Scenic Sunday
Peninsula in summer
Back in early August 2020, I ventured around to the far side of Folsom Lake to spend a couple of hours at Peninsula Campground. It’s a long, very winding road to get out beyond the private property signs to the state park gate, and in the summer when the water is low, you can look across a narrow stretch of […]
More from Monte Vista
Today I present some images from a couple of different October hikes in the same area along the American River’s south fork at Folsom Lake. The vibrant hues of spring may have been long faded, but there was still plenty of color to be found — in the Yellow Monkeyflower with its bright red spots, the scarlet Toyon berries, and […]
Twilight time
The last set of images from our walk along Manchester Beach and back to our rental house on the Mendocino coast, November 2024.
A walk on the beach
We walked from the house where we were staying over to Manchester Beach via an unpaved road cutting through what was once private property but is now part of a State Park Nature Preserve. I’m hoping to get a chance to explore this area further; both times I walked out this way it was late afternoon and I ended up […]
Another December
In recent years we’ve spent successive Christmas holidays traveling to Texas, and while we may not enjoy dealing with airports and 3-hour flights, it’s always wonderful to visit with the Big Guy’s family for a few days. There was a time when we spent every alternate year closer to home — for example during Christmas 2017, when we enjoyed the […]
Victorian appointments
Today I’m sharing more pictures from my visit to the Haas-Lillienthal house in San Francisco’s Pacific Heights neighborhood. I know I’m not the only one fascinated by the beautiful details of Victorian houses. Our tour guide took a few minutes to explain gingerbread trim and shingles on the building’s exterior, and later ushered us inside to admire the woodwork, stained […]
Walking to Manchester
Mendocino County has such a beautiful coastline that it can be frustrating when we often find access blocked by private property and “No Trespassing” signs. I’m really grateful that the California Coastal Commission is always working to protect the state’s coastal habitats and to improve access to beaches and bluffs. Whenever we get over to the coast for a few […]
Salmon Falls splendor
Colors, details, and wide vistas — all found on an autumn hike by the shore of Folsom Lake, on and around the Monte Vista Trail. I sometimes wish I could have seen this area before the building of Folsom Dam. It’s clearly very rich in history as well as plants and wildlife.