Mesa Arch

We stopped by Canyonlands National Park yesterday afternoon, another stop on our three week driving trip. While not as big or as crowded as it's more well known neighbor, Arches National Park, it had plenty of beauty and a few arches to see as well.

Not your normal Window, but this is for #windowwednesday  +#Window Wednesday +Jules Falk Hunter +Simon Davis-Oakley +Jason Kowing +Cheryl Cooper +J.J. Bentley 
I missed #nationalparksmonday , but I have more images for future weeks. 

Fire Guardian

While in the city to have lunch last week, we saw this San Francisco Fire Dept. Boat along the pier. I think this is one of the boats they can use to fight fires along the edge of the bay. I'd love to see it in action, though don't want anything to have to catch fire. Hmmmm, not sure how that is going to work... 

The fog was coming in and obliterated most of Treasure Island and Oakland from view at the end of the Bay Bridge. Overall, a nice day to walk around in the city.

#monochrome52   Week 43 +Monochrome 52 +Shane Raynard and Linda Villers
#monochromemonday  +Monochrome Monday +Jerry Johnson +Manuel Votta +Hans Berendsen +Steve Barge +Nurcan Azaz 
#allthingsmonochrome  +All Things Monochrome 
#monochromeworld  +Monochrome World 
#leadinglinesmonday  +Leading Lines Monday +Pam Chalkley-Boling +Michael Stuart +Elle Rogers +David Murphy +Andreas Levi +Simos Xenakis 
#bridgesaroundtheworld  +#BridgesAroundTheWorld +Carra Riley +Knut Arne Gjertsen 

Victoria Falls #5

I found some more images from our visit to Victoria Falls and thought you might like to see another one. We had magical light and sunset the first evening we visited there.

#africantuesday  +African Tuesday +Morkel Erasmus +Grobler du Preez +Dick Whitlock 
#waterfallwednesday  +Eric Leslie 
#landscapephotography +Landscape Photography +Margaret Tompkins +Carra Riley +paul t beard +David Heath Williams
+Bill Wood +Jim Warthman +Ben T +jeff beddow  +Tom Hierl
+Vishal Kumar +Michael Blyde   +Carolyn Lim

Thirsty Hummingbird

One of my favorite shots so far this week. The sun finally came out and the temperature warmed up a bit, so the hummingbirds were back out today. Sorry I haven't been online much this week, just not much time or access. Back home this weekend and hope to catch up on some more of your posts. Hope you are all having a great week!

#wildlifewednesday  +Morkel Erasmus +Mike Spinak 
#birds4all  +Birds4All +Walter Soestbergen 
#allthingsorange  +AllThingsOrange +Nina Piccoli +Kenneth Williams 
#allthingsgreen  +All Things Green +Cicely Robin Laing 
#everythinggreen  +Everything Green +andi rivarola 

Unending Reflections

Found some calm water along the lagoon the other day. Hope you enjoy your week everyone!

#monochrome52   Week 17   +Monochrome 52 and Linda Villers
#MonochromeMonday +Monochrome Monday +Hans Berendsen +Jerry Johnson +Manuel Votta +Nurcan Azaz +Steve Barge
#monochromeworld +Monochrome World +andi rivarola 
#allthingsmonochrome +All Things Monochrome +Charles Lupica +Bill Wood
#LeadingLinesMonday +Pam Boling +Andreas Levi +David Murphy +Elle Rogers +Michael B. Stuart +Simos Xenakis
#close2home +Close2Home  +Brett Sivits +David Pond +Rebecca Johnson +Pia Raben +Shaun Stewart +José Juan Escudero +Howard Weitzel +john adams
#mirrormonday  +Mirrors and Reflections +Gemma Costa +Elizabeth Edwards 

Angel on the Horizon

From this weekend at Sutro Baths in San Francisco. I don't normally convert sunset photos to monochrome (actually it almost never occurs to me,) but I do like how this one turned out even without all of that color.  

#monochrome52   Week 48 / 2013 Week 1  +Monochrome 52 and Linda Villers
#MonochromeMonday +Monochrome Monday +Hans Berendsen +Jerry Johnson +Manuel Votta +Nurcan Azaz +Steve Barge
#monochromeworld +Monochrome World +andi rivarola 
#allthingsmonochrome +All Things Monochrome +Charles Lupica +Bill Wood
#landscapephotography +Landscape Photography +Margaret Tompkins +Carra Riley +paul t beard +David Heath Williams
+Bill Wood +Jim Warthman +Ben T +jeff beddow  +Tom Hierl
+Vishal Kumar +Michael Blyde   +Carolyn Lim
#thestreetsofsanfrancisco  +The Streets of San Francisco +andi rivarola 

Winter Waves

I was looking through my archive for winter shots today, but don't have any snowscapes. So I thought I'd share this one with you. This is the first thing that winter brings to mind here in Northern California. It was crazy windy and the waves were really crashing, a very fun day.

 #CoastalThursday +Coastal Thursday +David Polzine & +Jon Kahn
#thirstythursdaypics  +Giuseppe Basile +Mark Esguerra 
#monochromeworld +Monochrome World +andi rivarola 
#allthingsmonochrome +All Things Monochrome +Charles Lupica +Bill Wood
#landscapephotography +Landscape Photography +Margaret Tompkins +Carra Riley +paul t beard +David Heath Williams
+Bill Wood +Jim Warthman +Ben T +jeff beddow +Tom Hierl +Vishal Kumar  +Michael Blyde +Carolyn Lim
#52shadesofgray   #52SOG_7  +52 Shades of Gray +Charles Lupica 

Out of Line - 2

I posted a monochrome version of this shot a couple of weeks ago, but I still like the color as well with it's pastel skies. I definitely need to make it back to this baylands park when I have some more time to wander around and see what else is here.

#sunsetsaturday  +Dennis Hoffbuhr 
#LeadingLinesMonday +Pam Chalkley-Boling +Andreas Levi +David Murphy +Elle Rogers +Michael B. Stuart +Simos Xenakis

Amsterdam Canals in Winter

Most photos of this beautiful city are from sunny spring and summer with lively action, beautiful trees, and blue skies. My visit the other day revealed a different side to the city. Still very beautiful, but you don't see much of the sun, the air is chilly and the trees are bare. It hold a different kind of beauty. So glad I got to go up there for the day. Definitely need to get back there for more time. Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Posting a bit early as we are in transit today before heading home tomorrow.

#monochrome52  Week 9   +Monochrome 52 and Linda Villers
#MonochromeMonday +Monochrome Monday +Hans Berendsen +Jerry Johnson +Steve Barge +Dominique Hilbert +David Orr +Martin Heller
#monochromeworld +Monochrome World +andi rivarola 
#allthingsmonochrome +All Things Monochrome +Charles Lupica +Bill Wood
#landscapephotography +Landscape Photography +Margaret Tompkins +Carra Riley +paul t beard +David Heath Williams
+Bill Wood +Jim Warthman +Ben T +jeff beddow +Tom Hierl +Vishal Kumar  +Michael Blyde +Carolyn Lim
#LeadingLinesMonday +Pam Boling +Andreas Levi +David Murphy +Elle Rogers +Michael B. Stuart +Simos Xenakis

Golden Gate Bridge Blue Hour

From my first visit to Marshall Beach in San Francisco. We were lucky to have both +Sairam Sundaresan and +Frank Yuwono visiting the area. What a lovely afternoon we had. Just be sure you have a flashlight to see the path and stairs when you have to climb back up the cliff after dark!

#coastalthursday  +Coastal Thursday +David Polzine +Jon Kahn 
#longexposurethursday  +LongExposure Thursday +Francesco Gola +Luca Gerardi 
#landscapephotography +Landscape Photography +Margaret Tompkins +Carra Riley +paul t beard +David Heath Williams
+Bill Wood +Jim Warthman +Ben T +jeff beddow +Tom Hierl +Vishal Kumar  +Michael Blyde +Carolyn Lim
#thestreetsofsanfrancisco  +The Streets of San Francisco +andi rivarola 
#lowanglephotography  +Low Angle Photography +Jeremy Lavender 

Sky on Fire

Made a visit out to Treasure Island last week and we were rewarded with an amazing sunset. There were just enough high clouds to give this nice explosion of color! Have a great weekend everyone...

