Work Horses

Port of Oakland, California. When containerized shipping came into being, The Port of Oakland invested in these huge container cranes. The San Francisco Longshoremen's union prevailed on the Port of San Francisco not to get them. The result is a thriving, busy port in the East Bay and a defunct one in SanFrancisco.

Back in the 80's, theOakland Tribune sponsored an Orchids and Onions issue in which the excellent (orchids) and the heinous (Onions) were recognized. It was orchids for these oddly elegant horses that dominate the skyline. Star Wars and the Trojan Horse also come to mind….

I took this shot from the section of the freeway, formerly known as the Cypress, that collapsed in the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. It was on my mind this morning after our 6.1 jolt out of bed at 3:20 this morning. Our power went out and Ozzie got in bed with us, but as far as we were able to tell, there were no other effects... oh, except that my grandmother's glass clock, which has not been persuaded to tick since we moved, started chiming! A text from Dana said the the grandmother clock on their wall is now chiming as well.

Napa, or at least the older parts of the city, did not fare as well. I just got a text from Dana; Jim and Peter are in Yountville for a doubleheader. They should have cancelled:no power, terrible traffic and no stores are open for food….