Mission Dolores

Mission San Francisco de Asís, more commonly known as Mission Dolores, is the oldest surviving structure in San Francisco - the original building in the foreground of this photo was dedicated in 1791.

The larger structure shown here was completed in 1918.

It includes a graveyard.

Lovely artwork can be seen.

Next weekend I'll show you some photos from inside the basilica. Please visit Inspired Sunday for more photos on this theme, and Our World Tuesday for assorted shots from around the world.

Golden Gate Skies

For Skywatch Friday, here are a couple more shots from the Golden Gate Bridge from a 2013 trip.

These blue San Francisco skies were wonderful!

I'll be taking a short blogging break to spend time with family over Thanksgiving - I'll start posting again after the long holiday weekend!

Golden Gate Bridge

From a trip to San Francisco a year ago, here are some shots of the famous Golden Gate Bridge.

It spans a lot of water - this is very obvious when walking on it.

And it carries a lot of traffic, although not on this day.

Finally, here's a view from the bridge towards Horseshoe Bay.

Our World Tuesday

Laika's Winter Coat

On Sunday afternoon we were above 61° F (16° C). By Tuesday night temperatures dropped below -3° F (-19.4° C), and Wednesday night was -11° F (-24° C) - that's a 72° F (40° C) drop in a couple of days. The cold doesn't bother little Socks as he's got a thick coat, although he still can't stay out too long because it hurts his paws. But Laika's fur is very short, so it's time for her to start wearing her new winter coat when we take her out.

It's easy to put on with Velcro fasteners. Isn't she fashionable? I didn't know how she'd react to it, but it doesn't bother her at all.

Camera Critters

B-52 at Night

Here are some more night photos from the United States Air Force Academy this weekend, showing scenes more commonly photographed in daylight - this time it's the B-52 bomber.

It's a real B-52 that flew many combat missions, now mounted for an impressive display.

I liked the moon behind the plane in that last shot. It was also the highest ISO I used, 12,800.

Skywatch Friday

Air Force Academy Chapel at Night

Since my new camera is suppose to take good photos in low light, I went to the United States Air Force Academy yesterday evening to try some photos of the famous Cadet Chapel. I was very pleased with the results - my old camera wouldn't have worked without a tripod, and even then it would have had trouble with the exposures and autofocus.

All these photos are handheld, and it was much dimmer than the photos appear. The camera was pulling out details I couldn't see with my eyes.

This one is taken at the bottom of the previous one, at right angles.

This is the front of the chapel - I thought it looked almost like a landing strip, appropriate for the location.

And finally, here's the other side of the chapel, which wasn't illuminated - I was astonished that I could get a hand-held photo here at all. A couple of stars showed up and the autofocus was even able to lock on. This one's grainier because I had to push the low-light performance almost to its maximum.

Inspired Sunday

Our World Tuesday

Ypres, Belgium

The last of this batch of photos from Belgium in 1977 shows the Grote Market in Ypres.

Vintage Weekly

USS Pampanito (Outside)

Following on from the previous post, here are some photos of the USS Pampanito, this time viewing the outside.

Skywatch Friday

USS Pampanito (Inside)

In San Francisco you can tour a submarine that saw service in World War Two, the USS Pampanito. It's worth seeing if you have any interest in these things, and you'll gain more of an appreciation for the men who served on them in close quarters.

You can see the controls.

These photos don't illustrate how cramped the quarters are.

The bridge was lit up in red (to help keep eyes adjusted to the dark for periscope use) so I tried to get a long exposure instead of using flash.

I would have had a hard time spending any extended time on this submarine.

Our World Tuesday