#sunsetsaturday  +Dennis Hoffbuhr 
#saturdaynightlight  +SaturdayNightLight +Dirk Heindoerfer 
#silhouettesaturday  +SilhouetteSaturday +Naila Ziani 
#nightscapes  +Nightscapes +Christopher Prins 
#thestreetsofsanfrancisco  +The Streets of San Francisco +andi rivarola 

Looking Right Past Us

This leopard had been intently scouting for prey from her termite mound vantage point, but she gave us a quick look just before she took off. We were very luck with our wildlife spottings on our trip to Africa. This one is from Londolozi Camp in South Africa, on the border of Kruger National Park.

#wildlifewednesday  +Morkel Erasmus +Mike Spinak 
#caturday  +CATURDAY! +Cicely Robin Laing +Shantha Marie Fountain 

Blue Stairs

There are an endless number of interesting staircases in the Embarcadero Center in San Francisco. I like this one from my wanderings there, hope you do too.

#monochrome52  Week 44 +Monochrome 52 +Shane Raynard and Linda Villers
#monochromemonday  +Monochrome Monday +Steve Barge +Jerry Johnson +Manuel Votta +Hans Berendsen +Nurcan Azaz 
#monochromeworld  +Monochrome World +andi rivarola 
#allthingsmonochrome  +All Things Monochrome +Charles Lupica +Bill Wood 
#thestreetsofsanfrancisco  +The Streets of San Francisco +andi rivarola 

New Bridge Lights

Well, I got to see the new lights on the San Francisco Bay Bridge for the first time last week. They are pretty mesmerizing as you stand there and enjoy them while the camera is taking the long exposures. I'm sure I'll make it back there many more times!
Sorry for the last post, I was gone all day and forgot to post this before I left bright and early this morning, tsk tsk!

#monochrome52  Week 12   +Monochrome 52 and Linda Villers
#MonochromeMonday +Monochrome Monday +Hans Berendsen +Jerry Johnson +Manuel Votta +Nurcan Azaz +Steve Barge
#monochromeworld +Monochrome World +andi rivarola 
#allthingsmonochrome +All Things Monochrome +Charles Lupica +Bill Wood
#bridgesovertuesday  +BridgesOverTuesday +Clare Bambers 
#bridgesaroundtheworld  +#BridgesAroundTheWorld +Carra Riley +Knut Arne Gjertsen 
#nightscapes  +Nightscapes +Christopher Prins 
#thestreetsofsanfrancisco  +The Streets of San Francisco +andi rivarola 

Nighttime on the Bay

I decided to try one of the nighttime shots from the other evening in monochrome. The color can get a bit hectic to look at, but it's very pretty. Even so, I am really liking this monochrome version. You can really concentrate on the view and lines of the bridge. Hope you like it as much as I do...

#monochrome52   Week 40  +Monochrome 52 +Shane Raynard and Linda Villers
#monochromemonday  +Monochrome Monday +Jerry Johnson +Manuel Votta +Steve Barge +Hans Berendsen +Nurcan Azaz 
#landscapephotography  +Landscape Photography +Margaret Tompkins +Carra Riley +Ke Zeng +paul t beard +David Heath Williams +Bill Wood +Jim Warthman 
#thestreetsofsanfrancisco  +The Streets of San Francisco +andi rivarola 

Resting

Caught this pretty little hummer resting between trips to the feeder and zooming around. There were a couple dozen these beauties flitting around the area at our lodge in Great Sand Dunes National Park in Colorado. They must have some way to keep warm in the cold temps since it snowed on the mountain peaks and there was frost on the ground outside in the morning!

#wildlifewednesday  +Mike Spinak +Morkel Erasmus 
#birds4all  +Walter Soestbergen +Birds4All 
#cophotowednesday  +Howard Weitzel +Al Nesbit +Stan Showalter 
#dailydepthoffield  +Daily Depth Of Field +Vince Ong +Nuraini Ghaifullah +Virgil Cowen +f.a. fiebig 
#greatsanddunesnationalpark   #greatsanddunes  

Trying to Beat the Storm

The weather wasn't the most cooperative when we visited the Great Sand Dunes NP in Colorado this trip, but it did give us some very dramatic clouds. Got a chance to do some hiking and hoping not to get wet, luckily the rain held off until later that evening. Even without great light, you can get some depth in the dunes. 
It seems like I haven't been online in forever. Our last "hotel" (my parents house) didn't have any internet access and trying to go G+ from the phone is very un-rewarding. Hope you all had a great weekend...

#monochrome52   Week 19   +Monochrome 52 and Linda Villers
#MonochromeMonday +Monochrome Monday +Hans Berendsen +Jerry Johnson +Steve Barge +Dominique Hilbert +David Orr +Martin Heller
#monochromeworld +Monochrome World +andi rivarola 
#allthingsmonochrome +All Things Monochrome +Charles Lupica +Bill Wood
#landscapephotography +Landscape Photography +Margaret Tompkins +Carra Riley +paul t beard +David Heath Williams
+Bill Wood +Jim Warthman +Ben T +jeff beddow +Tom Hierl +Vishal Kumar  +Michael Blyde +Carolyn Lim
#nationalparksmonday  +NationalParksMonday +Juan Pons 

Blissful Sky

We had amazing skies for our mini photowalk to Treasure Island and Berkeley with +Lucretia Yeh the other day. It was our first visit to the Bliss sculpture, a 30 foot tall metal sculpture, of a woman dancing, that was moved here after Burning Man in 2011. We've been to Treasure Island a couple of times, but never went far enough to see her, glad we finally made it. Happy Monday everyone!

#monochrome52  Week 52/2013 Week 5  +Monochrome 52 and Linda Villers
#MonochromeMonday +Monochrome Monday +Hans Berendsen +Jerry Johnson +Manuel Votta +Nurcan Azaz +Steve Barge
#monochromeworld +Monochrome World +andi rivarola 
#allthingsmonochrome +All Things Monochrome +Charles Lupica +Bill Wood
#thestreetsofsanfrancisco +The Streets of San Francisco +andi rivarola 

Contemplation

I just realized that we are heading back here in less than a month! I really enjoyed my very brief visit to the Great Sand Dunes last year and I'm very excited to be heading back again. These massive dunes sit at the western base of the Sangre de Cristo Range in the southern part of Colorado. Wikipedia says they are the tallest dunes in North America.

#COPhotoWedneday  +Colorado Photographers +Howard Weitzel +Al Nesbit +Stan Showalter 
#travelpanowednesday  +TravelPanoWednesday +Rolf Hicker 
#landscapephotography +Landscape Photography +Margaret Tompkins +Carra Riley +paul t beard +David Heath Williams
+Bill Wood +Jim Warthman +Ben T +jeff beddow +Tom Hierl +Vishal Kumar  +Michael Blyde +Carolyn Lim

Lonely Stroll

I wasn't as brave as this guy to climb down the steep cliffs to get down to the beach level. It was another windy and chilly day at the beach, perfect for a solitary stroll along the waves.

#monochrome52   Week 13   +Monochrome 52 and Linda Villers
#MonochromeMonday +Monochrome Monday +Hans Berendsen +Jerry Johnson +Manuel Votta +Nurcan Azaz +Steve Barge
#monochromeworld +Monochrome World +andi rivarola 
#allthingsmonochrome +All Things Monochrome +Charles Lupica +Bill Wood
#landscapephotography +Landscape Photography +Margaret Tompkins +Carra Riley +paul t beard +David Heath Williams
+Bill Wood +Jim Warthman +Ben T +jeff beddow +Tom Hierl +Vishal Kumar  +Michael Blyde +Carolyn Lim
#LeadingLinesMonday +Pam Boling +Andreas Levi +David Murphy +Elle Rogers +Michael B. Stuart +Simos Xenakis

Mandrill

Absolutely beautiful to see in person, this male Mandrill is one we never saw in the parts of Africa we visited. They are mostly found in the small countries of Benin and Togo and are listed as Vulnerable due to intensive hunting pressure combined with habitat loss, which is likely to have resulted in a decline exceeding 30% over the past 30 years.
I enjoyed a lovely day at the San Francisco Zoo yesterday. Even though I never did catch up with the photowalk group, I had a great time visiting all the animals. 

