Day 48 Firepit and Airport Statue

This is something that I don't take for granted in my wintery life: a firepit outside in February in a shopping mall, adding just a small amount of additional warmth even though it's 63 degrees; grass and cacti and plantlife. . .


Several people asked about the full statue, so I included this shot of it today. It looked to me like it was made out of brightly colored strips of paper, almost in a paper-mache type medium. Maybe this is what San Franciscans make when they can't build snowpeople??????

Day 47 : San Francisco Airport

This is amazing! This is artwork in the AIRPORT in San Francisco. I read somewhere about a person who came to the US from an impoverished area in India, landed at the airport, felt the air conditioning, drank clean water out of a fountain, looked around and said "You live in paradise and don't even know it!" I don't think anyone much noticed this statue, but after I started taking pictures of it, people started walking up to it and studying it. I should probably put the full photo up, but was particularly taken by the head, so wanted to post this.

I so hope I get a chance to visit San Francisco again, but in the meantime, I'll have to find "paradise" even in Grand Forks!

Shot in manual mode, ISO 400; hand held, exp 1/13, no flash, wb: shade, using my trusting 18-135 mm lens at 90 mm and f/5.6.

Day 46 Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentines Day, Everyone ! Love Quotes - WH Auden

“Will it come like a change in the weather?
Will its greeting be courteous or rough?
Will it alter my life altogether?
O tell me the truth about love.”

Palm trees, shot in manual mode, ISO 200, using a polarizing filter on my 18-135 lens at 28mm; exp 1/200; f/5.6; wb: sunny.


And this is a 2 page layout of photos from San Francisco, made for the JessicaSprague.com Now We're Rockin' class.

Thanks for looking! Even though I've returned physically from San Francisco, I haven't quite returned yet emotionally! (check my weather pixie!)

Day 45 More of San Francisco

The top photo is another photo of the Bay Bridge in San Francisco, shot at night, from way out on a dark, scary, pier, at Fisherman's Wharf. Both of these photos were shot in Auto mode, with my 18-135 mm lens, at 18mm, using the flash, 1 second exposure, f/3.5. I used a post for the bridge photo, which helped stabilize the camera. The bridge was at ISO 800.

The sculpture below was shot with the same settings, except ISO 400. Unfortunately, no post, so there's considerable blur in the photo, but I thought it was abstract and weird enough that a little blur wasn't going to totally do it in. I don't know much about this sculpture, other than that it was in some courtyard near where I exited the BART and was a bit lost as I looked for Fisherman's Wharf.

Neither of these photos were actually taken today. I'm back in Grand Forks, and it's pretty , um, white, outside right now.

Day 44: The winner is declared!

"At last the Dodo said, 'everybody has won, and all must have prizes.'" from Alice in Wonderland.
And the prizes were. . . . comfits! (Comfits are sweetened nuts!)

Well, dear friends, you are right! I was in San Francisco, a very beautiful city, and a photographer's dream city. Unfortunately, I had to spend much of the time at my hotel, but still, I did manage to get to Fisherman's Wharf one evening. So here is the obligatory photo of a trolley car! (which looks suspiciously like a bus to me!) But it really was Kari who was the first to suggest San Francisco, but everyone gets the prize: a truly great recipe for sweetened nuts:

Candied Nuts

1 lb walnuts, almonds or pecans
1 t vanilla
6 T milk
1 cup sugar
2 t cinnamon
1/4 t salt

Toast nuts for 8 minutes at 350 F.
In a small pot, stir sugar, milk & cinnamon until mixture reaches "soft ball" stage, 236 F. WATCH THIS CAREFULLY! Remove from heat, add vanilla, pour over nuts. Spread on wax paper and cool.


Straight out of the camera. Shot in Night mode; ISO 1600; exp: 1/15; f/4.0; 18-135 mm at 28 mm; wb: shade.


Levels adjusted; exposure increased.

Antique wash


Acid wash action.

For awhile, I won't be on theme, and my photos might not be taken on the day of my post (I'm back in Grand Forks now), but I LOVED being in San Francisco, and I'll want to post more of these photos. It was quite a challenge, the 2 1/2 hours I got to roam around and see touristy things; I took a shuttle, a bus, and then the trolley to get to this area, but I was determined to see more than my hotel, to feel AIR (outside air) that was super-heated to 50ish degrees, and to photograph more than just my little corner of the world. And strangely, very strangely, I missed being home in my frozen world. Very strange.

Day 43: I bet you know where I am now!

Well, I guess yesterday's clue wasn't as obvious as I thought. . . You'd probably have to live in this city to know of a city with giant heads rolling around in it! This famous bridge might make it more obvious. This was shot in manual mode through the windshield of a car that was going WAY too fast! I used my 18-135 mm lens at 52mm; f/11; exp 1/200, and with a polarizing lens. I sharpened and boosted color ever so slightly. If you don't guess the city, I'll give a much more obvious clue tomorrow! This is a wonderful city for photos, but sadly, I was mostly stuck in a hotel room near icky concrete, but did manage some photos every chance I had.

Day 42: Can you guess where I am?

Night programmed mode; 18-135 mm lens at 24mm; exp 1/1.6; f/4; ISO 400; Ren's defog and 20% glow. This should be a pretty substantial hint about where I'm at!

Day 41 Flat landscape, but NOT a wasteland!

Two views of Grand Forks from many feet up in the sky! I'm traveling, and will be back in GF soon with pictures of a completely different landscape! Thanks for all the wonderful comments; I'm being a bit of a slackard in commenting these 3 days while I travel, but will catch up when I get back. I know it'll sound strange, but even though it's wonderful and warm where I am, I'm even missing Grand Forks!

Day 40: Old Train Depot

This photo was shot in manual mode, using my 18-135mm lens at 50 mm; f/11; wb: sunny; ISO 200; exp 1/125. I ran the urban acid action on the top photo, and the photoblast demo b&w ezaction on the the bottom photo. This is a photo of an old train depot in town that has been converted to an office building

Day 39: Icicles

Not a daily sight, because there's signs of some melting! Shot in manual mode with 18-135 mm lens at 50 mm; f/11; ISO 200; wb sunny; exp 1/250.