Jackie's Blog

I did take a photo today but it was of a comment I sent to our local paper and they published it. :-)

At about 11 am this morning, the building I work in wobbled from side to side - which is an interesting feeling when you are 16 floors up! It was a 4.3 magnitude earthquake and was centered close to where we live. There was no mistaking this one- there is one piece of art near me that looks like a pendulum, but it is NOT supposed to swing...

This time we hiked by the Anderson Lake Dam. It was windy and much cooler but the views were wonderful... then we went to another four wineries and ended up at one of our favorites and learned a little more about vines.

What a day! Hiking in Henry Coe Park first, followed by wine tasting in two favorite wineries, and two new ones too. Eventually going home for several hours of amusement with a dog- Popper. We needed some "dog love" and Joel and Stevie bought Popper with them to stay this weekend. We finished the day off with dinner at Maurizio's -our favorite Italian restaurant in Morgan Hill...

Friday night, I was tired and frustrated. I really was not feeling inspired, I'd spent all day on the computer at work and I wanted to post my blog and get it done. Of course, this was not going to happen. No internet. So here I am, several days later catching up on three days worth..this is how I felt- square-eyed. I used this photo as my part of my 365 project too.

I had to drive into work today, so I came home the scenic route. It was amazing how green everything looked and I wanted to fix it in my mind. It looks like we've already had the the last of the big storms we needed to bring up water levels in the reservoirs, and we are going to have a long dry summer with water restrictions. It won't be long before the hills turn golden and dry again...

I have to have my hair cut every 5-6 weeks or it drives me nuts. Today I could stand it no more. With trusty iPhone in hand, I went to my favorite salon, one that I can go to at lunchtime as it is only a short walk from work...

Today I was sitting at my desk at work, and two crows landed on the ledge outside the window. Bear in mind that I work on the 16th floor, so this is not a normal occurence. One flew off fairly quickly and the other stayed and checked out his shadow....

Today I took several photos at lunchtime and was quite happy with the options I had by the time I got back to the office. Typically, when I found the picture I really did want to take, I did not have my camera with me.. only my iPhone. I was at the gym and went in ready for the Pilates class and there they were- as I had never seen them before. All the exercise bikes were lined up in a very neat row. I love repetitious objects. This was not the best photo I took today, but the most interesting one..

I spent much of the afternoon planning with my new scanner. I'll post some of the photos soon, but decided to use one for my post today. I lived in Hong Kong from 1995-1999 and have some wonderful pictures that I took during my time there. All of them with a Canon Sureshot waterproof film camera. (Do you see the pattern of addiction to Canon cameras?) This photo is therefore just a scan of a photograph that I had developed way back when. Not a bad reproduction! Next I am going to try and scan some negatives..

I Loved this camera. It was my first 35mm camera - a Rebel 2000, and I actually wore the lens out first and then the body. My hubby bought it for me for Christmas in 1999. I still use the other lenses on my digital Rebel DS6041. I've even still got some film for it..

These homes were started two weeks ago, and part of me is delighted that there is some optimism in the builder who started them. The other part of me worries for him..

Yesterday I was not in a very creative mood. It was a really busy day, so instead of going for a walk, I ate my lunch whilst sitting on the rooftop patio. I forget what a great view it is and how we see things from strange angles. So here is my one picture of the rooftop of the De Anza hotel..

It was another of those days when I found lots of small things to photograph, but just as I was walking back to the office I found this old painted sign- right next to the car park (parking lot) which probably offers the cheapest parking in downtown San Jose. All I can say is ... inflation!

Last night I went shopping to buy goodies for St. Pat's treats for work. I was later than I probably should have been but when I asked they admitted they had not much in the first place. I wondered whether it was the economy that they had not had much. So when I went on my wandering at lunchtime I paid attention to what everyone else was doing. I did see some people wearing green which seems to be traditional but there were very few shops with St. Pat's type deals- even restaurants. The only obvious ones were the Irish Pub and ironically I always think, the English pub. Then I started to wonder whether it is just more of a West coast thing. I know the hotspots for Irish immigrants were on the east coast- Boston, New York, and there is probably a big Irish population in San Francisco, but not in San Jose?

Today I found what looks like an old carriage long term parking in a short term car park! I have walked passed this place many times and have never really noticed it before. I think they must have even put tarmac down around it and it seems like it is a permanent fixture. What tickles me is it is even parked in an actual parking space...

It is Sunday night and we are home. We had a really nice weekend, bought lots more wine and found some great new wineries. Ironically I took hardly any photos. I took more of our friends cats than anything! Meet Mina and Bella.. I could never remember which was which. Beautiful bengals...

Today is Thursday, and the weekend is almost here. We have tidied the house and are almost ready to take off for the weekend after work tomorrow. We are both getting into work early so we can leave early afternoon and try to escape the rest of the traffic that is trying to leave the Bay area for the weekend. We are heading towards Healdsberg- in the middle of wine country, to visit friends and go barrel tasting over the weekend. I have days of blog entries to write as I probably won't get the time to over the weekend. Today was a day of plenty in terms of things to write and photograph, so here goes... Thursday- meet my favorite bus driver.. This cheerful chap greets me with a huge smile every day at 4:05 PM. Today he let me take his picture. He is always smiling and always gets us home on time. For Friday- Bus stop advert This ad appeared this week on the bus stop shelter and it bugs me! It is an ad sponsored by the Department of Health and Human Services. What bugs me is that th...

Today I walked at lunchtime with my boss. She reminded me of the carousel in the park that we walk past. It was a very quick photo shoot, and I'd love to have more time to take some again in the future with my 35 mm camera. I even managed a reflection shot! I did have one thought though. The carousel is open during the day, and one person was manning the booth. The lights were all on, but the carousel was not moving and it was noisy. There must have been some kind of motor going. No children anywhere around. Much as I love this kind of thing it did seem to be a waste of money and I started to wonder who was paying for it. It is funny how these times bring those kind of questions to mind.

Each day I wonder how I will find something to take a photo of, but some days there is too much to chose from. Silly road signs, loaded bicycles, and reflections galore. Finally I found the one I really wanted but it did not turn out as well as I'd hoped. I went inside the Hotel Sainte Claire, an historic hotel near the convention center and they had a wonderful mail box inside. It had the original chute- still in use, and the original lock. For once I wished I had my 35 mm camera with me.