It was a beautiful Summer’s day at the beach in Northern California, late July.
If you are looking for a beach that isn’t quite as popular as the ones that are closer to San Francisco, travel South of Half Moon Bay a few miles – there are some small, characterful beaches that may suit your need for quiet. A nap on the sand can be perfect.
The train station in Barstow California is rather lonely, like most train stations in the US. It is, however, the home of the Route 66 Museum, so if you find yourself in Barstow with a little bit of time to spare, make the drive through town, over to the station, and take a look at some artifacts of the Great American Highway.
Due to some last minute changes, we had to postpone our going-out-of-California vacation, replacing it with a stay-at-home vacation. Today was the free day (3rd Wednesday of the month) at the California Academy of Sciences, so we drove to Golden Gate Park to finally see the new building. There is a lot to like, certainly. Though it was filled to capacity, it was comfortable.
I took the photo above with my iPhone, using the Pano application for stitching together panoramic photos. I enjoy using Pano for building these quirky, bent-perspective montages. The ghosts of people add a nice touch too, I think. This links to the full size, 6929 pixels wide image.
I liked the odd perspective of this scene. And the silvery, leafless trees.
Watching this TED talk made me aware of how rarely I think about the sky. I spend so much time indoors, and even if I go outside at night, it is only to hope in a car and drive somewhere. No looking up.
So, I plan to figure out how to make a simple astrolabe, and try it out sometime in the next few days.
Riding my bike on the trails along the bay I found myself daydreaming of sailing. It has been years since I have been sailing on the bay in a small boat. Riding my bike into a steady headwind, I thought about how it would be an advantage when I turned around for the return trip.The bayshore bike ride shares some of the sensations of dinghy sailing – the sound of the wind and the aromas of the intertidal zone, but the wholesome thrill of non-motorized movement is the most significant. Quietly flying along.Thumbing through magazines like Small Craft Advisor fuels daydreams of getting my hands on a small boat of my own. In the past, these ideas always took the form of building a boat from scratch. Now, I think of searching craigslist.org for bargains. Sailing canoes, el Toros, whatever. Even better, joining a sailing co-op like Cal Sailing. Asking “how can I get out on the water” rather than “how can I have fun daydreaming.”
