Yosemite and More

Last week I went to Yosmite the day after a good snowfall. It was truly a winter wonderland. It was inspiring just standing there and taking in all the beauty, and of course I took a few photos. Looking up to the ridges and high country was especially beautiful. And to be honest I was happy to be where the temp was around 30°. Being in a valley you are of course surrounded by high country ridges and  wonderful views. Friedhem suggested we hike to the bottom of Yosemite Falls, I was honestly skeptical. But the short hike was very doable and I was able to get this view of Half Dome along  with several of both upper and lower Yosemite Falls. A new experience. should have  brought my tripod. This isn't to say the views on the Valley floor weren't just as spectacular. Go, See, Enjoy and Photograph. Dave

Since the Almond Blossoms are beginning to wane I thought it might be time to edit and post a few of my photos. I had decided that I had too much to do and had probably thousands of almond photos and so this year I would skip the annual blossom. Well that lasted until the other day when I was headed to Home Depot, turned around, got my camera and ............. What really caught my eye was all the water that had accumulated in this one particular orchard. While the water wasn't exactly clear it still provided a nice reflection. Then I turned around and saw this fence. While this photo doesn't have Almond Blossoms it does have trees and wonderful puffy clouds. And last but not least Blossoms and Puffy Clouds. Go, See, Enjoy, put down the tools and Photograph Dave

After the Tilden Botanical Gardens Friedhelm and I went to the  UC Berkeley Botanical Gardens. While the Tilden Gardens featured plants from California, UC Berkeley had plants from around the world. This is a Banksia Oblongifolia from New Zealand, There were a lot of odd shapes and sizes.  While a large majority of plants were labeled, sometimes it was hard to tell what label belonged to what plant or if there was a label at all. I tried using  an app on my phone but I guess in doesn't include a complete list of  flowers from New Guinea and Korea, et al. The internet was a little help if I had some idea of where to start. Here's one I really liked but didn't get the name of. As I said some interesting structures. This one is from New South Wales, Australia Most did not have a 'Familiar or Common' name.  this one did. This beautiful Fushia is from Equador. All the photos were taken with ei...

The other day Friedhelm and I went to Berkeley Ca. to visit a couple of botanical gardens. The first was located in Tilden Park.  The park's focus is on California based plants, many of them rare,  and located in a very small range.   I shot all of these with my wonderful Tokina  100mm macro. There were a lot of different types of Manzanita. Unfortunately I didn't  get the name of this variety. I grew up in a lumber community and manzanita was considered a scourge. You know I like photos of  the sun shining through the leaves of a tree. In this case a rare Santa Cruz Ironwood. I was attracted to the shape of the leaves. Not your normal oak or birch. This is a Channel Island Tree Poppy, mostly seen on San Clemente, Santa Catalina,  Santa Cruz and Santa Rosa Isles. And last but not least if a Santa Cruz Island Buckwheat. Go, See, Enjoy and Photograph Dave

Friedhelm and I took a quick trip to the Merced Wildlife Refuge.  All the geese where at the very beginning of the refuge. The birds were fairly active with some coming and going. While the Ross Geese were prominent there were Canadian Geese mixed in. I find it interesting that the geese don't seem to care who they're mixed in with. No this is not a photo of a flock of birds, this is actually a swarm of  bugs. It was getting dark and I didn't have a fast enough setting to get a real sharp image but you get the picture.  BRING BUG SPRAY.  Especially in a month or so when the mosquito's are out. The Refuge is a great place for Sunsets. I usually take them from a few specific  spots. This time I took the nature trail and got this shot. I will admit the camera saw a little more color than I did. Mea Coppa. Go, See, Enjoy and Photograph Dave

As you may or may not know I am semi-retired. My part-time job required that I make a 'quick trip' to South San Francisco the other day. On my way back home I decided to do something spontaneous, not my usual frame of mind.  I passed my usual Highway 152 exit and kept going. I headed for one of my favorite places to photograph. Point Lobos State Park. I love the North Coast for the great waves and interesting features. I'm not a beach person. Unfortunately the sea was a low tide and the waves were almost non-existent.  So I shot a lot of other stuff. Oh, and also had a great time. These two kept me company for quite a while. I'm sure both were looking for a meal. This one seemed happy to hunt for himself. I think it's a Great White Heron though I don't recall seeing such a pronounced Mullet on one. For those of you who are skeptical about the presence of Aliens, what else but a  Alien rocket ship could produce s...

The weather report said that it was going to snow in Yosemite Valley. So.... Friedhelm and I headed up that way. Well there wasn't any snow except on the peaks but there was fog and great photo opportunities. Except for a few of exceptions, in this post, I tried to stay away  from the iconic photographs. Some photos I changed to  Black and White some stayed color. First up is Bridal Veil Falls in B & W. I thought this  highlighted the falls itself better. As usual anywhere you look in Yosemite you have a pretty good view. The fog and clouds just added to the beauty. Sometimes you look straight up.  As I mentioned the snow was on the peaks and sometimes they just peeked through. Okay another bad 'Dave' pun. But the Clouds turned out spectacular for a short period later in the day You know that I had to feature at least one photograph that was all about the lines. This was taken o...

The fog around here has been pretty thick lately. Some days we never see the sun. The other day I thought it would be interesting to go to the Merced Wildlife Refuge and  see what that looked like. On the way I stopped and took a few shots. When I got to the Refuge it had an eerie feeling with the leafless trees and fog There weren't very many birds in the flooded portion. No flocks were flying around either. I guessed that the fog was keeping everything quiet. Then I  got to the area where it's pasture land. That's where the Ross and Snow geese where having breakfast. They were very close to the road in some parts and you could get pretty close without spooking them. This rise was caused by a lady who drove past me a a pretty good rate of speed. I was creeping along at about 5 mph and they seemed tolerant of me. As you can see, pretty close. Yup, even closer. Go, See, Enjoy and Photograph Dav...