☞ Someone had discarded dozens of red straws alongside the trail through Minto Brown Island Park. These three happened to form the capital letter A and framed a discarded cigarette filter. ☞ An overhead walkway was being maintained on the weekend. The ladder with its folding cross-pieces formed a letter A, as did the bracing of the walkway with the safety rail as the cross-piece. ☞ Two green poles were leaned against an portable toilet. The rub rail on the toilet created the cross piece to complete the letter A. This photo was taken outside what is now the Infinity Towers condominium hi-rise. View all▼

☞ A safety rail next to stone steps behind the Westcliff Lodge, led from the lawn up to a viewing area for the Colombia River Gorge. Those steps were bracketed by a steel safety rail. When viewed from just the right angle, the letter P appeared. View all▼

☞ An exhaust pipe was found that bent out to the left and intersected its upright near enough to the bottom to create the image of the letter L. Most exhaust pipes were not so well behaved. ☞ This concrete step was angled the wrong way to create an L, so the camera had to be held upside down to get this shot. Perhaps this was fudging. ☞ A tree alongside the trail had a gnarled foot growing off its trunk. The foot caused the tree to resemble the capital letter L. ☞ The letter "L" with sticks and stones found on the river bank. The question is whether someone arranged these sticks, or if they happened to fall or be dropped this way. View all▼

☞ One corner of a drain in the street. This drain was fairly clean because it had rained hard the previous day. ☞ A pole holding a sign, when cropped by the photograph's frame, resulted in the letter F. ☞ 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 just the right angle. 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▼

☞ While walking out Harrison Street, a distant fire escape came into view. Its top, if held at the bottom of the frame, became a letter M. ☞ Windows along Powell Street, across from Union Square were outlined by beige stone-work. That outline formed the letter M. ☞ 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. 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 slingshot was discarded in a gutter just below the edge of a sidewalk. Extra rubber bands were evident. ☞ 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. ☞ An elevated roadway support was cast in concrete resulting in the letter Y. The letter vanished when the roadway was continued. ☞ Sunlight highlighted the fork of a tree in the woods. It was unusual for a tree to form such a perfect Y. ☞ Water filled a crack in rocks as part of a walkway near one entrance to the Presidio Grounds. View all▼

☞ Wide paths led from the art to the restrooms, to the food, to the music. ☞ Art was hung outside each tent, as well as inside, maximizing use of the tent real estate. ☞ Giant paint brushes, graceful peaked tents, and a wide lawn were halmarks of the Sausalito Art Festival. ☞ An owl painted on burnished metal made the owl appear to float over the background. The effect is not visible in a photograph, because it uses scintillation visible only to two eyes. ☞ The artist sat by each booth and waited for folks to arrive to chat about his or her art. 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. ☞ 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. ☞ Even the sign was a work of art. It read, "Andrew Carson Kinetic Sculpture." View all▼

☞ The grassy area in front of the Stella Artois stage was filled with people mid-afternoon. Many had dragged chairs and tables from under the shaded eating area to use while listening to the band. ☞ 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. ☞ The band called, "Tom Rigney & John R. Burr" played from 1 to 3 pm on the Stella Artois stage. ☞ Access to the stage was protected by stout men wearing orange shirts. It appeared as if one of the men had a beer glass balanced on his head. 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▼

☞ Several booths in a row. Two of them visible here. One sold "Fresh Oysters (Raw & BBQ)" and the other sold "Maryland Crabcakes." ☞ One booth was roasting chopped onions and sliced bell peppers on a griddle over an open flame. ☞ The "Sausalito Woman's Club" sold "Traditional Gyros," and "Vegetarian" Gyros. Either could be purchases for a mere $10.00 each. ☞ 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. ☞ Another booth featured, "Gourmet Sausages & Hot Dogs." and "Smoked Turkey Legs." View all▼

☞ 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. ☞ A booth between the lawn and the cocktail tent sold glasses of whiskey. ☞ 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 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. View all▼

☞ The water next to the dock was shallow enough for the ferry to churn up mud as it pulled in to dock. ☞ 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. ☞ 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. ☞ As the ferry reached the dock outside the fair, the morning fog had already burned off. The promise became true: a sunny day at the fair. View all▼