Lately I’m really enjoying using my Sigma 150-600mm zoom lens to zero in on the local birds. It’s become a bit of a personal challenge to shoot as many different types as possible, especially those I never realized were all around me. But even when that fails, it can still be fun to capture familiar birds like Acorn woodpeckers or […]
I’ve been spending an awful lot of time along the north fork at Folsom Lake lately, so the other day I decided it was high time to return to the south fork — specifically, the Sweetwater Creek/Salmon Falls area. I prefer to get out there in the morning because I have the sun at my back; and even though I […]
From 1982, images of the buildings and grounds at Mission La PurÍsima Concepción de María Santísima, Lompoc.
Bluebirds hanging out and doing some people-watching near Sweetwater Creek, Folsom Lake.
Recently one of my occasional pastimes has been browsing eBay to see if I can spot any toys or games from my childhood. This game was a Christmas present one year, maybe around the early 1970s; I’m certain my parents had a great time laughing at me as I shook the gift-wrapped box and puzzled over the crazy rattling sounds […]
Last Friday I began my series on the California Missions with a few images of Mission Santa Barbara photographed by my mom in 1979. As part of this series, I’ll be featuring Huell Howser’s visits to the 21 missions. Unfortunately, since each episode is only 30 minutes long, there wasn’t enough time to present an in-depth look at each site […]
Spring hasn’t actually arrived in our neck of the woods yet, but on a day like we had yesterday, it seems very close. I hiked in the area around Horseshoe Bar on Folsom Lake, enjoying the blue sky and the cool wind that kept the noontime sun from feeling too overpowering.
This week, I have the last of my slides from the 1950s — family photos featuring relatives from my mom’s side of the family. The photo above shows my Uncle Howard (my mom’s big brother) and his wife, Betty, along with their eldest daughter Joyce. Betty passed away in 2006.
When I was in elementary school back in the early 1970s, our lessons on California history skimmed lightly over the story of the Spanish missions, unlike the more in-depth study available to later students. I did visit the gold discovery site at Coloma and Sutter’s Fort with my class, but a field trip to the nearest mission would have meant […]