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by Bryan Costales
(47 of 220) Colorado W. was her stage name. She stood in line in a fashion
store on the mall. She sipped
orange juice, and waited for her turn to purchase an on-sale
blouse. It was Black Friday, the big sales
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by Bryan Costales
(48 of 220) People see all sorts of things in clouds.
Imagine lying on your back on a blanket spread over newly
mowed grass, hands behind your head watching fluffy clouds.
"A bus," you announce, then chuckle.
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by Bryan Costales
(49 of 220) Rod Scales Private Eye visited the zoo on a rare sunny
morning in San Francisco. He paused on the steps of
the conference building and marveled at the fine
tile fresco that depicted children at peace
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by Dr. William Carter
(50 of 220) An overnight stop in Trebes.
Bryan Costales, Wednesday 9 May 2007
Three of us sat on the back of the boat as the sun quietly
set. The wind died leaving the water glass still.
We shot this same boat
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by Bryan Costales
(51 of 220) Rod Scales, newly minted Private Eye, was not a penny
pincher, but tended to be frugal. After all, he was
just starting out his career as a private detective and
was eating through his savings at an
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by Bryan Costales
(52 of 220) One mushroom was talking to another mushroom in a relativistic
way. "I love the snappy look that needle gives to your cap," he said.
"Thanks," whispered the second with a blush.
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by Bryan Costales
(53 of 220) And so it went, and went, and went.
Communism. Beginning in the 50's, if a person walked
around in a communist hat he risked being beaten up.
Nowadays, however, a communist hat is nothing more
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by Bryan Costales
(54 of 220) The eye stickers called "Googly Eye Cru" can be found
all over the world
and all over the
Internet.
Who created
them is unknown. The ones shown here are well worn and
aged. These two were found on
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by Bryan Costales
(55 of 220) Landrew McAllen was eighty years old and felt himself too
feeble to ever ride a carousel horse again. He seldom got
out of the house and, when he did, he had to use a walker
to get around. This
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by Bryan Costales
(56 of 220) "I guess, when sails get old, they can rip," Phil said to Bob who was
steering the boat back home.
"Damn my dad," Bob muttered. Then looked hard at Phil and said, "Course
you being drunk didn't
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by Bryan Costales
(57 of 220) Inside of a bar at night
Ever been drinking in a bar, and had your attention drawn
to an odd bowl of something on the counter? At that moment,
the rest of the world fuzzes
out and your entire world
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by Bryan Costales
(58 of 220) A thousand years had passed during which wars had been fought,
plagues had scrubbed life clean away, and temperatures had soared
until the seas almost boiled. The next thousand years
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by Terry Welte
(59 of 220) Dense gray clouds hug the ground around a rocky
mountain peak, forming fog. The snow, thin trees,
and bare rock faces could appear charming under
a blue sky, or if the cloud were high over.
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by Bryan Costales
(60 of 220) Huge wheels and powerful motors are required to pull cable
cars up and down the hills of San Francisco. Each cable is
roughly 2 inches (5 cm.) in diameter and made of steel. A one-foot
long piece on
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by Bryan Costales
(61 of 220) Rick O'Mally was a loquacious old bloke. He no longer worked but still
lived at home with his aged mother. His pension was enough
to keep them living well. With a bit of extra in his pocket at
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by Bryan Costales
(62 of 220) The point of view from which a story is told determines how
the reader interprets it. In the Stan Freeberg audio play
"United States Of America" Columbus discovered Indians
on the beach.
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by Bryan Costales
(63 of 220) "Oh, I get it," Gail nudged her husband Al. "The closing
times must be when the sun sets.
9:30 is nice for the summer, but don't you find
4:30 for the winter just a little frightening?"
Al didn't
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by Bryan Costales
(64 of 220) If you ever talk to an artist at a fair or festival, one thing
you will doubtless discover is that the hardest part of creating
art is selling it.
One method, as shown here, is to create art
on the
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by Bryan Costales
(65 of 220) John looked in the mirror and immediately his brain went in two
completely different directions.
First
John remembered that it took time for light to travel from him
to the mirror and back. Not
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by Bryan Costales
(66 of 220) In the summer of 1968, John Speltzer went out into
the woods stoned on LSD. He took with him small tins of marine-grade
paint and religiously painted the tops of several tree
stumps. He slept in the
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by Dr. William Carter
(67 of 220) While driving north on a French freeway, somewhere near the eastern outskirts of Paris,
I noticed a fire. Struck by the bright blue sky, dark smoke, greenery, and the red and white
fire ladder that
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by Bryan Costales
(68 of 220) Once there was a pure white dishtowel, about a meter square.
He hung around all day from the handle of the kitchen fridge lending
a hand when called upon. He was willing to sop up any
spill, even
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by Bryan Costales
(69 of 220) Bob stood at the farmers' market that afternoon and stared
down at the empty bin. He liked the farmers' market because
of the good smells and the fresh produce he would sometimes
buy. But there was
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by Bryan Costales
(70 of 220) Once there was a planet of bicycle beings who, like the planet
of humans, had downtrodden masses and their leaders.
Custard was a young red bicycle with
chrome undiminished by years. His bright
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by Bryan Costales
(71 of 220) Statue of a man with a boom mike
While wandering through one of the former outdoor statuary gardens
(now covered with a glass roof) we noticed what appeared to be
a film being shot inside the
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by Bryan Costales
(72 of 220) One might get the impression from the pictures we take, that most
of the boats on French canals are for rent. In actuality, many are
owned by local folk who
live aboard
their boats.
Living aboard
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by Bryan Costales
(73 of 220) Rod Scales Private Eye was in hot pursuit of a toy napper. He ducked
under a tree branch and swerved left to avoid an amazingly large pile
of dog poo. Rod was not in that great shape to begin with
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by Bryan Costales
(74 of 220) Della Diablure was born a giant. By the time she was fifteen
she was already the tallest person in her school. At eighteen
she was seven feet tall and invited to join the basketball team.