#zoosunday  +Zoo-Sunday +Melanie MP 
#monkeymonday  +Monkey Monday +Alex Lapidus 
#africantuesday  +African Tuesday +Morkel Erasmus +Dick Whitlock +Grobler du Preez 
#threatenedthursday  +Threatened Thursday +Diego Cattaneo +Sandy Schepis +Sumit Sen +Anette Mossbacher 

Wise Beyond Years

Had a great time at the #sfzoo photowalk last weekend. I wonder what this chimpanzee was thinking about as he watched all of us standing around and taking photos of him.

#monochrome52   Week 15   +Monochrome 52 and Linda Villers
#MonochromeMonday +Monochrome Monday +Hans Berendsen +Jerry Johnson +Steve Barge +Dominique Hilbert +David Orr +Martin Heller
#monochromeworld +Monochrome World +andi rivarola 
#allthingsmonochrome +All Things Monochrome +Charles Lupica +Bill Wood
#monkeymonday  +Monkey Monday +Alex Lapidus +Sandy Schepis 
My first experiment with the Dragan Effect for the #52SOG community.   #draganeffect  

Lucky Find!

Forgot to re-stock a few things before we left on this driving trip, so had to make a quick run to the drug store. Would you believe that Great Horned Owls have made a nest in one of the trees! I took a quick look and sure enough there were chicks there. I had to run back to the hotel to grab the camera.  Here is a good view of Mom and one of the young owls. You can see another youngster just behind, sitting on a branch, and the third owlet is off to the right of mom behind the tree branches. (The city has blocked off the area around the tree to give the owls some space from all the visitors.)

#birds4all  +Birds4All +Walter Soestbergen 
#birdloversworldwide  +BIRD LOVERS Worldwide +Robert SKREINER 
#birdsofpreysunday  +Birds Of Prey Sunday +Jeffrey Van Daele +Diego Cattaneo 
#wildlifewednesday  

Sutro Silhouettes

There are multiple ways to enjoy an amazing sunset, as demonstrated by this family. The boy on the right is enjoying the waves and colors. The boy in the middle was running and climbing around everywhere - I was sure he would end up soaking wet in the baths, but he managed to stay dry. And then there is dad, texting away and oblivious to the beauty around him. Sutro Baths - San Francisco, CA

#silhouettesaturday  +SilhouetteSaturday +Naila Ziani 
#sunsetsaturday  +Dennis Hoffbuhr 
#saturdaynightlight  +SaturdayNightLight +Dirk Heindoerfer 
#thestreetsofsanfrancisco  +The Streets of San Francisco +andi rivarola 

SF Bay Bridge Reflections

I love the soft glow and smooth water you get with longer exposures. Will need to get some filters to try this effect during the daytime. In the meantime, hope you are not tired of the new lights on the San Francisco Bay Bridge.

#bridgesaroundtheworld  +#BridgesAroundTheWorld +Carra Riley +Knut Arne Gjertsen 
#thestreetsofsanfrancisco  +The Streets of San Francisco +andi rivarola 
#nightphotographyfriday  +Night Photography Friday +Mark Hammon +Steve Passlow 
#nightscapes  +Nightscapes +Christopher Prins 

Old Oak Tree

I've been thinking a lot about silhouettes this past week for an assignment for +52 Shades of Gray  with +Charles Lupica. I like this one from a round of golf at a beautiful course down in San Jose. We had some great clouds that day which really made the shot for me.

Edit: I prepared this post this morning, but forgot to press the share button. Anyone else that absent minded today?

#monochromeworld +Monochrome World +andi rivarola 
#allthingsmonochrome +All Things Monochrome +Charles Lupica +Bill Wood
#landscapephotography +Landscape Photography +Margaret Tompkins +Carra Riley +paul t beard +David Heath Williams
+Bill Wood +Jim Warthman +Ben T +jeff beddow +Tom Hierl +Vishal Kumar  +Michael Blyde +Carolyn Lim
#photosquared  +PhotoSquared +Gene Bowker 
#squareanyday  +Square Any Day +andi rivarola 
#silhouettesaturday  +SilhouetteSaturday +Naila Ziani 
#silhouettesonthursday  +Siddharth Pandit 

Vegas New Year

Well, just want to wish everyone a very Happy New Year as we prepare for the official thing here in Las Vegas in a couple of hours. The crowds are crazy and not sure what we'll be able to see of the fireworks show, but we'll give it a try. Have a safe and happy evening everyone!

Sorry for my absence the last week, as I mentioned I had lots of family obligations and no time for the computer. Hope to get things back to normal as of tomorrow.

#monochrome52   Week 47 +Monochrome 52 and Linda Villers
#MonochromeMonday +Monochrome Monday +Hans Berendsen +Jerry Johnson +Manuel Votta +Nurcan Azaz +Steve Barge
#monochromeworld +Monochrome World +andi rivarola 
#allthingsmonochrome +All Things Monochrome +Charles Lupica +Bill Wood
#nightscapes  +Nightscapes +Christopher Prins 

San Marino - Cesta Tower

The Republic of San Marino is a small place surrounded on all sides by Italy. It was a delightful place to spend a day during our visit in June. There are three towers in the fortification on the top of  Monte Titano, Guaita, Cesta, and Montale. We were able to visit the first two, Cesta is pictured below.

#fridaygetaway  +Gary Crabbe 
#fortressesfriday  +Benjamin Dahlhoff 
#italyfriday  +ItalyFriday +Elia Locardi 
#landscapephotography +Landscape Photography +Margaret Tompkins +Carra Riley +paul t beard +David Heath Williams
+Bill Wood +Jim Warthman +Ben T +jeff beddow  +Tom Hierl
+Vishal Kumar +Michael Blyde   +Carolyn Lim

Spring is Coming

The official arrival of Spring brings the promise of Spring flowers. This one is from last year as a reminder of the lovely renewal that is heading our way. Enjoy your week and the signs of Spring coming to all of us soon!

#close2home +Close2Home  +Brett Sivits +David Pond +Rebecca Johnson +Pia Raben +Shaun Stewart +José Juan Escudero +Howard Weitzel +john adams
#floralfriday  +FloralFriday +Tamara Pruessner 
#dailydepthoffield  +Daily Depth Of Field +Vince Ong +Nuraini Ghaifullah +Virgil Cowen +f.a. fiebig  
#pinkcircle  +Pink Circle +lane langmade +Cheryl Cooper 

Out of Line

I'll definitely have to go back to this park and spend some more time exploring. I came across this fence that has seen some better days and love the sloping line and curve of it.

#monochrome52   Week 50/2013 Week 3  +Monochrome 52 and Linda Villers
#MonochromeMonday +Monochrome Monday +Hans Berendsen +Jerry Johnson +Manuel Votta +Nurcan Azaz +Steve Barge
#monochromeworld +Monochrome World +andi rivarola 
#allthingsmonochrome +All Things Monochrome +Charles Lupica +Bill Wood

#landscapephotography +Landscape Photography +Margaret Tompkins +Carra Riley +paul t beard +David Heath Williams
+Bill Wood +Jim Warthman +Ben T +jeff beddow  +Tom Hierl
+Vishal Kumar +Michael Blyde   +Carolyn Lim

Sutro Sunset

One of many sunset shots from the photowalk at the Sutro Baths on January 4th. I posted one a couple of weeks ago as a monochrome, but the colors were so beautiful that evening you should see the real thing. What a lovely spot, hoping to get back up there again soon...

