Oh, yes, rules ARE meant to be broken! But they do work. This week Jen Hooks has challenged us to recompose relying on the Rule of Thirds. It’s good to be a little off center. 😉
See the Weekly Photo Challenge here.
This week we’ve been challenged to show an image with symmetry by Cheri Lucas Rowlands. Appropriate for Friday the 13th of February. 2+13=15. It appears Cheri likes balance in her life ;-).
From a graphics standpoint… symmetry is about balance and balance is relaxed and calm. Diagonals and offset points of focus are dynamic… they add tension. So let’s find balance on Friday the 13th. Who knows what challenges the day may bring?
See the Weekly Photo Challenge here.
Employment in the San Francisco Bay Area has stalled at just over 3.7 million over the past four months. There is general optimism for 2015 but housing prices and rents have also slowed. Should be an interesting spring!
See the latest summary here.
Los Gatos High School
This week we’ve been challenged to visualize scale by Michelle W. Let’s ponder size relationships. I’ll leave you to draw your own conclusions about what that means!
I first asked my Grandkitty Otis to assist. I can say that all those stories about herding cats are true. Have you ever seen “Attack of the 50 Foot Woman” and if you haven’t, well, just do it.
Attack of the 50 Foot Cat
Next a recent spate of big waves over in Pacifica was brought to mind. The power of the ocean has always been a mystery to me. Nothing really compares with a day spent on a warm beach.
Sharp Park, Pacifica, CA
Waves got me to remember an afternoon snapping some pix over at Lands End in San Francisco. Check out the little box at the lower right of the photo to appreciate scale.
Lands End, San Francisco, CA
See the Weekly Photo Challenge here.
This week we’ve been challenged to explore depth by Ben Huberman. Whether we relate to the word in a visual or emotional way it all seems relative.
To an ant, a pebble may seem a mountain. 
Standing on Glacier Point 3200 feet above the valley floor of Yosemite can be unnerving especially when you realize the ocean is 7200 feet down below your toes.
Does a beautiful vista add to the depth of your love?
When a friend turned 60 last year I thought deeply. (Something I try to avoid) 
This may just scratch the surface. I will have to try thinking deeply more often.
See the Weekly Photo Challenge here.
This week we’ve been challenged by Krista of WordPress to Express Yourself!
Well, okay, I will add a picture. But to see how I really express myself I’ll ask you to check out how I express myself with numbers, too. I really express myself much better in Microsoft Excel than with a camera. I track certain trends in real estate. One thing I watch is the median home price in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Numbers often make heads spin and eyes glaze over. A chart is more effective. (click here to see what I mean) This must go back to our early history before the alphabet existed where pictures were how we expressed ourselves.
It’s interesting to see how the median home price in the Bay Area has just flattened out over the second half of 2014. Will the trend line be up or down from here? Regardless, it will be an interesting 2015.
See the Weekly Photo Challenge here.
2014-DQnews-Median-12-Dec-SFR-Trend
First Selfie of 2015
This week we’ve been challenged by Cheri Lucas Rowlands of WordPress to provide our interpretation of serenity. An image that invokes calmness or tranquility.
I find it most simple to be at ease when visual stimulus is minimized. Not voided, minimized. It’s probably why I’m drawn to photographs of sunrises, sunsets and twilight hours. Easy does it.
See the Weekly Photo Challenge here.
Solo Sunset – Mussel Rock, Daly City, CA
Depth can be created in a two-dimensional image. That’s why photographs are made, not taken. It can be created with a little lighting magic, in nature, or with the help of a little dodging and burning in Photoshop. Sometimes it is just plain better if we don’t come out of the shadows!
See the Weekly Photo Challenge here.
Another New Year. It brings another set of challenges and opportunities. We are granted an unknown number of chances for renewal and redemption. Each day brings a fresh set of downs and the chance to put the last play out of your mind to invoke a football analogy. May 2015 be the year you cross the goal line without facing any 3rd and long situations!
See the Weekly Photo Challenge here.
Here are employment and housing price data for the Bay Area as of November 2014. Interesting to see that employment and labor force figures continue to trend upward but, outside of San Francisco, San Mateo and Santa Clara (the high-tech centers), the rest of the Bay Area is taking a pause from higher housing prices. The Bay Area median home price has definitely flattened out.
Best Wishes for a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous 2015!
Winter Sunset – Rockaway Beach, Pacifica, CA
 | Donna H on State of Mind |
JN Real Estate Valuation Services 