Pouring My Art Out

Okay, you guessed it, I went to Yosemite… (with some disturbing photos of a smoldering California)…

Posted on August 24, 2018 by pouringmyartout

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I was only planning on doing a day trip, but I ended up staying over night.

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I took a lot of pictures. I have to think about how to present them, and which to post, because this is only the second post about this, and people are already bored.

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As promised, I woke up at 3:30 in the morning. I saw the sunrise long after I had left the Bay Area behind.

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The smoke in the air made the sunrise nice.

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I saw a lot of California, driving East. Miles of golden grass and oak trees…

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I stopped beside a lake.

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I saw a cute old house.

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I saw the coolest sign ever… I don’t know what kind of animal that is, but I want to pet it!

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I saw miles of dead trees from the California wildfires of years past.

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And I saw parts of the Ferguson fire that are still burning.

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They had to put signs along the highway saying not to report these fires, they already knew about them.

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Smoke in the background, burned ground in the foreground to the right.

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It was eerie and heartbreaking. Yosemite had just reopened. The East and Southeast entrances are still closed because of fires. The air reeked of smoke.

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These aren’t the biggest fires in California right now. The whole place is burning.

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As I made my way down into the valley, and it began to open up before me, I knew that smoke was going to play an important part in this story and the pictures I took.

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There would be none of the crystal-clear views you come to expect in Yosemite.

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And yet, the air did clear during parts of the day.

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And the fires had one good effect on my adventure. Yosemite was virtually deserted. Only people from other countries were there, people who had made reservations months or years in advance, and weren’t going to let the fires ruin a once-in-a-lifetime trip to this magical place. Yosemite is hard to do in summer. It is a traffic nightmare. You park and take the free shuttle buses.

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I never had trouble parking. I was on trails and in meadows with nobody in sight. If I wanted to park and pet a horse, or take a picture, I was always able to.

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And that was pretty incredible.

Posted in My travels, Pictures of me, Stories of my life | Tagged california, fires, humor, nature, Northern California, outdoors, photography, travel, wildfires, Yosemite | Leave a comment

Okay, try to guess where I went on my latest adventure… I will give you some hints…

Posted on August 23, 2018 by pouringmyartout

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There I am, smack-dab in the middle of… my most recent adventure. Try to guess where I went. Here are some more hints.

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The place I went has a river… and some streams.

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Some of these streams fall for quite a distance, so this place has waterfalls.

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This place has some rocks… really big rocks.

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There are deer in this place.

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There are also lots of trees there.

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There are some lovely meadows.

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If you are very lucky, you will see the sun hanging in the sky over this place.

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You might get to pet some horses… or even ride them, which I didn’t… if you are like me, and dogs, horses and babies like you.

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Sometimes the sun is not visible in this place, but do not panic, it is on its way back.

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Did I mention the really big rocks?

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There are also smaller rocks. Some of them are smooth, round, and wet.

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There are water ghosts there.

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There are places to have a picnic… and some huge crows.

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You might see some strange people there… because it is in Northern California.

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And if you are a stealth-ninja animal whisperer like me, you might see a bear!

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There is dead plant matter and small sand grains in the river…

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Which turns into squishy mud that you can sink your size-fifteen feet into… if you have feet that big… which I do…

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And did I mention the really big rocks?

Posted in dogs and other animals, My travels, Pictures of me, Stories of my life | Tagged art, bears, california, deer, horses, humor, nature, Northern California, outdoors, photography, travel, Yosemite | 2 Comments

Today, I traveled all around the world, and all I got you was a bunch of lousy flower pictures… part 5… the final chapter…

Posted on August 21, 2018 by pouringmyartout

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I know I am doing too many post today, and I am sorry, but I want to finish. Because I am going to try to wake up at 3:30 in the morning tomorrow, and go on a real adventure… just for you. So I am finishing up with the slower part of my vacation to visit my mom in the Bay Area for her 95th birthday, during which I have stayed close to home base.

I did see some cool stuff at this, the second of the two botanical gardens. Like… uh… that thing up there, whatever the heck it is.

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I saw vine-covered redwoods.

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I saw another lizard.

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I tried to take the perfect photo of sun-dappled moss.

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I saw jungle that reminded me of Maui.

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I saw delightful little waterfalls.

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I saw a little pagoda shrine in a shaft of sunlight.

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I saw this crazy gnarly tree.

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I broke out into the open and saw… wait… well, never mind, San Francisco is supposed to be over there across the bay, but the fog is still in the way.

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I saw bad cacti being kept in cages.

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I saw bamboo from above…

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I saw bamboo from below.