This broke
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by Bryan Costales
(75 of 220) Mary Mich-Yang enjoyed the rare warmth of the afternoon.
The seawall overlooked the Pacific Ocean, a vast body of
water that extended from the sea wall to the horizon.
She leaned over and looked at
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by Bryan Costales
(76 of 220) Some say that when evil magic runs its course, beneficial
magic remains.
Wona Huevo worked days in a small back-room downtown.
She spent her days sewing "Made in U.S.A" labels on
imported garments.
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by Bryan Costales
(77 of 220) The Jeremiah O'Brien
is one of a class of liberty ships built during World
War II. The federal government moved into Sausalito, raped the
land, and entered the ship building
business in the
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by Bryan Costales
(78 of 220) Rod Scales, Private Eye, flagged down a taxi on Market Street and was
surprised when an old-time yellow cab pulled up. He bent down to
make sure the cab was authentic, and was greeted by an
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by Terry Costales
(79 of 220) This carrousel airplane was made to honor Antoine de Saint-Exupéry and
his famous book The Litte Prince (Le Petit Prince). I must admit that I
did not notice the whimsical detail of the
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by Bryan Costales
(80 of 220) Bobby Talfey was twelve years old. All he had was his
mother and, because she was sick and couldn't work, they
were on public support. They ate well enough, but his mother
could not hold food down
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by Bryan Costales
(81 of 220) Bitta Yongo was afraid of dolls. On day at the outdoor market
she happened upon a bin of toys. As she reached for a fuzzy bear,
a doll raised its arm toward her and said, "Adopt me."
Bitta screamed
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by Bryan Costales
(82 of 220) When Americans fly their flag it can represent
a wide range of motives. Perhaps
it flies in support for the war, in support for our
fire fighters, or in support for the president. But it,
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by Bryan Costales
(83 of 220)
One means to owning a park is to just purchase some parklike land,
like that in the picture,
and use it yourself. By excluding the public you have created
a private park. If you were to do this in
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by Bryan Costales
(84 of 220) Donna Gillio was a 4th grade teacher. She was driving herself
to work that morning in 1952, because her husband was at home
with the flu. It was a chilly morning in Concord, California,
with a light
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by Bryan Costales
(85 of 220)
Rod Scales had heard that the lower end of Belgrave
Avenue in San Francisco was considered by some to be
a little slice of heaven. Rod reached the top of
Stanyan street almost totally out of breath
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by Dr. William Carter
(86 of 220) Pesky French
Flower to the People!
Bryan Costales, Sunday 13 May 2007
I am sure there is more of a story here than Dr. Carter admits.
The sign says that individual liberty is preferred over
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by Bryan Costales
(87 of 220) "Look," whispered Nick into Al's ear. "Up there.
Under the bridge. Do you see it?"
Al removed his sunglasses and put them on his hat. It was hot
that morning, walking in the creaked. His feet hurt
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by Bryan Costales
(88 of 220) Juai B'Neust skated that night because the next morning
the weather folk predicted a dust storm. The dust storms
on Mars were huge and could last a week or longer. After the
water wars on Earth in
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by Bryan Costales
(89 of 220) Rod Scales sat in a comfortable sofa, part of a set
all covered in the same green fabric with a clear plastic outer
cover. He sipped a cup of overly sweetened iced, Lipton
tea from a tall thin
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by Bryan Costales
(90 of 220) The vandose was invented by science to control population
growth. The theory proposed held that if mankind could
no longer go out at night, the human population would
begin to decline. It was hoped
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by Bryan Costales
(91 of 220) 1967
Terri Costa and her new husband Bernie splurged that day and
ate at the restaurant overlooking the Grand' Plaza. Terri
had roast lamb which was delicious and Bernie enjoyed Bouillabaisse.
When
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by Bryan Costales
(92 of 220) Downtown
Little Joey's dad had carved him a top, not a fancy one
because his dad was unskilled and kind of dumb and died
that previous winter. But Joey
loved that top because his dad had made it.
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by Bryan Costales
(93 of 220) Grandma leaned back in her rocker and smiled warmly.
All her grandkids, me included, had been called
to her because she "was getting on in years," and
wanted to depart her wisdom to us.
"Today," she
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by Bryan Costales
(94 of 220) Helen Doboul had been alarmed all morning. She awoke to
find her husband and baby gone. The telephone would not
answer no matter who she called. The streets were deserted.
Helen broke down and wept.
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by Dr. William Carter
(95 of 220) I think it must be a French (if not E.U.) law, that anyone between the
ages of 20 and 55 must wear brightly colored, skin tight shorts and top
when riding a bicycle along a towpath... or anywhere
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by Bryan Costales
(96 of 220) Jack Hill lived at the foot of Bernal Hill in San Francisco. He and his wife
Jill threw an informal barbecue every first Sunday of every month except
December. It was their way to give back to all
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by Bryan Costales
(97 of 220) From this picture it is clear that the English know how to
give water to a dog. As any sane person knows, you just fill
a bowl with cool tap water and man's-best-friend will lap it
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by Bryan Costales
(98 of 220) On a fine spring day in 1967, several people reported a blinding
light on Third street. When their vision returned, a body was
discovered slumped on the sidewalk against a green marble wall.
Police
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by Bryan Costales
(99 of 220) Sally and Sandy were twins. Sally liked to sail and see
movies, and so did Sandy. Sandy liked the beach and
the zoo, and so did Sally.
One morning while digging in the sand at Ocean Beach,
a rogue
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by Bryan Costales
(100 of 220) Two old wooden clothes pins liked to hang out in the
shade all day. They talked about the old days.
