Playland at the Beach Lives On

Playland at the Beach Lives On, a set on Flickr.

Remember San Francisco's Playland at the Beach? You don't? Oh well, you're probably a lot younger than I and can be forgiven.

While Playland no longer exists, having gone seedy and even scary in the 60's and then got itself replaced with condos and a supermarket when no one thought it worth the face lift, some of it lives on. Like at the Musee Mechanique at San Francisco's Pier 43.5 and Playland Not at the Beach in El Cerrito on the east side of the bay.

Both are worth a visit. The Musee Mechanique is free and fun though you might just drop a few quarters into a machine or two to see how they work and take you to a yesterday when fun was a much simpler and cheaper endeavor.

Miraflores Revitalization Kickoff

Miraflores Revitalization Kickoff, a set on Flickr.

I've made several visits to the former rose and carnation greenhouses of the Sakai, Oishi, and Endo families in Richmond (CA). Roses still grow there even though unattended for some years.

Soon these greenhouses will be replaced with homes and townhouses. Some of the history will be saved and restored as a reminder of Richmond's past.

For more information on the Miraflores development see http://www.ci.richmond.ca.us/index.aspx?nid=1847

Richmondocks-152 (photo by Dale Mead)

Richmondocks-152
Originally uploaded by dfmead

On Jan 21 together with fellow photographer Dale Mead, I returned to Richmond Shipyard Number 3 (Richmond, CA) for more photos from the decks of the Whirley Crane. The crane rises about 60 feet above ground, but I decided not to climb the last set of ladders despite having climbing gear for the ascent.

I used climbing gear as a safety precaution while shooting. It let me pay attention to my shooting and not worry about stepping off the deck. The last three photos in this series are from my photo-archives of Richmond's Shipyard Number 3.

While I took shots from the deck of the crane, Dale shot a series from the ground.


For photos by Dale Mead, photo-documentarian, see http://www.flickr.com/photos/damead/sets/72157625753800053/with/5377627350/

Shipyard Number 3 and the Whirley Crane

World War II brought many changes to Richmond, CA. Agriculture and whaling were replaced with ship building. Some remnants of that time remain, such as a couple of Navy tugs, the Red Oak Victory Ship, and one last example of a Whirley Crane.

The Whirley Crane takes its name from its ability to 'whirl' the turret 360 degrees. It was used sometimes more than one at a time to lift ship parts so that welders could get access more readily. Nearly 500 ships were built in the Richmond shipyards for the war.

Sakai Rose Company Nursery Site

Soon to be developed in new residences for the City of Richmond, the greenhouses of the former rose and carnation nurseries remain for now. Once these greenhouses were some of the most productive on the West Coast, given the mild climate and extended growing season. Changes in tax law made imports cheaper and eventually led to the closure of these and other greenhouses in California and the U.S. Today this site in Richmond is one of the last remaining as a reminder of the past. Some of the structural reminders of that past will be allowed to remain as a link to our past and heritage.

4734_5_6_7_8_Fog Shrouded Hills Of Wildcat Canyon

4734_5_6_7_8_Fog Shrouded Hills Of Wildcat Canyon
Originally uploaded by misterken

A break in the rain was an opportunity to capture that brief interlude when the morning mists roll over the hills. This view is from the San Pablo Ridge at the Richmond end looking south east. The site of the former Belgum Sanatorium is just visible at the lower right.

2010 Laboratory Christmas Potluck

Once again those hard working lab folks take time out for the annual Christmas potluck where hidden talents are expressed and green is the color of the day.

Blossoms & Thorns: The Legacy of Richmond's Historic Japanese American Nurseries

Ellen Gailing, Matthew Matsuoka, Fletcher Oakes, Ken Osborn

Curated by: Emily Anderson & Donna Graves

Richmond Art Center

2540 Barrett Ave
Richmond, CA 94804

September 14th - November 13th

Reception:
September 25th 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM

Growing Tomatoes in the Fog Zone

Before moving to the East Bay (Richmond, CA) I lived in Davis (CA) where the summers are hot and the tomatoes grow taller than giraffes (slight exaggeration).  East Bay's summers are typically not hot and are sometimes confused for winter by those who do not live here.  Tomatoes do not grow as tall as giraffes here.  In fact it is difficult to get tomatoes to grow or at least grow tall and ripen, but I usually try anyway and somehow, this year, I got some surprises.

My first surprise was finding heirloom tomatoes at a local nursery (Spiral Gardens, 2830 Sacramento St. Berkeley).   I first tasted heirloom tomatoes 2 years ago and found them tasty and satisfying.  They seem to be catching on, and are available in the local 'organic' food stores.  Getting them at a nursery as 1-gallon plants was unexpected and worth another growing effort.

My second surprise was that not only did these plants grow, but flourished!  I planted five, three in one raised bed and two in another a few feet away.  In one bed the plants exceed my height by 2-3 feet while in the other adjacent bed they do not come to my waist.  The difference is due to fava beans, which I had planted in one of the beds as a green manure crop not expecting to plant anything else this season.

 The purchase of the tomato plants was not planned and there was limited room in a bed where chard, parsley, and mints filled most of the small space.  Figuring I would soon harvest the fava beans, I put three of the plants in with the beans and the other two with the chard et al.  Two months later, and with the beans still not harvested, it became obvious there was no need to thin the beans as the tomatoes were decidedly not crowded but were exceeding even my UC Davis days expectations.  

Fava beans are nitrogen fixers and tomato plants have need for lots of nitrogen to do well.  The combination was working quite well.  Of course, big plants does not equate to vine ripened tomatoes, but I do have a crop of tomatoes waiting for some warm weather to fully ripen.  Come back in a month and see what happens.