Weekend Reflections

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An exceptionally smooth Bay gives a mirror-like reflection of the morning clouds between Albany Point and Point Isabel, viewed from le balcon Chez la Vache.

See all the other participants in James' "Weekend Reflections".

Beaucoup de bateaux sur la baie!

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It always brings a smile to «Louis'» face to step out on le balcon Chez la Vache and see hundreds of sailboats plying the Bay. Click to enlarge.

Image sans mots

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Un visiteur

A visitor

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A cruise ship calls on San Francisco, seen here from le balcon Chez la Vache.

«Louis de France»

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In Rome, courtesy of Eleonora, Roma Every Day. Don't miss her delightful food blog, Aglio, Olio, e Peperoncino.

Série du pont de dimanche V

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Morning breaks over the Golden Gate Bridge. Click to enlarge - «Louis'» great need for a more powerful telephoto lens is very apparent in this shot. The illumination of the sun on the towers of the bridge is very fine!

See the other participants in the Sunday Bridge Series:
Bibi - A Yankee in Belgrade
Cieldequimper - Versailles Daily Photo
Cieldequimper - Random Photos
Halcyon - Jackson, MS Daily Photo
Tash - Palos Verdes Daily Photo
Dina- Jerusalem Hills Daily Photo
Kim - Seattle Daily Photo
Chuck - One A Day, Mostly Seattle
Mary Beth - Small City Scenes of Stanwood, WA
Neva - Inverness, IL Daily Photo
Another Slice of EG Life
Helenmac - Fabius Day by Day
Carolyn - Oakland Daily Photo
Rob "Dusty Lens" - North Metro Daily Photo
Lily Hydrangia - Long Island DP
Tash - Palos Verdes DP

«Louis» welcomes a new contributor: Alexa - Photo Fun, who advises us that as of yet, no one has actually bought the Brooklyn Bridge...visit her blog and see for yourself!

Any one else? «Louis» doesn't want to miss anyone!

Cieldequimper has TWO bridges on TWO blogs again today!

Keep in mind that «Louis» publishes at midnight Paris time. He'll add European, Asian and Australasian links shortly afterwards. He'll add the correct U.S. links Sunday morning U.S. time. His Monday post won't publish until 2201 Paris time, giving U.S. participants more time.«Louis» will update the links as they become available. Check back for more!

Weekend Reflections

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See all the other participants in James' "Weekend Reflections".

Sausalito at dusk

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Bonjour!

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Rainclouds over the Pacific and moving in don't manage to stop San Francisco from giving us a cheery bonjour!.

Carquinez Straight: Les cousins de «Louis»

«Louis'» cousins

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Captured on camera by Mme la Vache, some of «Louis'» cousins are contentedly grazing on the hills east of the Carquinez Straight.

A sailboat on the Carquinez Straight

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Just west of the Carquinez Bridge, a lone sailboat plies the waters heading toward the bridge. The waters of the San Joaquin and Sacramento Rivers merge in the California Delta at Antioch, east of this point. These waters flow west through the Carquinez Straight, feeding San Pablo Bay, the beginning of which you see in the right side of this image. San Pablo Bay in turn feeds the San Francisco Bay, the waters ultimately flowing into the Pacific at the Golden Gate. In the center distant backgrounds of this image are the Napa and Sonoma Valleys.

Carquinez Straight: Flour Mill

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Further upstream on the Carquinez Straight from the California Maritime Academy is this flour mill operated by General Mills. Much of the wheat grown in the San Joaquin valley is milled here and distributed to West Coast consumers and commercial or industrial baking concerns in the form of the various flours produced by General Mills.