"I recall that sunny afternoon in the back yard. A fresh
sheet, I tell you, the softest most white
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by Bryan Costales
(101 of 220) Big links, especially huge rusty links, can be symbolic of
aging friendships. No matter how corroded or roughly coated
they become they still hold fast. A hot torch
might cut those massive links, any
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by Bryan Costales
(102 of 220) One way to illuminate a woody path is to attach a lamp
to a wooden post and nestle it into a tree. Far from fooling
anyone, however, this attempt at concealment is weak at best, and ugly
to
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by Bryan Costales
(103 of 220) Not visable from this shot is the roadway on the left that travels
down the middle of the esplanade. That roadway is a very busy one.
Consequently, despite the pastoral look of these grassy areas,
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by Terry Costales
(104 of 220)
Patio Furniture
by Bryan Costales
Zeek Baggs was an big man. He stood a head taller than
most men, and was built like a grizzly bear. He worked days
spreading asphalt for roads, and liked to hang
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by Terry Costales
(105 of 220)
The Dock End
© 2007 Bryan Costales
Henry Stacklov bought a six pack of beer and headed
down the dock to his boat. He set the six pack
on the deck and was about to step aboard when he
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by Bryan Costales
(106 of 220) Luis Groops remembered the first snow ever in San Francisco.
It drifted up against the stores and caused automobile
accidents in the streets. His parents told him it was a
fluke, a once in a lifetime
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by Bryan Costales
(107 of 220) Sally Eternali was four hundred years old but inhabited
the body of an eight year old. She wanted to see the
reindeer exhibit at the zoo, so she arrived at the gate
early that morning.
Sally spotted
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by Bryan Costales
(108 of 220) After work every day, and still well dressed,
Jason Fields would stop at the
cafe across from the park and pick up an herbal tea to-go.
He would then cut across the park, loitering when the
weather
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by Bryan Costales
(109 of 220) M Trocker wrote science fiction. She never used her
first name because it seemed too staid and un-writer-like.
M liked to write on sunny afternoons while in the park.
Any park would do, provided it
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by Bryan Costales
(110 of 220) Lance Lewis looked at the address and examined the contest
rules once again. Sponsored by Jack's Tires, the goal was to
find the one house in San Francisco whose address exactly matched
its number of
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by Bryan Costales
(111 of 220) Small parks surround the vast gardens along the right
bank of the Siene. Some, such as the one shown here, are
visible to, and frequented by, tourists. Others are more
hidden, such as another small
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by Bryan Costales
(112 of 220) Tony Toyo crept quietly up the small rise, then fell
on his stomach to stay hidden and stared at the quiet
river. Across from him was a small town, lit and inviting.
Tony was the sole survivor of a
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by Bryan Costales
(113 of 220) Joe swung his hammer hard and missed the nail. In fact
he missed the board entirely and the hammer flew from
his hand. With a wide eyed look on his face he watched
the hammer arc across the alley to
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by Bryan Costales
(114 of 220) Rod Scales was growing old and forgetful. He lived alone
in San Francisco and
had become a man of habits. He awoke every morning to the
same ritual, ablutions while coffee brewed, then coffee
to
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by Bryan Costales
(115 of 220) John, while gazing at a hologram with is mom, had two distinct,
simultaneous thoughts that morning.
First
The flat picture seemed to have depth and movement. "I wonder,"
he said inside is mind. "I
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by Bryan Costales
(116 of 220) Rod Scales, Private Eye, was walking down from the breath-taking
views of Tank Hill, when he noticed a clock inside a window.
The clock read 2:30. Rod stopped in his tracks and said, "I'm
late."
Now
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by Bryan Costales
(117 of 220) "I have in my pocket, a little pill that will make you young again," whispered the old man
in the black top hat.
"But," François leaned closer and whispered back, "If that is so, why do
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by Terry Costales
(118 of 220) The walled castle at Carcassonne, called the
Cité,
lies about two kilometers from the canal at the south east end of
Carcassonne. After wrestling lines upstream through single, double,
and
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by Bryan Costales
(119 of 220) Alcatraz Island was a prison. I once overheard a person viewing
Alcatraz to say, "They had it good. They had windows. Modern prisons
don't have windows."
Now this might make you think that prisoners
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by Bryan Costales
(120 of 220) The Sacramento River, and other rivers, feed the San Francisco Bay
complex of bays, wetlands, and estuaries. The outward flow of
river water through the Golden Gate and into the ocean
is immense. But
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by Bryan Costales
(121 of 220) When Jill met Rodney she found him cute and loved that he liked to
hang out in the shade at the edge of the park and neck. In fact,
Jill found so many things of Rodney's to be cute, that
she
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by Bryan Costales
(122 of 220) Sammy Squirrel had been bitten by a flea the week before and
now felt loopy and friendly. So when a bunch of human campers
arrived, Sammy felt, oddly, that he should welcome them.
Sammy found a pine
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by Terry Costales
(123 of 220)
A fish story
© 2007 Bryan Costales
The Sanchez brothers loved to fish on Sunday afternoons.
Generally the Delta weather was mild and the fishing good.
Juan Sanchez was the oldest and knew
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by Bryan Costales
(124 of 220) Little Kenny knew better than to disobey his parents, but
the shiny toy was just out of reach. He pulled off his
life vest that was tethered to the boat and crawled to the
toy, a blue plastic
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by Bryan Costales
(125 of 220) While docked in Le Somail, we worried as the weather
clouded and began to rain. We cut our photo outing short
to escape, and from the safety of the boat shot ducks and
folks also escaping
the
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by Bryan Costales
(126 of 220) Email from Dr. Carter arrived recently that held the claim:
Thought I'd fix your photo up a little, so that it would look more
"realistic" .
Below you can see the image he supplied that he
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by Bryan Costales
(127 of 220) The ghost appeared looking much like a white shadow under the tree.
Greg Tuffly eyeballed the ghost, reached out to touch it, and said,
"What the heck are you?"
The ghost pointed with a pale hand at
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by Bryan Costales
(128 of 220)
Many recommend vertical growth
as the means to counter the scourge of suburban sprawl.
