San Francisco Fleet Week

Over the weekend the San Francisco Fleet Week started on Saturday.  At 11AM on Saturday morning Navy ships started their way into the city under the Golden Gate Bridge.  Seeing all the Navy ships from an aircraft carrier to Destroyers and Frigates was amazing.

In the afternoon the Navy along with the Blue Angels put on an incredible air show.  Below is the gallery that I put together showcasing some of the pictures from the morning through till the afternoon.

http://www.bbraunphotography.com/main/fleet-week.html

Here is one of the pictures from the Gallery.

Thank you Steve Jobs

So many people have already said so many things about Steve Jobs and the life that he had.  He was a visionary, a game changer, an inspiration, a man who liked to Think Different.

When I heard the news of his passing today, I stood in my apartment dumbfounded.  Without Steve Jobs's passion and ingenuity, the past 8+ years of my life would have played out very differently.

I made a trek this evening that used to be part of my daily routine.  While it has been a few months since I've been to Infinite Loop, going there was the only thing that felt right.  I wanted to see how everyone was feeling (as did the many reporters who asked employees questions as they walked past), but I also wanted to say thanks to Steve and to Apple.

Here are some shots that I was able to get in front of Infinite Loop.  A makeshift memorial was started under the 1 Infinite Loop sign, and later it was moved to a bench to allow more people to pay their respects.  Before I left a bagpiper started playing as he walked towards the memorial, and he ended in front of the bench.  

Moffett Field

Here are some shots from Moffett Field in Mountain View.  For those of you that have never heard of Moffett Field before, here is a link to check out the amazing history behind both the military base and the Ames Research Center (NASA) that is right next door.

Moffett Field

NASA Ames Research Center

For the three years that we have been living in Mountain View we thought that this base was off limits to civilians.  As it turns out there is a museum on the base that anyone can access (as long as you have a stated issued ID to get past the front gates).  It is pretty crazy to drive up to the base and pass a red line in the road that reads "Government Land."

Once on the base there is so much to see.  The base is still active, however much of the base is in "arrested decay," so basically the buildings are in disrepair and they look as if they have not been used since 1960.  Also, there are booster rockets sitting around in parking lots (see image 3 below).

One of the buildings that I was immediately drawn to was the abandoned McDonald's that is on the base.  I read a couple of years ago that someone discovered hundreds of reels of high resolution footage of the moon in this McDonald's that the government had forgotten about since the 60s.  Since discovering the footage a team of experts has been digitizing the reels so they are not lost forever.  You can read more about this awesome find at the link below.

Moffett Field Mcdonalds

Abandoned McDonalds

Hanger One (Currently being dismantled)

Booster Rocket

Official Site is up!

Well I finally have my site up and running.  Turns out it takes sometime to get the design and layout just the way that you like it.

I will still be updating my blog with daily shots that I take.

http://www.bbraunphotography.com/

Shattered Window

Quick post for today. Had some fun in Photoshop.

Fort Point Part 2

Here are a couple of more pictures from Fort Point.

Fort Point is the oldest fort on the west coast. The construction of the fort was started in 1853. This was shortly after California became the 31st state in 1850, and the Army and Navy felt a need for a fort to secure the San Francisco Bay. A 90 foot cliff was blasted down to 15 feet in order defend the maximum amount of the harbor.

Though the Fort never saw action (there was a planned attack in August 1865 but it never happened due to the war ending), it was operational with guards until the end of Civil War. In 1892 the cannons were dismantled and sold for scraps. The only other time that the fort housed men was during the construction of the Golden Gate bridge in the 1930s, and it was not until October 1970 that it was declared a National Historic Site.

Fort Point

Spent some time this afternoon at Fort Point in San Francisco. I was able to get a TON of great shots, and figured before I share the best of the best I will post two from the beginning of the adventure.