Pardon us, coming through

So there I was, happily scouting locations on a trail in Yosemite while I waited for the evening light. I'd walked off the main road and crashed through the thicket after crossing a stream and started to follow a well-worn animal path that led away from the bank and into the trees, just to see where it went. I had my tripod set up underneath a tree trying to decide if I should shoot some macro stuff or just take a break and enjoy the scenery. I was pretty well hidden and was enjoying the silence when I heard something rustling in the bushes. Of course my mind was automatically screaming BEAR! or AXE MURDERER! so I instinctively held my breath and tuned my ears while my eyes darted around trying to detect movement, when out of the shadows step two beautiful deer. They sauntered toward me without notice or care, stopping to nibble some greens and sniff the air. As they passed, and now that my blood started circulating again, I slowly unhooked my camera just for some grab shots, when this dainty little lady suddenly stopped and relieved herself! She looked over her shoulder at me as if to say "Yeah? What of it?" Gotta love it.

Two Thousand Nine

Happy New Year!

Few things get me more excited than planning fun things for the future, except living out those plans and savoring as much of it as possible. The New Year finds me filled with wanderlust so I’m lining up some fun outings to get myself through winter. First up is attempting snowshoeing. Reservations have been made and outfits/gear have been appropriated so the only thing that awaits is time and the hopeful thoughts of snow storms between now and then. I’m really looking forward to the challenge and serenity of snowshoeing. Hiking is one of my favorite things to do and winter is my favorite time of year, and snow is my favorite form of frozen things (next to yogurt of course) so what better way to experience them all at the same time? To get myself better prepared for the fun but physically demanding sport, I’ve embarked upon a workout regiment that I hope to be able to follow...time will tell but at least my intentions are good to start with. We shall see.

Being the optimist that I can’t help to be, I’ve already set up a reward for myself with a trip to the north coast for a dungenous crab feast! Rocky coastlines, wind-whipped hiking trails, crackling fire, good wine and fresh crab! Can’t beat that. With snowshoeing as a personal challenge and the coastal crab as reward I will hopefully be deposited at Spring’s door with good health and full heart.

May your 2009 be just what you want it to be.

Kidnapped!

Last weekend I kidnapped my niece and we drove up the twisty thread of Highway 4 and over Ebbetts Pass and landed a couple hours later on the south shore of Lake Tahoe, a place she'd yet to see in person. It was a gorgeous day for a drive and we were treated to aspens just beginning their annual color change and the mild temperatures of the high sierra in early Fall. We took our time getting there with no regard to the clock and after poking around the beach for a bit we decided on the spot that we'd take the gondola ride up to the Heavenly ski resort. If you've never done this I highly recommend it...the views are breathtaking and the ride is smooth and quiet, almost serene. After gawking at the blue depths of the lake and wrapping our minds around the elevation of over 9100' at which we were standing we treated ourselves to delicious caramel apples at the bottom of the hill before heading home. The drive back was leisurely, stopping to snap pictures and once on the western slope of the pass, we pulled over to watch the sunset turn the countryside a rich shade of peachy-pink. Doing these simple things with my niece brings me so much happiness, I love spending time with her. She's a pretty amazing young lady.

Optimism in Circles

Ever notice how life seems to go in circles? The older we get, the wider the circles become until at last we arrive where we began. Is life just made up of a bunch of circles, each of us going around and around, colliding into one another? If so then what is the point of it all? Perhaps we'll never know the answer, or maybe there's more than one answer to the age-old question of our purpose here, I don't know. I do know that each time I make a revolution on my own path of circles that I pick up some valuable information to take with me on the next go-round. The wider the circles, the longer the journey, the slower the pace, the smoother it goes.

Scene One, Take One - Action!

You know that filming technique where they show someone walking down the street and there's music playing, setting the mood, giving you a glimpse of what's going on inside their mind? Picture Laverne and Shirley bouncing out of their apartment onto the sidewalk..."we're gonna make it!" Or Clint Eastwood standing in a dusty landscape, his gritty squint into the sun, with that dude whisting that famous ditty, a precursor to someone getting toasted in a gun draw. Now picture me standing in a clearing staring into the distance with a camera glued to my face. The music and scene has everything to do with taking a week's vacation in Yosemite next month, and I am ecstatic! One day will be spent hiking with my family, the following days will be all about oak trees and autumn colors and solitude, river scenes and mountain tops, and meadows. And photography. The song: Zippety Doo Dah!

I'm counting the days...

Good Things

Good things are found everywhere, even when you're not looking. Today however, I was looking and they arrived with repetition. Once in the form of a lunch invitation to hit the local farmer's market where, aside from bags and bags of fresh produce, I also picked up a gorgeous bouquet of flowers. Then I was on my evening walk underneath the most beautiful sunset, and I witnessed everyone else stopping to stare at it too. That was great! I'll count those as two separate items of goodness, why not. Which leads me to the end of my day, where I'm content and with dinner taken care of and relaxing to soon commence, I notice one of the sunflowers in my bouquet and enjoyed photographing it.

So the Good Things count for today is as follows:

1. Lunch invitation

2. Healthy food purchases

3. Bouquet of flowers

4. Exercise

5. Surreal sunset

6. Finding social people in a city

7. Creative outlet

...and counting...

I've Seen the Light!

And lucky me, there's an empty socket.

I was thinking today about how nice the rain can be - a light afternoon storm at the beginning of Fall, the smell of damp leaves, the freshness of the air. My thoughts then turned to Yosemite. I need to get there before Summer is over, regardless of the crowds. A few years ago I told myself that I'd photograph it during all four seasons and I've got one more left. I anticipate it more this time because I have a vision, and go now with a keener eye and sharper skills.