#thirstythursdaypics  +Mark Esguerra +Giuseppe Basile 
#coastalthursday  +Coastal Thursday +David Polzine +Jon Kahn 
#silhouettesonthursday  +Siddharth Pandit 
#thestreetsofsanfrancisco  +The Streets of San Francisco +andi rivarola 
#landscapephotography +Landscape Photography +Margaret Tompkins +Carra Riley +paul t beard +David Heath Williams
+Bill Wood +Jim Warthman +Ben T +jeff beddow  +Tom Hierl
+Vishal Kumar +Michael Blyde   +Carolyn Lim

Sharp Edges

So many of the dunes has soft, rounded edges, but there were some with sharp edges. It was an interesting contrast - not sure if it has to do with the wind that day or the location? I like the sharper edges on this one and the nice shadows for contrast. Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve, Colorado.

#monochrome52   Week 35  +Monochrome 52 +Shane Raynard and Linda Villers
#monochromemonday  +Jerry Johnson +Steve Barge +Hans Berendsen +Manuel Votta +Nurcan Azaz +Monochrome Monday 
#leadinglinesmonday  +Leading Lines Monday +Pam Chalkley-Boling +Michael Stuart +Elle Rogers +David Murphy 
#landscapephotography  +Landscape Photography +Margaret Tompkins +Carra Riley +paul t beard +David Heath Williams +Ke Zeng +Vishal Kumar +Donna St. Pierre +Ben T +Bill Wood +jeff beddow +Tom Hierl +Thom Zehrfeld 

Blur of Water

I decided to try one of the waterfall shots from Milford Sound in New Zealand as a BW. It really changes the feeling, but brings out different details. Enjoy...

#waterfallwednesday  +Eric Leslie 
#wetwednesday  +Wet Wednesday +Jen Baptist 
#allthingsmonochrome  +All Things Monochrome +Charles Lupica +Bill Wood
#monochromeworld  +Monochrome World +andi rivarola 

San Francisco Nighttime

An image that I just found from last year of the city skyline and the Bay Bridge (before the fancy new lights were installed.) A storm had just cleared out late afternoon, but left plenty of clouds and fog to get some of the city lights reflected in the sky. Hope you all are having a nice week...

#bridgesovertuesday  +BridgesOverTuesday +Clare Bambers 
#bridgesaroundtheworld  +#BridgesAroundTheWorld +Carra Riley +Knut Arne Gjertsen 
#thestreetsofsanfrancisco  +The Streets of San Francisco +andi rivarola 
#mytowntuesday  +My Town Tuesday +Melanie Kintz +Jamie Furlong 

Mountain Lake

One of the pretty places I stopped during my drive through the Colorado Rockies a couple of months ago. What a pretty day it was... Hope you all enjoyed your weekend!

#mountainmonday  +Mountain Monday +Michael Russell 
#squaresunday  +Tom Golson +Ken McMahon +Square Sunday 
#photosquared  +PhotoSquared +Gene Bowker 
#landscapephotography +Landscape Photography +Margaret Tompkins +Carra Riley +paul t beard +David Heath Williams
+Bill Wood +Jim Warthman +Ben T +jeff beddow  +Tom Hierl
+Vishal Kumar +Michael Blyde
#leadinglinesmonday  +Leading Lines Monday +Pam Chalkley-Boling +David Murphy +Michael Stuart +Elle Rogers +Simos Xenakis +Andreas Levi

Into the Sunset

From our little photowalk at Marshall Beach in San Francisco this weekend. We didn't get any clouds to cooperate, but there was enough haze to see the sun easily at the horizon. I love how big it looks and that I was lucky enough to catch this boat right in front.

#thirstythursdaypics  +Giuseppe Basile +Mark Esguerra 
#coastalthursday  +Coastal Thursday +David Polzine +Jon Kahn 
#silhouettesonthursday  +Siddharth Pandit 
#thestreetsofsanfrancisco  +The Streets of San Francisco +andi rivarola 

5 o'clock Express Train

While out by the bay last week, we caught a few trains going by. Love the reflections here in one of the tide pools. There was not a single cloud in the sky, so I experimented with a couple of textures. Hope you enjoy your day!

#monochrome52 Week 51 / 2013 Week 4  +Monochrome 52 and Linda Villers
#MonochromeMonday +Monochrome Monday +Hans Berendsen +Jerry Johnson +Manuel Votta +Nurcan Azaz +Steve Barge
#monochromeworld +Monochrome World +andi rivarola 
#allthingsmonochrome +All Things Monochrome +Charles Lupica +Bill Wood
  #textureblendphotography #textureblendtuesday #textureblend  
+Gemma Costa +Texture Blend Photography 
  #TransportTuesday  +TransportTuesday +Gene Bowker +Joe Paul +Michael Earley 

Light From Within

I admit to having some fun with the processing on this one, applied a bit of "negative" to the center of these blossoms to give them a glow. Spent some time outside enjoying some of our Spring weather and flowers. These geraniums are just starting to bloom and so are many other things in the yard.

#monochrome52  +Monochrome 52 and Linda Villers   Week 11 
#MonochromeMonday +Monochrome Monday +Hans Berendsen +Jerry Johnson +Manuel Votta +Nurcan Azaz +Steve Barge
#monochromeworld +Monochrome World +andi rivarola 
#allthingsmonochrome +All Things Monochrome +Charles Lupica +Bill Wood
#macromonday  +Macro Monday +Kerry Murphy +Jennifer Eden +Kelli Seeger Kim 
#macro4all  +Macro4All +Walter Soestbergen +Shane Williams 
#myownbackyard  +Craig Pifer 
#close2home +Close2Home  +Brett Sivits +David Pond +Rebecca Johnson +Pia Raben +Shaun Stewart +José Juan Escudero +Howard Weitzel +john adams

Calla Lily

I went out in the neighborhood to find some calla lilies to photograph, but didn't find any in good shape today. So will go back to last spring to this one I found just after the rains had cleared. Hope you enjoy your  weekend everyone, Happy Easter and Happy Passover...

#lilymonday +Bob Rutan  +Ray Bilcliff +Lily Monday 
#everythingeaster  +#EverythingEaster +April Gamel +Sonja Miller Williams  +Monique Yates 
#close2home +Close2Home +Brett Sivits +David Pond +Rebecca Johnson +Pia Raben +Shaun Stewart +José Juan Escudero +Howard Weitzel +john adams  

Maine Lighthouse

This is Cape Neddick lighthouse, known as "The Nubble" or Nubble light (from my sources of +Scott Thomas and +Pat Kennedy Corlin)   Sorry, I don't remember the name of this lighthouse as we visited at least 4 different ones from the day we drove around the Portland and Southern Maine area. It was raining, fitting for a Maine Spring. We always enjoy a visit and drive around Maine, finding what we find as we explore many small towns. Can't wait until we get to the east coast again...

#lighthousethursday  +LighthouseThursday +Heiko Köster 
#coastalthursday  +Coastal Thursday +David Polzine +Jon Kahn 
#thirstythursdaypics  +Giuseppe Basile +Mark Esguerra 
#landscapephotography +Landscape Photography +Margaret Tompkins +Carra Riley +paul t beard +David Heath Williams
+Bill Wood +Jim Warthman +Ben T +jeff beddow +Tom Hierl +Vishal Kumar  +Michael Blyde +Carolyn Lim

Duomo di Siena

We had a great day in Siena near the end of our visit to Tuscany. The weather and clouds cooperated for this dramatic shot of the Duomo and I liked the reflection of the clouds in the window behind the stained glass. 

#mirrormonday  +Gemma Costa +Elizabeth Edwards +Mirror Monday  
#monochromemonday  +Charles Lupica +Manuel Votta +Jerry Johnson +Hans Berendsen +Steve Barge +Monochrome Monday   
#monochrome52   Week 18  +Shane Raynard +Monochrome 52 and Linda Villers

Silhouette Flowers

Just after sunset and while hiking back to the car, I liked the texture and silhouette of these flowers against the sky. I have no idea what they are, but they grow everywhere here. Hope you enjoy them...

#silhouettesonthursday  +Siddharth Pandit 
#floralfriday  +Tamara Pruessner +FloralFriday 

Bristlecone Pine

I love gnarly old trees and these bristlecone pines certainly fit the bill in Arches National Park.  What a great park and experience we had on this visit, will definitely stop by again!

