Wednesday. Lights out early last night, perhaps too early, as I awoke for maybe thirty minutes around four, half awoke, then finally awakened at six forty-five, running thirty minutes later than the norm. Which worked out fine. Lighter, under a clear sky walking to breakfast, cold enough to cause the eyes and nose to run by the time I arrived. Still, clear skies, sun, fires burning like crazy near Los Angeles. A regular sort of California morning, one might say, here in Oakland.

Had the hamburger patty, eggs over medium, country potatoes, toast, fruit cup and coffee breakfast. One forty-nine and something on the scale, we didn't really have to come up with a rationalization.

The walk home uneventful, taking the usual set of pictures walking with the small V 1 camera with the cord around the neck, and the left hand cupped over the camera body. As visible as one of the larger DSLR's though, so who am I kidding that I'm less visible to potential thieves other than myself? I'm guessing such thoughts are preparing me to go back to the old habit, albeit a little more carefully than in the past.

The backpack!

Just say when.

Later. A television newscast at noon showed live pictures of the Oakland city workers strike at the City Hall and so grabbed a camera and the backpack and caught a bus at twelve twenty-five to City Hall, taking along the body cam to see how it might hold up while taking pictures.

The workers started marching on Broadway literally just after the bus arrived at the City Center stop and so walked after them to start taking pictures. Turned out they were only marching down a single block on Broadway before turning around and heading back to the City Hall area and so I was able to stay and continue shooting.

Didn't spend all that much time, but wished afterward that I'd brought two cameras, the one with the 70-200mm lens, to search out more candid portraits. Not enough pictures for a web section, but some of them did turn out.

Walked to the café in the Rotunda building when I was finished and had a raspberry shortcake cookie (how long since I've had one?) and a small coffee before heading on to Broadway to take photographs at the building site at 17th. Wasn't exactly sure when the bus was due, the NextBus app acting up, but lucked out and caught it just as I and it arrived at the 20th Street stop. Home then to process pictures.

Evening. Listened to the Democracy Now! Daniel Ellsberg interview straight through, after having heard the tail end of the interview this morning. Scary in too many ways, even more so with someone like our current President in the office, when you consider how close we came to nuclear war under more level headed Presidents.

Otherwise a good day with the brief outing for pictures. I've not been out shooting any of these in too long and seem to have forgotten how much enjoyment a picture is that works. OK, a head's up, we need to find ways to do more of this kind of shooting. Maybe our political situation will generate more opportunities, winter or not.