The Occasional Odd Crop

I've moved

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Dodge Medlin) — Sat, 18 Aug 2012 23:29:00 +0000

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The Occasional Odd Crop is now on Tumblr. My first post at the new place explains the move; it's mostly because I like Tumblr's Dashboard and culture of sharing. Even if you're not a member of Tumblr, you'll still be able to see my photos there, but I don't have commenting in place yet.

For my last post at Blogger, I give you "Rue Cortot," an encore presentation of one of my favorite photos from Paris.

I’ll leave my Blogger posts where they are. But new posts will be on Tumblr. See you there!

Pink backpack

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Dodge Medlin) — Mon, 23 Jul 2012 20:49:00 +0000

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Where: University Avenue and Chollas Parkway, El Cerrito, San Diego

When: February 2012

Tatro

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Dodge Medlin) — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 20:25:00 +0000

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Where: Beech Street, South Park, San Diego

When: March 2012

Chain link

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Dodge Medlin) — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 19:44:00 +0000

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Where: Just west of the 163, north of the Cabrillo Bridge, San Diego

When: March 2012

I'm not sure what two things this fence separates, but I saw it from the 163 and thought it might make a good photo.

They don't make 'em like this anymore

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Dodge Medlin) — Tue, 10 Jul 2012 19:29:00 +0000

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Where: In the bathroom of the house we just sold, North Park, San Diego

When: April 2012

This phone came with the house. It was sitting in the bathroom when we bought the place six years ago. It had probably sat there for decades - note the sticker on the base, the one with the pre-911 phone numbers for the police, fire department and paramedics.

When we sold the house last month, we took the phone with us. It doesn't work, but Dani figures she can use it in an art piece. It'll be fun to see what she does with it.

Fashion Kiss

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Dodge Medlin) — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 07:08:00 +0000

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Where: Downtown La Mesa, California

When: February 2012

They are watching.

You probably don't care why I haven't posted anything for a while, but in case you're curious, the reason is here. (Spoiler: It's a cute puppy who's been taking a lot of my time.)

Blue pickup

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Dodge Medlin) — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 20:25:00 +0000

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Where: Strand Way, Coronado, California

When: March 2012

Your logo here

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Dodge Medlin) — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 23:50:00 +0000

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Where: University Avenue, City Heights, San Diego

When: February 2012

Saw this when I was stopped at a light, and shot it from the car. Sometimes you get lucky.

Snow on the 371

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Dodge Medlin) — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 22:14:00 +0000

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Where: California 371, just before we turned onto California 74 on the way to Palm Desert

When: February 2012

This was a big surprise. It hadn't occurred to us that we'd hit snow on the way from San Diego to Palm Desert. But we did get above 4,000 feet, so it shouldn't have been a shock. There was no snow on the highway, so we could just enjoy the scenery.

When we drove home the next day, the snow was gone.

Stagecoach Inn 1000 feet ahead

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Dodge Medlin) — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 18:57:00 +0000

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Where: Aguanga, California, on the way to Palm Desert

When: February 2012

Giant Dipper

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Dodge Medlin) — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 22:15:00 +0000

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Where: Belmont Park, Mission Beach, San Diego

When: January 2012

The window

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Dodge Medlin) — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 18:46:00 +0000

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Where: At home in San Diego

When: January 2012

Cabrillo lighthouse

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Dodge Medlin) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 18:58:00 +0000

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Where: Cabrillo National Monument, Point Loma, San Diego

When: January 2012

I shot this on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, when admission was free. I'd never been to the monument before. I hadn't seen any reason to pay the admission charge, when the views from the rest of Point Loma were similar, and free. But this place is worth the five bucks.

Pelican

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Dodge Medlin) — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 20:36:00 +0000

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Where: Ocean Beach pier, San Diego

When: February 2012

As I mentioned yesterday, this is the closest I've ever been to a pelican. I was pretty proud of myself for not scaring it off.

But maybe I shouldn't have been. If Shuwen Lisa Wu is right, this pelican is famous for posing on the pier. Even so, I'm happy with my photos of this flying dinosaur.

Something completely different: If you're not following my tumblelog, you missed my choppy four-frame movie the other day of a guy riding his bike down the steps at that new footbridge in downtown San Diego.

Pelican and fisherman

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Dodge Medlin) — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 00:23:00 +0000

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Where: Ocean Beach pier, San Diego

When: Today

My stepson, John, was in town for a couple of days and hadn't seen the ocean. So we stopped by the pier this morning before I dropped him off at the airport. This was the first time I'd seen pelicans sitting on the pier, and the closest I'd ever been to one of these prehistoric-looking birds. Incredible creatures.