#monochrome52   Week 20   +Monochrome 52 and Linda Villers
#MonochromeMonday +Monochrome Monday +Hans Berendsen +Jerry Johnson +Manuel Votta +Nurcan Azaz +Steve Barge
#monochromeworld +Monochrome World +andi rivarola 
#allthingsmonochrome +All Things Monochrome +Charles Lupica +Bill Wood
#landscapephotography +Landscape Photography +Margaret Tompkins +Carra Riley +paul t beard +David Heath Williams
+Bill Wood +Jim Warthman +Ben T +jeff beddow +Tom Hierl +Vishal Kumar  +Michael Blyde +Carolyn Lim
#archesnationalpark  

Victoria Falls Rafting

Sorting through some photos in the archives from our Africa trip a few years ago and found this one of Victoria Falls. You may have to look at it large, but there are three rafts next to the base of the cliff on the left bottom of the frame about to go over the first of many rapids in the bottom right. We went back and completed that rafting trip the next day, what a thrilling experience! Multiple cat 5 rapids and one cat 6 that we had to get out and walk around. There is also the worry of crocodiles and hippos in the river, so they have many safety kayakers who will quickly get you to the nearest raft if you fall out over one of the rapids. The next calm spot everyone switches passengers to get you back to your original raft and even out the group before the next assault!

#waterfallwednesday  +Eric Leslie 
#landscapephotography  +Margaret Tompkins 
#wideanglewednesday  +Asif Patel +Wide Angle Wednesday 

There's Always One

Most of this group was concentrating on something off to the right, but one guy seemed to be checking on us instead. Found this group of zebras near our camp at Londolozi in South Africa.

#africantuesday  +African Tuesday +Grobler du Preez +Dick Whitlock +Morkel Erasmus 
#repetitivetuesday  +Repetitive Tuesday +Andy Q. +Frank Schillinger +Ping Doherty

Need a light?

I love all of the contrasts and details about this man we saw during our walk around San Francisco's Chinatown on Monday. He has a Chinese hat, complete with a pink ribbon, Hawaiian beads, and the fish flask around his neck. Always interesting people in the city... 

#portraittuesday  +PortraitTuesday +Laura Balc
#thestreetsofsanfrancisco  +The Streets of San Francisco +andi rivarola 

SF Skyline from Treasure Island

We don't see many big thunderstorms that produce lightning and funnel clouds and such around here. This one didn't even produce much rain, but the clouds kept changing and really seemed to take over the city skyline. From earlier this year - hopefully we're heading into the season where we might get a chance at scenes like this once again...

Sorry for those that have seen it before - it is a re-share since Picasa seems to have been deleted it from my Monochrome 52 album.

#monochrome52   Week 1 +Monochrome 52 Shane Raynard and Linda Villers
#monochromemonday  +Monochrome Monday +Jerry Johnson +Steve Barge +Hans Berendsen +Manuel Votta +Nurcan Azaz 

Ladybug Portrait

Here is one of my early experiments after I received my macro lens this spring. Macro photos cause you to look at the world differently and see tiny little details you may not otherwise pay attention to. I need to get that lens out and go exploring again soon!

#wildlifewednesday  +Morkel Erasmus +Mike Spinak 
#dailydepthoffield  +Daily Depth Of Field +Vince Ong +Nuraini Ghaifullah +Virgil Cowen +f.a. fiebig 
#myownbackyard   #lowanglephotography   #macro4all  

Protea

Not sure of the exact type of Protea flower this is, but the entire family is very unusual. I found this one on a very foggy day at the San Francisco Zoo recently.

We're finally home, just trying to catch up on things...

I've almost missed #floralfriday  +FloralFriday with +Tamara Pruessner, but I think it is still Friday in Hawaii, isn't it?
#allthingsred  +AllThingsRed +Lucille Galleli +Stephen Thackeray 

Muir Beach, California

I sure was glad those few clouds stayed around long enough for sunset! Nice way to spend the day last week - hiking among the redwoods and then a beautiful sunset.

#sunsetsaturday  +Dennis Hoffbuhr 
#landscapephotography  +Landscape Photography +Margaret Tompkins +Carra Riley +paul t beard +David Heath Williams
+Bill Wood +Jim Warthman +Ben T +jeff beddow  +Jeannie Danna +Tom Hierl
+Vishal Kumar

This Coati is Hungry!

These funny animals - officially called Coatimundi or Coati - are related to raccoons, and you'll primarily find them in Central America, Mexico, and occasionally in the lower Southwest states of the US. This guy (from Costa Rica) was rooting around in the sand and dead logs for anything to eat and rarely stopped or slowed down. Of course, he was also mostly in the shade so it was a challenge to get a clear shot of him.

#wildlifewednesday  +Morkel Erasmus +Mike Spinak 

Friendly Farm Kitty

Every time I knelt down to try for a photo of this pretty girl, she would walk right up and rub against my legs. She really wanted to be petted. I did manage to get one or two shots of her in focus before she got closer than my focal range!  And I did pet her for a bit, very soft and friendly...

#caturday  +CATURDAY! +Shantha Marie Fountain +Cicely Robin Laing 
#ruralsaturday  +#RuralSaturday +Mario Cerroni +linda stokes 

Looming - Rework

I came across this photo in the archives from our Antarctica trip several years ago. The scanner we had didn't do a great job, but I always loved the photo. I did a lot of work to get rid of the artifacts from the scanning and to enhance the textures present. The BW seems to suit it the best. I hope you enjoy your week everyone!

#thirstythursdaypics  +Giuseppe Basile +Mark Esguerra 
#monochromeworld +Monochrome World +andi rivarola 
#allthingsmonochrome +All Things Monochrome +Charles Lupica +Bill Wood
#landscapephotography +Landscape Photography +Margaret Tompkins +Carra Riley +paul t beard +David Heath Williams
+Bill Wood +Jim Warthman +Ben T +jeff beddow  +Tom Hierl
+Vishal Kumar +Michael Blyde   +Carolyn Lim
#mirrorsandreflections  +Mirrors and Reflections +Gemma Costa 

Victoria Falls Late Afternoon

I've posted several photos of Victoria Falls at sunset, but here is one from a bit earlier in the day before that amazing African Sunset glow turns orange and red. The falls are located on the Zambezi River between the countries of Zambia and Zimbabwe. I hope you enjoy it...

#africantuesday  +African Tuesday +Morkel Erasmus +Grobler du Preez +Dick Whitlock 
#waterfallwednesday  +Eric Leslie 

City Lights

After dinner the other night +Alex Lapidus and I stopped and took a few pictures of the city from Grizzly Peak in the Berkeley Hills. It was still near 70 degrees and no wind - such a beautiful evening, especially for November! Here is a link to Alex's shot. https://plus.google.com/u/0/104294083885937159989/posts/53xBjAeLDKq 
I decided on a more compact shot. Which do you like better?
 
#wetwednesday  +Wet Wednesday +Jen Baptist 
#vibrantwednesday   #vividwednesday  +Ajay Hatti 
#thestreetsofsanfrancisco  +The Streets of San Francisco +andi rivarola 

Beautiful Light

The best light show was just before sunset last night. From Half Moon Bay with +Alex Lapidus and +Saji Saju, who is visiting California from Montreal. Nice evening and great to meet you, we'll try and order warmer weather for you next time Saji!

#saturdaynightlight  +SaturdayNightLight +Dirk Heindoerfer 
#sunsetsaturday  +Dennis Hoffbuhr 
#landscapephotography +Landscape Photography +Margaret Tompkins +Carra Riley +paul t beard +David Heath Williams
+Bill Wood +Jim Warthman +Ben T +jeff beddow +Tom Hierl +Vishal Kumar  +Michael Blyde +Carolyn Lim
#LeadingLinesMonday +Pam Boling +Andreas Levi +David Murphy +Elle Rogers +Michael B. Stuart +Simos Xenakis

Alone on the Beach

I stopped at several spots along the ocean during my visit to the coast on Christmas Eve. I had intended on going down to this beach, but the path was muddy, steep, and partially washed out from recent heavy rains. The treads on my hiking boots were already filled with mud, making the going very slippery and I decided to stop here. This guy passed me on the trail and was soon down on the beach, not sure how he got back up! 

