Probably not a family on Food Stamps...

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It seems to «Louis» that the inhabitants of this (ahem) small dwelling on the slopes of Mount Diablo in the East Bay are unlikely to be recipients of Food Stamps...

A view from the other side of the Bay

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In this image, «Louis» showed you Mount Diablo, viewed from Mount Tamalpais. Here, you see Mount Tamalpais viewed from the summit of Mount Diablo. The view of Mount Tamalpais is not as clear as the view of Mount Diablo because the weather was nicer the day «Louis» et Mme la Vache were on Mount Tamalpais. They had intermittent rain the day they were on Mount Diablo.

San Francisco Landmarks: Bank of America Center

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The Bank of America Center, now called 555 California Street, is the second tallest building in San Francisco (after the Transamerica Pyramid in yesterday's post). The tower was completed in 1969 and was the world headquarters for Bank of America until the 1998 buy-out by NationsBank. After the buy-out, the banks offices were moved to Charlotte, North Carolina.

The building was meant to be a display of the wealth, power and importance of Bank of America. The design incorporates thousands of bay windows, symbolic of the window style common in San Francisco homes.

At the north foot of the tower is A.P. Gianini Plaza, named after the Italian immigrant to San Francisco who founded the Bank of Italy, which became Bank of America. (Gianini also founded the Transamerica Insurance company in yesterday's post.) Gianini Plaza catches breezes off the bay and is often shaded during the day, rendering it cold and windswept. On the plaza is a 200 ton sculpture of Swedish black granite by Masayuki Nagare. The sculpture is officially named "Transcendence", but in the context of the cold, windswept plaza on which it is located (and because of its shape) is derisively called the "Banker's Heart".

The building, the banking hall, the plaza, stairways and sidewalks are clad in costly carnelian granite.

"The Banker's Heart"

San Francisco Landmarks: Transamerica Pyramid

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Begun in 1969 and completed in 1972, the Transamerica Pyramid quickly became an icon of the San Francisco skyline. It is the tallest building in San Francisco: 850 feet (260 metres). The second tallest building in San Francisco is the Bank of America building; 779 feet (237.4 metres). It often appears that the Bank of America building is taller. It is an illusion caused by the fact that the Bank of America building is on higher ground whereas the Transamerica Pyramid is on landfill. The hull of the whaling ship Niantic, abandoned at its San Francisco pier during the 1849 Gold Rush, was found buried where the Transamerica Pyramid was built.
Transamerica was an insurance company, bought out by the Dutch insurance company AEGON in 1999. Transamerica was founded by A.P. Gianini, founder of the Bank of Italy, which grew to become Bank of America. The pyramid is built on the site of one of Gianini's original buildings.
At 48 floors in height, the pyramid is one of the 200 tallest buildings in the world. 

Guest Photographer: "Redwood": Sailboats, Monterey Harbor

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We began the series of images taken by «Louis'» friend, "Redwood" with an image taken at Monterey, so we will end the series with this image he took of sailboats at the harbor in Monterey Harbor.

Readers, let's give "Redwood" a big round of applause and encourage him to start his own photo blog!

Guest Photographer: "Redwood": Harvest Time

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This is the penultimate photo in the series provided by «Louis'» friend "Redwood". Check in tomorrow to see what "Redwood" has for us!

Here we have a fine image of Napa Valley grapes at Harvest, captured by "Redwood".

Back to our regular bovine programming Thursday, courtesty of «Louis la Vache».

Guest Photographer: "Redwood": Napa Wine Train

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The famous Napa Valley Wine Train, captured here by "Redwood" as it rolls past vineyards, unfortunately is enmeshed in political scandal and Obama administration Pork Barrel Politics.

Guest Photographer: "Redwood": Pelican

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Captured by "Redwood" is this pelican, also known as the Cormorant and the symbol of the late, great Packard Motor Car Company.

Another view of the Packard Cormorant.

Guest Photographer: "Redwood": Pier 39

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Very near Fisherman's Wharf is Pier 39. Once used, as the name implies, for shipping, Pier 39 went through years of neglect as the Port of San Francisco declined due to the intransigence of the Longshoreman's Union fighting containerization. As the Longshoremen resisted, often violently, containerization in San Francisco, the Port of Oakland across the Bay welcomed it. (The world's first container crane was built at the foot of 7th Street in Oakland in 1958 and is still in use.) Matson, having invented containerization, was the first to move across the Bay, followed by American President Lines and others. The Port of San Francisco has never recovered as a shipping center. In the early-1980s, Pier 39 was turned into a tourist destination, filled restaurants and stores selling souvenirs.

Guest Photographer: "Redwood": Fisherman's Wharf

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One of the most famous of all San Francisco landmarks is Fisherman's Wharf. At one time, it was exactly what the name implies; many of the fishing boats operated by Italian immigrants living in nearby North Beach. Over the years, the number of fishing boats working from here has declined, being replaced by tourism. Many of the boats working from the pier are available for hire for cruises on the San Francisco Bay. The restored World War II-era Liberty Ship Jeremiah O'Brien and the World War II submarine U.S.S. Pampanito are nearby at Pier 45.

