Lime Ridge - Walnut Creek, CA

I haven't done any hiking on Lime Ridge since we moved here four years ago, but all that changed since we've been hanging out at Boundary Oaks Golf Course on a regular basis. Lime Ridge rises right out of the links. One of the practice holds is an actual tiny foothill of the ridge. It's nice to see the view from the golf course, and while Jackson practices, I head on up, trying to avoid cow herds in case there's a territorial bull near by. There's a manzanita trail (with that peculiar scent of manzanita—like an old-time corral) that the cows aren't allowed to graze upon, so that's the better bet.

A wind-blown Oak

A long-ago fallen tree

The fingers of fallen-tree fate

View of Walnut Creek with Shell Ridge beyond

Oak Tree - Shell Ridge, Walnut Creek, CA

Future's Past Tree Sculpture - Hayes Valley, San Francisco

This metal sculpture lights up at night in a mesmerizing way, but I was on a daytime visit. Still—looking good! Future's Past was created by Kate Raudenbush and you can see it on Octavia at Hayes, in the green-space across from Smitten Ice Cream (another important cultural landmark).

Mega-birdsong Minute

These birds have been flocking in our area and holding noisy bird conventions in the afternoons. This week they picked our back yard for their meet-up. I could do a little research to find out what type of bird is holding forth here, but they're so camouflaged that it's not as easy as it looks. The females are Oak-tree colored. The males have a little more yellowish color going on, but not much. I suspect they're a type of finch.

Our neighborhood crows joined in as well as you'll see in the film's near-climax. This was for the Vimeo 1-minute project - one minute of film, no editing or camera movement—just a minute of life. Bird life.



Birdsong Convention from Miss Lisa on Vimeo.

Mono Lake, California - Sunset

We got there right at magic hour and the tufas were literally crawling with photographers—hauling their tripods this way and that to capture the moment. I only have a point-and-shoot at this time, so here's what it could manage. Mono Lake—a truly special place.

Heather Farm Park in the Cold

We're experiencing a cold snap in Northern California. Compared to parts of the U.S., this is nothing, but to us—it's pretty cold. Highs in the evening in the 20s-30s. Daytime high today was in the low 40s. Two weeks ago we were wearing shorts and T-shirts, biking all over the place and looking around for our sunblock. I feel bad for my San Francisco friends when it's cold. I have yet to see a San Francisco apartment or flat with adequate heat or insulation. Plus it's damp. Stay warm, my friends.

A walk in the park yesterday.

Mt. Diablo was snow-less, despite the rainstorm the night before.

Cormorants - they sun themselves to dry off.

A weeping mulberry tree, looking grandfatherly.

Flags at half-mast in honor of Nelson Mandela.

Fall Color

I've been working on a writing project rather intensely and mostly speeding around on my bicycle, when I get out at all. So I haven't done my photography wanderings much at all. This is kind of sad. Today I purposefully walked down the street to capture some fall color. It's been a very colorful last few weeks, but our teeny-tiny rainstorm a few days ago (lasting less than 30 minutes) did knock some of the color onto the ground. Gardeners are working everywhere I ride, raking, leaf-blowing, bagging, looking fatigued. Hat's off to gardeners, professional and amateur, as we continue to watch the leaves fall.

Are you missing out on foliage? This tree has it all and then some. I just wish there was slightly more yellow, but otherwise—a fine blend.

Sunset Sky and Mt. Diablo Double Rainbow

Perhaps the terrible fire near Yosemite is altering our weather. It's been humid here, which is unusual for NorCal. And lots of smudgy clouds. Last night they were fiery red, and me without my camera. Tonight they were brilliant pink and I made sure to grab some shots. How to pick a sunset shot for posting—I couldn't do it. Here's a series. As always, click for bigger images.

If you notice any black blurs in the sky, those are swifts. They swoop in configurations at dusk—filling up on tasty mosquitoes and other flying creatures before retiring for the night under the walking bridge nearby.

While I was marveling at the sunset, Keith was doing his usual weekend bike ride to the Mt. Diablo summit. And there was a double rainbow, without rain, just a lot of moisture in the air and on the ground. Mt. Diablo has its own weather.

Mt. Diablo by bike

Keith took these nice shots with his camera-phone on his weekly late-afternoon ride up Mt. Diablo. It's very special to live at the base of a big mountain.

Boulder Beach - Lords Point, Stonington, CT

Well-named.

Night Flowers

White flowers can be part of the background during the day, but at night... pow!

Spooky Tree at the Lafayette Community Park, California

Of course this tree looked ten times spookier yesterday when I discovered it rising within the thick cloud cover of a cool, foggy day. But I didn't have my camera with me yesterday, did I?

Heather Farm Park at dusk

A walk around the park and its various gardens just before this week's heat-wave set in. The Gardens at Heather Farm have sprung for a deer fence this year. Apparently deer were eating a lot of the plants, including the celebrated Rose Garden. I have noticed a big difference in the flowering plants since the fence went in. They're flowering in abundance. Everywhere you go, there's something blooming. The park looks stunning.

I started at the nature pond where I spotted a Great Egret, some Grebes, and a Forster's Tern, diving for food.

Part of the Butterfly Garden in full bloom.

A type of Manzanita at the Diablo Ascent Garden.

Echinacea at the Heritage Garden.

The roses are going gangbusters at the Crowden Rose Garden.

Back through the Nature Pond area at sunset to watch the tern do its thing.

Miniature Forest for State Parade Float

We made a representation of Connecticut in miniature for Jackson's wagon for the school parade. We focused on Stonington, but also visible is the USS Nautilus, which you can visit at the Submarine Museum in Groton.

Iron Tunnel - Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School, Berkeley

Part of the large and lovely vegetable garden founded by Alice Waters' Edible Schoolyard project at MLK Middle School.

Zoom-in San Francisco

View from the Oakland Firestorm Memorial. San Francisco looks otherworldly in the haze and fog.

Bottle Rocket in the Park

water + air pressure = whoosh!

Patterns in Nature