San Anselmo

(Please view large!) Oh, it's so nice to be home! There's nothing like a bit of perspective and time away to really enjoy being back after a trip! And what a fine trip we had. It was wonderful to visit my brother Brian and his wife Nathalie this past six days. Yet, getting back to your usual routine is really nice when you've been away for a while. I stepped outside this morning feeling totally overjoyed. There was a thick layer of frost blanketing everything around me, the ground crunched an enthusiastic greeting and I eagerly returned to my daily walk up and down the driveway. I was happy to see that the resident fox didn't leave a welcome-home present for me! As I relaxed into my exercise, I reflected on our trip down to the San Francisco Bay Area. We'd originally planned on driving into San Francisco for some night photography but as it turned out, we were perfectly happy just hanging out and relaxing. We've made mistakes in the past of packing way too much into our trips so this time we decided to do what felt right instead of what we'd planned to do, and this made our trip perfect. I brought my camera with the mere desire to take pictures around my brother and wife's home, with anything more being a bonus. I was happy as a clam capturing images of Nathalie's garden, interesting photos inside and out, all manner of stuff that caught my eye. It was such fun. But we also got to go on a couple of hikes into the hills above their home in San Anselmo, and there I got piles of pictures of a zillion different things! I think that what I should do is create some collages to show the neat subjects I captured. When I got home and copied my pictures over, the total number was 1444! Totally amazing! Today's image was from our first hike as the sun was creeping below the hills. It was impossible to miss the sun shining through a huge old oak tree but I had no idea that I would get the result I'm posting today! I have never had an image with so many stars without being a long-exposure shot! Pam, did you get the chance to visit any of the pretty places in Marin? I'm going to bet your friends took you to Muir Woods, which isn't too far from where my brother and wife live. That was one place I would like to visit again, this time with my camera. I'm so happy to hear from you that you'd gotten so many pictures…it will be nice to see a few more from your adventure! Thinking warm thoughts of you my dear! Explored on 1/5/19, highest placement, #6.

(+2 insets) (please view large!) :) I woke up this morning feeling so happy! In fact, for some reason it felt like a proper January 1 to me. Steve and I celebrated New Year's down at my younger brother's home but we didn't actually do anything special. It was just another day to me. But this morning I feel like the New Year has truly arrived and as I walked up and down the driveway, I thought about what this new year might be like for me and my husband. With my rekindled passion for photography and verve for life and adventure, I'm looking forward to our slowly developing plans of purchasing an RV and travelling around the country. Originally we'd planned on diving into the deep end and getting a huge 5th wheel gooseneck trailer and a dually diesel truck. We have since scaled back to plans of a smaller bumper-pull at first, along with a less-massive truck. We will go on short trips at first and work our way up to longer trips if we decide all is going well enough for that magnitude. We recently purchased part of the package--a long-bed diesel truck in very good used condition! It's turned out to be a wonderful deal and has awesome gas mileage for a truck—it averages about 22mpg! (our last truck was a lot smaller and yet, it only got 12mpg.) Being a diesel, it's definitely loud but only if you're outside the cab—inside it's surprisingly quiet. Steve also purchased a matching shell for the bed which will keep everything placed inside much drier. We're both really happy. In fact, our truck just passed its first test with flying colors! We drove it a total of over 750 miles/1200km round trip down to the Bay Area on our visit to see my brother and his wife. We loaded it down with a week's worth of anything we thought we might want with us, including our huge espresso machine! We barely made a dent in the truck bed's capacity! We were really happy that we didn't need to use the snow chains that Steve bought—our trip goes through an area which bogs down in snow whenever winter storms pass through. Luckily the weather was clear both ways, but it was nice to know that we were covered. It will be really fun when the day arrives when we find the right RV for our first adventures. Both of us are looking forward to some really fun trips in the coming year! Today's picture comes from our trip to San Anselmo/Bay Area and features a group of lovely Wisteria leaves that were about to fall off the huge old vine in Nathalie's garden. I was dazzled by the glowing leaves as I walked around taking pictures. Even though Wisterias are known for their lovely flowers and wonderful fragrance, there is so much more to love about these wonderful vines. I was enchanted by the dangling seed pods and the ones on the ground. The seeds scattered all over the ground got my attention too. I managed to get a nice assortment of interesting pictures which I hope to share at some point! (I've added two insets of past pictures to show you what Wisteria flowers look like.) Pam, you know our love for growing from seeds. Well, I bet you know this bit of information but I'd completely forgotten: Wisteria seeds sprout very readily but if you expect to see flowers, you'll have to wait 15 years!!! Holy cow! I seem to recall that you have a flowering Wisteria...is that right? Well, I've got about 100 seeds that I took home but alas, I'm afraid there is no point in planting them. A shame because I adore these vines! Pam, I hope you are doing ok today—I sure did have a nice time visiting all of your doggy pictures and videos...you are such a great mom! *BIG HUGGGGGGS!!!!*