I have photos where the fisherman is in focus and the pelican is soft, and vice versa. But in the end, I liked having them both fairly sharp. And while the pelican's colors are beautiful - red on the beak, sharp blue eyes, a subtle yellow on the head - our friend here stood out better against the sky in black and white.

Fallen bloom

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Dodge Medlin) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 22:23:00 +0000

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Where: My front yard, San Diego

When: January 2012

As much as I like black and white, sometimes a photo *is* all about the pretty colors, and when that happens, you just need to embrace it.

Shadows on the bridge

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Dodge Medlin) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 20:49:00 +0000

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Where: Downtown San Diego, on the newish footbridge connecting Petco Park with the Convention Center

When: January 2012

Trolley yard

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Dodge Medlin) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 21:35:00 +0000

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Where: Downtown San Diego

When: January 2012

San Diego's trolley cars are a striking red. But I wanted the focal point to be the lines on the left, where the tracks converge and make that claw shape. The pretty red would just draw the eye away from that. So, black and white.

Condensation and the Columbia

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Dodge Medlin) — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 21:40:00 +0000

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Where: Looking out the window at Coffee Girl, Pier 39, Astoria, Oregon

When: December 2011

In some ways, Astoria has changed a lot in the 17 years since I moved away. As a visitor in town for just a couple of days, I most enjoyed the addition of the Riverwalk, a 5-mile paved path along the Columbia River. It's a great way to see Astoria's best feature.

There was also no place like Coffee Girl when I lived in Astoria. It's a nice little coffee shop in a 135-year-old cannery building sitting over the river.

Coffee Girl might never have happened if Starbucks hadn't happened first, but I don't care. It was 43 degrees with a bit of a breeze when we - me, my son Brad and his daughter, Fiona - went for a little stroll on the Riverwalk. When we were done, I was thrilled to have a place to sit and drink a cup of hot tea (something I never do at home in San Diego, by the way).

From my point of view as a tourist, Coffee Girl and the Riverwalk are welcome additions to the town. In other ways, Astoria hasn't changed a bit, but I have. Before I drove out of town, I stopped at a fast-food burrito place for lunch. It was in the low 40s and raining. In San Diego, weather like that would keep me and just about everybody else huddled indoors.

But in Astoria, it was just another day in late December. The burrito place was packed, and plenty of people were on the streets, doing what they do, usually without the aid of an umbrella, or even a hat. Meanwhile, my other son, Kyle, was spending the day putting in about 70 miles on his racing bike.

I should have remembered that kind of toughness from the seven years I spent in the Astoria area. I shouldn't have been surprised. But I was.

Custard King

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Dodge Medlin) — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 21:44:00 +0000

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Where: 16th and Commercial, Astoria, Oregon

When: December 2011

I didn't get anything this time, but when I lived in Astoria, this place had the best milkshakes in town. It still has one of the best signs.

Ship on the Columbia

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Dodge Medlin) — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 20:18:00 +0000

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What: The cargo vessel Hao Ying

Where: Columbia River, Astoria, Oregon

When: December 2011

The Columbia River is my favorite body of water. The Pacific Ocean, about 20 minutes from my house in San Diego, is fantastic, but I like the Columbia for the shipping traffic. And you can see the other side, which makes it more interesting photographically.

I do not miss Astoria's winter weather, of which I got a reminder over my Christmas break, when I went back to visit my sons and their kids. Forty-one degrees and rain. No thanks. But having that river nearby would make up for the chill.

Two towers

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Dodge Medlin) — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 21:43:00 +0000

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Where: Near Bay Marina Drive, National City, California

When: November 2011

Banksy and the cone of shame

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Dodge Medlin) — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 21:32:00 +0000

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Where: Our front yard

When: October 2011

Our puppy, 5 months old at the time, hadn't actually done anything shameful, of course. But she'd just been spayed and had been paying some unhelpful attention to her incision, so the vet suggested the cone. That thing was photographic gold.

Banksy sans cone, along with more info about our pound puppy.

Boats on the bay

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Dodge Medlin) — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 21:41:00 +0000

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Where: Pacific Tugboat Services, seen from Cesar Chavez Park, Logan Heights, San Diego

When: December 2011

My photos are usually more about shapes and textures than colors, but this is one time I needed the riot of color. The blue and green water, the orange rust - those were vital parts of this scene. At least a couple of these are probably worth reworking in black and white, but not today.

Hello Kitty helmet

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Dodge Medlin) — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 21:20:00 +0000

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Where: Silver Strand Boulevard, between Imperial Beach and Coronado, California

When: September 2011