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I saw Japanese Maple that always reminds me of a pot plant.

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I saw flowers growing in the water…

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And I saw flowers growing over the water.

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And craziest of all, after all those trips to visit my daughter in Arizona without ever seeing more than one or two cacti blooming…

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I saw a bunch of those very same cacti…

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Blooming their spiky little asses off.

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Go figure.

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You have to laugh.

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And that brings this rather small adventure to an end. going full circle to this…

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A giant Saguaro cactus. Now that reminds me of Arizona, and visiting Jessica and her husband, Jason, who just moved to New York, you might recall, and that might lead to some new adventures when I can get time off to visit them there. Now, I will leave this garden, and who knows, on the way home… maybe…

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Nope. Still can’t see San Francisco.

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Not even with the zoom lens.

Okay, I probably won’t even be able to post at all tomorrow, but when I get back… watch out.

Posted in flowers | Tagged art, flowers, humor, nature, photography, plants, san francisco, san francisco bay area, travel | 3 Comments

Today, I traveled all around the world, and all I got you was a bunch of lousy flower pictures… part 4… now with no words typed in to interrupt your enjoyment of the pretty flower pictures!!!

Posted on August 21, 2018 by pouringmyartout

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Posted in flowers | Tagged flowers, humor, nature, photography | Leave a comment

Today, I traveled all around the world, and all I got you was a bunch of lousy flower pictures… part 3… starting with flesh-melting carnivorous flowers of doom!!!

Posted on August 21, 2018 by pouringmyartout

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Okay, the title might be a little over the top, but these pitcher plants do indeed lure insects into their vases, and then slowly dissolve them in a pool of digestive juices. We are now officially in the part of this series where I traveled all around the world… but first, a quick jump back in time…

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Because, to get here… to the garden of death… I had to drive a few miles. And that drive took me to some of my favorite spots in the Berkeley Hills, overlooking the Bay and San Francisco and the Golden Gate Bridge. You have all seen my sunset and city lights photos from here. I go there every time I come back to visit my mom.

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See, look at that stunning view of San Francisco!

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Okay, that one up there is an interesting tie-in with the past. Last summer, we came to the Bay Area to see the musical, Hamilton. On one of our city adventures, we rode that jet boat in the bay. While we were waiting in line, I spotted smoke way over on the other side of they bay, the side I grew up on. I said that it looked like it was burning near one of my favorite view spots. You can still see the burned part, right in the middle… sort of. Black stumps sticking out of the summer-browned grass. I know, I did a post about all this as it happened. I have pictures of the smoke, and we drove up here soon after and took better pictures than this.

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Whateverman. Is that the Scottish moors? No.

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But fog is such a part of the Bay Area.

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Now, back to the flowers.

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So many flowers.

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There really are flowers from all over the world… even in summer. I didn’t take a photo of each sign. Signs are boring.

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I did take a picture of this sign… just to tease you. I am not doing more rose photos, especially wrinkly old roses, even though I do now officially own a small squirt bottle to make fake dew drops the next time I do take rose pictures. I bought it, and put it in my camera bag.

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So, yeah… flowers.

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Look, I’m in Asia now!

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Sorry.

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I get distracted. No more words. Just flowers.

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Posted in flowers, My travels, Stories of my life | Tagged art, flowers, humor, nature, photography, san francisco, san francisco bay area, travel | 2 Comments

Today, I traveled all around the world, and all I got you was a bunch of lousy flower pictures… part 2… (including a picture of a rock that looks like Darth Vader)…

Posted on August 21, 2018 by pouringmyartout

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Okay, the title of this post is a total lie. First of all, I didn’t travel around the world today… that was yesterday now. Because it is the next morning. Also, this post contains not one single photo of a flower. This is finishing up the pictures from that first botanical garden I went to, that has only native Californian plants, and I shared all the flower ones yesterday. But the Darth Vader rock, I did not make that up… just wait for it.

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Once again, it is summer. The end of summer. Not the best time for flowers.

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Ooooh… a Spanish moss-covered branch!

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And an old wooden fence covered with lichen.

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There is still color, even when you can’t find a flower. Leaves, getting a jump on spring.

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Or the strange, muddy-red of a manzanita.

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But this post points out two things. First of all, when I was young, like most of us, I guess I took nature for granted. I had no idea these botanical gardens, so near to where I grew up, were so freekin’ big! I don’t think I ever made it all the way to the back of either one of them.

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I guess I got bored with nature, and wanted to move on.

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See, I found a rock that looks like Darth Vader!

