Russian Gulch headlands

It was six months ago, when we were at the Mendocino coast in late October 2023, that I finally got a chance to visit Russian Gulch State Park (not to be confused with Sonoma County’s Russian Gulch Beach). The clouds threatened rain and even delivered a few scattered showers; still, the day seemed perfect to me. While the Big Guy […]

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Off the beaten track

Spring is an excellent time to explore around the shores of Lake Berryessa, as we recently did on our day trip during the first week of April. I discovered this unobtrusive trail near the Lupine Shores campground — guarded by a rather suspicious ground squirrel — which took me around the headland in a wide loop. I found the peace […]

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Osprey love

After recovering from a drop in numbers some 25+ years ago, Ospreys seem to be thriving again in Northern California. I see them frequently whenever I visit Clear Lake or Lake Berryessa — especially in February through August, when they’re always busy nesting and raising their young. On our recent day trip to Steele Canyon at Lake Berryessa, I noticed […]

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Tumbling waters

Yesterday I paid a visit to my newest favorite suburban greenspace, along Miners Ravine in Rocklin. I only stumbled upon this tiny oasis last spring, so I was eager to get back out there and see how the creek looked. As you can see by the image above, it looks pretty good right now! Since I love photographing whitewater (although […]

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The Adventure Continues… Muybridge

Eadweard Muybridge (born Edward Muggeridge) was a deeply fascinating personality and a pioneer in the field of photography. A native of England, he spent much of his life in the western United States from the 1850s through the 1870s. He began as a bookseller, basing himself in San Francisco around 1855. But it took a traumatic accident with a runaway […]

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A visit to the vernal ponds

When I made this year’s first trip to Phoenix Park last week I was hoping to see a lot of wildflowers after all the rain storms we’ve had. I was a little surprised that the various pools didn’t seem to be overflowing, although I know that only the earliest flowers are blooming right now. All in all, it was a […]

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Scenes from Steele Canyon

A couple of days ago I drove over to Lake Berryessa with the Big Guy, and we spent the day at Steele Canyon Campground, near the south end of the lake. There is so much to explore all around this gorgeous lake that anytime we go over there, I find something new! Of course, my very favorite time of year […]

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