☞ One corner of a drain in the street. This drain was fairly clean because it had rained hard the previous day. ☞ A twig was found relaxing on a trail beside a river. A letter F that had begun to twist and deform with age, perhaps one day becoming a truncated T. ☞ Tree branches made the letter "F" when viewed from the side. The problem with finding an F in nature is that the vertical seldom ends even with the top horizontal, and that the two horizontals seldom end on their own, thereby requiring the F to be defined by the frame of the photograph image. View all▼

☞ Ovals were the design on the side of a closed diner. When just the two tops were photographed, the letter M was formed by their background. ☞ On a Saturday walk south of Market, we happened upon a cup that had been crushed and broken from the night before. It laid in the sunshine on the sidewalk in the form of a very nice M. ☞ An odd wooden structure was located in the garden area behind the rooms at the Westcliff Lodge. With little effort this could be thought of as a constructed letter M, but it was probably not constructed with the letter M in mind. View all▼

☞ While on an early morning walk, out to the expanse of grass that overlooked the valley, I tripped over a garden hose. I turned to find the letter Q revealed in a loop of that hose. The hose passed under itself, but did not form a knot. ☞ The city of Palo Alto is the only city-owned utility that operates its own electric, fiber optic, natural gas, water and wastewater services. In addition to providing better service than PG&E, their electricity meters under the correct lighting also look like the letter Q. View all▼

☞ A fellow riding an art bicycle, when viewed close-up, revealed the bicycle fork in the shape of a Y. ☞ Sunlight highlighted the fork of a tree in the woods. It was unusual for a tree to form such a perfect Y. ☞ Fortunately for the alphabet, many trees fork into a Y shape while growing. Winter was the best time to view this, because the tree was devoid of leaves. ☞ One of the trees planted by the urban forest was a handy place to lean a traffic control sign. The upper part the tree was cut off by the camera, thereby forming a Y. ☞ A slingshot was discarded in a gutter just below the edge of a sidewalk. Extra rubber bands were evident. View all▼

☞ Constantly running elevators raised marbles one at a time to the top of a metal Rube-Goldberg ramp which carried the marble back down. The artist, Jeffrey Zachmann , said it took four to six weeks to construct and debug each art piece. ☞ Giant paint brushes, graceful peaked tents, and a wide lawn were halmarks of the Sausalito Art Festival. ☞ Abstract art upon one booth, hung right next to realistic art of the next booth. ☞ The artist sat by each booth and waited for folks to arrive to chat about his or her art. ☞ Wide paths led from the art to the restrooms, to the food, to the music. View all▼

☞ A brief video showing the sculptures in movement on that breezy morning. Any one of these sculptures would make an exquisite addition to anyone's garden. ☞ Even the sign was a work of art. It read, "Andrew Carson Kinetic Sculpture." ☞ An exhibit of garden sculptures were set on the lawn, where they were allowed to interact with the wind. Each one was unique and each had a different mode of movement. View all▼

☞ A VIP section was set up to the left facing the stage. For a higher entry fee, a VIP individual had guaranteed seating under shade next to the stage, and access to a VIP-only cocktail bar. ☞ The band called, "Tom Rigney & John R. Burr" played from 1 to 3 pm on the Stella Artois stage. ☞ A crowd gathered at the foot of the stage to better see and hear the "Tom Rigney & John R. Burr" band. ☞ As the afternoon wore on, the VIP sections began to fill with people. ☞ VIP seating was empty early before the bands began to play. Notice wheelchair access to low seats were under sunlight, whereas high seats reached by stairs had access to some shade. View all▼

☞ A couple danced to the music of Carbe & Durand (Spanish guitar duo) just to the right of the Artist Stage. One of the fair attendees filmed the dance using a phone. ☞ The Sheldon Bermont band played on the Artist Stage at one corner of the art exhibition area. The stage was covered by a white awning, and backed by a permanent mosaic. View all▼

☞ A sign over the wide paved path indicated the way to "Music Food Libations." By "Music" they meant the Stella Artois Stage. The restrooms were also in this direction, but not noted in the sign. ☞ One booth was roasting chopped onions and sliced bell peppers on a griddle over an open flame. ☞ At the far end, framed by large paint brushes, was the "Gourmet Tacos & Churros" booth. Notice the restrooms to the right and beyond a hedge. ☞ Two booths, with their back to the Stella Artois Stage, were joined together with a common wall. One sold "Ice Cream." Several flavors of Ben & Jerrys. The Other sold "Heavenly Shrimp Cocktail." View all▼

☞ A rather long booth, near the food stalls, served wine, margaritas, mohitos, and Bud Lite beer. The beer end also served IPA beer for just $1 more. Note that the beer end would not accept cash. ☞ A rather drab booth was located at the back of the tent-covered tables at the rear of the band area. As the sign said, it mixed and served cocktails. ☞ A booth between the lawn and the cocktail tent sold glasses of whiskey. ☞ One of the wine booths served drinks from bottles of wine. The bottles were from Napa vineyards. And a glass of wine cost between $10 and $18 a glass depending on the brand. View all▼

☞ The sign, which showed the schedule for the ferry service, was boldly posted at the foot of the pier. Golden Gate Ferry wanted to be certain nobody would miss their return trip. ☞ The water next to the dock was shallow enough for the ferry to churn up mud as it pulled in to dock. ☞ Here we show the entrance from inside the fair. To pass through, one needed first to open bags for inspection, then to present a ticket. Off camera to the right of frame was a booth selling tickets. ☞ The dock led to a parking lot outside the festival. A short walk, past parked cars, led to the art festival's entrance. View all▼

☞ The skyline north of Market Street has shown little new construction. The Transamerica Pyramid still dominates the skyline. ☞ A view of the new skyline as seen from the back of the Oakland Ferry. The tallest building has become one of the new SOMA office towers. View all▼

☞ A chunk of driftwood resembled the weathered sculpture of a sea bird. Or perhaps an ancient effigy of a sea serpent. Or maybe just a worn chunk of wood drifted ashore. View all▼

☞ A shopping cart, clearly belonging to the homeless, was shoved into a gap in a hedge. Hidden from view increased the likelihood that it would still be there when the homeless person later returned. View all▼