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Cacti! That is the other thing that this garden highlights. California has everything! Snowy mountains, deserts, old growth redwood forests, beaches with swaying palm trees. And everything in between.

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See, there is a palm tree right there.

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Even this lizard seems enthralled bu the beauty.

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It was really almost magical.

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What do you know, there is a grove of Giant Sequoia in there.

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There are redwoods, and… uh… other trees.

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There is an entire hillside covered with majestic oaks.

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I walked a lot further than I thought I was going to yesterday.

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I found myself wishing that my daughters were both there.

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Okay, now we can move on to the other botanical garden, with plants from all over the world.

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Get ready for some more flowers!

Posted in Everything Else | Tagged art, california, humor, nature, outdoors, photography, travel, trees | Leave a comment

Today, I traveled all around the world, and all I got you was a bunch of lousy flower pictures… part 1…

Posted on August 20, 2018 by pouringmyartout

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Hey, I did the best I could.

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I didn’t actually travel around the entire world, but I did see plants from all around the world.

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I went to two very large botanical gardens today.

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Both are within just a few miles of my mom’s house in the Bay Area, the house where I grew up.

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The first one contains plants native to California.

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These photos, and the photos in the next post, are all from this botanical garden. Then, I have a bunch of photos from the other one, that has plants from around the world.

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I haven’t been to either park in years… decades…

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But considering the fact that it is summer, not spring, I found a lot of pretty flowers.

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I could go back in spring, but then you would have to look at like 5,000 flower photos.

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Most of you will probably get bored and wander off during this series anyway.

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Wait, those aren’t flowers… just red leaves. That belongs in part two.

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I know that not everyone loves flower pictures. But I just like to see if I can take really good photos of them. My dad used to take photos of flowers, back in the ‘cameras with film in them’ days.

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The intricacy of nature is endlessly fascinating to me. Some of these flowers are tiny. The interplay of light and shade is a balance to take into consideration.

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I really like the colors.

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Even the rather plain ones.

Posted in flowers, Pictures of me | Tagged art, flowers, humor, nature, photography | 11 Comments

A photograph of a naked lady…

Posted on August 20, 2018 by pouringmyartout

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Hey, don’t judge me, that is what those flowers are called. I am opposed to this. Here is why: I guarantee that at some point, it has either happened, or will at some time happen, that a male driver of a motor vehicle who does not know about these flowers, will be driving with someone in the passenger seat who does. That person will say; “Hey, look at the pretty naked ladies!”. Well, do any of you believe that no accident will ever be precipitated by this chain of events?

Posted in flowers, thinking about stuff | Tagged art, flowers, humor, naked ladies, photography | 4 Comments

A birthday party for Gonzo: A story with lots of dogs, and some other things, and also some words you are going to have to read, but I will put them between pictures of cute dogs, so it shouldn’t be too bad… part 4… the final chapter…

Posted on August 20, 2018 by pouringmyartout

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So, you know how I am sort of obsessed with trying to get the perfect picture of a dog shaking the water off themselves, with the drops being lit up by the sun like tiny jewels? Well, don’t get excited. I got close, once again, but not quite there.

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Well, I am now obsessed with trying to get the perfect photo of a dog catching a Frisbee.

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Once again, close, but not quite there.

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The water drop thing is the tricky part.

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The sun needs to be at just the right angle.

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Long haired dogs definitely are best for this project.

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But I am getting closer.

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So now, we bid adieu to my friend Gonzo, who turned 11. Here he is cleaning up after his cake was made.

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It really was an awesome birthday party. People of all ages and races, dogs of all sizes and breed. This is what I love about the Bay Area.

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There is Gonzo, on the right, and his buddy, Brutus. Once again, that cake is raw ground beef covered in cottage cheese. Yum!

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And I will tell you what.

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Every dog there licked their plate clean.

Posted in dogs and other animals | Tagged animals, art, dogs, humor, photography | 2 Comments

A birthday party for Gonzo: A story with lots of dogs, and some other things, and also some words you are going to have to read, but I will put them between pictures of cute dogs, so it shouldn’t be too bad… part 3…

Posted on August 20, 2018 by pouringmyartout

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You can see love when you look into a dog’s eyes.

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I know I have said this before, but don’t trust people if dogs, horses and babies don’t like them. Dogs, horses and babies love me.

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I think you can just make out the shape of the Golden Gate Bridge through the fog.

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San Francisco is just at home in the fog.

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One last gratuitous pelican picture.

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And a seagull. I just love a digital camera with a telephoto lens. I can take a picture of something small that is far away, crop all the extra blue sky, and it looks like I was close enough to pet a seagull.

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