My City By The Bay

19th Anniversary of the Sea Lions’ Arrival
Monday, January 19, 2009
12:00 PM to 4:00 PM
PIER 39 celebrates the 19th Anniversary of the Sea Lions’ arrival to PIER 39.  Visit the sea lions hauled out on K-Dock and learn interesting sea lion fun facts from The Marine Mammal Center’s experts.  Stop by The Whale Bus to learn more about the fascinating marine mammals that reside in our San Francisco Bay.  To commemorate the sea lions’ anniversary, all proceeds from rides on the new San Francisco Carousel between 12 and 4pm will benefit The Marine Mammal Center, an organization which fosters marine mammal survival and the conservation of their habitat.

While walking about the Wharf area the other day on my way to Pier 39 I encountered some of the most beautiful dramatic skies that I have ever seen in San Francisco.  The above shot you can barely see the Golden Gate in the distance with a couple of ships along the bay.

It was one of those gray days where the sun in a futile attempt to peek through the clouds displayed a rainbow of colors across the Western skies right before Sunset.  Alcatraz can be seen in the distance in this picture along with the Marin Headlands in the background.  The slowly moving cloud formations contributed to what seemed like a painting being created across a naturally dark canvas.

The skies towards the East Bay as seen in the photo above were clear and as I walked along the pier with the dark clouds looming I felt as if I were looking at a stage with the drape about to drop and signal an encore.

With the Golden Gate Bridge in the distance and silhouettes of a ship and dock hugging the pier this purple and pink sunset made for a romantic setting.  The skies reflected along the water ever changing with the movement of the clouds and the dancing waters of the bay made me feel as if I were on a dance floor.  The seabirds cry and the pulse of the city were echoing off the water in a symphony only Mother Nature can provide.

Towards the East Bay with the San Francisco Oakland Bay Bridge in the background the color palette of this photo was simply lovely. Nature’s canvas in all of it’s glory.

Enjoy!