Yosemite and More

 Because my original work plans changed I decided to invite my photo pal Friedhelm  to head up to Yosemite with me on Tuesday after the Monday snow storm  and the promise of more snow to come. This was our first stop and showed us what kind of a day we were in for. To say I was excited would be an understatement A sneak peek through the trees This one leaf among the snow covered branches caught my eye. El Capitan, Snow, Merced River, you gotta love it It doesn't get much better than this Snow covered oaks, with Bridalveil Fall in the background. I've taken a lot of photos of the Chapel. Don't post many because I've taken a lot of photos of the Chapel. But in winter I just can't help myself. This is from Tunnel View, I know that since the snow fall  I'm the only one who took this angel because my footprints were the only ones in the snow. Just a bit of snow on the end of a pine needle. Should have gone back and gotten my macro lens, darn. As the light faded the s

 Went up to the Rogge Estate just outside of Marisposa in the Sierra Foothills  at the invitation from Wolfgang. I decided early on to shoot mostly in  Black and White, though there are a few color photos here. First thing you notice is the view. It's magnificent. This is, of course, darker to show the layers better I wondered why this branch grew the way it did. The woodpeckers used this dead branch to store a little food. This toad stool growing on the side of a tree caught my eye. This little guy might have to take a sharp turn if it plans on growing very big. Backlit wild oats against a dark background are always a good shot. Wolfgang is doing a lot of work around the place. The gears on this cement mixer at sunset caught my eye. Wolfgangs loyal companions Teddy and Wolfie, both 15 years old, were a  little shy about posing. Last but not least is just after the sun set. Thanks Wolfgang! Go, See, Enjoy, Stay Safe and Photograph Dave

 I had an appointment in Fresno yesterday and afterwards I decided to visit Cat Haven, https://cathaven.com/   a large cat sanctuary about 30minutes from Fresno. Note to self, next time ask if there will be any large groups. The group before me had two people, mine had over 30, a combination of kids and adults. That said I really enjoyed the experience, next time I'll take better notes of exactly what I'm seeing and what the names are. For some reason they don't let you in the cages so you have to shoot through the wire mesh. It can be challenging, and I hope you'll forgive my lack of photoshop skills to clean up some of the mess. First up  is a Canadian Lynx.  Salsa is a Cheetah, the fastest land animal. Her roommate is Jazz, they're just friends. Jaguars have a square looking spot patterns. I didn't name these because they have a lot of jaguars and I couldn't tell the difference from looking at their website    https://cathaven.com/ In this instance the wi

 The fog in the valley was really getting to me so I decided to take trip to Yosemite.  On the way up I took these. They're doing work on the electrical lines to Yosemite. Because of the rough terrain helicopters are needed. That thing below, and hanging  from the helicopter is a guy in a harness, just sitting there swinging  with the breeze. Remember this is taken with a telephoto lens and then cropped. He was way up there. Just when I was entering the Valley I stopped to do some photography and a gentlemen informed me there was a bear near-by. Black bears can be anything from cinnamon colored to completely black.  This is a small one eating oak acorns. I was wondering if any of the fall colors would still be showing. I needn't have worried, Yosemite is always beautiful but fall colors are special. I asked this gentleman if I could photograph him painting  near where I had just photographed. He has a lot  more patience than I do. As I said the fall colors were pretty good. The

 Took a couple of trips to the Merced Wildlife Refuge. First was during the morning with the intent of catching some fog shots. While the air was heavy with mist there wasn't any real fog. On the road  I saw several hawk with their wings slightly spread out. I guessed they were sunning themselves and drying their wings. Inside the Refuge I caught this one doing the same thing. I saw nine raptors throughout the Refuge, many of course too far to photograph. This one barely moved except to keep an eye on me just in case I got the idea to trespass. This is one of my favorite birds. Since it's black and white  I thought I'd give it that treatment. Another resident of the Refuge is the Killdeer. This one looked a little apprehensive to me.  The Refuge is know for it's seasonal Sandhill Crane migration.  They even offer tours in some years.  Here's one of the smaller flights coming in to roost for the night. Snowy Egrets are smaller than the Great Egret and less common at