Série du pont de dimanche IV

Sunday Bridge Series IV

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See the other participants in the Sunday Bridge Series:
Bibi - A Yankee in Belgrade
B SQUARED - Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Cieldequimper - Versailles Daily Photo
Cieldequimper - Random Photos
Halcyon - Jackson, MS Daily Photo
Tash - Palos Verdes Daily Photo
Eleonora - Roma Every Day
Dina- Jerusalem Hills Daily Photo
Kim - Seattle Daily Photo
Chuck - One A Day, Mostly Seattle
Mary Beth - Small City Scenes of Stanwood, WA
Neva - Inverness, IL Daily Photo
Another Slice of EG Life
Helenmac - Fabius Day by Day

Any one else? «Louis» doesn't want to miss anyone!

Cieldequimper has TWO bridges on TWO blogs!
Keep in mind that «Louis» publishes at midnight Paris time. He'll add European, Asian and Australasian links shortly afterwards. He'll add the correct U.S. links Sunday morning U.S. time. His Monday post won't publish until 2201 Paris time, giving U.S. participants more time.«Louis» will update the links as they become available. Check back for more!

Weekend Reflections

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See all the other participants in James' Weekend Reflections

California Maritime Academy training ship "Golden Bear"

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On the Vallejo side of the Carquinez Straight near the Carquinez Bridge is the California Maritime Academy.

From the school's website:
"Located in Vallejo, California, The California Maritime Academy (Cal Maritime) is a unique and specialized campus of The California State University that offers students bachelor’s degrees in international business and logistics, facilities engineering technology, global studies and maritime affairs, marine engineering technology, marine transportation, and mechanical engineering. Cal Maritime is one of only seven degree-granting maritime academies in the United States — and the only one on the West Coast.

A specialized education combining classroom instruction, experiential learning, and professional development, prepares students for successful careers in international business and logistics, maritime policy, engineering, technology, or in the maritime and transportation industries. International travel, training, and experiences — including a two-month international training cruise onboard the Training Ship GOLDEN BEAR — prepare students in fields that are increasingly global in nature. "

Bay Area Bridges: Carquinez Bridge

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You got a high-altitudge view of the Carquinez Bridge when «Louis» et Mme la Vache took you to the top of Mount Diablo. Here's a closer view taken from the Carquinez Straight. If you click to enlarge, you'll see the C&H Sugar mill behind the bridge on the right. In doing so, you'll also see that this is actually two bridges. The eastern most span carries east-bound traffic on Interstate 80, while the one in the foreground carries the westbound traffic.

The Carquinez bridge lies between Crockett on the south and Vallejo on the north. The original Carquinez bridge predates either the Golden Gate Bridge or the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge.

Here's a snippet from Wikipedia about the Carquinez Bridge.

Image sans mots

Image without words

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Série de côte du nord: Sunset, Fort Ross

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The final image of our North Coast series, fittingly, is this sunset captured near Fort Ross by San Francisco Bay Daily Photo's resident Sunset Image Expert, Mme la Vache. Fort Ross originally was one of several Russian settlements along California's North Coast.

Série de côte du nord: Methodist Church, Gualala

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Along Highway 1 in Gualala is this Methodist church dating from the 19th Century. It is interesting to find these 19th century churches, still in use, along Highway 1. Priorities in the 19th Century were very different from today - were this community being settled today, it is highly doubtful that a church would be one of the first structures built...

Série du pont de dimanche III

Sunday Bridge Series III

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Click to enlarge - Blogger is cutting the right side of the image off!

A grey and salmon pink sky envelope an outbound cargo ship, probably bound for China. Given that Mme la Vache originally is from China, «Louis» is careful not to (ahem) criticize imports from China!...

See the other participants in the Sunday Bridge Series!
(Please note that because «Louis» posts on Paris time, his bridge post will publish in the U.S. on Saturday afternoon, so some participants posts may not appear until U.S. time on Sunday. «Louis» will update the links.)

