contractor can put the roadway sections in place while still working on the central suspension tower. The old cantilever bridge, still in use, is visible behind the new span. Taken from Treasure Island, San Francisco. |
Doggie Diner Heads |
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Someone parked a trailer with three of the iconic “Doggie Diner” heads on Treasure Island in San Francisco Bay over Christmas week. These heads were once perched above the restaurant’s signs all over the Bay Area. |
Industrial Buildings |
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You can tell it’s California when palm trees surround the equipment buildings on Treasure Island in the middle of San Francisco Bay. |
Cycle of Leaves |
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I found an interesting pattern of leaves on the tree and then along the walk in the backyard at dawn. |
Treasure Island Industrial |
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More on the interplay of structures, equipment, and foliage on Treasure Island. |
Civil War Reenactment at Fort Point |
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On Saturday, January 29, a group of Civil War reenactors held demonstrations of drill and equipment at Fort Point in San Francisco. Here are some photos. |
Civil War Reenactment at Fort Point - 2 |
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More photos from the demonstrations of Civil War-era soldiering held by reenactors at Fort Point in San Francisco on Saturday, January 29. |
Dog at the Pio Clementino |
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I found this charming scupture of a dog in the Vatican sculpture garden during a trip to Rome some years ago. He looks like he's waiting for a treat, doesn't he? |
San Francisco Conservatory of Flowers |
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Pictures of flowers—these orchids taken at the San Francisco Conservatory of Flowers several years ago—offer the hope of spring, even in the middle of a cold winter. |
San Francisco Conservatory of Flowers |
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More from the photos I took at the San Francisco Conservatory of Flowers several years ago. |
San Francisco Conservatory of Flowers |
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More from the photos I took at the San Francisco Conservatory of Flowers several years ago. |
Jousting at the Sonora Celtic Faire |
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The Celtic Faire in Sonora, California—now in its 25th year—offers full-contact jousting in body armor. Here are two photos, the first at initial contact and the second on follow through, with a potential unseating of the rider on the right. Note the piece of lance flying in the air. |
Blackhawk Auto Museum |
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Some years ago I took photos at the Blackhawk Automotive Museum in Northern California. This is a natural-light image of the Bugatti on display there. Pixels don’t do justice to the depths of the black and yellow of the paintwork. |
Blackhawk Auto Museum |
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Among my photos at the Blackhawk Automotive Museum in Northern California, I took natural-light images of two of the Alfa Romeo B.A.T.s—yes, Batmobiles—on display. |
Blackhawk Auto Museum |
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More photos at the Blackhawk Automotive Museum in Northern California. This handcrafted Hispano-Suiza has a body made of tulipwood. |
A Charming Elephant |
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On a visit to Rome, we found this charming elephant bearing an obelisk in front of the church of Santa Maria sopra Minerva. |
Carnival Mask |
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The subject of masks seems appropriate to a blog with a religious theme. Here I'm holding one of my favorites, a carnival mask from Venice worked in white glass. |
Stanhope Gig |
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On a recent visit to Ashville, North Carolina, we stopped at the Estes-Winn Memorial Automobile Museum. Their display includes this example of the Stanhope Gig, which seems to me a perfectly elegant way for two people to travel—companionably—by means of one horse. |
Wheels with Wooden Spokes |
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Shades of the horseless carriage! At the Estes-Winn Memorial Automobile Museum in Ashville, North Carolina, one of antique cars has actual wooden spokes in its wheels. |
Architecture of
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During a recent visit to Asheville, North Carolina, for a family reunion we toured the Biltmore Estate. It was built of stone in the French Renaissance style as the summer place of the Vanderbilt family starting in 1889. As they say, this is what God would do if He had the money. |
All Souls Cathedral
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On our visit in April to Asheville, North Carolina, we spent some quiet time in The Cathedral of All Souls at Biltmore Village. Built as the local church of the families who worked on the estate, it was a beautiful gift to the community by George Vanderbilt. At top is the chancel organ, and below the antiphonal organ over the main door. |
Stained Glass
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The memorials in stained glass at the entry door of The Cathedral of All Souls are particularly beautiful. The cathedral is in Biltmore Village, one of the attractions of Asheville, North Carolina. |
Fountain at Getty Villa |
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When we go to the Los Angeles area, we always try to visit the Getty Center and Getty Villa—to my mind, two of the most civilized places in the world. This photo is of the mosaic in the garden at the Getty Villa. |
Foxtrot Russian Sub in Long Beach |
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On a trip to the Los Angeles area, we were delighted to find a tour of the Russian Foxtrot-class submarine Scorpion alongside the Queen Mary in Long Beach. For a diesel-powered sub built in the 1970s, the interior arrangements and visible technology were strongly reminiscent of the World War II submarine USS Pampanito on display in San Francsico. At top is a closeup of the conning tower; below a view down the torpedo tube. |
Streetcars at the Railway Museum |
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At the Western Railway Museum in Rio Vista, California, we found examples of the streetcars that ran on the San Francisco streets (left) and on the East Bay's Key Route (right). |
More Streetcars at the Railway Museum |
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Here's another old streetcar—this one from San Jose—at the Western Railway Museum in Rio Vista, California. |
More from the Railway Museum |
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The Western Railway Museum in Rio Vista, California, also has many works in progress. Among them are these railroad coaches waiting to be restored. |
More from the Railway Museum |
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This locomotive is also waiting to be restored at the Western Railway Museum in Rio Vista, California. |
Military Vehicle Technology Foundation |
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Our wargaming group recently visited the Military Vehicle Technology Foundation in Portola Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula. The foundation maintains the Jacques Littlefield collection of armored vehicles—literally a life-size compendium of mechanized warfare in the 20th century. At top is a Russian-style tank captured from the Iraqi army, and below that a German Panther that was abandoned in a river for 50 years. |
Wind Surfing at Crissy Field |
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We recently spent the early afternoon at Crissy Field in San Francisco. I caught some videos of wind surfers sailing the breeze coming through the Golden Gate. Within an hour, the fog had closed in. |