Some Humble Abodes

When you think of San Francisco do you think about my favorite Bread Bakery that makes the most awseome loaves to be found in Northern California? No? OK how about architecture? Oh now I see your eyes light up. Gingerbread houses whose 4-color paint jobs cost more than n entire house in Kansas. Yes, yes, yes.... But you know what they say: "Seen one Victorian house, seen 'em all..." But that's not true, the Victorians of San Francisco are not the "Little Boxes" of Daily City fame. There are uncounted scads of really nice Victorian houses in San Francisco and if I was to take pictures of the best of them I couldn't afford the film... er... hard drive space. Besides, San Francisco has many more syles of houses beyond Victorians. This a selection of a few that I have shot in the past month or so.

Midcentury-Modern-Stucco

And we will start with this spectacular Midcentury Modern Stucco. Built in 1950, it is a marvelous study in thirds. As a 5 bedroom, 4 bath house it wouldn't be too bad of a place to hank out on the weekend.

Green-Stucco-Victorian

This house wasn't originally built with stucco. The way I heard it, during the '40s, '50s & '60s owners of these houses were pitched to change the siding over to stucco "because the maintenance of stucco was so much easier." The place I am staying in right now was stucco when the owner purchased it. He converted it back to wood siding and put back the gingerbread. He disagrees about stucco being easier to maintain. Perhaps that has something to do with coating a large structure with a thin, brittle material in an earthquake zone. Then again, maybe he is just persnickety.

Stuccoed-Victorian-Apartment

That being said, I think the look of a stuccoed Victorian is kinda cool in its own way. Something like this apartment building reminds me of a cake coated in fondant. I'm guessing this one would be butterscotch flavored.

And it is so cool when the owners springs to have a texture added to their stuccoed finish. It is icing on the cake, so to speak. But I am undecided about this one. Is it banana flavored or lemon?

San Francisco House

Nicely shaped stucco, beautiful ironwork, wild windows and excessive ornamentation. This old house is a standout on it's block.

Mix and Match

Along every street you will find a wide range of Victorian styles. Right next to each other you have Queen Anne, Italianate & Victorian Stick. Yes, this is not a slam them up in a month housing development.

Not a Swiss Chalet

This house is on the south side of Bernal Hill. I like it because it has a nice patina and its appearance seems so out of context for San Francisco... and I like taking pictures of old, beat-up houses.

Personalization

These folks didn't stop after painting their garage door... they added a 14-foot sculpture and two welcoming chairs to add charm to their neighborhood.

The crisp brick piles in the Presidio fit nicely with the Golden Gate Bridge in the background.

Back Alley Cubism

I like to wander into back alleys where you find no gingerbread. Function is the name of the game. Windows are there for the tenants to look out of, not for passers-by to admire. Just as plants in a jungle jockey for sunlight it seems these buildings are scrabbling for a view.

Coin-op Laundry

A cute little array of Storefronts and apartments.

Bent Corner

It's really not about the sky. I was struck by the way the architect decided to handle the weirdly angled corner. The house is on the North Side of Buena Vista Park (which has an excellent selection of houses and apartments girding it.) The featureless overhang of the top story gives it the feeling of something from a Tim Burton movie.


Photography Posts
Wildlands of San Francisco
May 26, 2016
It is all around us and it is relentless. Right now it is working at destroying our homes and cities. While we sleep at night it is tirelessly toiling away. Overcoming everything we know. Everything we have made. Everything we will ever do. There is no escape. We are in a symbiotic relationship with it. We love it deeply and without it we will die. Yet in the long run, our species will be gone and it will overrun this world until all life is gone and there is nothing left but a burnt ember orbiting the Sun.
  Some Humble Abodes
Fort Bragg on a Foggy Night
May 12, 2016
The fog rolls in.. It is late on a late spring night. Nothing on TV. There never is. Grab the camera & tripod... it's time to take a walk.
And a Few More Pictures of San Francisco
May 09, 2016
There are always a few left-over pictures that don't seem to fit in with any article.. I'll throw in a Batch of San Francisco images here. these are shot in all sections of the city, and are not displayed in any particular order.
California's Lost Coast
May 07, 2016
There is an area of California known as the Lost Coast. Somewhere north of Fort Bragg, south of Ferndale and west of highway 101. There are a few ways to get there but fewer people who will tell you how. Some places you can drive to, much of it is accessable only by foot if at all. It is one of the remaining places that Sasquatch can run free.
San Francisco Skylines - Part Two
Apr 19, 2016
We all do it, some folks more than others. Perhaps your practice is utilitarian, maybe you are just following a whim, whaterver your purpose San Francisco is a great town to do it in. Even with all the hills, in fact the hills might make it better
San Francisco Skylines
Mar 21, 2016
If you listen carefully you can hear it.... Humphrey Bogart in his best film-noir voice-over.... "They call her San Francisco... City by the Bay. She's taken many hearts... Poor saps, they think they left left'm, but they were stolen, every one."
What are you going to do in San Francisco anyhow?
Dec 28, 2015
I like San Francisco. I always have. For my first job I was a driver for a water lab. Every morning I had to drive from Redwood City to Marin (through San Francisco, of course). I had all morning to do the drive plus my lunch hour. I would often spend my lunch hour picking a new route through the city. Way too much fun to be paid for, but i took the money anyway. Now I had the opportunity to spend all day every day in the city.
What Happened to July?
Aug 18, 2015
One of the nice things about July is that the ginger plant blooms. This is probably the last year I get to see this one do it. It's growing by the front door & some of the stalks reach 8-feet in height. This year there are about 16 stalks.
Recent Pictures
Jun 19, 2015
May & June get lumped together. Lots of packing. 56 years of house to deal with. Getting my replacements at Gryphon up and running.
Some Recent Pictures
May 19, 2015
April was an interesting month. Packing things up. A few shots testing a new Canon 100-400mm lens. Of course when packing things can get messy... I knocked over a pile of empty film reels. It looked so nice I just had to take a picture.
Where Do Tractors Go?
Apr 20, 2004
On American farms, the most important innovation of the last century is the tractor. From its introduction as a steam-powered behemoth, the tractor enabled a farmer to accomplish more work with less labor. The farmer was able to till and harvest larger sections of land.
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