I have been spending a lot of time looking through the pictures I took while I was down in San Anselmo visiting my brother and his wife. So many photos! (over 1400!!) So many subjects! One of the nicest things was just being out of my usual local. In a new place there are so many more opportunities to find something different and unusual. And then again, there are usual favorites as well! Nathalie, who is my younger brother's wife, took us on two hikes while we were there. Both of them started by merely walking out the door, going down the drive and up the road to the open space that was literally 5 minutes away. This public-accessible open space is filled with trails, meadows, and forest for all to enjoy. Marin County, where San Anselmo is found, has nearly 250 miles of trails and 16,000 acres of land that is set aside for recreation. Needless to say, it's a haven for anyone who loves the outdoors. On our first hike, I kept my eyes open for mushrooms, and boy did we hit the jackpot! Today's picture features a beautiful group that were sitting on the side of a hill, easy to get at and prepare for pictures. Nathalie was interested to see what I was doing and Steve helped me pull away leaves and dirt. I was very hopeful that I'd get some good shots and when I finally got to see them on the computer I couldn't resist diving into this image the moment I saw it! Hooray! Pam, I loved to see the video of your dogs playing in your pond! That was sooooo cute. We also have a seasonal pond and it's finally filling up after a fairly dry autumn and early winter. Watching your dogs playing in the water reminded me of the fun that our Boxer had running in and out of the water when it was full. What a silly dog...how I miss her. It was such fun to think about those great memories though! I hope you are feeling good today my dear! Explored on 1/7/19, highest placement, #1.

(+3 insets!) I'm back to posting pictures from my trip down to San Anselmo, and today I ran into a problem. Let me explain… On our first day at Brian and Nathalie's house, I looked out the kitchen window and could hardly believe what I saw! A six-point Mule deer buck was calmly nibbling the grass on their hillside, a mere thirty feet away! Naturally I didn't have my camera with me, and by the time I got back with it, he'd wandered away. Shucks. Fast forward a couple of hours. I'm wandering around their patio taking pictures and I look up…there at the same spot was a younger buck with four points! AHHHHHH!!!! I went over to the path up the hillside and slowly moved closer. The deer here are extremely used to people so I wasn't surprised when I was able to get much closer. He stared at me as I creeped towards him and only turned to walk off when I was about ten feet away. I'd been focusing on him so intently that I didn't realize he wasn't alone. I noticed movement and was surprised to find yet another four-point buck AND the six-point beauty from earlier! All three of them were eyeing me but weren't especially afraid. I stood and took pictures as they moved around the grassy knoll, watching for any aggression on their part. All of us were calm and quiet so they ate grass and food from the trees and I got lots of pictures. Finally they walked away and I returned to the house, overjoyed at the encounter I had. I ended up getting lots and lots of useable pictures but none of them were very spectacular. Also, they were close enough to trees and bushes so it was going to be some work to get reasonable separation in post-production. I really wanted to use a picture of the six-point buck but the only one that would work was going to be a tough image to fix up. I spent a long time working on the photo but my first attempt was just bad. I ended up working on a picture of one of the four-point bucks and it came out ok but he's walking up the hill and I don't know…it's just nothing special in my opinion. Today I decided to give the six-point buck picture another try. The result was much better but I finally had to admit that it's just "OK". Not a picture I really want to feature as my Picture of the Day. Ugh. So now what? I considered trying another deer picture but abandoned the idea because all of the images were either too similar to what I had or just not interesting enough. MEH!! I gave up on my deer idea. However, I am posting both pictures as insets so you can see! The six-point is a knock-out! But meh on the post-production. I took a look at the pictures I've processed and decided on my Strawberry Tree Berries! These trees are popularly grown in urban areas and feature countless colorful berries that are prickly in appearance. The berries require a whole year to mature and finally ripen in about November in most places. The berries are edible and used in jam and liquor, though rarely eaten off the tree because of their fairly granular texture. The tree on Nathalie's hillside was positively bursting with berries in all colors from yellow to bright red. Such awesome photo subjects. I have included one more as an inset for you to see, and it has pretty white blossoms that are in bokeh. Pam, I hope that you are doing well today after all the excitement of yesterday's scheduled appointment. Crossing my fingers for you…I hope that there will be some treatment which will resolve your issues! Worried but optimistic too…and wishing I could give you a hug! Explored on 1/8/19, highest placement, #2.

