Shadows
My entry for Cee’s Black and White Photo Challenge: Shadows. Let’s see what is hiding within the shadows. Shadows in black and white can be so dramatic.
Back to work
During the three-day Labor Day weekend the beach and picnic areas at Negro Bar State Park are always teeming with sun- and fun-seekers. But at 7:30 on Tuesday morning, with the holiday finished and everyone struggling back to work, the beach and the parking lots are peaceful and deserted — except for these very busy guys.
Zittel Farms
Here is another small local gem I’ve been overlooking for far too long. Zittel Farms in Folsom offers fresh produce, a pumpkin patch, educational tours for school children, and even Christmas trees in season. When I walk past the property early in the mornings there’s not much going on, but it still makes a very nice break from shopping centers and […]
A California king
All summer long as I hike along dirt trails surrounded by high weeds, I’m cautiously looking out for rattlesnakes. I’ve spotted them as early as March, both in 2014 and 2015; but this year I hadn’t seen one single snake of any type — until last Tuesday, when I was lucky enough to encounter this little guy at Negro Bar. When I tried to coax him off the trail (lest he be run over by somebody on a mountain bike), he coiled up and fiercely shook his tail at me before giving up and slithering off into the dry weeds.
Little green
Crossing Hinkle Creek a few mornings ago, I happened to glance down and find the surface of the water almost entirely hidden by something green. I crouched on the bridge for a closer look and found duckweed, also known as Lemnoideae. This tiny little water plant, all too easily overlooked, is actually a surprising mini powerhouse of problems and possibility. […]
Higher perspective
Fair Oaks Bluffs overlooking Nimbus Dam and the CSUS Aquatic Center on Lake Natoma, August 21, 2017.
Ugly duckling
Cee’s Odd Ball Challenge
Cee’s Odd Ball Photo Challenge: August 27, 2017 Street shark Lost lovey Cliffside chairs Tricolor tree Dragonfly door
Ups and Downs
With all the hiking I do around Lake Natoma, I’ve gotten to be in pretty good physical condition, and climbing hills doesn’t bother me too much. In fact, I enjoy the challenge, and it’s always a healthy aerobic workout. But it never occurred to me last Monday when I decided to trek all the way down and then back up this steep hill along the Fair Oaks bluffs that I was in training for some of those crazy hills in San Francisco a couple of days later.