The SOMA (South Of MArket) area of San Francisco hosts several new
residential high rises illustrative of this
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by Bryan Costales
(129 of 220) Rod Scales lived briefly just off Cortland Avenue in Bernal Heights. He liked
the weather there because that part of San Francisco seemed most often
to escape the cold fog.
Rod liked to spend
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by Terry Costales
(130 of 220)
The Chrome Helmet
© 2007 Bryan Costales
George was the first to notice that the helmet was odd. He paid
the kid in the parade $50 for the helmet.
"It belongs to the school," the boy
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by Bryan Costales
(131 of 220) When we got to Trebes, we decided to not tie up in the main
marina because of some noisy Spaniards. Instead we motored to the
edge of town where we found this dirt road. Although the road
appears to
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by Bryan Costales
(132 of 220) Andy Tipps liked to kick things. Ever since he was a boy, he found
sport in tagging his booted toe to someone's behind. As a teenager
he liked to toss a quarter on the ground and when another kid
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by Bryan Costales
(133 of 220) When you first visit the
Grand Canyon you can only appreciate its size because you already know it is huge. But a real sense of its size cannot be understood until you view people far below
hiking
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by Bryan Costales
(134 of 220) The
Red and White fleet
of ferries offers a July 4th special for viewing the
Independence Day fireworks on the bay. The cost is reasonable
(half the cost of competitors who also sell food) and
sells
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by Bryan Costales
(135 of 220) If you have seen Brokeback Mountain, you can imagine why
one would oppose marriage for such two-timers as those two.
Each was married with children, yet the two (movie star caliber)
handsome men
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by Bryan Costales
(136 of 220) We all worry about gaps. Some of us worry is about
the growing gap between rich and poor. During the Cold
War we worried about the Missile Gap and the Bomber Gap.
Otherwise normal children will
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by Bryan Costales
(137 of 220) It is difficult to describe the sheer immensity of this cemetery,
but perhaps a few facts will help. Pere Lachaise cemetery
currently houses about 300,000
dead compared to Iceland's 301,000 living
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by Terry Costales
(138 of 220)
Santa Junior
© 2007 Bryan Costales
Dave Claus looked up to his old man. "Dad," he would often say.
"I want want to be just like you someday."
But his desire to become a Santa played ill
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by Bryan Costales
(139 of 220) A bubble
has a short lifetime. Shorter than insects and, in fact,
shorter than most things other than some sub-atomic particles.
A bubble's life begins when a soap film gathers around a chunk of
air.
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by Bryan Costales
(140 of 220) Nothing can compare to good lighting to separate one component
from another
in a photograph.
One sometime, however, moves out of the light and into the shadows.
Here, for example, a tall church
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by Bryan Costales
(141 of 220) Jeffrey hated painting that garage door. At his father's insistence,
he painted it every spring, each year applying a bright blue coat over
a freshly sanded surface. It was hard work, and usually
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by Bryan Costales
(142 of 220) I remember my brother peddling down the sidewalk that afternoon.
Someone took our picture and just a few months later a man
called. He wanted my brother to appear in an advertisement.
The day after
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by Bryan Costales
(143 of 220) Dave Scales, half brother to Rod Scales, peered through
the Chinatown store window at two pairs of Chinese slippers.
He consulted his notebook which contained a description and compared
it to the
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by Bryan Costales
(144 of 220) Jenny Strems worked in reception at a recording studio
on the south end of Dublin. Traffic in town was always
so bad that she never drove. Instead she liked to stay
in shape by walking. That gave her
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by Bryan Costales
(145 of 220) All throughout Europe, houses have shutters. Shutters serve
two purposes, first to protect windows from storm damage, and second
to mask sunlight so that a room may be made dark during the
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by Terry Costales
(146 of 220) Dog observes photographer
I was walking back to the boat and looked down a side street. In the
photo you might think it's a doorway but it is actually a window
several feet above the street. I saw
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by Bryan Costales
(147 of 220) We all learned when young that retailers will price goods
a penny or two under an even dollar so that we will "feel"
that an item is cheaper than it really is. Visit any
large or discount store and
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by Bryan Costales
(148 of 220) The Statue of Liberty wears a crown with seven spikes.
Those seven spikes are supposed to represent either the
seven seas or the seven continents.
Americans have never had royalty that they could
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by Bryan Costales
(149 of 220) Harold Duffs clutched his chest in pain. He felt as if
he had been simultaneously hit front and back by a baseball bat.
Harold looked at his hand on his chest and saw blood.
"Oh my," Harold said. "I
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by Bryan Costales
(150 of 220) Young Wayne Mobblie looked forward to Christmas break.
He needed sleep and relished the thought of sleeping in
each day of the break, except Christmas morning, of course.
Wayne was sleep deprived
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by Bryan Costales
(151 of 220) Laughing Hubb, the clown, threw a party for all his so-called friends.
Mostly the gang he called friends were customers who hired him
to perform. Other than that smallish group, he'd never made
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by Bryan Costales
(152 of 220) In his middle years, Rod Scales Private Eye made it a point
to document the town in which he worked. He carefully
crisscrossed San Francisco, taking photographs of every building,
front and back. He
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by Bryan Costales
(153 of 220) Hans Deilich had been an engineer with AMTRAK years before.
The train he'd been driving on the Sacramento to Oakland
run struck a car in an intersection and killed the woman
inside.
Hans retired
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by Terry Costales
(154 of 220) The glowing rose
by Bryan Costales
There was once a rose garden, and like all rose
gardens the roses therein bloomed only after the
rains abated. It was in this rose garden that
an odd rose was
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by Bryan Costales
(155 of 220)
Young girls are given dolls with which to play and fantasize.
Young boys too can be given dolls, but those dolls are usually
called action figures or play cars. No matter what kind of doll
a child
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by Bryan Costales
(156 of 220) Rod Scales, Private Eye, had no one with whom to celebrate seasonal
holidays. He had never married, and his few remaining friends
were, as he said, "Damned old stick in the muds."
