On our drive back from Siena, we decided to take a scenic route through Tuscany’s famous vineyards, driving on what the English call the backroads. The dirt track snaked through little hamlets, olive groves, pocket vineyards and overgrowth. It curled up the hills and slithered down some, over a babbling brook and a dried river bed. SP 102 wasn’t the fastest way to travel, but it turned out to be the prettiest. Somehow, it managed to make a magical place even more magical.

As we were rolling along, just out of nowhere, but close to the town of Radda in the Chianti region, we came across an abandoned house made of stone. From the road you could just see this ruin, shyly peeking out of from beneath the thick brush and a covering forest that had been left to rampage. It made a wonderful sight — striking enough for us to stop, pull out our iPhones, and go snap, snap, snap.

Then, curiosity got the better of us. We climbed up the steep incline to the front door, draped by thick cobwebs that looked to be a decade old. Once free of these webs, we walked in, only to be surprised by the interior. Although from the outside the house looked old, it was quite modern inside.

A large earthen pot, a writing desk covered in an inch think dirt, a single chair with a pretty and colorful scarf. And steel stairs that led to the second floor, and an unfinished bathroom. On the top floor a broken sofa slumped on its side, stark against the crumbling roof. The abandoned house was dark, with reflected light from the outside as our only illumination. There was a door that opened into a backyard overrun with weeds and wildflowers. You could tell the forest was winning this battle of bits.

Soon it was time to go — the place gave me the creeps, and, frankly, I didn’t want to deal with bugs and chance of brushing up against poison ivy.

Now, nearly a year has passed and I still think about the villa. What happened there? Why did someone leave it unfinished? Did they run out of money? Did they run out of patience? Did something sinister happen there? It is rather strange that some place you can’t even find again on the map becomes part of your memory. That abandoned house, I guess, isn’t really abandoned.

Things have been quiet around here. I was traveling — New York, to be precise. I left my computer behind and was busy meeting people in real life, despite the nasty cold weather. It is good to be back in San Francisco and experience some glorious weather and sunshine. Here are some photos from an early morning walk to the top of the Bernal Hill Park. (If you are intrigued by the chairs and that table, then you can find out more in my Storehouse story.) They were snapped with my Sony RX-1 camera. It is fun getting to know this camera, all over again.

The web, recently was abuzz with news that Apple had become the second most popular camera on Flickr, pushing Nikon down and just behind Canon. It is not surprising – more people take more photos with their iPhones (or other smartphones) than DSLRs or other standalone cameras. As someone whose interest in photography was catalyzed by the amalgam of Instagram and the iPhone, my most loved camera is my iPhone 6+. I have a Sony RX-100 (mark 3) and I have a Sony RX-1 (not sure why) but I absolutely love the iPhone 6+. It allows me to take photos that I could only dream of capturing a few years ago.

This weekend, I went for a photo walk with some friends. In addition to my iPhone 6+, I took the wide angle and telephoto lens made by Marc Barros’ Moment Lens. These results speak for themselves — the Golden Gate Bridge and the board were snapped without the Moment. The Sunset photos used Moment 60MM Tele lens and Average Cam Pro app for long exposure. No filters applied, and no touch up either — just look at the dust on the lens…ugh!

While these don’t compare to the high-end cameras and even pricer lens, they make the amateur in me feel encouraged about photography. I think this is the ultimate beauty of iPhone — it has made photography not scary. It has removed technology and made it just an act of creation. This is what Apple is good at — pushing technology aside. I hope they never forget that.

Some Instagram friends invited me to come along for a photowalk this morning. We went to the top of the Bernal Heights Summit Park and waited for sun to come out. The cold, brisk dark dawn gave way to a warm, luscious and charming sunrise and a mellow day. It is almost impossible to think of this as Thanksgiving weather, but I will take it. These photos were taken by my RX-100 Mark II. Enjoy the photos!

Instrmnt, a Glasgow-based design house with minimalist philosophy has created this wonderful looking watch. I really like its design. It is powered by a Swiss Rhonda 538 Quartz movement, so it is not really fine machinery. However, it is just a great design. The 40 mm watch comes in three finishes — gun metal, brushed silver and rose gold. I like the rose gold the best I think they could have done better with the straps. The straps don’t look very polished/finished. I don’t know how much it might cost — I am guessing around $350-$450, which is typical price for similar products.