James - Newtown Area Photo
Mary Beth - Small City Scenes
Halcyon's Here and There travel blog
Chuck - One A Day, Mostly Seattle
Neva - Inverness, IL Daily Photo
B SQUARED (Mr. Yugo) - Ft. Lauderdale, FL Daily Photo
Cieldequimper - Here, There and Everywhere
Dina - Jerusalem Hills Daily Photo
Evelyn - Enjoying the Good Life (AU)

More Bridges!
Don't miss these later additions!
San José Señorita
Tash - Palos Verdes Daily Photo
Kim - Seattle Daily Photo

Série de côte du nord: Point Arena Lighthouse

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South of Mendocino along Highway 1 is the Point Arena Lighthouse, one of the tallest lighthouse towers in the West. Perched on a narrow peninsula, the Point Arena Lighthouse Tower is 115 ft. high. Built in 1870, destroyed by the 1906 earthquake, and rebuilt the following year, it was the first lighthouse to be made of steel and concrete. The lighthouse recently has been restored. Despite its somewhat isolated location on the North Coast, it has received more than 25,000 visitors since re-opening in 2009.

Série de côte du nord: Looking south from Mendocino

North Coast Series: Looking south from Mendocino

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The rugged Mendocino coast, looking south from the edge, literally, of the town.

Série de côte du nord: First Presbyterian Church

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The parish was established in 1854. This building has been in continuous use by the parish since 1868.

Série de côte du nord: Mendocino

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Mendocino was a lumber town in the 19th century. Redwood trees were harvested, floated down to the Pacific, loaded onto ships and taken down the coast, often to San Francisco for construction fueled by the Gold Rush. Now the town is something of an artist colony. The Mendocino Coast has many bread and breakfast inns, popular for weekend getaways from the urban areas around San Francisco. Mendocino County is also notorious for its marijuana-fed underground economy.

Série de côte du nord: Time and the Maiden

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Joyeux Pâques!

Alleluia! Christ is risen!Christ is risen indeed! Alleluia!
Easter Sunday, St. Mark's LutheranSan Francisco
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Children of all ages (ahem, Tina) enjoyed Mr. Bunny's Egg Tree.

The Easter Egg hunt was held on the plaza between the 9:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. services. Shortly after the hunt was over, the grey skies produced the rain they had been promising.

The choir, accompanied by brass, led the congregation in
This is the Feast.

Spring flowers adorned the chancel.

Children receive a word of blessing as the Eucharist is distributed.

"Let us go in peace to serve our resurrected Christ!
We will! Thanks be to God!
Organ postlude: Christ Lag in Todesbanden

A radiant Mme la Vache in her kimono at the chancel after the service.

The Great Vigil of Easter

On the night before Easter Day, Christians around the world gather to celebrate Christ's passage from death to life. The Great Vigil of Easter includes strong signs: new fire in darkness, light spreading from the light of Christ, the water and Word of baptism, the first resurrection meal. And powerful words: the great saving stories of Hebrew scriptures and the first Easter Gospel. We keep this wondrous night in the spirit of vigil, our lamps lit, awaiting Christ's coming both now and at the end of time. Alleluia! Christ is risen! And Christ will come again!

The Easter Vigil takes place in four parts

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The first part of the Vigil centers around the Paschal Candle. It includes the blessing of the light, a symbol of Christ, the Light of the World; a solemn procession in which the people of God follow the Light through darkness into light; and the Easter Proclamation.






By candlelight, parishioners enter the darkened church.

In the second part, the Church meditates on all that God has done for the people from the beginning of time. The series of readings from the Old Testament tells through creation, exodus, prophetic voice incarnation, and resurrection; the full story of God's work.

The third part emphasizes our baptism into Christ's death and resurrection. We concentrate on our lives in the waters of baptism and join in renewing our vows as candidates for baptism are baptized and candidates for affirmation renew the promises made at baptism.




"Let your light so shine before others that they may seeyour good works and glorify your Father in Heaven."

"Alleluia! Christ is risen! Alleluia! Christ is risen indeed!"



This is the Feast of Victory for our God

The Vigil culminates in the fourth part where the Church is called to the Table that Christ has prepared for his people through his death and resurrection. Here we hear the story of the resurrection, pray for the needs of the whole world, and participate in the gift of salvation given us through Christ.


"The body of Christ"
Alleluia! Christ is risen!Christ is risen indeed! Alleluia!