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The break in our winter rain has brought in some cool sunrises and sunsets. Tonight’s sky is filled with scattered strings of high clouds, which are picking up hints of the setting sun. A really nice bookend to my peaceful morning in the park. Not a bad day at all!

Oh, and happy birthday, my dear Jeff. 🙂

I stopped by the “Perk Presidio” coffee shop this morning on my way to a briefing with the Presidio Trust (the Federal organization that runs the Presidio). At 6:55, the grounds of the Letterman Digital Arts Center (aka, Lucasfilm HQ) are silent. I was clearly the first customer of the day, so I went into Chatty John mode. Anyhow, my friendly latte maker asked me if I was a Lucas employee…and I thought, “Yeah, I could work in a park!”

If nothing else, it was clear to me that creative types just don’t get to work before 7am. The Letterman campus was empty…and peaceful. Heck, the Yoda fountain here didn’t turn on until 7.

But I will say that this morning tranquility emphasized how Lucas, the Presidio Trust, and their developer did a really really nice job creating this campus within the Presidio. And for the record, the rest of the Presidio is awesome as well.

I am curious, however, how much the Lucas folks pay for THEIR latte!

Well, it WAS raining last night and this morning. One of those wind-driven heavy storms that we get in the winter. But by the time I made it into the office it was clear and sunny.

Anyhow, it reminded me how much I love rain and have spent the past few years trying to take pictures of rain in different ways. This photo is from last night. Kinda fun, I think.

Golden Gate Park was once nothing more than a bunch of sand dunes and native scrub. But in 1870, the City ousted some squatters and set aside a 3 mile by 1/2 mile swath for the City’s largest park. In 1902 and 1905, two Dutch windmills were erected at the Ocean end of the park to provide irrigation for the park.

This is a picture I took during one of bike rides through the park. This is the first of the two windmills to be refurbished. It towers above the surrounding trees.

I grabbed a couple of shots this morning just as the sun broke through the clouds and the sky lit up. This is the morning view to the southeast from our living room. I snapped these, went back to the bedroom to finish getting ready for work, and not five minutes later, the sky was dull and gray again. This is why I try and carry a camera with me at all times. You just never know what you will see in the course of a day.