Tag Archives: worn

Red-Winged Blackbird on Fence, Foggy Morning

Red-Winged Blackbird on Fence, Foggy Morning

Red-Winged Blackbird on Fence, Foggy Morning. Calero Hills, California. April 18, 2009. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A female redwing blackbird stands atop a post of an old weathered fence among grasses.

I photographed this bird on an early mid-April morning just before fog began to clear. I frequently walk past this small pond – Castillero Pond – when I begin my hikes into the hills, oaks, and grassland of Calero Park. I’ve learned that it is often possible to find an egret here, so I usually approach the pond slowly and quietly so as not to scare the bird off if it happens to be there. On this morning it wasn’t, but I was pleased to see that the pond had filled after late-season rain, and I found that a flock of redwing blackbirds was flying around – it seems like must be mating and nesting season for them. So I left the long lens on the camera and remained quiet and was able to get fairly close to some of these small birds. While this shot doesn’t exactly fill the frame with the bird, I like the curving form of the fence as it blurs into the distance and the subdued colors in the background.

This photograph is not in the public domain. It may not be used on websites, blogs, or in any other media without explicit advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

keywords: red-wing, black, bird, blackbird, female, avian, perch, stand, beak, animal, wildlife, nature, grass, dormant, brown, weathered, worn, fence, post, rail, stand, atop, spider, web, plant, dry, lichen, old, morning, fog, mist, cloud, stock, nature

Tree, Brick Wall with Window and Pipe

Tree, Brick Wall with Window and Pipe

Tree, Brick Wall with Window and Pipe. San Jose, California. January 4, 2009. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A very old brick wall with a pipe and boarded up window and an adjacent tree catching late afternoon winter light – San Jose, California.

This shadowed wall, terribly weathered, covered with moss, and growing plants where the downspout has leaked is on an old cannery building that is rapidly being “redeveloped” west of downtown San Jose, California. Given that nearby buildings of the same vintage have largely been boarded up and many knocked down to make room for condominiums, I am very surprised that this one still stands and may even still be in use – though not by a cannery. The texture and form of the shadowed wall caught my attention, along with the bit of direct light (and light reflected from the unseen left wall of the building) striking the tree.

This photograph is not in the public domain. It may not be used on websites, blogs, or in any other media without explicit advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

keywords: afternoon, building, california, city, county, downtown, evening, san jose, santa clara, urban, brick, wall, old, dilapidated, worn, weathered, moss, plant, pipe, downspout, window, boarded up, texture, pattern, structure, historic, tree, light, branch, leaf, sky, blue, california, usa, cannery, abandoned, industrial, urban, street, stock

Loading Dock Sign

Loading Dock Sign

Loading Dock Sign. San Jose, California. December 26, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Detail of a very worn and scraped red and yellow sign painted on an industrial loading dock in San Jose, California.

This very bright but very worn sign is painted on the front of a loading dock in a light industrial area of downtown San Jose, California.

This photograph is not in the public domain. It may not be used on websites, blogs, or in any other media without explicit advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

keywords: detail, worn, scraped, gouge, chipped, concrete, cement, steel, paint, yellow, red, sign, rust, industrial, urban, street, letters, a, d, i o, weathered, downtown, san jose, california, usa, stock, 5th, keyes, loading, dock

Brick Wall with Arches, Mare Island

Brick Wall with Arches, Mare Island
Brick Wall with Arches, Mare Island. Mare Island Naval Shipyard, Vallejo, California. March 22, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Old brick wall with arches, door, and windows in a building now used as a historical museum. This building is quite old, but inside this building is another older building that dates to the mid-1800s near the founding of the shipyard.

keywords: photo, photography, old, brick, wall, green, doors, windows, arches, sidewalk, entrance, downspout, cement, ramp, railing, industrial, historic, worn, weathered, mare island, naval shipyard, vallejo, california, usa, travel, stock, structure, architecture