For the last few days, the entire bay area and way, way beyond, smells smoky. Not like, “Oh wow, there must be a fire somewheres, cause I smell a grass fire.” We got hugeass fires all over the damned place, it’s insane. Hope for waft of fresh ocean breezes? No. It’s all smoke, all the time, for days. No respite here.
I was up and out of bed at 6:22 this morning, directly in to the shower. Dressed, chores and as I opened up the back door, walked through my outdoor kitchen to the back of the property and what do I spy? With my camera’s eye? This sun doing its best to rise, pretty dim for 7am, eh?
Biggles

As you all know, I spend my time driving about town gazing in to the early morning sky, noon and evening skies. This morning was no different and was able to pull to the side of the road, run to the back of the wagon, hatch open and lens change with shutter snapping.
Um, this IS a color image and taken at 8:15 in the morning. Every detail was lit up and fine. But this is what my camera captured. Man, check out the levels, they all over the damned place. Very cool stuff that light recording is.
Biggles

Sat about, attempting to come up with a quippy something or other. I double-dog, no triple-dog dare you to give some words. Here’s what Tiny E and I witnessed coming back from Pup Hut.
All I have to say is get your lazy ass out the door at sunrise and sunset, you’ll be happy you did.
Biggles
ps – As you see it, is as it came out of the camera. I did nothing other than push a button.

Wishing one a good morning or a good day, usually winds up with side-stepping. Nobody wants to know how you are or how your life is. So, I will always reply, “Excellent!”
It’s how I Is.
But Where’s Ted?
Man, I have the story to end all stories. Not only am I convinced I’m the only one, but surely he’s now also spreading the good word as well. I encountered Ted the other day, in a most amazing way. And here’s how it went …
I work in a glue factory. No really, we make glue. Fancy glue, really fancy stuff for people who restore anything wooden. 80 year old wooden boat? We have what you need. 80 year old home? We have the technology & products to supply. Been there for 18 years, I’ve seen many come and go.
The other day I came back with my lunch, probably some lameass somethingorother, parked my badass little blue wagon and entered my office. Within a phone call I needed to head down to the sales office for an invoice, pen and whatever else. Probably a dumb UPS price schedule letting our dear customer know that their over-night need would cost more than the product shipped. Long pause, and it turns out UPS Ground is a fine way to be. Sigh.
Opening the door I whipped in, and found Ted (Yes, “The” Ted) conversing with Creepy E (co-worker and longtime friend). Ted looked at me, I looked at Ted. The same words were spoken at the same time, “What the *uck are “Y”ou doing Here?”
That’s right folks, I had a Ted Sighting at my very own company, no shit. He was like, right there.
Biggles

I can’t stop myself. Each day, each morning, each sun set of day, I find my nose pressed against the windows, running to the outside to see. Click on the image above to get a larger version.
Just like gravy, the skies above me from day to night enslave me.
xo, Biggles

Not too long ago.
Then a few minutes after that?

This.
xo, Biggles
ps – click on photographs to enlarge

Click on crazy image to get embiggened.
Bye bye you crazy storm. Sure we’re all flooded and I got dealt a bad burrito, but it’s okay. I’ll keep flushin’ and you keep knockin’. You can’t come in, you crazy ol’ storm.
xo

click for pretty larger one
Up at 5:30 am and way busy till after sun goes down. Weekends=chores and recharge mental powers. Repeat.
That being said, the sunrises the boys and I get to experience are world class. The above photograph I snagged early Tuesday morning. I see this site every morning as I slide down the overpass to work. My jaw dropped and grabbed my gear and braved the shaky 18′ ladder to sit on our roof to capture this moment. Then? I looked to the right and saw this.

click on pretty to see biggie
In the immortal words of Bob & Doug Mackenzie, “Beauty, eh?” Yeah, well it was time to climb back down that ladder and get to work. And then? I turned the other direction and grabbed this one.

if you please tap thine gull for a huge one
Fly away gull by the bay! Probably all dark meat anyway.

This one I took this morning, from the same area that most of my cloudy sunrises have been coming from. Looking eastward with Mt. Diablo just a tad to the left. These thick ass cloud/fog was HUGE and it went as far as I could see from right to left. It was an impenetrable wall and really the only time the sun came through was when it popped over the top (or a few little holes). Considering the time of year and California’s central valley lays in that direction, figured it’s Thule Fog? It was HUGE. I have to admit though, 10 minutes previous, when the sun was up but not visible, there was a pink/purple glow, for just a moment, through the bottom of this Wall of cloudy material. It was gone in just a few moments, wished I could have snapped that one.
OH, and what really made this all so neat to me was that THERE WASN’T ANY OTHER CLOUD ANYWHERE TO BE SEEN. Not even over there.
xo, Biggles

Even in Richmond, at the right time of day or night, beauty can be found. One just has to look, really hard. I suggest you spend the time where you are, to do the same. It makes life that much sweeterer.
xo

Click on image for huge one, eh!
Wildfires & humans rarely mix well. We’re 300+ miles away and our air smells like the arse end of a city bus. Nature loves its mechanism for rebirth, it’ll still look like hell for a while though. But damn man! Look what wildfires do for sunrises!

Click on image for huge one, eh!
Course you have to be up at sunrise to catch it, this is why you have me. You’re welcome.
xo, Biggles
Addition later on that same day.
Okay, so I’m going through the 20 some odd shots I knocked off this morning and found more worth posting. Man, oh man oh man oh man.

Click on image for huge one, eh!

Click on image for huge one, eh!
Now this one, this one, wow. Just take a moment with the picture enlarged and check out the detail and contrast and colors in those clouds. To the right first, then to the sun itself. I want to walk around and look at these every second of the day.
Biggles

click on photograph to see larger version
Hi everyone and happy October! I’m on the trail ends of a dumb head cold and am still wacked out on cold medicine. My food related inspiration doesn’t exist at the moment and I have nothing in this arena to offer. I need to get muh stremfs back and choose a path to wander down. And then?
I’ve lived in the San Francisco Bay Area my entire life and I don’t remember seeing clouds like the ones I’ve seen for the last few months. The air here seems to be tons clearer than years past. The blues are bluer and the contrast, textures captivate me. Oh sure I’ve seen amazing clouds before. I’ve driven through Oklahoma in tornado weather, Kansas in the same. One year in Montana I was able to spend an entire July with daily thunderstorms. We just don’t get weather and clouds like that here. But I have to say, we’re kicking some serious cloud ass these days.
Want another?

Do you see what I’m talking about here?

click on photograph to see larger version
I’m seeing this stuff nearly every morning. As I’m driving out to lunch I have my nose pressed up against my wagon’s front window in total and complete awe. And yesterday as a rainstorm was heading in, I was getting images like this at 2:20 in the afternoon!
I love clouds.
Biggles
ps – And oh by the way …

click on photograph to see larger version