To a significant
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by Bryan Costales
(157 of 220) The
F-line
runs from the Castro to Fisherman's Wharf on
surface track. These trolleys are
restored classic trolleys
from all over the world. A ride on one of these beauties
is like stepping
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by Bryan Costales
(158 of 220) Heavy rain is difficult to capture in the country without
some sort of backlight to make it stand out. In the city,
rain is easy because street and building lights help isolate
rain from the
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by Dr. William Carter
(159 of 220)
Bryan Costales Sunday 2 September 2007
This photo was uploaded on April 27, 2007 for display
in this photo blog. We have used this interval of
recovery from an overseas trip to catch up with
a bit
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by Bryan Costales
(160 of 220) Dave Doubleten had lead a remarkably dull and uneventful life.
He had never traveled, never flown, and never met anyone
interesting. Instead of living his life, Dave lived
vicariously by reading
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by Bryan Costales
(161 of 220)
All generations attend the race
The Bay to Breakers race has been labeled over the years with
epithets ranging from crazy drunks
to tasteless nudes. From its
beginning in 1912 (to raise spirits
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by Bryan Costales
(162 of 220) When Rod Scales was a young boy, his uncle Kevin Lynch would
visit whenever the circus stopped in Miami. Kevin had been
a problem as a young teen and hidden one day from the police.
When he ducked
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by Bryan Costales
(163 of 220) Balthar VI was sent back in time to fix a small problem. He landed
in the middle of a parade. Not the most quiet of entries, but one that
might, he felt, fit his needs.
Balthar turned on his cloak
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by Bryan Costales
(164 of 220) Little Sammy Sandstrum looked out the window at the rain. "Mommy," he
called. "Will the rain keep Santa away?"
His mother walked into the small front from the kitchen. She
wore a flour dusted apron
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by Bryan Costales
(165 of 220) A horizontal rectangle is not the only format for a photographic image. Perhaps we have become accustomed
to that shape because of the common experience of television. But other shapes are equally
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by Bryan Costales
(166 of 220) Imagine a children's tale about a cute little
purple-cabbage that
went out for a night on the town. It was a blue moon that night,
just as it is tonight when we tell this tale. The cute
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by Bryan Costales
(167 of 220) Danny and Donny were brothers who liked to play pretend war games
in the fields behind the hotel. Their mother worked the front desk
in the hotel, and let them play after school when the weather was
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by Bryan Costales
(168 of 220) The mobile phone is becoming the ubiquitous camera.
It is almost impossible to travel anywhere these days
without finding dozens of people snapping away with
cell phone cameras. Fortunately, the
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by Bryan Costales
(169 of 220) "Exercise," Everyman mumbled. "Bah humbug."
He walked home late one night last spring, and growing tired, thought
he would shortcut through Esprit Park. A gang of kids soon
surrounded him and
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by Bryan Costales
(170 of 220) That which does not change, becomes invisible.
Consider, for example,
a cemetery like the National Cemetery in the Presidio. From day to day, this
cemetery changes little, if at all.
Driving past it
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by Bryan Costales
(171 of 220) Sadie Sidewell was a young girl but had a cracker-jack mind
for numbers and mysteries. Last Saturday morning, for example,
she counted the top-story windows in the building on the
U.C. Berkeley
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by Dr. William Carter
(172 of 220)
Bryan Costales Saturday 1 September 2007
This photo was uploaded on April 27, 2007 for display
in this photo blog. We have used this interval of
recovery from an overseas trip to catch up with
a
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by Bryan Costales
(173 of 220) Two bland mailboxes rested on a post. They remained mostly
quiet, but would occasionally
discuss the plight of their owners. One was owned by an
poet who worked at home. The other was owned by a
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by Bryan Costales
(174 of 220) Little Billy arrived at his 6th grade class with two dollars in
his pocket and a mission from his mom. "Billy," she had told him before
he left home that morning. "Here's two dollars. I want you to
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by Bryan Costales
(175 of 220) Rod Scales, ace private eye, was born with the name Flying Velochki.
His mother performed a high wire act in the circus, and his
father was a vagabond who drifted briefly through his mother's
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by Bryan Costales
(176 of 220) IHOP had been crowded, so Bill and Emma Cutter ate
brunch outside on the patio of a surfer-style restaurant
on Pier 39. Emma sat with her back to the street as was
her usual habit, deferring to her
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by Bryan Costales
(177 of 220) It was a hot summer in Capps Campground. Jackie was
sweating plain and simple. Too hot. Jackie was thirty
that afternoon and bored so she walked to the old
bridge and looked at the names carved into
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by Bryan Costales
(178 of 220) The esplanade at the foot of Sather Tower,
also called the Campanile, provides a romantic
setting. But, lurking behind the folks depicted here, lies a Sather Tower
filled with
bones.
Four floors
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by Bryan Costales
(179 of 220) Mr. Bunny was a happy go lucky guy who loved nothing more
than bringing happiness to small children. He was a toy
bunny that loved to be snuggled and petted and would squeak
when squeezed for reasons
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by Bryan Costales
(180 of 220) While on a walk back from the Aquarium on a rainy afternoon, we
stumbled across these plastic stars stuck in the top of a stump.
We puzzled over them for several minutes but could not guess what
they
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by Bryan Costales
(181 of 220) The light through the window at his hall's end seemed
much brighter than usual
as Wayne Hobbon stepped out of his apartment.
He glanced down the hall and wondered what could be so
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by Bryan Costales
(182 of 220) When Edgar Waggons moved from Wyoming to Berkeley, he hauled
with him his carefully restored Model-T Ford. He parked the
Model-T in his garage in North Berkeley and there left it.
Unlike Wyoming,
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by Bryan Costales
(183 of 220) Laura Tafts found a nice hat in a flea market. It fit
her perfectly and was only a buck. Inside the brim was
a small strip of tape with the word "haunted" written
in a delicate script.