#beachsunday  +Beach Sunday +Ross Campbell 
#sunsunday  +Sun Sunday +Greg Dominguez +Shauna Dominguez 
#monochromeworld +Monochrome World +andi rivarola 
#allthingsmonochrome +All Things Monochrome +Charles Lupica +Bill Wood
#landscapephotography +Landscape Photography +Margaret Tompkins +Carra Riley +paul t beard +David Heath Williams
+Bill Wood +Jim Warthman +Ben T +jeff beddow  +Tom Hierl
+Vishal Kumar +Michael Blyde   +Carolyn Lim

Sutro Sunset

I really enjoyed the photowalk at the Sutro Baths in San Francisco yesterday. It was a great location that I can't believe we've never been to before! You can bet we'll be back to explore it more in the future. Lots of fun people, barely got to meet a fraction of you. Here is one of the last few shots I took well after sunset and darkness had set in.

#sunsetsaturday  +Dennis Hoffbuhr +Sunset Saturday 
#silhouettesaturday  +Naila Ziani +SilhouetteSaturday 

Grassy Sunset

Just found this one in the archives from our Africa trip. Every evening we stop for "sundowner" drinks at the end of the afternoon game drive, this one near Jao Camp in the Okavango Delta, Botswana. Always a favorite part of the day!

#sunsetsaturday  +Dennis Hoffbuhr 
#silhouettesaturday  +SilhouetteSaturday +Naila Ziani
#africantuesday  +African Tuesday +Dick Whitlock +Morkel Erasmus +Grobler du Preez 
#grasstuesday  +Grass Tuesday +Ray Bilcliff +Margaret Tompkins +Marilou Aballe 

Davenport Fury

The wind was blowing and the waves were seriously churning while we hung out at Davenport Beach for #davenport2012 photowalk last weekend. This is just a small example of the fury of Mother Nature that day. Enjoy...

#thirstythursdaypics #thirstythursday +Giuseppe Basile +Mark Esguerra

 Camouflage - Waiting for Mom

We almost missed these cute cheetah cubs hiding in the grass and waiting for Mom to come back for them. Their dark coloring and the spots make for great camouflage.  From Londolozi Camp in Botswana.

#wildlifewednesday  +Morkel Erasmus +Mike Spinak 
I missed #africantuesday  yesterday with their "Tiny Africa" theme. My apologies to +African Tuesday +Dick Whitlock +Grobler du Preez and +Morkel Erasmus 

Pretty Colors

I love all of the variety of different flowers you find. I'd never seen this type of tulip before I found it in a neighbor's yard. Just a bit of color to brighten your day. Have a great weekend everyone!

#floralfriday  +Tamara Pruessner 
#macro4all  +Macro4All +Walter Soestbergen 
#colorsplash  +Color Splash Photography +Scott Roth 
#dailydepthoffield  +Daily Depth Of Field +Vince Ong +Nuraini Ghaifullah +Virgil Cowen +f.a. fiebig 

Waiting for Sunset

Taken on the cliffs above Panther Beach, the winds were blowing and it was getting cold. I loved the silhouettes of the photographers hanging out on the cliff while we were waiting for sunset. 

From yesterday on the epic Santa Cruz Photowalk organized by +Barry Blanchard and co-hosted by +Karen Hutton, +Laurie Rubin +Cameron Siguenza, +Ed Sweeney, and +Peter Adams. Thanks for organizing and having the horde of down to visit! If you haven't been to one of these yet, you have to come out next time - you'll have a great time. And thanks also to +SmugMug  and +Michael Bonocore for all of the goodies!  #santacruz2013

I met many new folks, caught up with friends and there were still so many I people that I didn't get a chance to greet or say hello to. 

#silhouettesaturday  +SilhouetteSaturday +Naila Ziani 
#sunsetsaturday  +Sunset Saturday +Dennis Hoffbuhr 
#skysunday  +Sky Sunday - Photography Theme +Randy Scherkenbach +Patrick Scherkenbach 

Sphinx and Pyramid

With the hazy day and challenging light, the best treatment of this photo was monochrome. I'm happy with how it turned out and it definitely evokes the great feelings of awe and amazement that I felt standing there that afternoon! Enjoy your day...

#africantuesday   Only in Africa
 +African Tuesday
+Morkel Erasmus +Grobler du Preez +Dick Whitlock 

Highway to Nowhere 

... or that's how it seemed as we drove through mostly uninhabited Utah on I-70 and the scenic overlooks were well worth stopping for. I gave it the antique feel  since this spot has probably looked exactly like this even when that freeway was a dirt track that the covered wagons used to take through this valley. Have a great week everyone!

#monochrome52  Week 18   +Monochrome 52 and Linda Villers
#MonochromeMonday +Monochrome Monday +Hans Berendsen +Jerry Johnson +Steve Barge +Dominique Hilbert +David Orr +Martin Heller
#monochromeworld +Monochrome World +andi rivarola 
#allthingsmonochrome +All Things Monochrome +Charles Lupica +Bill Wood
#landscapephotography +Landscape Photography +Margaret Tompkins +Carra Riley +paul t beard +David Heath Williams
+Bill Wood +Jim Warthman +Ben T +jeff beddow +Tom Hierl +Vishal Kumar  +Michael Blyde +Carolyn Lim
#LeadingLinesMonday +Pam Boling +Andreas Levi +David Murphy +Elle Rogers +Michael B. Stuart +Simos Xenakis

Fields of Gold

I noticed that I have shared mostly leopard and cheetah photos from our Africa trip and not so many lions. Hope you'll like this one from our very first game drive at Chitabe Camp in Botswana. What a magical day it was!

#wholewildlifeweek  +Diego Cattaneo +Dick Whitlock +Sandy Schepis +Anette Mossbacher 
#africa   #botswana  

Scalloped Tulips

These were the fanciest tulips I saw this Spring, I loved the multi-colored tones in them. Hope you like the paint effect I applied to them as well...

#pixelbenderismonthursday  +PixelBenderism On Thursday +Ralitza Tchiorniy 
#paintography  +Paintography +Ray Bilcliff +Gail Beerman +Sherry McBriar 
#floralfriday  +FloralFriday +Tamara Pruessner 

Chateau de Chenonceau

The Chateau de Chenonceau, in the Loire Valley, on chilly Saturday afternoon, almost no other visitors. Nice having places like this almost to yourself! Need to come back again when we can spend some more time and hopefully get some sun in the sky. +Alex Lapidus posted the view from the opposite side of the Chateau here: https://plus.google.com/u/0/104294083885937159989/posts/Nz7FitkdBBW

#monochrome52   Week 8   +Monochrome 52 and Linda Villers
#MonochromeMonday +Monochrome Monday +Hans Berendsen +Jerry Johnson +Steve Barge +Dominique Hilbert +David Orr +Martin Heller
#monochromeworld +Monochrome World +andi rivarola 
#allthingsmonochrome +All Things Monochrome +Charles Lupica +Bill Wood
#landscapephotography +Landscape Photography +Margaret Tompkins +Carra Riley +paul t beard +David Heath Williams
+Bill Wood +Jim Warthman +Ben T +jeff beddow +Tom Hierl +Vishal Kumar  +Michael Blyde +Carolyn Lim

Santa Cruz Coastline

Week 4 of #Monochrome52 project. This is a similar shot to the one I posted a few days ago in color, but I knew I'd like the monochrome feel to it as well. It really seems to bring out the texture and details in the cliffs.

+Monochrome 52 +Shane Raynard
#monochromemonday +Charles Lupica +Bill Wood +Hans Berendsen
#sangregoriophotowalk ( #SanGregorio2012 )

Forest Hike

I went for a lovely hike the other day with a couple of dear friends, managed to find a nice day in between these crazy and heavy rainstorms we've been having. Lucky for us, the trail ends near a lovely winery that has been around for 130 years. Hmmmm, spend the day with friends and finish up with some wine tasting, can't ask for any better than that! Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas everyone!