(+5 insets) (please view large) :) Time for another picture from our trip to Nathalie and Brian's place down in San Anselmo! First of all, can you tell what this is? I just love an abstract picture and part of the fun is trying to guess what it is. I think it's probably pretty obvious but maybe that's because I'm familiar with it! Read on to discover what this subject is! Nathalie's patio is located at the base of a steep hill (where I photographed the deer from yesterday's insets). Half-way up the hill are a pair of Strawberry Trees and between them hangs a very dead hammock. I don't know when it was last used, but I am positive that any attempt to sit in this hammock would result in you landing on the ground after crashing through the rotted rope strands. It has sat for too many seasons of rain and sun and has turned into a macro photographer's delight! The moment I got close to it, I saw that the rope strands had been covered with lichen and moss. One of the wooden spreader bars had been broken and as I looked up at the jagged end, I saw my picture. Lots of angles, lots of dofs, and I also got some tight shots of lichen growing on the rope strands. It was such fun to play with my creativity here and hopefully you like the results too! I am also posting a pair of sunrise pictures from yesterday that just blew me away! We often have staggeringly beautiful sunrises but I can't post them as main images because you'd all die of boredom! However, adding them as insets is perfect because I can share them without disrupting my photo stream with a million similar pictures. Yay for happy solutions! Pam, do you have hammocks at your home? There is nothing so wonderful as swinging gently back and forth and being lulled to sleep on a warm summer day. I hope this day is full of good things for you and lots of happy doggy kisses. I'm thinking of you all the time and feeling hopeful as the days approach for a few more answers to your stroke solution. Explored on 1/9/19, highest placement, #6.