Ash Wednesday

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Reaffirmation of Baptism

The imposition of ashes

Martin Luther's hymn "Out of the Depths, I Cry to You"

Guest Photographer: "Redwood": Fresh crabs on Fisherman's Wharf

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Guest Photographer: "Redwood": Ghiradellli Square

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Ghiradelli Chocolate was founded by and is named after Italian immigrant Domingo Ghirardelli, who, after working in Peru, moved to San Francisco. The Ghirardelli Chocolate Company was incorporated in 1852, and is the second-oldest chocolate company in the United States, after Baker's Chocolate. The company is now owned by the Swiss candymaker Lindt & Sprüngli. The company was incorporated in 1852 and has been in continuous operation since. The iconic building in "Redwood's" image became the Ghiradelli production facility in 1855. Located at the corner of Greenwich and Powell Streets, it is near Fisherman's Wharf and Pier 39. Production was moved from this facility to a new plant in the East Bay city of San Leandro in 1967. The Ghiradelli buildings at the San Francisco site now house a gaggle of restaurants and shops catering to tourists.

For a view of this site at night, visit San José Señorita.

Guest Photographer: "Redwood": Highway 1 - Bodega Bay

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Guest Photographer: "Redwood": The Road to Big Sur

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Guest Photographer: "Redwood": Elephant Seals, Big Sur

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Guest Photographer: "Redwood": Big Sur

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Big Sur is a famous stretch of the Pacific coast along the Monterey Peninsula, a portion of which has been captured by «Louis'» Guest Photographer "Redwood".

Guest Photographer: "Redwood": Santa Cruz Sunset

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Guest Photographer: "Redwood": Santa Cruz Wharf

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Santa Cruz is north of Monterey, where "Redwood" snapped yesterday's image.Its famous boardwalk is a favorite place for Bay Area young people in the summer.

Guest Photographer: "Redwood": Monterey Wharf

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"Redwood" is a long-time friend of «Louis». We call him "Redwood" because he's as tall as a giant redwood tree. From that height, he snaps some fine photos, this one being of the wharf at Monterey, California. This is the first of a series of "Redwood's" images «Louis» will post.

Brooding clouds

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A break in the rain

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After several days of much-needed rain, the rain clouds took a break before resuming the soaking needed to bring the reservoirs up to a level that would avoid water rationing later in the year.

Filoli: Ballroom and Kitchen

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The ballroom at Filoli is huge; this image is only one tiny corner. Note the pianist playing.

The kitchen is as large as many apartments. Between the kitchen and the dining hall is a garde manger as large as most home kitchens.
«Louis» apologizes that he can't show you more of the interior. There were many visitors the day «Louis» et Mme la Vache visited Filoli. There were few opportunities to get interior shots without the other visitors blocking the view of what we wanted to show.

Filoli: Carriage House

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The Carriage House at Filoli, now used as a shop offering items to visitors.

Filoli: Gardens

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Views of the Filoli estates 600+ acres of gardens.

Filoli: Time began in a garden...

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Various views of the sundial at Filoli

Filoli Estate

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This is the first of several posts «Louis» will do about the Filoli Estate. In this post, «Louis» will give you the history of the estate. Posts following this will be photos referencing this post.

The Filoli Estate is a surprisingly little-known gem located on the San Francisco peninsula thirty miles south of The City on the eastern slope of the Coast Range. The 654-acre Filoli estate contains as its central portion a historic house and sixteen acres of formal garden. The house was occupied from 1917 to 1936 as a private residence for its original owners, William Bowers Bourn II and his wife, Agnes Moody Bourn. In 1937 the property was sold to William and Lurline Matson Roth, who continued to maintain and enrich the estate. Lurline Roth donated Filoli to the National Trust for Historic Preservation in 1975.

Filoli was built for Mr. and Mrs. Bourn, prominent San Franciscans whose chief source of wealth was the Empire Mine, a hard-rock gold mine in Grass Valley, California. Mr. Bourn was also owner and president of the Spring Valley Water Company comprising Crystal Springs Lake and surrounding lands, which are now part of the San Francisco Water Department. Mr. Bourn selected the southern end of Crystal Springs Lake as the site for his estate. He arrived at the unusual name Filoli by combining the first two letters from the key words of his credo: “Fight for a just cause; Love your fellow man; Live a good life.”

Mr. Bourn chose his longtime friend, the prominent San Francisco architect Willis Polk, as the principal designer for the house. Polk had previously designed the Bourns’ cottage in Grass Valley, as well as their home on Webster Street in San Francisco. An inventive architect, Polk frequently combined several styles in the design of a single building, an eclecticism clearly evident in Filoli’s design.