Laura knew
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by Bryan Costales
(184 of 220) All that is left of a car long ago dumped in the bay is
its axle. Normally it would remain invisible, but this day's
minus tide exposed the rusty axle for a while.
On the road to zero footprint
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by Bryan Costales
(185 of 220) "Just look at that," Sam said. He was gesturing at the base of the back
window. "Somebody screwed that window shut."
Leonard finished pouring a cup of coffee and walked over to join
Sam at the
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by Bryan Costales
(186 of 220) Harry, Luis, and Franz were three buddies that always had a great deal of fun
together. Harry only spoke English and American English at that,
which he tended to speak too fast. Luis only spoke
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by Bryan Costales
(187 of 220) Tina Glassom spent every weekend (when her parents allowed) and most
school days (when the tide was out) to look for treasure. She had once
found an old book in the back of their basement tucked
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by Bryan Costales
(188 of 220) Aggie Booth liked to gamble. Cards, horses, it did not
matter to him. Anything that involved a wager worked.
So Aggie was tickled to receive an invitation to a special
event for folks like him. The
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by Bryan Costales
(189 of 220) Pam was not born like most folks, from a mother and father. Instead, she
was hatched from a pumpkin. This is why, it seemed to her, all her
early photos showed her playing among pumpkins.
On her
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by Bryan Costales
(190 of 220) The old robot was very old. At 10,000 years he considered
himself no longer a spring chicken. The old robot never had
a name, but a few hundred years ago he found a companion,
a smaller robot. She
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by Bryan Costales
(191 of 220) When Nora first saw the house, she was amazed at how long
and tall it was. It ran downhill at least a block and a half,
and was staircased and spooky in its look.
Nora examined again the slip of
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by Bryan Costales
(192 of 220) Gary the Gull failed to see things as they really were. A philosopher
might wonder if such a failing might prove his undoing. Gary,
however, was capable of no such pretense.
Gary began that day
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by Bryan Costales
(193 of 220) "Where did I come from?" asked little Debby.
"We found you," her dad said. He rummaged through
a pile of photographs and pulled out one showing
Debby's older sister behind a metal elephant.
"Here,
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by Bryan Costales
(194 of 220) The roots that line the Canal Du Midi can be very attractive,
yet serve an important purpose. By tangling with the roots
of neighboring trees, they form a strongly woven mesh that
holds the shore
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by Bryan Costales
(195 of 220) Berkeley is located almost due east of the Golden Gate. During
summer and autumn months the Central Valley heats sooner and becomes warmer
than does the coast. The effect is a lower air pressure
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by Bryan Costales
(196 of 220) Bill Cutter had always been reckless and brave. He'd
worked on the railroad for years and thought nothing of
jumping off and on a moving train.
His vacations typically involved sky diving, or
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by Bryan Costales
(197 of 220) Male artists such as photographers, painters, poets, and writers tend to dress
in colorful clothing. Male businessmen and ordinary workers tend to dress in
drab outfits such as grays and
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by Bryan Costales
(198 of 220) Jerry Blue was stuck. He had been trying to write a new song
for weeks. But every time an idea struck him he felt his
mind grow blank. He felt dried up.
Jerry spent every morning like all mornings.
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by Bryan Costales
(199 of 220) Rod Scales Private Eye disembarked the train in Galway,
Ireland, and immediately went in search of a taxi.
He walked out the main door and saw an imposing line
of buses. A ramp-like sidewalk lead
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by Bryan Costales
(200 of 220) In the old days of film and optical printing there were few ways
to fix a marred photograph.
Burning, dodging,
and cropping were
were the techniques available and were
limited to rather crude
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by Bryan Costales
(201 of 220) The proto people were allowed to wander the fenced wooded
area. The p3 and p7 groups mingled. Thus far, they were the
only two groups that survived to childhood.
A slightly older p3 girl wandered
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by Bryan Costales
(202 of 220) The text message on his mobile phone only said, "In front of the
Bryson at 14:00 promptly." Al Flemming arrived early and
leaned against the light post out front. He glanced at his
watch a few
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by Bryan Costales
(203 of 220) Death was always careful to avoid touching anyone who should
not die just yet. In crowds, he would wend his way like a wisp
of smoke between moving people, never touching, until he arrived
safely
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by Bryan Costales
(204 of 220) Josh Hoffer was homeless and slept under the
train crossing. He didn't mind the noise of the midnight
freight because the crossing kept him warm and
dry even if it rained. Because of Josh's
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by Bryan Costales
(205 of 220) When Mitch Doogle died, his wife got it into her head to
ship his clothes to their son. She boxed them in brown
boxes and shipped them UPS. She checked the web site like
Mitch had taught her and was
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by Bryan Costales
(206 of 220) Penny Wistom liked to enter contests. She preferred word contests
over those based on chance, so naturally was smitten by a web-based
"25 words or fewer" contest on the web.
The contest
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by Bryan Costales
(207 of 220) Back when Hovden Cannery was a functioning sardine
cannery in the early 1900s, fishing boats would
occasionally bring in a unique or odd specimen.
A shelf of such specimens now rests in the area of
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by Bryan Costales
(208 of 220) Michael Spinnley disliked his name. He preferred to be called Mike.
Most of his friends called him Mike, but his parents insisted on
calling him Michael. Mike was only twelve, so that was a huge
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by Bryan Costales
(209 of 220) Ken Tucker bent over to pick up a quarter when he felt
a hard kick in his butt. He nearly lost his balance
but managed to stay on his feet. Unfortunately the
quarter went sailing out of his hand and
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by Bryan Costales
(210 of 220) On her way home, Rhona Finnes was startled by a crooked
little sign on a wall. It appeared to advertise a new
show. But the juxtaposition of the poster next to a large
M just seemed plain wrong to
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by Bryan Costales
(211 of 220) Alan Barkley was 30 years old and waited at the top of the
escalator for his mail order wife to arrive. He had dressed in shorts
and a T-shirt early that morning so that he could impress
her with how
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by Bryan Costales
(212 of 220) Rod Scales, Private Eye, stood on one side of Market Street
and watched a woman on the other side of the street watch
the parade. She was Nell, wife to Judge Hapson. She always
seemed to dress in
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by Bryan Costales
(213 of 220) The blue Screwheaded people arrived from another planet over
five years ago. With only one foot, they hop from
place to place, but are always frendly and fun to
have around. The never talk, and never
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by Bryan Costales
(214 of 220) Unusually warm that day in San Francisco.
