Poetic Shutterbug

VERY EARLY ON EARTH DAY My dog calls me out of sleep. Overnight the wind has rearranged everything. I blow into cold hands and raise them against the sun’s first rays, just nowV exploding gold shrapnel over the east ridge. And everything is moving: sun-shatter through new green leaves, and wind plucking overnight spider- webs till they hum gold filament against the dark trunks of oaks, everything flowing glowing gold-green, a morning no mortal could describe. And so my dog stands simply wagging. Wasn’t he good to bring me here? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Photos taken by me at Aquatic Park & The SF Botanical Gardens

All photos taken by me @ Hyde Street Pier, San Francisco. While my friend Joyce was in town last week, it was fun going around playing tourist. I love Hyde Street Pier which is located adjacent to Aquatic Park and has many a boat/ship docked there including the Eureka ferry boat. This boat is permanently docked at the pier and serves as a historical museum along the bay. Throughout the year there are scheduled free days at Hyde Street Pier where you can hop on board and visit the boats. I didn't know when in that area last week that it was a free day so I took advantage of the short time I had and visited the Eureka again. You can find out more about the history etc... of this ship by visiting http://www.nps.gov/safr/historyculture/eureka-history.htm I went a little crazy with photos, as usual, so enjoy the Eureka montage below. Eureka Ferry signage information Vintage autos Vintage trucks Vintage Ghirardelli chocolate truck Onboard anchors Anchor Front wheel exhibit Engineer&

Trees in my neighborhood - 17 th and Santiago Street Okay, here it is. The Botanical name is Musaceae It is from East Asia and is called Musa Basjoo - Japanese Fiber Banana Tree So, it seems Icy, had the right idea. It's very cool to see in person. Poetic Shutterbug Press which published "nameless faces" will be publishing more books in the months ahead. I'm not sure exactly what I will be publishing next but I have many ideas. This along with some volunteer work and traveling that I will be doing will allow me less time to blog. I will still be blogging, visiting and commenting on all of your blogs but just not as often as I have in the past. Please make sure to subscribe or follow so you won't miss any of my fantastic posts :D. Just a reminder that my book is now on Amazon.com and has the look inside feature enabled so you can try before you buy. If any of you are interested in an autographed copy, please leave a comment here or contact me directly at j

Need I say more? Thank you, Carmen - you know me well.

Taken at the Botanical Gardens leaves unfold page by page leaves unfold like poems in full bloom

Photo taken by me at the Botanical Gardens As usual I was trekking along in the gardens, snapping away and did not take notes of any names. This is quite exotic so I thought I'd ask my very knowledgeable readership to identify this tree/plant. I will be going back to the gardens this week and will get the name. The photo does not do it justice. I felt as if I were on a tropical island.

Photo taken by me at the Botanical Gardens and digitally altered . Unconditional love is a rare virtue. We would all like to think we love unconditionally yet as humans we will fault. I think there are two necessary components to loving and being loved in this manner. First is shedding all expectations. We naturally expect certain things from our family and friends. We expect respect, love, generosity and much more. When we do not receive what we expect from people, which we not always will, we become angry, disappointed and sometimes vengeful. If we learned to shed all of our expectations and accept our friends and family members for who they are we would never have to experience the anger and disappointment which comes from our expectations. Second we absolutely must learn not to judge. Everyone is equal. No one is better or worse than anyone else. We have to put ourselves in others' shoes. How do we feel when we are judged? Live and let be. Allow people to live thei

Photos taken by me at the San Francisco Botanical Gardens

Stow Lake in Golden Gate Park is one of the most popular tourist attractions in San Francisco. This beautiful lake is man made and was completed in it's entirety in 1893. It is a circular lake which surrounds the island Strawberry Hill. It is located in between Martin Luther King and John F. Kennedy Drive. Here is a shortcut in getting there. If you walk west on Martin Luther King Drive, there is a path right behind the Japanese Tea Garden. Take that path a few steps and keep looking towards your left. When you see the stairway, climb up the stairs and Stow Lake is right there. If you are driving, there is parking available around the perimeter of Stow Lake. This lake is not only a tourist attraction but a favorite among locals who live in the area. It's a great way to enjoy nature and get some walking exercise. I personally know many people who walk there each morning. The lake is home to bird life which include mallard ducks, seagulls, Canadian Geese, the occasi

Taken at the San Francisco Botanical Gardens

sunbeams caress her dreams dance upon Mother earth a portrait of peace

Sone , a little "grey goose" for your birthday :) Have a happy, happy birthday and I cannot wait to see you. Dos Hollands is coming home on Friday for a special gig @ CAFE DIVINE : 7pm - 9pm 1600 Stockton Street 415.986.3414 - April 16 th in San Francisco. It promises to be a night of fantastic music, good friends and fans and an awesome celebration. Come on out and join us. Visit the Sony Holland website for more information. Video below, Dos Hollands in concert - The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face

