WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 31I WAS ALL SET IN MY MIND ABOUT TODAY'S PHOTOGRAPH. For the last day of the year I wanted something stunning, but nothing in what I saw until early evening was anything more than a pretty, postcard photograph. An iconic picture of the Coast with fog creeping in didn't make the cut. It was O.K., but it didn't represent the year in any way. Late in the afternoon Margaret and I went to the new Asian market, Thuan Phat; and when we came out of the store, the sun had set already and I saw the Linda Vista Library sitting quietly over at the far end of the parking lot. I took a couple of shots and drove away thinking about how much I depend on books, how much my life is enriched by the resources that can be found in this library. The final months of this tired old year have depressed and frightened many of my friends. The brightest hope in the year came in November with the election of Barack Obama, but his election didn't allay my apprehension. Greed and mismanagement have left the American economy in shambles. Old wars rage. In spite of everything that is wrong, I am now once again in a YES frame of mind. I don't know why the image of the library changed my mood, but it did; and I like the optimism that it has spread through my mind. Our nation has resources that will get us through this difficult period. I believe 2009 will be better.