Well trained....

One day, this man just found a spot and with a gloved hand, had a couple of birds go out, do a few aerobatics and flew back to him.  The phrase "bird brain" should now be a complement.  At least some birds have been smarter than some people.

Addiction...

I realize that this sight isn't all that new.... you can see this sort of image in most major metropolitan areas.  Instead of asking for a job or food or just outright money.... this soul is asking money to buy pot.
Like most... I took my photo and wanted to just get away.  But I went several times to catch more glimpses of this man.  He's been on the street a very long time.   If I were a real reporter, I would have tried to talk to him and see what is the story in this image.

Machines....

Always been fascinated with this place.

Traveling alone has it's drawbacks....

Who is going to take your picture at one of those tourist venues?

Attention to detail...

Imagine putting this thing together.... one day I will travel to Japan and take a picture of the real thing.

Zen water....

Searching for the meaning of being centered..... water, rocks, ripples, grain of stone.

Here's the techie part.  Leica Summilux ASPH v.2 35mm, f/1.4, 1/60s, ISO 250 - heavily cropped.

When eyes meet....

There are just times where you are out shooting and someone notices.  Taking the shot, our eyes met and smiles exchanged.... how I love doing this street photography thing.

Watch out for that.....

....tree.  No, he didn't walk into the tree.
We've all become slaves to our electronic doodads.  I'm just as guilty.

My Neighborhood...

As I traveled about... this white cat was walking down the street if as though it owned it.  Stopped at each business and doorway and gave it a once over.  Nothing phased this cat.  People, cars, guy with a camera.

Business Names....

It's at least creative.  Looked inside and it was just your normal everyday art gallery.  Silly me, I actually expected to see something around "Live Worms".

Close up...

Zeiss Makro-Planar f/2 50mm

Say what you will about...

San Francisco Bay Area and the State of California.  But there are times where things are just damn pretty.

A Neighborhood and a bit of history...

People tend to forget while visiting area's of San Francisco, or in fact any town, that a lot of areas where the tourists visit are actually neighborhoods.

I know that for some tourists, they see people of different ethnic groups or races and either think they are just an attraction or are foreigners living in a certain part of town.  Certainly there are immigrants who live in those areas but there are also Americans living there to.

During World War II, our country.... rounded up American Citizens just because they were of Japanese ancestry and forced them to sell of their belongings and carted them off to what we like to call "relocation" centers.  Let's tell the truth.... Concentration Camps.  Racists in our country, to this day,  will try to paint a different picture of history.

But the truth is.... Presidential Executive Order 9066 was a racist.  It took President Ford in 1976 to finally rescind the order.  President Carter to sign legislation to formally establish a commission to investigate Executive Order 9066 and President Reagan to sign the Civil Liberties Act of 1988 which took the findings from the commission from the Carter Administration which concluded that Executive Order 9066 was indeed, "... based on racial prejudice, war hysteria and failure of political leadership."

Japantown in San Francisco once was a vibrant area of about 30 square blocks.  Today, only about 8 blocks remain.  Recently two statues were placed that is attempting to educate people that this area is not only a tourist destination but a neighborhood and a historical area as well.

We are a unique country where Americans - the true meaning - are made up of people of many races and ethnic groups living together and proud to be an American.

So the next time you encounter someone different than yourself, don't think they are a foreigner, recent immigrant.... not really an "American".  Because chances are.... you too fall into the definition of the word - American.

Remember the words George Santayana (of Spain),"Those who forget the past are condemned to repeat it"

How to react...

Walking around Marina Greens in San Francisco early one mooning, I noticed that the tide was out and to see what the area looks like, I stumbled on this one single bottle sitting there.

Everything else in the area as clean and looking like a scene of low tide.... I don't know if I should get upset that people are so lazy as to just leave the bottle versus taking it with them.  How would you feel seeing this?  Just wondering if I'm just too sensitive to this stuff.

Remember those "B" movies....

This is perhaps a stretch..... Do you remember those 1950's horror films.
Attack of the...., Them, The Blob, etc....

For some reason, the low fog and how these tree branches made me think..... "Attack of the Wild Tree Limbs.  See the Ferry Building be eaten by these wild limbs."   Ok... I told you it was a stretch.