All photos taken by me in and around Golden Gate Park Above photo taken next to the Japanese Tea Garden Photo of my beautiful cousin Elise at the moon viewing garden within the Botanical Gardens Taken along Martin Luther King Drive in Golden Gate Park Taken at the Botanical Gardens At the Botanical Gardens

Photo taken by me @ The Botanical Gardens Same photo digitally altered by me - my interpretation of a cluttered mind with racing thoughts. The mind is our own personal kingdom. It is not made of substance yet it controls our entire being. This is why it is important to posses a quiet mind. Our minds consist of past conditioning and thoughts which race as if they were in the Indy 500 using our mind as the raceway. Have you ever experienced insomnia because you had all these racing thoughts cluttering your mind and as a result could not fall asleep? It’s a horrible feeling especially when you realize that all of these thoughts are not allowing you to have peace of mind, which is necessary for a happy and content life. We also have to understand that we control our thoughts. So, when having all of these racers speed around in your mind you have to remember that you can control these thoughts. Just put the brakes on and quiet that speedway. How? Here are a few

All photos and video taken by me at Stow Lake in Golden Gate Park Well, I am pretty pleased with myself. I've gone from not having any bird photos to taking dozens of closeups of these feathered critters. It all began with the Red Shouldered Hawk at the Botanical Gardens and continued through Stow Lake in Golden Gate Park. I still have a montage of Stow Lake to bring you and will soon. I've just been very lazy since my book was released. While in the area at Stow Lake, the bird wildlife plays and commingles with us humans. They are everywhere. They are in the lake, waddling around the grounds, swimming along the paddle boats and basically just hanging out and entertaining us humans. They are friendly, playful and very loving if you feed them. The video at the end of this post depicts a feeding frenzy. I tried very hard not to get the humans in the shot. I went there twice within a week and really enjoyed it. It is a hop, skip and a jump from the Botanical Gardens so i

Photo taken by me at the San Francisco Botanical Gardens JACK AND THE REDWOOD Imagine ascending on ropes, not quite to heaven – to the Canopy Kingdom where toppled crowns turn to dust, to soil nourishing lichens and featherleaf ferns, huckleberry thickets rooted in rot. Gird yourself in harness, Jack, and not for lumber. Climb the beanstalk that sprouted when Caesar was a child, its roots vast as underworlds unseen. All you know is what you see, and feel with hand and sole: the trunk, more than 20 feet thick at the base, rising buttressed to look out over a forest in coastal cloud. Pull yourself up as in fairy-tale to meet – not slay – this giant tree. Climb above his deep green shadow till daylight filters through the highest branches, 350 feet above forest floor. Now, flop down in the palm of his hand. Pop a huckleberry in your mouth. Give your host – this giant – a seedy grin. He holds you by your roots.

Upcoming Concerts: SONY HOLLAND DUO @ the Left Coast Wine Bar 117 E. Harvard - Glendale, CA Call for reservations: 818 507 7011 Tuesday, April 13 (8-11pm) Saturday, April 24 (8:30 - Midnight) Tuesday, April 27 (8-11pm) Friday, APRIL 9th @ SPAZIO (8pm & 10pm) w/ the Theo Saunders Combo 14755 Ventura Blvd. - Sherman Oaks (818)728-8400 Sun. APRIL 11, PALM SPRINGS @ Vicky's of Sante Fe w/t Desert Cities Jazz Band! Fri. APRIL 16, SAN FRANCISCO CAFE DIVINE : 7pm - 9pm 1600 Stockton Street 415.986.3414 OUR DYNAMIC DUO IS COMING HOME TO CAFE DIVINE ON APRIL 16Th Welcome Home Sony and Jerry

As you all know my love for waffles is an obsession. It must run in the family because my cousin has the same obsession. As a result. we have decided to create a new blog devoted to, yes you've guessed correctly - Waffles! The blog will feature our journey through San Francisco, the Bay Area and beyond to bring you waffle reviews, recipes, articles etc... We plan to eat our way through any and every establishment that serves waffles. We will both be posting on this blog and hope that you will join our journey by following us, leaving comments and asking questions. Here's the url at http://waffleiciousness.blogspot.com/ So, without further adieu, I give you WAFFLEICIOUS !

All of these photos were taken by me at the Botanical Gardens. The Redwood trail is one of my favorite spots within the gardens. The trees are just so beautiful and majestic. The blue skies and sun shine through the branches as if kissed by the heavens. I could spend days lost amongst the trees. There are wild plants and shrubbery living around the redwoods. It is a fragrant journey walking through this particular area. There are mounds of skunk cabbage along the trail. I was tempted to bring some home and no, they do not smell :)