When I was at my mom’s house, running around trying to take interesting pictures with my new camera, I knew that I wouldn’t actually be able to post the pictures until I got home. So I tried, in a post titled ‘foggy notion’, to explain why fog is such a part of the Bay Area, its moods, its ambience, its very essence. It is something you just have to grow up with to really appreciate. I would now like to take you on a photographic journey through the fog. This is not an overstatement, as you shall see in the next post, but just to set the mood, let’s start with some pictures of the fog from a distance, as it shifts and glides, seeking to make its smooth entrance into the City by the Bay.
Here is your humble guide for this journey…
Yes, there I am. So now, if you would be so good as to follow me, we shall begin our adventure. I may seem to be pointlessly gesturing at nothing in particular, but that is hardly the case. Nestled within that cottony blanket of fog is San Francisco. But San Francisco is a lady of mystery, and does not display her charms wantonly. She conspires with the fog, and is flirtatious, showing only what she wishes you to see. And the fog seems ever willing to do her bidding. When the lady beckons, the fog creeps close to her like a cat, to snuggle at her feet, or, like a lover, to wrap her in a blanket of soft silence…
Fog, like a cat, enjoys making a silent and yet dramatic entrance. One minute, it is not there, but you glance away, and when you turn back around, there it is. Sometimes the fog squeezes under and around the Golden Gate bridge, like a ghost tide coming in. But my favorite is when the fog rolls over the headlands like a tidal wave…
It never appears the same way twice, and it looks entirely different from each view point. When you are driving on the roads underneath the settling fog, it crashes over you with imposing and stately grace, and as if it were a real tidal wave, and your world seems to be swept away around you…
The city and the fog become involved in a romantic dance, moving slowly closer and closer until they seem to move as one…
Treasure Island is a great spot to watch this dance from…
To watch as stone and glass merge with air and water to become both more and less than they were before…
The fog is both makeup and evening gown, enhancing even as it covers the lady’s beauty…
And like any lovely lady, there is no bad angle to view San Francisco from…
She is entrancing from any distance…
The Berkeley marina offers marvellous views of the city. But the hills on that side of the bay can give vistas that will take your breath away…
But always bear in mind that the view you are seeing is going to change minute by minute. The light must play its role in any romance, to glitter and gleam and sparkle in eyes alight with passion, or to dim, and stir the fires of the soul…
Sunlight, in a way, does seem opposed to the love affair between city and fog. Like a jealous and protective father, it tries to chase away the fog, to burn through its tireless embrace of the city that it also loves. Often the sun will have its way, but not always. And I am okay with that…
Because even the battle between light and fog is something to behold…
And it sometimes looks as though their struggle has set fire to the city that they both seek to have for their own…
In the end, darkness comes, and puts an end to this ceaseless struggle. And the darkness has its own secret love affair with the city, covering her with radiant jewels made of the very light which it has driven away.
But those are pictures for another time…
Pouring My Art Out 
When compared to a bridge you don’t look so threatening.
Great pictures though. I think you captured San Fran well. I’ve never been, but I could feel the cold eerie breeze.
Oh, the West coast exists… just because you Easterners don’t think about it much. Come and visit. I will show you the sights.
My friend Alan will be there in October. He’s a minor celebrity. Dude’s got like 1500 Facebook friends.
They aren’t real friends…
Dear PMAO
Firstly, that’s one saucy city you’ve got there!
Secondly, I’ve gone straight; I hope you don’t mind, but I had to give up flogging your stuff because my Tom Cruise lookalike voice-over man left and stole my recording equipment.
I’ve moved on to flash fiction and the like; I thought maybe there were a few people in the world who don’t know about you, and they may find their way here through me…..just my little way of saying thank you.
Keep up the good work, and pop over only if you have the time.
Kind regards
Trenton Babbage.
Oh, man, the end of an era…
I could’a been a contender…
I was almost somebody…
Um… I had no idea all this stuff was going on over in the land where part of me went to die. There seems to be a host of posts, of which I have read narry a phennig’s worth…
My energy levels dropped when the prospect of trying out some proper writing would mean setting up another blog; in a roundabout way it was a tribute to you and the faith that elroy has in your writing………….did that work?
I have no idea. I am a computer moron. It isn’t that I don’t trust you, but it feels a little weird that there is a blog floating around that has the same name as mine… sort of…
Could you just explain it to me?
I wanted to see if I could write normally so wanted another blog with which to do it; I just grabbed this one; I should have checked with you first. I can stop if it’s weird; I’d much rather do that than offend/weird you out.
I don’t know if it bothers me or if it is the biggest honor I ever got. That’s sort of weird, isn’t it? I mean, maybe I am not smart enough to know if I should be worried or not. All your writing is superb, as always. And I guess it is sort of like free advertising, in an around about way. I suppose I should just leave it up to you. Just don’t make anybody really angry…
i’d only worry about angering you…..i’ll stop; i’ll move the stories to another blog so then there’s no confusion; i should’ve checked first…..i might find out if there’s a big notice i can put up maybe no matter which post people visit…sounds comploicated; i’ll move it
Well now I feel bad…
there’s no need; lapse of judgement on my behalf, i wasn’t thinking; no harm, no foul
sigh…
i don’t think i know what that one means….
I guess I don’t rally care if you change the name to ptotect the innocent. I am a little saddened by the fact that the thing that inpired its creation was an audio recording of one of my stories done by someone else. But it is funny. Your writing is awesome. No harm, no fould indeed. I will just have to work harder to inspire you to do more posts that lead people in my direction, just as soon as I am done with the silly photos.
i will change it; i’ll keep this one pure – it’ll take a few days though; though i don’t quite understand your saddened sentence?
No. Don’t worry about it. But if anyone asks what the title is all about, just tell them about me. I need all the help I can get.
Those were pretty good. I need to visit the west coast again one of these days. I’ve only been once, and that was on business so I didn’t see much of it. And that was at night.
Come on down… or over… or up… or whatever…
Good description, love the fog bank photos. The girls were good to you for Father’s day.
I am tempted to say they had to be, but yes. They were.