Winter and Sping

I've been a bit behind posting photos because I've been busy working on my senior thesis all year. That's done now, so here is are a bunch from the last six months all together. More to come soon!

Hyde Park's Promontory Point frozen over during the depths of winter.

The University of Chicago Quadrangles plastered with snow after a storm this winter.

Lake Merritt, Oakland, CA

Wildflowers on the coast in Half Moon Bay, California.

A banana slug on the floor of a redwood forest near Half Moon Bay, California

The floor of a redwood forest near Half Moon Bay, California.

A one minute exposure of Bond Chapel on the University of Chicago campus. Used a piece of welding glass as an ND filter, which worked surprisingly well.

a quickr pickr post

West Coast and Back Again

Below are a bunch of photos from Chicago and the Bay Area that I've accumulated over the last few months that don't fit into any particular category. Enjoy! 

An L overpass in Chicago.

A man walks his dog in Chicago's Humbolt Park.

Rockefeller Chapel at the University of Chicago.

Mt. Diablo seen from the Berkeley Hills.

Birds floating on Lake Merritt.

The bird sanctuary at Lake Merritt, Oakland, CA.

Rockefeller Chapel the night before the first polar vortex hit Chicago.

a quickr pickr post

Lake Merritt

Just ten years ago Oakland's Lake Merritt was in a state of disrepair: the water was polluted, trails were poorly maintained, and the surrounding buildings were dilapidated. After the passage of Measure DD in 2002, however, $115 million was allocated to improving the Lake. Ten years later, Lake Merritt has been transformed into one of Oakland's most valuable public spaces. The water is clean, the the trails are chock full of runners and walkers, and then surrounding buildings have been repaired. When I was back in California over winter break I took a series of photos of the Lake trying to show the improvements that have been made over the years and what a gorgeous place it is now. Hope you enjoy!

a quickr pickr post

Mt. Diablo State Park

I like visiting Mt. Diablo State Park because it looks and feels much different from the Redwood forests on the California coast, but is still within quick driving distance. I visited twice over winter break and came away with four photos that I am happy with (although its really more like four photos of two ideas). More photos from winter break coming soon! 

a quickr pickr post

Cali Redwoods

A shot from a redwood grove near the fire trail in Berkeley. This was a vertical panorama with my widest lens (17mm on a full frame) so I managed to capture pretty much the full length of the trees even though I was only five feet away from the bottom of the closest tree in the foreground.

 

Mendocino

After returning to the states from Shanghai, I spent a weekend with my family on the coast in Mendocino. Going from a mega-city of 20 million to the "unincorporated community" of Mendocino, population 894, was quite a change of pace, but it was nice to hike through redwoods instead of high rises.

Taken in the Mendocino botanical garden, forget what kind of flower this was though.

a quickr pickr post

Occupy Oakland Port Shutdown

    I made it down to today's Occupy Oakland protests, which involved a long march from downtown Oakland to the Port of Oakland. Of course, I brought my camera with me, but didn't get as many good photos as I would have liked because I was also on bike, and couldn't really lock it up anywhere. Lesson learned: next time I'll go without a bike (although it made getting home from the port much easier). In any case, the protest seemed to attract a pretty sizable crowd (I think I saw an article online that said there were 2,000 protestors, and that seems about right to me). I heard that some of the night shifts were called off because of the protests, so it seems that they were at least somewhat effective.

Occupy protestors march through Oakland on their way to the port on December 12th's day of action.

Occupy protestors stretch out along Middle Harbor Rd. during Dec 12th's march to occupy the Oakland Port.

Occupy Oakland protestors race to Berth 32 to support a bicycle blockade preventing trucks from loading their cargo.

An Occupy Oakland protestor at Berth 32 supporting a bicycle blockade preventing trucks from loading their cargo.

Occupy Oakland protestors rock out on the back of a truck during Dec 12th's move to occupy the Oakland Port.

Back to the Bay

I survived finals week and finished my first quarter at The University of Chicago! I'm on winter break now so expect more photos coming soon. To celebrate my return to the blissfully snow-free Bay Area, here is a photo I found in my library and realized I never posted on the blog. It is a panorama of downtown San Francisco from Treasure Island.

Half-Moon Bay