Is Spring Around Our Corner?

On a brisk weather walk around our neighborhood, we spotted these flowers pushing upwards towards an unforgiving gray sky.

I think the flowers offered us hope that bright days are coming forth! I'm glad we're not on the East Coast.

........Wei, from his iPhone

Red, White & Blue

Here are some mailboxes near my neighborhood--simple but graphic patriotic colors. 

It makes for a wonderful stop along my walks through the friendly streets of Concord.

           ...... Wei, from his iPhone

100 Years and Counting

Not often do you come across a small--or for that matter--a big business that has been in existence for a century.

So here I was, standing on Grand Street in South San Francisco (about a couple of miles north of San Francisco Airport), when I spotted this bakery. It was Galli's Sanitary Bakery. And yes, the proudly bragged they had been around for a hundred years!

My question to you is "What's the word "Sanitary" doing on their name?" Any ideas

.........Wei, from his iPhone

iBlog: The Season Changes

You can always tell when Fall sweeps in. Leaves give their best to color the landscape, or in this case the sky, when I gazed overhead.

For me it was more than the season change. It was over four years ago since I had my diagnosis. And I'm now healthy, alive, and looking forward to the passing of more seasons.

.......Wei, from his iPhone

iBlog: Seeing the Flowers

When I went shopping in Walnut Creek this past weekend, all I could think of was the bustle of shopper scurring from store to store. Parking was atrocious, made even more stressful by what seemed to be a mad rush by everyone to beat the rush. They must have been practicing for the upcoming Black Saturday. I'm taking a pass on the day after Thanksgiving. We ended up at Whole Foods, another zoo. And lunch time just ended, with more people rushing about. 

Just before walking into the store I spied the solitude of some trumpet vine flowers, just hanging out. They reminded me to "smell" the flowers. As these had little smell, I opted to capture the beauty of one. Amid the hustling world, uninterested in quiet.

........Wei, from his iPhone

iBlog: Where Was This Taken?

Haven't posted much in the last few weeks. Just recharging my batteries, I guess. When I saw the cyclists pause for a break, it was a perfect moment to capture on such a beautiful day.

Everyone knows what view this is. But who can guess from which restaurant the picture was taken?

BTW, this cropped to mimick a mini-panorama. The iPhone just has so much "umph" before one must post-process.

                                                 .........Wei, from his iPhone

iBlog: A Simple View

Many times less is more. Like looking into a sunset from my garage. The reflection off ny car hood mirror the beauty of a vast western sky, about to go to sleep.

I've seen this view quite a few times, and this evening I paused to enjoy the site--and uplifting feeling I received from something simple.

.... From Wei's iPhone

iBlog: Abstract Designs

 
Sometimes the urge hits me to create abstract images from everyday things. In this case I was at Kaiser Walnut Creek, in the main Medical Building. Most don't give more than a gaze overhead. But I did this time and saw some powerful shapes lit by an afternoon sun.

Not much to tell you in the way of lighting. Just natural lighting difused by the white plastic panels. Those top panels appear a bit yellow from the afternoon rays of sun.

...... From Wei's iPhone

iBlog: Bothe Napa State Park

Bothe nestles just about a mile north of St. Helena. Although located just off of Highway 29 (128), you can easily miss this gem. You're trying to look for the sign that is sorta hidden in the bushes on the right side, as you go North. The sign above is looking from the South, so it looks so visible in the picture.


The park is a find. Nice, friendly & knowledgeable Park Rangers. They don't know whether the part will be open any further, due to the CA state budget (as of Aug 2009). But you might as well enjoy the park, as almost nobody walks it's peaceful paths. Try the Ritchey Trail, which runs along (big surprise) Ritchey Creek. When we were there, we could have had any campsite that was nice.



........from Wei's iPhone

iBlog: Japanese Market

After a dining on a delectable selection of hand-made Japanese goodies, we still had the audacity to visit a food store. Nijiya is a true Japanese grocer specializing in homeland food for one's palate.

They carried many types of fresh fish. What disappears quickly is fish specifically brought over from Japan, even though it may be fresh frozen. In this case the grocer presented his fish with such freshness that his customers were enticed to grab the tongs and put a few fish in their plastic bags for dinner that night.

I asked one Japanese lady if she intended to make sushi. No, she would prepare the fish with shoyu (soy sauce) and other family ingredients for the barbeque that evening. It took much of my willpower not to be so boorish as to invite myself over for dinner....