Officer McBryan walking off duty down the Lyon Street
steps. The year was 1960, so he wore slacks and a short sleeved
dress shirt. His pistol, a snub-nosed
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by Bryan Costales
(215 of 220)
Wonderful indeed to have a helpless shadow that lays
among the bird poop and shell scraps, unable to pick
up even a piece of rope. Next time you notice your
shadow, thank it. Your shadow does always
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by Bryan Costales
(216 of 220) Born in the 1930s in Philadelphia, Laughing Sal, and her
Laughing Sam
were soon separated. Sal was sold into exile on the west coast where
she became an icon of San Francisco's Playland.
Sam
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by Bryan Costales
(217 of 220)
Rod Scales, Private Eye, was dressed like a tourist in plaid shorts and a T-shirt that
read, "Disneyland." He was in Universal Studio's City Walk working on a case.
Rod sat on a bench under a cow
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by Bryan Costales
(218 of 220) L'Moe Defoet was born and raised in Brussels. When he was
eight years old, his father painted the tops of the stone
walk in front of their house with bright colors. "These are
marine-grade paints,"
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by Bryan Costales
(219 of 220) There once was a balloon which was huge, bright red and, at the
same time, invisible. Now this might seem like a contradiction, but
situations like this can sometimes exist in the world of magic.
A
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by Bryan Costales
(220 of 220) Wayne Jeffers worked for Texas Instruments which provided
him with a Wyse terminal and modem for use at his home.
As Wayne typed, glowing capital letters appeared on his
screen. The letters appeared
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by Bryan Costales
(1 of 220) Menu at restaurant under leafy chestnut trees
This is the sign for the Cafe Dame Tartine,
a restaurant that has a reputation for being expensive.
Notice the dessert, a créme brulée
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by Bryan Costales
(2 of 220) In France, the black plague
lasted through 1349.
In enclosed places such as monasteries, the infection of one person usually meant the
infection of all. In the
Franciscan convent of
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by Terry Costales
(3 of 220)
Secret Snow
© 2007 Bryan Costales
One day, high in the mountains, a mother and daughter were out
for a walk. Snow was plowed high along the road's edge, but the sky
was clear. The mother, as
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by Bryan Costales
(4 of 220) Dqaw was one one of the youngest members of the Bell clan. His
arrival late that day for the afternoon rest strangely offended
one of the oldest elders.
"Bong, bing, ding ding, ding," bellowed the
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by Bryan Costales
(5 of 220) There is an old joke that says, "You can tune a piano, but
you cannot tuna fish." This is not to say that it is a good
joke. Rather it is a pun --a play on the pronunciation and spelling
of words.
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by Bryan Costales
(6 of 220) Too close is ugly but can be beautiful. Imagine a country
stream, bubbling, and gurgling under flowering trees on
a warm afternoon. Now get down on your hands and knees
and look at the banks of that
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by Bryan Costales
(7 of 220) Freida was a woman who thought herself the most ugly woman in the world.
She was bald except for hairy warts covering her head. Her face was pocked,
and black hair grew from odd places. She slumped
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by Terry Costales
(8 of 220)
Bullets in the Fog
© 2007 Bryan Costales
Alan Dexter and Phil Morris were half brothers with a common mother.
Alan was older and taller, but not the wiser of the two.
When they had left for
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by Bryan Costales
(9 of 220) All performers love the sound of applause.
When many people
clap with the same timing that is called clapping to the song.
Applause is the the
sound of many people clapping asynchronously.
But why
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by Bryan Costales
(10 of 220) Rod Scales couldn't believe, despite the rain the night before and the
delayed flight, he was finally standing on the walk of fame in Hollywood.
Over the years, Rod had traveled the entire state of
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by Dr. William Carter
(11 of 220)
Bryan Costales Wednesday 2 May 2007
This reminds me of the upstream battle with locks.
Normally, lock keepers are among the most helpful people in France. They
will catch your ropes when tossed and
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by Bryan Costales
(12 of 220) A fine, sunny Sunday found the two on a walk south of Market.
The visitor had just seen the military cemetery at the Presidio
the day before, so was confused when they passed the freeway.
"You Yanks
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by Bryan Costales
(13 of 220) Frank Hibro was thirty five and walked his dog for miles every day. Frank's
dog was a medium sized, mixed breed he'd rescued from the animal shelter.
The dog's name was Bowzer, because the dog
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by Bryan Costales
(14 of 220) Street lights reflect on what a rainy day it is
Some believe a world exists apart from our own in
reflections. Like
ghosts, the images in reflections are often blurred or distorted and
seem unreal.
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by Bryan Costales
(15 of 220) Wayne the sea gull was, perhaps, one of the dumbest birds
ever hatched. He weighed less than other birds because he
had a harder time finding food. His feathers were a mess, because
he was always
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by Bryan Costales
(16 of 220) French writer Jules Verne
wrote the novel Around the World in Eighty Days wherein a part of the trip
was by hot air balloon after the unfortunate loss of hydrogen. To a child spinning
around on a
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by Bryan Costales
(17 of 220) Joshua Bean was night guard at the zoo. He liked to
eat "lunch" by the carousel because it seemed open
and peaceful there. On the night of his first
full moon there, he noticed a glow from the
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by Bryan Costales
(18 of 220) Rod Scales, private eye,
had been hired to track down and recover a stained glass
peace symbol of sentimental value only. It had been taken along with
other but valuable jewelry during a daylight
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by Bryan Costales
(19 of 220) Stunt riders await a turn to ride stunts
Stunt bicycle riders are a very strange breed. They always seem
too large for the tiny bikes they ride. yet that is the point. With
small bicycles many
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by Bryan Costales
(20 of 220) One wants get a shot of the bridge with a warehouse underneath.
