It's sometimes claimed that cats are unruly, while dogs are obedient. While there may be a grain of truth to this, nevertheless, dogs can be quite difficult, too. They don't always go where you want them to, as can often be observed in canine-human interactions at the Viewpoint, although not in the case pictured below.

Guy with Dog, Apr. 17, 2011

Copyright © 2011 Paul D. Natkin, All Rights Reserved

Although there are sunny days at this time of year, there are many rainy ones, too. The weather changes quickly, and often.

Guy with Dog, Apr. 17, 2011 (I)

Copyright © 2011 Paul D. Natkin, All Rights Reserved

I nearly forgot about this sunset.

Sunset, Jan 11, 2011

Copyright © 2010 Paul D. Natkin, All Rights Reserved

Sometimes the movement at the Viewpoint is more to the right, sometimes more to the left, and sometimes in various directions.

Up- and Downhill, Jan. 1, 2011

Copyright © 2011 Paul D. Natkin, All Rights Reserved

When I visited the Viewpoint this afternoon, it wasn't terribly cold, but it wasn't warm, either. The ground was sort of damp, as was the air, and although there were people there at the Viewpoint when I first got there, they didn't stay long, and then I had to wait a while before new ones filed through. I man showed up with two beautiful slay dogs and set them up on the metal blocks that are part of the park's design so that he could take their photos against the backdrop of the view. I could have taken a photo of him taking photos of his dogs, but I'd set my camera up in the opposite direction, so, instead, I waited to see if he would move that way. I find myself wondering whether I would place the man and his dogs any differently if I did a painting of the same subject. I'm not sure.

View with Man with Two Dogs, Jan. 8, 2011

Copyright © 2011 Paul D. Natkin, All Rights Reserved

There are certain moments when the movement of bodies in and out of the space of the upper park becomes a virtual parade. Dogs and their human walkers add to the sense of procession.

Parade of People, Jan. 1, 2011

Copyright © 2011 Paul D. Natkin, All Rights Reserved

As I arrived at the Viewpoint, I suddenly wondered whether it was dusk yet and what the official definition of dusk is. I asked a couple who where just leaving the park. They said they thought dusk is when it's still light, after the sun has gone down. They said it was still late afternoon, not dusk, but they agreed that it looked quite a lot like dusk. The sky was overcast, and the light was quite blue. It was cold, although not freezing or windy. I was surprised how many people came by jogging, or walking their dogs, and how many sat and read or looked at the view.

The View, Jan. 3, 2010

Copyright © 2010 Paul D. Natkin, All Rights Reserved

A large flock of crows came flying overhead. There were hundreds of them, or at least that was my impression. I didn't actually try to count them. They were moving too fast. The headed out toward the lake.

Crows, Jan. 3, 2010

Copyright © 2010 Paul D. Natkin, All Rights Reserved

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Two People Approaching, Jan. 3, 2010

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Woman on the North Bench, Jan. 3, 2010

Copyright © 2010 Paul D. Natkin, All Rights Reserved

The moon rises at 20:39 and sets at 09:37. It will be eighteen days into the current cycle. It will be 361506 kilometers from earth and in the waning gibbous phase.

Two Black Poodles

Although the sun showed itself any number of times today, it was basically an overcast day--and also a windy one. For a while it was sunny at the Viewpoint at the same time that it was overcast down on the bay. A woman came along with two black poodles. I asked how old they were. Although they looked just about alike to me, she replied that one was a year and a half, while the other was eight. She said that the year-and-a-half-old one was an eternal puppy. At least that's how I remember it--several hours from when she said it. It's terrible how easy it is to forget things. It would make more sense if she had said the eight-year-old was an eternal puppy. That would have made a more logical story, wouldn't it? One dog is young, while the other is old. But the old one is an eternal puppy! That has a little more poetry to it, doesn't it? And so my mind wants to remember it this way. This is just how stories get corrupted. Our memories have a tendency to go with what has a logical flow--a sort of balance--regardless of whether this was the case with whatever situation we encountered or heard about. This is why I don't put complete trust in anything I read. And that includes things I've written myself.

As the Sun Drops Lower

Union Bay, Early Evening (I), Sept. 23, 2009 

Copyright © 2009 Paul D. Natkin, All Rights Reserved

Union Bay, Early Evening (II), Sept. 23, 2009

Copyright © 2009 Paul D. Natkin, All Rights Reserved

Union Bay and Hunter's Point, Early Evening, Sept. 23, 2009

Copyright © Paul D. Natkin, All Rights Reserved

As the sun drops lower, I think of the music of Chopin. A sailboat with a white sail slowly makes its way across Union Bay. A man approaches with two little short-haired dogs with spots over their faces. It would have made a wonderful photo if I were a more skilled photographer, or at least quicker to react to the situation. I love the look of a dog being led on a leash around the curve of the edge.