California – Page 35

Locals Only

2013-Sep-04 adohertyh1 Comment

Biking on the beach, drinking brews, and hanging out to feel the last of the spring sun at Half Moon Bay.

Just down the seawall, “LOCALS ONLY” was painted in heavy, runny pink krylon on one of these same rocks. Who was at this beach? No one seemed a local, to me.

But even more, this slogan made me think on the nature of America in general, and California in particular. This state filled up with the folks who went west until there was no where else to go. Even now, they keep coming. Even these enormous rocks that make up the wall are not “locals,” but transplants, brought in to tame the sea.

Terminal Aquatic

2013-Aug-30 adohertyh1 Comment

From San Francisco’s Embarcadero, looking south a sunset, the water provides a gentle palette. (At least compared with the jagged edges of the office buildings against the smooth gradient of the almost-night sky.) My only regret is that the water could not have been a flawless, glassy mirror. Perhaps next time, I’ll settle for a longer exposure.

Berkeley’s Devil Z

2013-Aug-12 adohertyh6 Comments

Legendary tuned cars abound in manga and anime—the overpowered monsters in unassuming guise who reveal their true (horse)power in the last seven minutes of each episode. In at least two that jump to mind (Wangan Midnight and Shakotan Boogie), Datsun Z cars are the chief culprits.

This particular Z has been hanging out in Berkeley’s South Campus neighborhood as long as anyone can remember, delivering supplies to I.B.’s Hoagies. Each year, it’s modified a little further towards some ultimate form that exists in the mind of its owner. In the mean time, I love the idea of this rough style monster out on delivery service.

All in a Row

2013-Aug-062013-Aug-09 emceehammrLeave a comment

On the western edge of Cal’s campus (which is full of trees to begin with) sits this little grove of trees and benches commemorating the forestry club. The density of trees and the regularity of their positions creates this interesting corridor effect (even if there isn’t much to see on the other side).

San Francisco’s Red Towers

2013-Aug-05 adohertyh1 Comment

The eternally-damp shoreline of the San Francisco Bay is the fascinating meeting of quaint docks and maritime randomness with the aggressive mass of a full-scale city. Charming piers abut the grandiosity of the Financial District, and the result is a surreal and unique setting. Amid this hubbub, the Coit Tower and the Embarcadero stand out as red beacons.

Bright Pink Flowers

2013-Jul-23 emceehammr3 Comments

Captured in UC Berkeley’s botanical garden.

High Rises

2013-Jul-18 emceehammrLeave a comment

It’s quite pretty awe-inspiring to gaze up at the top floors of sky scrapers.

Berkeley Oranges

2013-Jul-16 emceehammr2 Comments

This one was also captured at the UC Berkeley Botanical gardens. There’s something just so refreshing about the way that oranges look on the tree. You can almost taste the juicy flesh just looking at the picture.

Forest Walkway

2013-Jul-11 emceehammrLeave a comment

Another one from Muir woods. Teeming with life, this shot pretty well sums up why I like walking through the forest, even on a grey day.

Street lit

2013-Jul-11 emceehammrLeave a comment

At dusk San Francisco seems most like a “big city.”

Another World with the Lights Out

2013-Jul-08 adohertyhLeave a comment

The night is normally an amber-bathed fry-cooker for my mind. On this particular night last fall, however, high temperatures and a local power outage changed the hues of the world to the red-and-blue-and-white of emergency lights.

Happy 4th! Pitcher Plant

2013-Jul-042013-Aug-16 emceehammrLeave a comment

I haven’t been posting as regularly as I’d like to recently (grad school has caught up with me recently) but since I have some time today I’ve got a double feature. This image was captured during the same outing to the UC botanical garden at Berkeley, this time in the orchid, fern, and carnivorous plant house. Keeping with the theme of the day, this also looks like some sort of crazy creature from a scifi movie.

Fiddle head

2013-Jul-04 emceehammr1 Comment

Ferns always remind me of my childhood and Berkeley seems to have so few. I grabbed this shot at he Berkeley botanical gardens. Looking at this curled up fern up close makes it look like some sort of crazy alien life form.

Hiding in the Plants

2013-Jul-03 adohertyh3 Comments

Having moved away from Berkeley, certain details of life in the quasi-city become more and more unbelievable. This particular abode seems to have been plucked from the pages of a fairy tale.

Hiking the West

2013-Jun-28 adohertyh1 Comment

Having recently spent a great deal of time hiking the forests of New England, the broad, grassy, and only sparsely forested hills of California are seeming more and more alien in my memory. With the fluffy intrusion of some low-lying clouds, the whole experience is rendered otherworldly.