But, drat, those pesky wires are in the way.
Person-A composes the shot with no regard to the wires, because
person-A uses photoshop
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by Bryan Costales
(21 of 220) Little Billy Moonsky crawled around the locked gate through
a gap so small an adult could never follow. He slid over the edge
to a gap below the ice floor. There he hid from his mean brother.
Under
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by Bryan Costales
(22 of 220) Imagine what it would be like. You come home one evening after
a hard day's work. You go to your back door to see why your dog
did not greet you. You find the pet door gone. Outside, in
its original
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by Bryan Costales
(23 of 220) Phillip Nophace had never, ever in his life, been able
to remember what his own face looked like. At an early age
he learned to pretend he did to avoid questions. But every
time he looked in the
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by Dr. William Carter
(24 of 220) No question that the French can cut the mustard.
Bryan Costales, Sunday 6 May 2007
In fact many fine mustards come from France where
perhaps the best known is Dijon.
In America,
there too are
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by Bryan Costales
(25 of 220) Morgan Nelson lay on the gurney in the back of the
ambulance, his tummy on fire, his hands and feet numb,
and his head like a fuse-lit bomb. He thought back to
dinner and wondered why so many people
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by Bryan Costales
(26 of 220) What runs through a man's mind just before a race?
Does he think of strategy and the effort about
to be spent? Does he remember dinner the night before and
wonder if the mix of carbs to protein was
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by Bryan Costales
(27 of 220) "What time is it?" Nancy asked her sister.
"Mrful Shoffy," Vicky answered from well tucked into her sleeping bag.
Nancy shook her sister gently. "It's light out."
Vicky's head poked out and sleepy
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by Bryan Costales
(28 of 220) Jawbreakers, known as Gobstoppers in Europe, are a hard round candy
that a kid can suck on for hours.
Steve considered himself wise when he reached
age fifty. He'd managed, or so he thought, to try
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by Bryan Costales
(29 of 220) Go outside to your front steps, your deck, or your patio. Lie
on your back and hang your head back over a step or a rail.
Look at the world upside down.
Not everyone can do this. Not because they
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by Bryan Costales
(30 of 220) Gerrold LeBoff, owner of The LeBoff Restaurant, telephoned Rod Scales.
"Mr. Scales," he said. "On Sunday, I rode my horse
in the How Berkeley Parade. When
I returned to my restaurant afterward, I
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by Bryan Costales
(31 of 220) The artist Keith Sklar
created this mural on a huge wall facing the street. He has also been shown in many
exhibitions.
We should be proud to have such art on public display in San Francisco.
It is
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by Bryan Costales
(32 of 220) If you wish to see a country, nothing beats a trip by train.
Dora Blixen always traveled by train. So it was no surprise
when, one day out of the blue, she decided to ditch work
and travel to Galway
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by Bryan Costales
(33 of 220) Two young girls were playing in the park when they happened to spot
a dandelion. They ran over to it and plunked themselves down.
Nora Phibert was raised by new-agers that attended
Burning Man every
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by Bryan Costales
(34 of 220) Originally, this photo was taken with the idea that it would
appear under the
"streetlights"
category. Later, when processing, discarding, and categorizing
images, it was clear that the
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by Bryan Costales
(35 of 220) Rod Scales ace detective didn't think of himself as tall,
but standing there by the Primrose sisters he felt like
a towering redwood. Bess and her sister Rose barely
stood up to Rod's chest.
The
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by Bryan Costales
(36 of 220) Here we show cars number 5 and 27 of the Powel and Market to Hyde and Beach
line. These are single ended cars that have to be rotated at each end.
To learn more than you thought you might ever want
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by Bryan Costales
(37 of 220) A summer home overlooking the sea, the advertisement
had read. In sunny Ireland.
John Flags, born and raised in Key West, always felt his
real home was in Ireland. A bit of the Blarny Stone was
in
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by Bryan Costales
(38 of 220) They had been selling super powers at the local Supermart that
morning. Joey had dropped fifty on fast running, figuring it
would help him snatch purses, his only source of income.
He noticed that
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by Bryan Costales
(39 of 220) Danny read the note again. "Where Shephard begins, wait under the green
ladder." After three false starts he finally figured out that Shephard
was the street. This is the strangest blind date I've
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by Bryan Costales
(40 of 220) Silver was a simple bicycle who sometimes hated himself
because his friends would,
from time to time, taunt him with "Hi ho Silver."
Silver's one weakness was cheap booze, for when he drank
nothing
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by Bryan Costales
(41 of 220) Mike Helix awoke to the the sound of surf and a breeze
blowing through the palms. The smell of the sea surrounded him.
As he awoke, the house sensed his movement and faded out
the beach. Photo
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by Bryan Costales
(42 of 220) The difference between a boat and a ship is just one of scale.
Few would disagree with the assertion that this is a boat.
It is powered by oars and is too small in which to stand safely.
A boy can
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by Bryan Costales
(43 of 220) A rarely seen 130 lock
With scissors you can cut off a lock of hair and use
that hair to voodoo another, or scare away the competition.
With skill you can lock in a good job and become a
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by Bryan Costales
(44 of 220) Hannah Glow was supposed to meet her blind date under the sculpture
in the lobby of the Hyatt Regency only two weeks before Christmas.
Just that morning she'd talked to her sister Lucy on the
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by Bryan Costales
(45 of 220) Daryl Johnston and Aaron Pelter
considered themselves good looking young
men. They excelled in sports and acted in drama together.
They hung out with the same group and went out on double dates
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