Construction of Filoli began in 1915 and the Bourns moved into the house in 1917. Bruce Porter was enlisted to help the Bourns plan the layout of the extensive formal garden, which was built between 1917 and 1921. Both Mr. and Mrs. Bourn died in 1936. The estate was then purchased in 1937 by William and Lurline Matson Roth, who owned the Matson Navigation Company. Under the Roths’ supervision, the property was maintained and the formal garden gained worldwide recognition. Mrs. Roth made this her home until 1975 when she donated 125 acres, which included the house and formal garden, to the National Trust for Historic Preservation for the enjoyment and inspiration of future generations. The remaining acreage was given to Filoli Center.

A prime example of the California eclectic style, Filoli provides an inspiring vision of a "new Eden," with bountiful land, plentiful resources, and an emphasis on self-sufficiency. Built more than sixty years after the California Gold Rush that inspired massive migration to Northern California, and ten years after the devastating 1906 earthquake and fire in San Francisco, Filoli represented a desire to create a magnificent and enduring country estate.

Now operated by Filoli Center, the estate represents an excellent example of architecture and garden design from the first part of the twentieth century. The house is furnished with some of the Bourns’ and Roths’ original furnishings. During the blooming season, exquisite specimens of Mrs. Roth’s collection of orchids are displayed in the rooms. The beautiful flower arrangements throughout the house are created with flowers from the Lurline Roth Garden by the Friends of Filoli Flower Arranging Committee.




The Matson passenger liner "Lurline" in Hawaii.
Matson Navigation is the principal carrier of containerized cargo and automobiles between the U.S. Pacific Coast and Hawaii, the Hawaiian Neighbor Islands and the Mid-Pacific Islands. The company was founded in 1882 by Lurline Matson Roth's father. Before airplanes became the favored transport to Hawaii, Matson operated passenger ships between the west coast ports, principally San Francisco, and Hawaii. Mason is credited with introducing mass tourism to Hawaii with the opening of the Moana Hotel (now known as the Moana Surfrider Hotel) and the Royal Hawaiian Hotel in Waikiki on the island of Oahu. One of the most famous of the Matson passenger ships was the "Lurline." The ship was not named after Mr. Matson's daughter - it was the other way around; the most recent Maston "Lurline" steamship (built in 1932) being the forth ship of the company to bear that name.




The "Lurline" en route across the Pacific.



The "Mariposa" and "Monterey" under the Golden Gate Bridge.

The latest Lurline,  seen here at the Port of Oakland, is a container ship rather than a passenger ship.

Le 2 Février - Fête de la Chandeleur

Candlemass

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Simeon said: "Jesus is the Light of the World."

In the Roman Catholic church, la fête de la chandeleur, Candlemass, is celebrated on 2 February . In France, la Chandeleur is another excuse to eat! The traditional French meal for la Chandeleur is crêpes, which must be eaten only after eight p.m.

Candlemass is a Christian feast commemorating the purification of the Virgin Mary and the presentation of the infant Jesus in the Temple. Candlemass is the last festival in the Christian year that is dated by reference to Christmas; subsequent holidays are calculated with reference to Easter, so Candlemass marks the end of la saison de la Noël et l'epiphanie.

The term "Candlemass" (also spelled Candelmas) comes from the tradition set forth in the Roman Missal whereby the celebrant of the Mass on 2 February blesses the candles for use during the year (said candles must be of beeswax). The French name for the festival, chandeleur is derived from chandelle, one of several French words for "candle." (Other French words for "candle" are bougie, cierge and candela, the name varies according to the type and use of the candle.) The name fête chandeleur is also derived from the Latin " candelorum festum," which means festival of candles. (French vowels marked with the ˆ (circumflex) were once followed by an "s," and you can see that transition in the Latin "festus" becoming the French fête.)

The date of Candlemass is established by the date set for the Nativity of Jesus, for it comes 40 days afterwards. Under Mosaic law, a mother who had given birth to a male child was considered unclean for seven days; moreover she was to remain for three and thirty days "in the blood of her purification." Candlemass therefore corresponds to the day on which Mary, according to Jewish law (see Leviticus 12:2 - 8), should have attended a ceremony of ritual purification. The gospel of Luke 2:22-39 relates that Mary was purified according to the religious law, followed by Jesus' presentation in the Jerusalem temple, and this explains the formal names given to the festival.

In the West, the date of Christmas is now fixed at 25 December; Candlemass therefore falls the following 2 February.

Saint Simeon welcomed Mary and Jesus and proclaimed that the baby was a "Light of the World". Since the seventh century the day has been celebrated by a procession of the faithful holding lit tapers. The candles are blessed and lit at the church and the participants carry the candle home. The legend is that if the candle arrives home without the flame dying the holder of the candle is assured a good harvest and prosperity for the rest of the year.

It is the custom to prepare and eat crêpes on 2 February and all through the Mardi Gras season. Why crêpes this particular day? It's a bit shrouded in mystery but many sources mention Pope Gélase I, who helped establish Chandeleur and whose custom it was to feed crêpes to the pilgrims who visited his church. The form and color of the crêpe also calls to mind the sun, which is returning after its winter sleep.

Réflexions

Reflections

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