Trains Magazine Contribution

Recently I submitted one of my pictures to Trains Magazine for their "Trackside with Trains" feature. It's a 'vote for your favorite' kind of feature. The theme was titled "Yellow". The idea is to submit a rail related photo that has something to do with the color yellow. I went through my portfolio and narrowed it down to a couple of pictures. After agonizing over the decision (well, not really) I chose a picture I took in Alviso. My entry tallied enough votes for a respectable third place.

Back in the mid to late 1800's Alviso was destined to be a port city. Shipping from San Francisco and beyond would arrive in Alviso for distribution throughout the south San Francisco bay area. At the time the area was a large agricultural region. However, the hopes of it becoming a booming port city were dashed when the San Francisco and San Jose Railroad bypassed Alviso. The growth in transporting commodities by rail was the death knell for Alviso. The building captured in the image is the former Laine's Grocery in the late 1800's. The building was in use up until major flooding caused severe damage in 1983.

Shameless Embedding

You too can get a $10 discount by embedding one of your Shutterfly projects on your blog or website.

5x7 Folded Card

View the entire collection of cards.

John David Evans

I'll miss you Dad. Look for me when I get there so we can sit and have some iced tea with lemon and talk about old times.



February 19,1932 to June 3, 2011

Decaf? Really?

Ethan keeping his Papa's job alive by "reading" the paper.

Since Dunce Hats Are Outdated

I figured we could keep one of these handy for the person who isn't pulling their weight at work. They could wear it all day and the rest of us would be justified in calling them a $#@&head.

Pict -O- Game Is A Fun Little Website

I used a picture I had of my Brother-in-law goofing around to personalize the game.

Make a game | Share | Free games | Pictogame

"A Little Help From My Friends"

A picture of something not seen too often. Usually the Coast Starlight is headed by two Amtrak GE P42DC locomotives. Apparently one had some trouble. Union Pacific loaned Amtrak an EMD SD70M to possibly complete the trip to LA or to get to the next location that had available Amtrak motive power. They obviously would not want the Starlight to be stranded on their mainline interrupting their flow of freight traffic.

Aloha! Part II

I took the above shot in the Iao Valley Park. I'm not sure what kind of flower but it's beautiful, eh? We are in the middle of seven glorious days on Maui. So far we have been to the Haleakala Crater,




the Iao Valley.



the Sugar Cane Train in Lahaina (Lahaina, Kaanapali and Pacific Railroad),



The engineer that operated this steam locomotive was a twenty-something woman!

A Hole In The Sky

I was working in the field up the peninsula in Daly City and Colma and was coming over the hill to get to highway 101 when I came across this incredible light show. It was a very foggy morning. The small peninsula of land in the center of the picture is just south of Candlestick Park, the former home of the San Francisco Giants baseball team. It was truly a spectacular display! I took a series of pictures over about six minutes. I've posted them on my Flickr page. Check them out if you'd like.




The reason I was up there was because we were trying to determine if a guy we have contracted to distribute one of our publications is just ripping us off by picking up the papers and dumping them (or recycling them for $.08 a pound). He gets a flat fee weekly to distribute and we have audited and found no papers at the locations that he is telling us he is selling at. Thieving dirtbag!

Amtrak Capitol Corridor

Amtrak Capitol Corridor, originally uploaded by sharkzƒan.

I took this in Alviso on a calm morning. The lack of a breeze provided a great reflective surface on the water.

Mallard

Mallard, originally uploaded by sharkzƒan.

I was eating my lunch (gourmet... in my car) and up walks a group of ducks looking for a handout. I'm thinking, "Hey...get a job!"

Sliver Moon and Venus

Sliver Moon and Venus
Originally uploaded by sharkzƒan

Taken with my new Olympus SP560-UZ

Nearly 150 Years of Stories

The abandoned Laine's Grocery Store in Alviso originally built in 1865 could tell a few tales, I'm sure. Today it sits crumbling and decayed next to the railroad tracks. It's facade nearing the point of no return.

Connections

Through my Flickr page I've been corresponding with folks all over the country (and the world for that matter) who have the same interest in railfanning. I was contacted by an individual who wanted to use one of my pictures for their blog. I was quite honored that they would think highly enough of it to want to display it to their readers. I gave him permission to use it. Come to find out he's a conductor for Amtrak and does the Capitol Corridor run from Sacramento to San Jose. He may very well have been on the the train in the image in my last post. I haven't heard from him confirming that, but we'll see. It seems like a consistantly smaller and smaller world as we barrel headlong into the communications and social networking era. Here's a link to his blog "Bad Iron"

I Think It's "The One"

You would only understand this term if you were an enthusiast. So this is "the one", at least until another, grander one comes along. You can also view it large on my Flickr page

The Gimp 2 Photo Editor

I really have fun using the various "filters" that are provided with the program. The Gimp 2 isn't always easy to use and there are processes that are way over my amateur head, but I still have fun with the things I have figured out how to use. You need to see the image above in it's largest size to appreciate the effect.



This is another filter in the Gimp 2. It's called "Emboss". Here's the photo's Flickr page.

UP7777 at Sunrise

UP7777 at Sunrise
Originally uploaded by sharkzfan

A favorite shot of the same motive power that's in the picture below.

Union Pacific C45ACCTE number 7777

Union Pacific C45ACCTE number 7777 and Scotch-Brite!
Originally uploaded by sharkzfan

This is one of my latest favorites. I took this outside the NUMMI plant in Fremont just before dawn.

Here's another Scotch-Brite image. This is a "patched" Southern Pacific SD40 which has been renumbered to UP2712. Some say that the Union Pacific and the BNSF (Burlington Northern Santa Fe) railroads have swallowed up all the competition and become monopolies. You can also find this picture on my Flickr page


I have this this image posted on my Flickr page. I've title the picture "phosphorous" because of the intensity of the sunrise coming through the overcast. Even though there is some "burn" that seeps into the other areas of the picture, I think the overall effect is very interesting

Here's a link to the page on my Flickr account

I Chose The Stairs

I Chose The Stairs
Originally uploaded by sharkzfan

Not really having the "daring-do" to find out the meaning of the inscription, I took the stairs to the ground floor. To read the graffiti on the elevator doors you need to view the picture in a larger format. Click the links below the picture.