#monochrome52   Week 46   +Monochrome 52 +Shane Raynard and Linda Villers
#MonochromeMonday +Monochrome Monday +Hans Berendsen +Jerry Johnson +Manuel Votta +Nurcan Azaz +Steve Barge
#monochromeworld +Monochrome World +andi rivarola 
#allthingsmonochrome +All Things Monochrome +Charles Lupica +Bill Wood

Carrousel La Belle Epoque

Arrived in Europe and spent the day in Paris. It was very, very cold and we got snowed on a bit, but at the end of the day you're still here, right? Anyway, tomorrow we hit the road and head for Barcelona. Here is a favorite of the day - the carrousel in front of L'hotel de Ville.

#fridaygetaway  +FridayGetaway +Gary Crabbe 

Castello di Amorosa

Not exactly the photo I wanted - I waited for almost 20 minutes for someone to walk out that door and come across the draw bridge, but it was not meant to be. Oh well...
This is an authentically built castle based on Italian medieval architecture, but located in Napa Valley. The owner took over 12 years to build  this winery castle and sourced all of the materials and fixtures from Italy. A fun visit if you are in the area...

#castlesparkssunday  +Christian Gruner 
#doorsunday  +André Roßbach +Dave Krugman 
#rustysunday  +#RustySunday +Rene Bechard +Gary Posner 

Busy Bee

I had several chances at this industrious bee as he meticulously went about his business of gathering pollen, you can see he is covered with it. There was a slight breeze and movement, but I love the colors and form here. Hope you enjoy your day!

#bugseveryday  +BugsEveryday +Chris Mallory 
#wildlifewednesday  +Morkel Erasmus +Mike Spinak 
#inpraiseofpollinators  ++In Praise of Polllinators +Dusty Gedge 
#Macro4All +Macro4All +Walter Soestbergen +Shane Williams  

Waterfall Mist

This is one of many beautiful waterfalls in Milford Sound, New Zealand. There is so much water pouring down that you can hear and feel the pounding of the water even before you get this close to it.

#mistymonday +Martin Rak +Misty Monday

Distant Stare

These beautiful animals have the most intent stare when they are scanning the horizon for prey. They can also drape themselves in the most uncomfortable looking places up in the tall trees, but seem to be able to lay there for hours on end. Leopards were one of the highlights of our safari. This beauty is from Londolozi Camp and Preserve next to Kruger National Park in South Africa.

#caturday  +CATURDAY! +Jules Falk Hunter +Cicely Robin Laing +Shantha Marie Fountain 
#africantuesday  +African Tuesday +Morkel Erasmus +Grobler du Preez +Dick Whitlock 

Old Courthouse

I was in downtown Redwood City the other day just as the light were starting to come on. No color in the sky due to the fog, so I experimented with a couple of textures. This is the Old San Mateo County Courthouse, which opened in 1900 and housed the courts until they outgrew the building in the 1980's. Now it is the home of the San Mateo County History Museum, it has a beautiful dome inside. I may share a photo of it later, but I don't have a wide enough lens to get the whole thing.

#monochrome52   Week 14    +Monochrome 52 and Linda Villers
#MonochromeMonday +Monochrome Monday +Hans Berendsen +Jerry Johnson +Manuel Votta +Nurcan Azaz +Steve Barge
#monochromeworld +Monochrome World +andi rivarola 
#allthingsmonochrome +All Things Monochrome +Charles Lupica +Bill Wood
#textureblendphotography #textureblendtuesday #textureblend +Texture Blend Photography +Gemma Costa 
#historythursday  +History Thursday +Matt Shalvatis 
#photojournalworldwide  +Photo Journal Worldwide +andi rivarola 
#mofomo  +mofomo +Alexander Kesselaar +Michael Sutton 

Washed Ashore

From a lovely evening a few months ago at San Gregorio Beach.

#thirstythursdaypics  +Giuseppe Basile +Mark Esguerra 

Leopards of Londolozi

We had such an amazing time hanging out with the animals, especially the leopards. They were great fun to watch and much more active than the lions during the day.

#caturday  +CATURDAY! +Jules Falk Hunter +Shantha Marie Fountain +Cicely Robin Laing 
#sepiasaturday  +Renee Stewart Jackson 

Stocking up for the Winter

When I saw this guy in October, he was stocking up for the winter. He would take a few bites and then stuff his cheeks with as much as he could fit and then disappear for a while to hide it in his winter burrow. Hope he still has some left to keep fed for the rest of winter!

I'm off to visit the elephant seals this afternoon, hope there are still plenty of them left!

#wildlifewednesday  +Mike Spinak +Morkel Erasmus 

Baby Koala

This cute little guy is the first photo I ever shared on G+. I'm sure you haven't seen him as I had no followers back then. From our very first trip to Australia over 20 years ago, still one of the favorite photos from that trip. Hope you enjoy him...

#wildlifewednesday by +Mike Spinak (OK, not truly wild since he was in a wildlife rescue center. But still cute enough to overcome that small detail, don't you think?)

Morning Star

From the excursion after lunch near Pillar Point Harbor in Half Moon Bay with +Alex Lapidus.  Not sure if this was a fish processing building or something else, but it has definitely been abandoned for quite some time.

#monochrome52   Week 7    +Monochrome 52 and Linda Villers  
#MonochromeMonday +Monochrome Monday +Hans Berendsen +Jerry Johnson +Manuel Votta +Nurcan Azaz +Steve Barge
#monochromeworld +Monochrome World +andi rivarola 
#allthingsmonochrome +All Things Monochrome +Charles Lupica +Bill Wood
#LeadingLinesMonday +Pam Chalkley-Boling +Andreas Levi +David Murphy +Elle Rogers +Michael B. Stuart +Simos Xenakis

Leopard Viewpoint

It was a very cold and overcast day, but we were lucky enough to come across this leopard on the lookout. I imagine she was hungry and looking for potential prey since we didn't see a kill anywhere in the tree.  From Londolozi Camp and Game Reserve on the edge of Kruger National Park in South Africa.

#wildlifewednesday  +Morkel Erasmus +Mike Spinak 

Alone in the Dark

I stopped by the bay the other morning to get a few quick shots of sunrise on my way out. The fog had lifted just enough for some of the color to sneak in. There were a few folks out walking, but I was able to get this one person all alone. Hope you enjoy...

#sunrisesaturday  +Sunrise Saturday +Josh Davis 
#silhouettesaturday  +Naila Ziani +SilhouetteSaturday 

Alone in a Big World

I always wonder what all of the smallest creatures in our world think about this place. Do they have any idea how vast the world is? .....do we really know?

#85mmsunday  +Jonathan Davis 
#bugseveryday  +Chris Mallory 
#dofmonday  +DOFMonday +Mara Acoma +Mark Hall +Alan Gurling +Nigel Smith 
#macromonday  +Macro Monday +Kelli Seeger Kim +Jennifer Eden +Kerry Murphy 

Expanse

Here is another one of the Great Sand Dunes National Park in Colorado. The sheer size of some of these sand dunes is very hard to comprehend, even when you are standing in front of them. To give you an idea, there is a guy hiking along the dune tops in the right middle of the frame. Even when viewed large, he is hard to see and barely a speck! Hope you all enjoyed your weekend... 

#desertsandday  +Tuan Le 
#landscapephotography +Landscape Photography +Margaret Tompkins +Carra Riley +paul t beard +David Heath Williams
+Bill Wood +Jim Warthman +Ben T +jeff beddow  +Jeannie Danna +Tom Hierl
+Vishal Kumar

Zion Sunset

This was how we ended our day yesterday. What a beautiful overlook in Zion National Park. Headed to Colorado Springs today and may be driving part of the way in snow! ...on May 1st!     Have a great day everyone...

