On the lake trail
Here is the second of three installments showing some of my favorite images from our June 2023 hike along the Bluestem Trail to Grapevine Lake in Southlake, Texas.
Along Kirkwood Branch to Grapevine Lake
Back in mid June 2023 I shared a few photos from a day hike along the Bluestem Trail in Southlake, Texas. Despite wet weather and warm, humid conditions, I really enjoyed the trek because, although I had visited that part of the Dallas-Fort Worth area many times, I had never had the chance to do much exploring or hiking. As […]
Scenic Sunday
Lake houses
I do have a certain weakness for before-and-after photos, but most of the time when I’m hiking around I don’t purposely try to create them. I’ll admit though that when I returned to Sweetwater Creek with the Big Guy in late October I was curious to see how a couple of driftwood shelters I remembered from four years earlier had […]
Salmon Falls pine forest
Standing atop the hill some half mile from the Falcon Crest parking area, I can look down toward Folsom Lake and see another path (Brown’s Ravine Trail) that meanders through a stand of pine trees. I’ve visited this spot several times over the past few years and it remains one of my favorite viewpoints; with impressive ridges rising 1200ft/365m both […]
Ode to an oak tree
I slipped my roots round the stony soil Like rings on the hand of a bride, And my boughs took hold of the summer’s smile And grew out green and wide. I grew up in a valley rich in heritage oak trees, and they feature in some of my best childhood memories. The various species found in the Sacramento Valley […]
Art and artifacts
A look back to some of the items I saw while exploring the Grace Hudson Museum in Ukiah, March 2023. If you are ever in this part of Sonoma County, I highly recommend visiting this small but very wonderful museum. The gardens are lovely and contain the Craftsman-style Sun House. I had never heard of Grace Hudson before stumbling upon […]
Lakeshore once again
Whenever we spend a few days at Clear Lake and stay along the northeast shore in Nice, I usually feel the urge to take a walk up and down the short stretch of Lakeshore Boulevard behind the Worldmark hotel property. Over the years I’ve done this quite a few times, and it’s been interesting to see that for the most […]
Return to Portsmouth Square
Although I still have quite a lot of photos of the Mendocino Coast Botanical Garden to share, I thought today I would take a break and offer up something different. Just the other day Google Photos reminded me that in mid August 2019 I took a stroll through Portsmouth Square in San Francisco’s Chinatown. My opening image is one of […]