(+7 insets!!) This morning I woke up feeling so happy! I was really delighted with how my hammock pictures turned out for my post yesterday and I have been so touched by the wonderful comments I've gotten. I am all a-glow! It feels great when you make a challenge for yourself and achieve the goal you'd hoped for! The fact that you guys like the pictures too is icing on the cake! Hooray! I looked out to see that there was yet another incredible sunrise, along with amazing fog banks swirling around the Table Rocks. Of course I had to take pictures, and I've shared them as insets so you can see how lovely my morning started off! :) On top of that, when I walked down the road on my first lap, the golden light shining on the trees created some really beautiful reflections in our seasonal pond, which has FINALLY filled up (It's usually full by November)! I got a bunch of pictures of the reflections that I'm sharing too! I kind of went crazy, I hope you enjoy them! :) Today's picture is for Happy Fence Friday even though it's actually Thursday here in the United States. In addition to my main picture I am also including an inset. Each was taken on our trip down to San Anselmo over New Years. Nathalie and Brian live on a nice-sized property with endless subjects to photograph. One of the things that kept catching my eye was the cool fencing along one side. Old and weathered, some was crusted with lichen and moss, other spots had rust stains running down from the nails. While I was investigating the front corner, I noticed the sun shining through the trees created a lovely dappling on the fence. It was so pretty that I knew it would be perfect for my Happy Fence Friday picture! The inset fence picture was taken on the first hike we did up in the hills above their home. You may recognize that sun flare and Oak tree from the sepia picture I posted a few days ago. While looking through my photos today, I was surprised to discover that the first sun flare image I took included a fence line. I wondered if I might be able to use it for an inset but wasn’t sure. The picture was kind of uninteresting but it hit me…I could play with textures and I bet it would look great! Picking one textured image is the hardest part…it's such fun to fool around with the various looks! Pam, is your pond full now too? When did yours fill up (if it is)? We haven't had as much rain this year, nor has it been as cold. I wonder what it's like for you guys? Are the dogs playing in the pond or is it frozen over? I had to make sure Zoey didn't jump into our pond when it was icy but I don't think it has ever been solid. I used to imagine what it would be like if she ran onto the frozen pond, tried to stop and then spun around in circles…I never got to see that reality but just thinking about it made me laugh! :) I am thinking good thoughts about you my dear…hope your day has been good! Explored on 1/10/19, highest placement, #4.

(+4 insets!) Steve and I have had the chance to stay at Nathalie and Brian's home in San Anselmo on several occasions but this visit was the first time I'd brought my camera. I was really excited because I knew what was in store for me. It seems like anywhere inside or out, there are super cool things to take pictures of. One of the first places I attacked was Nathalie's amazing patio. She's got all sorts of potted plants and bushes and on the walls are moss and lichen. It's a bit dizzying to decide where to start but I made a beeline for her tree fern, what I call a "dinosaur fern", and these plants are among my very favorite. Because of the low light I was using my macro flash and as I clicked away, I became aware that Nathalie and Steve were talking in the kitchen just a few feet from me inside. Nathalie was wondering what the odd flash of light was, and then Steve noticed. I couldn't help grinning to myself as Steve realized it was my flash and explained to Nathalie. "Ohhhh!!!" I heard her say, as Steve went on to tell her how versatile our flash is. (By the way, if you are looking for a similar flash at a fraction of the price, I'd recommend this one !) She stepped out to see what I was doing and found me literally crawling around under the fronds of her fern. I giggled and told her that I am often splayed on the ground in very strange positions when I'm taking pictures, and have been asked on a number of occasions if I was ok and not, perhaps, dead! :D The biggest problem that I had with this fern was that the unfurling balls of leaves that I love to photograph are quite dark and indistinct and so they aren't as dramatic as others I've photographed in the past. However I think I managed to get some nice pictures and I've included four insets in addition to my main image. I played with some textures on a couple of them because I thought the bland background could use a bit of dressing up. I will definitely try some different ideas the next time I get the chance to take more pictures of Nathalie's awesome tree fern! Pam, I was surprised that you have no fern pictures in your photo stream! I'm going to guess that they don't grow on your property? I thought we didn’t have any on our property but one day I just about fell over when I discovered one by a seasonal stream. Another time I found one on our hillside. They aren't big but they are still super cool! I hope you have had a nice day…you are always in my thoughts! Explored on 1/11/19, highest placement, #5.