#travelpanowednesday  +TravelPanoWednesday +Rolf Hicker 
#widewednesdaypanorama  +WideWednesdayPanorama +Ken McMahon +David Heath Williams 
#landscapephotography +Landscape Photography +Margaret Tompkins +Carra Riley +paul t beard +David Heath Williams
+Bill Wood +Jim Warthman +Ben T +jeff beddow +Tom Hierl +Vishal Kumar  +Michael Blyde +Carolyn Lim

Tall Dunes

I loved all of the sharp edges of the dunes in Sossusvlei, Namibia. It was really my first experience with large sand dunes and I've been fascinated by them since. (Ok, this one is not a mountain either, but it is very tall so I hope you'll accept it for #africantuesday .)
+African Tuesday +Morkel Erasmus +Grobler du Preez +Dick Whitlock 

If I don't move, maybe I'm invisible...

It is amazing how bunnies will freeze to try to blend in with their surroundings and think they are invisible. To a point! If you sneak a little too close, they will scamper away - in this case inside that thorny bush.

#wildlifewednesday  +Morkel Erasmus +Mike Spinak 

My What Big Teeth You Have...

It is a bit of a mystery to me why hippos need such large and sharp looking teeth since they are herbivores. We came across a large group of hippos just after sunrise one morning and this guy decided to give us a show!  Fun Fact: After the elephant and rhinoceros, the hippopotamus is the third largest land mammal. Unfortunately, these animals are listed as vulnerable.

From our stay at Jao Camp on the Okavango Delta in Botswana.

#africantuesday   +Johan Swanepoel +Morkel Erasmus +African Tuesday 
#wildlifewednesday  +Morkel Erasmus +Mike Spinak 
#threatenedthursday  +Sandy Schepis +Sumit Sen +Diego Cattaneo +Anette Mossbacher +Threatened Thursday 

Wary Seagull

Each time I tried to sneak a little closer to this guy, he would take another step further away. Never looked straight at me, just kept tabs on what I was up to out of the corner of his eye. 

#monochrome52 +Monochrome 52 and Linda Villers   Week 49/2013 Week 2 
#MonochromeMonday +Monochrome Monday +Hans Berendsen +Jerry Johnson +Manuel Votta +Nurcan Azaz +Steve Barge
#backyardbirdingmonday  +Backyard Birding Monday #BackyardbirdingMonday +Ricky L Jones +Celeste Odono 
#lowanglephotography  +Low Angle Photography +Jeremy Lavender 
#close2home +Close2Home  +Brett Sivits +David Pond +Rebecca Johnson +Pia Raben +Shaun Stewart +José Juan Escudero +Howard Weitzel +john adams

What's Out There?

When we're away on vacation, this is the most common view I normally have of  +Alex Lapidus. This is from one of the overlook trails in Zion NP in Utah last week.

#portraittuesday  +PortraitTuesday +Laura Balc
#photographingphotgraphers  +photographing photographers +Thorsten von Eyb +Michael Rutta 
#photojournalworldwide  +Photo Journal Worldwide +andi rivarola 

Raging River

I found another shot in the archives from our sunset walk at Victoria Falls. This still only shows about 1/4 the width of the falls - they were massive and wonderfully impressive to see.

#africantuesday  +Morkel Erasmus +Dick Whitlock +Grobler du Preez +African Tuesday 
#waterfallwednesday  +Eric Leslie 

Dawn under the clouds

Got this shot just as we were heading out on our morning animal drive. There were some low clouds, but we got great color as the sun came up anyway. From Londolozi Private Game Reserve on the edge of Kruger NP in South Africa.

#dawnonsunday  +Dawn On Sunday +Ray Bilcliff +linda stokes 
#sunsunday  +Sun Sunday  +Greg Dominguez +Shauna Dominguez

Glowing Coastline

From one of my trips to the coast last month. I don't know the name of this beach, but love the shape of the coast and cliffs here. (Somewhere along the San Mateo County coastline here in California.) There had been some very heavy storms which left a lot of debris on the beach that you can see. These lines of debris and the edges of the waves seem make nice leading lines to that great cliff side. Have a great day everyone!

#thirstythursdaypics   #thirstythursday  +Giuseppe Basile +Mark Esguerra 
#coastalthursday   #coastalphotography  +David Polzine +Jon Kahn +Coastal Thursday 
#landscapephotography +Landscape Photography +Margaret Tompkins +Carra Riley +paul t beard +David Heath Williams
+Bill Wood +Jim Warthman +Ben T +jeff beddow  +Tom Hierl
+Vishal Kumar +Michael Blyde   +Carolyn Lim

Close-up

Not sure how I missed this one the first time around. I like the colors and the background. Didn't have to do much to it. Enjoy your Friday and your weekend everyone!

#floralfriday  +FloralFriday +Tamara Pruessner 

Dunes - Last Look

One of the last photos I took as we were leaving the Great Sand Dunes NP. The sky finally got some nice color in the clouds after the sun was below the horizon. I made us quite late to dinner since I had to stop and get several shots. Turns out there is no food to be found (that we were interested in) for over an hours drive once you leave the park, so plan ahead!

#sunsetsaturday  +Dennis Hoffbuhr 
#desertsandday  +Tuan Le 
#nationalparksmonday  +NationalParksMonday +Juan Pons 
#landscapephotography  +Landscape Photography +Margaret Tompkins +Carra Riley +paul t beard +David Heath Williams +Bill Wood 

Elephants at Sunset

Sunset is always such a magical time in Africa. Our guides would try to get us to a good spot for our "sun downer" photos and drinks each day. This day, there was a large group of elephants hiking nearby which stirred up the dust and caught the setting sun. From Chitabe Camp in Botswana.

#africantuesday  +African Tuesday +Morkel Erasmus +Grobler du Preez +Dick Whitlock 
#elephantwednesday  +Elephant Wednesday +Louisa Catharine Forsyth +Diego Cattaneo +Matthias Haeussler 
#wildlifewednesday  +Mike Spinak +Morkel Erasmus 

Pebble Beach Cypress Trees

I really like these cypress trees that are all over the Monterrey Peninsula. I snuck this shot with my phone while we were at the AT&T Pro-Am at Pebble Beach on Friday. It was cold, especially with the wind, but this is what 50% chance of rain actually looked like - yeah!!! Had a great time walking around that amazing golf course and watching the great golfers, but I would have loved to be able to bring the camera. (They were not allowed unless you had a valid press pass.) 

#monochrome52  +Monochrome 52 and Linda Villers 
2013 Week 6 
#MonochromeMonday +Monochrome Monday +Hans Berendsen +Jerry Johnson +Manuel Votta +Nurcan Azaz +Steve Barge
#monochromeworld +Monochrome World +andi rivarola 
#allthingsmonochrome +All Things Monochrome +Charles Lupica +Bill Wood
#landscapephotography +Landscape Photography +Margaret Tompkins +Carra Riley +paul t beard +David Heath Williams
+Bill Wood +Jim Warthman +Ben T +jeff beddow  +Tom Hierl +Vishal Kumar +Michael Blyde   +Carolyn Lim

Peaceful Walk

Nothing like a peaceful walk in the woods to put things right again. I was telling my father-in-law at lunch today about my visit to the Redwoods. Alex was out of town, I was feeling a bit lonely and needed to get out of the house (or I'd spend the entire day in front of the computer or something equivalent.) So I made a plan for the next day to go and visit Muir Woods National Park. It is a pretty foreign thing for me to go on such an excursion by myself, but I had great day and got some nice photos along the way. Need to try that more often!

#monochrome52  Week 42 +Monochrome 52 +Shane Raynard and Linda Villers
#monochromemonday  +Monochrome Monday +Jerry Johnson +Manuel Votta +Steve Barge +Hans Berendsen +Nurcan Azaz 
#nationalparksmonday  +NationalParksMonday +Juan Pons 
#leadinglinesmonday   +Pam Chalkley-Boling    +Andreas Levi +David Murphy +Elle Rogers +Michael Stuart +Simos Xenakis

Water Taxi

Even at night you can get a water taxi in this city. See the one heading for me at the far end of the canal in the light reflections? From earlier this evening in Amsterdam, what an amazing city. Heading back there again tomorrow to see some more, yeah!!!

#saturdaynightlight  +SaturdayNightLight +Dirk Heindoerfer 
#nightscapes  +Nightscapes +Christopher Prins 
#bforblue  (or blue hour) +B for Blue +Aileen Sorenson