Disorderly Content

I just spent the weekend with a couple of my Scaper friends, one of whom flew all the way from Vermont to bask in the warmth of my company. Okay, the lack of rotten weather on the left coast might have been a factor, but I think I figured in there somewhere. Anyway, here we were in Concord, halfway between Silicon Valley (my side) and Sacramento (your side). And we needed to come up with something fun to do. But what?

So it was a bunch of Hank's Greatest Hits. We started one day by driving up to Napa, specifically to the V. Sattui Winery in St. Helena. I like V. Sattui for a couple of reasons, beyond the quality of their wines. One is that they're among a very few wineries that offer free tastings. And another is that they have a great deli, which made for a nice impromptu picnic lunch before said tasting.

After that we drove around Wine Country for a bit, before heading over toward the coast to give our visitor her first view of the Golden Gate. We stopped in Marin Headlands for a few photo ops, and then went over the bridge and into San Francisco. Finding ourselves on Lombard Street, I knew what our next stop had to be. (If you've not been, well, suffice it to say that it has these unusual features. My car's navigation system almost gave the surprise away. Fortunately, when asked about the zigzaggy line on the display, I explained that it was just resistance. Which led to the not unexpected "Resistance is futile" reference. Such is what you get when you're around SF fans.

Finally getting through San Francisco, we got halfway across the Bay Bridge and had to make a stop at Treasure Island for the views. And then eventually back to the hotel in hope of some sleep before a big Scaper get-together for day two.

Which left us with a dilemma for day three, our last day together. What do we do now? Fortunately, I got the idea to head across the bridge to Fairfield and the Jelly Belly factory. They have a tour, which would be better during the week when there's production going on but is still kind of fun on the weekend. Besides, you get free samples at the end. And then there's the sample bar, where you can try before you buy. I tried a Bertie Bott's bacon flavored (or would that be flavoured?) bean. Strangely enough, I didn't buy any. Although I did get some jalapeno beans, and some roasted garlic, along with a few more orthodox flavors.

After that we went over to the Western Railway Museum, where we could ride a hundred year old electric train and explore a bunch of rolling stock that was old before I was new.

And then it was time to say au revoir. Which sucks. But that's the problem with having friends all over the place, something Farscape fandom has done to me. Still, when we do get together it's worth it. And not just because I get to show off some of my favorite places.

I haven't mentioned my stock photography hobby or side business or (let's be honest here) obsession in a while. Suffice it to say that I'm every bit as focused on it as ever. Maybe more so, truth be told. At this writing I have almost 1500 pictures in my portfolio. Which, you can imagine, presents a problem: what shall I photograph next? It's not like I can take long road trips whenever I want, what with my employer expecting me to - I don't know - work every now and then. So I'm always looking for interesting photo ops a little closer to home than Gallup, New Mexico or Page, Arizona.

Which is why, when I saw that the weather this morning was nicer than predicted, I decided to take a drive over to Treasure Island, that little bit of land between the two pieces of the Bay Bridge. I'd never been there before, largely because for a long time I didn't know that I could go there, what with it being home to a naval base until recently. Anyway, now that the Navy has moved on, there was nothing to stop me from wandering around and enjoying the views west to San Francisco and east to the Oakland side of the bridge. The weather wasn't perfect; a little too much moisture in the air for sharp pictures. But now that I know I can visit, I'll just have to do it more often. After all, how many years was it before I found all the good places to shoot the Golden Gate?

I have a new favorite place around here. Take Embarcadero Road east from Highway 101 to the end and you're at Palo Alto Airport. Make a left and you're at the entrance to Baylands Nature Preserve. Which is just teeming with bird life right now: seagulls, pelicans, curlews and a bunch of little guys who move way too fast for me to get a picture or even a good look. And when I get enough of the birds, I can walk a few dozen feet and watch the small planes take off, circle the south end of San Francisco Bay and practice their landings. And play with my new 28-200mm lens, which isn't quick enough for those little birds but does just fine with planes.