(+4 insets!) (please view large!) I am having so much fun posting pictures from our trip down to San Anselmo to visit my brother Brian and his wife Nathalie. Every day I get to work on a few more images and it's wonderful to wander through the photos and decide which one(s) to post today. As I look through them, I am reminded of what was going through my mind when I took the pictures. Today's choice was growing on a bush on Nathalie's patio. These flowers are very small but so bright and pretty that you can't help noticing them. When standing away from them, they aren't all that distinctive, but when you crouch down and take a good look, why…"THEY HAVE PURPLE EARS!!" I couldn't help exclaiming in glee and beamed at the lovely little blossoms. These flowers are also an extremely challenging prospect for a macro photographer. There's a reason I chose the side view as my main image: it's completely in focus. This type of flower, with its long tube shape and sort of a flat face, makes it easy to show excellent detail of the front part of the blossom. But if you're close to the flower, good luck on getting the whole tube in focus! For example, one of my insets is a face-on view and my aperture was set to 22. The back is out of focus! Not intended! *cry* One solution to get crisp focus is to back up a bit and get another aperture set. If you really want to be sure, you'll have to back up a bit more and get another set. (Aperture set: an identical picture of a subject taken at each aperture through a range, or one picture per several apertures through a range) However, by backing up you run the risk of a picture that cannot be cropped as tightly as you want if you back up too far. Also, the background is also going to lose that lovely bokeh you're after. Likewise, the higher the aperture number, the sharper the background is going to be. Basically, one needs to experiment a lot and fill your camera card in the process. Personally, there's only so many pictures I want to look through so I crossed my fingers when I took my dozen or so attempts. I didn't nail the focus for the whole flower at either an angle or head on, but I did get entire crispness for the side view so I'm happy. Providing a couple of extra pictures shows this entire, gorgeous flower and thus, a successful presentation for all of you to enjoy! :) (I'm also including a couple of insets of yesterday's sunrise and the night before's sunset!) Pam, I wouldn't be surprised if you had these flowers growing in your garden. Then again, they can be hard to get established so maybe not? They are deer-resistant though! They are also fabulous for attracting insects and hummingbirds. It would be so nice to have them here but I refuse to have another garden due to our low amount of water and fighting with the ground squirrels. I hope you have had a nice day my dear! :) Explored on 1/13/19, highest placement, #2.

(+2 insets!) It's been such a lovely day! It began with a hint of frost followed by a brilliantly sunny, gorgeous morning and afternoon! Steve has been working on our deck and we've both had such a lovely time. I took pictures this morning and enjoyed hours of happily visiting contacts, and looking through and processing images for my post tomorrow! I was so engrossed in my processing that I nearly forgot…I need to write about and post my picture today! I have a handful ready to go from our trip down south and I thought that some festive red berries would do the trick! On our second hike up into the hills above San Anselmo, Nathalie took Steve and I through another beautiful natural area and then down into the pretty residential streets so we could appreciate the lovely homes and gardens as we strolled along. Strolled along? STROLLED? More like dragged by the ear kicking and screaming! Every inch of the way there were endless things for me to take pictures of! Steve had his camera but he and Nathalie were enjoying their conversation too much for him to think about photography. So, every few moments they'd had to stop and wait for me to catch up with an increasingly guilty look on my face. "But there are so many cool things to take pictures of!" Steve coaxed with a pointed statement, "I am beginning to starve to death!" Heh…well…I ended up getting piles of pictures even if I had to skip 90% of the amazing possibilities! :D Along the way were many different beautiful berries growing on bushes and trees but so far I've only processed two types. The Japanese Barberries is my main image and I was so delighted to find these on our walk. I love them because they look like tiny red Christmas lights to me, blazing red and beautiful! The inset features Nandina berries, and there a were so many of these growing on people's properties. So pretty! I am also including the sunset from a couple of nights ago! :) Pam, I hope all is going ok for you! I was thinking about how much you've changed my life in the past couple of months. In fact, you've changed SO MANY people's lives in the past couple of months. I am a totally different person than I was when I began. Today I am a waggy-tailed, exuberant and overjoyed person with ambition and dreams and big plans for the future. It's totally amazing to me, and it's my wish that some of my boisterous passion for everything positive and happy will transfer to you and make your life better too. Sending my biggest virtual *HUGGGGGGSSSSS*!!!!!! :) Explored on 1/14/19, highest placement, #5.