The California Academy of Sciences has a truly awesome aquarium on the lower level, but the South African penguins live at the far end of the African Hall — which is otherwise filled with non-living specimens (antelope, lions, etc). I arrived just as the keeper finished cleaning the enclosure and joined a small crowd of people watching these adorable little […]
Much of Mineo Mizuno’s work centers around water, ranging from color-saturated teardrops to oval forms representing water drops, such as this one. Decorated with the Japanese character for zero, the calligraphy dissolves into a sublime surface pattern. For the artist, repeatedly painting the character is a meditative experience and connected to Zen principles — Crocker Art Museum information card Look […]
I first saw the work of Ruth Asawa at the deYoung Museum in San Francisco; studying one of her hanging wire sculptures, I found the shadows it cast just as beautiful as the piece itself. Some of her work is also on display at the Crocker Art Museum in Sacramento, including the one shown above. Born in rural California, Asawa […]
A good number of people in my neighborhood enjoy keeping a few chickens in their back yards for a steady supply of quality eggs. A short way down the road, the town of Fair Oaks celebrates chickens by letting them wander free on the streets of Old Town and has held an annual Chicken Festival every September since 2005. But […]
There is so much to see at the de Young Museum in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, I’m not sure it’s possible to absorb it all in just one day. Even though I spent at least a couple of hours there, it now feels like I rushed through in my hurry to get to the California Academy of Sciences across […]
I didn’t go inside the Legion of Honor on my recent San Francisco trip, although I’d love to explore this art museum someday. This time I had to be content with the view from outside, which is pretty impressive all by itself.
I happened to catch this episode of California’s Golden Parks on TV a few days ago, and I’m glad I saw it because it’s a good reminder of how easy it is to overlook some really amazing history as we travel around the state. Sometimes it’s not possible to stop and check out every potentially interesting sight… so I’m glad […]
A good museum will always offer surprises and teach you something, no matter how many times you return. Yesterday I visited to the California Museum in downtown Sacramento for the second time and was blown away by this sculpture by local artist Susan Shelton. The mythical Califia is believed by some scholars to be the source of our state’s name, […]
My entry for Cee’s Black & White Photo Challenge this week.