It’s an unlikely title, I realize, for a girl born and raised during the Second Wave of feminism . . . in the hashish-a-plenty streets of Amsterdam . . . with an insomniac artist for a mom who developed algae foods for astronauts and read her babies chemistry homework as bedtime stories. Helen Gurley Brown…
Dragonfly or Damselfly? A Few Clues
Re-posted from last year — in tribute to burgeoning life on the springtime pond. In this melee of global strife and catastrophe, there’s at least one thing you can know for sure: dragonfly or damselfly. I blame the awesome macro of my telephoto lens for this post. I went to UC Berkeley Botanical Garden for…
The Ravens of Ocean Beach
With onshore winds, Ocean Beach is my favorite place to photograph ravens. Along the Great Highway, these feathered balls of onyx launch into the wind like superheroes, hovering over the beach below with tails trailing like capes. I had some time to kill after an appointment in the Sunset. I grabbed my camera and headed…
The Saucy Sailor Boy
I have a weakness for bad lyrics, and 18th century sea chanties like The Saucy Sailor Boy probably take the prize. If you live here in San Francisco, you can take the kids (or just your own self) to Hyde Pier for monthly (and free) Sea Chanty Sing-a-Longs. You’ll get hot cider if you bring…
Simple Things Do Help Wildlife
In Jain texts, the term ahimsa denotes the principle of least harm: “Do not injure, abuse, oppress, enslave, insult, torment, torture or kill any creature or living being.” Jain monks take great care to look out for the least among us, going to lengths to avoid harming insects and so forth.
A Jumper
This Red-Backed Jumping Spider was in “I’m outta here” mode before my lens even moved in.
The Peregrine Nest Cam is Back
Last year was a bitch for San Francisco’s Peregrine parents. None of their three fledglings survived life in the city.
59 Minutes with the Raynox
That means 59 minutes of lunch hour when I could have been eating, drinking, working, napping but was instead, roaming a garden with my FZ50 and Raynox in hand.
Of Towhees, Tripods and Trust
I’m extra cautious out there as a photographing fool. I feel I owe the animals my respect when they allow me into their inner sanctum to photograph them …
Phases of Fennel
The fragrance of fennel always takes me to Southern California . . . to the untamed hillside of my parents’ home . . . years ago now . . . where she and my dad landed after a lifetime of soaking up maritime fog . . .
