I have returned many times to Rattlesnake Bar on Folsom Lake for the hike to Avery’s pond. Last Thursday I shared a few 2006 images from this beautiful area, so this week I’m jumping ahead 10 years with photos from a hike we took on April 1, 2016. I previously posted some of these pictures back in May 2018 (see […]
I don’t do this very often, but this week I’ve decided to repeat an episode — one that I originally featured way back in May 2017. For the past few Mondays I’ve been sharing photos with you that I found in the Hicks Album from the Feats of Clay XXIII exhibition, one of the last years the event was held inside Gladding McBean. The images have raised a few questions about the terra cotta factory; and the fact that the company no longer offers tours to the public makes this look inside all the more wonderful. I hope you enjoy seeing Huell’s visit to Gladding McBean as much as I have. My original post: Lincoln is a little town not too far up the road from my house, and I’ve never spent much time there at all. So I was very surprised when I first saw this episode of California’s Gold to realize there is such an important and historical company located there. From the Brooks Brothers emblem to light standards for a bridge in Moosejaw, Canada, these guys create art for public spaces, and every piece is created by hand. Step back in time with Huell to the olden days of making pottery the Gladding McBean way. The 118-year-old company in rural Lincoln, near Sacramento, is the nation’s only remaining major manufacturer of terra cotta. From decorative to functional, McBean’s terra cotta is acclaimed for its distinctive style which graces […]
I’ve been doing a little early spring cleaning around my house lately. So much of the stuff I keep is of no real use to me anymore, but I’m attached to it out of either nostalgia or the fear that I may suddenly find a purpose for it after it’s gone. So I shuffle things around and try to make […]
The Gladding McBean company has a long and fascinating history. Over many decades of the factory’s existence, their artists have created miles of clay sewer pipe, tons of decorative tableware, and countless pieces of architectural ornamentation in terra cotta. To walk through the factory even today is to discover bits and pieces of history lying about in every room.
I could really spend hours gazing at the ocean off the Northern California coast, and I sometimes manage to shoot a few pictures as well! We were fortunate to make it over to the coast on three separate trips last year, in April, September, and November. It was the first time in ages that I’d seen the coast in springtime, […]
I’m a little disappointed that during our recent stay in Mendocino County I didn’t capture more shots of the high, wild surf rolling in off the Pacific. We had some pretty blustery days, and I’m sure there were at least a few surfers out during the week, waiting in the water for the perfect wave to come along. I never […]
I never really began to realize how much fun photographing wildflowers could be until my first hike with my Nikon Coolpix 5700 along the Avery’s Pond trail at Rattlesnake Bar (Folsom Lake) in April 2005. I was still fairly new to digital photography and had only used simple point-and-shoot cameras, so I frequently had trouble finding the right focus and […]
During my lifetime, I’ve spent an awful lot of time in the passenger seats of cars. One of the best things about not driving is that you get to enjoy the scenery; but not being in control of the vehicle means I can’t pull over to the side of the road whenever I see something I like. I’m still working […]
As the Small Feats of Clay exhibit continues in Loomis during the month of March, here are a few more images from Feats of Clay XXIII, located at the Gladding McBean terra cotta factory in 2010.