Friday, October 23, 2009
Nojoqui Falls Rock Shelter

This little cave-like formation is common at the bottom of a waterfall. The churning of the water easily erodes the rock more quickly than the falling water down the face of the waterfall. I would imagine it would be a much more violent and dangerous place in the middle of a rain storm. But I'll bet it's a spectacular sight!

Saturday, May 16, 2009
Cooper Cool

Today we went to the 12th Annual Basset Spring Games. The games are a fund raiser for the Basset Hound Rescue of Southern California. We do their newsletter, the Basseteer so we took the opportunity to get some nice photos for the next issue. But really I just wanted to go to play with the hounds!

This is Cooper, he was looking extremely cool just enjoying a nice day in the park. Aside from just being around a bunch of other hounds and the crazy hound people that love them. The dogs and their food slaves could compete in a number of fun competitions including drooling contests, synchronized swimming, kissing contests and Marathon Napping.

It's hard to take a bad picture of a Basset Hound, and I have about 18 gigabytes of photos to prove it. It was a really nice day!

Monday, January 26, 2009
SBCC Stearns Wharf View

Saturday was a beautiful day. We had the opportunity to wander around and enjoy the sunset. Which is one of the things I like to do as much as possible this time of year. This was the view from Santa Barbara City College just a bit before sunset. Sometimes my images are totally controlled and I have a plan for exactly what I'm looking for. In this case I stared with a shot from the pathway that you see. The streetlights were not very interesting looking. But after I got what I was looking for I took a walk around to see what I might be missing. I thought the path looked nice so I got a few shots, but even then I did not notice that the lights were already on. It was only after I got home and looked through the pictures that I saw the glow in the lights and decided this was one of my favorite images.

Sunday, December 28, 2008
Pacific Grove Sunset

This is from a couple of nights ago. It was a beautiful evening. Of course right at this very spot the wind was almost strong enough to knock me over at one point. But it was still very beautiful. I'm posing it a bit late (it's not actually the 28th anymore I know!) but I do have a bunch of trip shots to get online. Unfortunately the trip was too short with too many cool things to do. With a couple of projects going now that we are back in town, I'm keeping my system busy processing photos. But I'll get new things online as fast as possible.

Monday, September 1, 2008
Mission Rose Garden Sunset

Click the main image for a larger view

I really love the fountain by the Santa Barbara Mission. But most people don't realize there is another fountain across the street in the rose garden. It is really worth the little walk, especially at sunset.

If you have been around the site for a while you know that I really like the clouds in the winter around Santa Barbara. Mainly because we don't normally get much weather in the summer other than some very thick low fog in the mornings. Well, this summer has been a little different. Not much fog, I assume because it has not been very cool at night, but lots of humidity. On the plus side we have had some really nice winter-like sunsets. Of course there is one drawback. The night before last was so warm and humid I almost could not breathe. Fortunately it looks like we are starting to get a break from the heat.

Friday, June 6, 2008
Alice Keck Panorama

Click the main image for a larger view.

A couple days ago I was working on a particularly difficult statistics problem. (mmm math what a concept.) In the midst of my preparations to fling my computer out the window my wife suggested a nice walk at Alice Keck Park Memorial Gardens. Or as we like to call it... Alice Keck Park Park.

The clouds were beautiful and it was a wonderful evening. I wish I could say I came home and solved the problem right away, but at least I got a lot of really beautiful shots out of it. And I was much happier continuing on my statistics project.

Oh yeah, I've also been tinkering with some other images that are not my own. I have not been able to figure out how to get my own camera there yet so I had to work with what was available.

Friday, January 18, 2008
Shorline Sunset Panorama

Click the main image for a larger view

As I have mentioned before, there are very few places you can see the sunset over the water in Santa Barbara. Our coast faces the south for the most part. But there are a few small sections that give you a glimpse of the setting sun.

This is a combination of thirteen shots covering more than 200°. My intention was to shoot an entire 360° image. In the end this particular set of images caught the best lighting to bring out the beautiful texture of the clouds. But it did not quite make the full circle.

If you like the panoramas, you should check back. My wife got me a couple of nice tripods, and one will be perfect for a panoramic head I have been drooling over... er, I mean carefully considering investing in. :-D

Monday, January 15, 2007
Quiet Spot

This is a nice relaxing spot right along Highway 1 in Big Sur. I love the color of the water here. The beautiful blue-green makes me want to grab my Scuba gear. Of course, even though you can't really see it in this shot the waves this day would have made a dive more of an adventure than I'm lookin' for.

Thursday, May 18, 2006
Nojoqui Falls

Sometimes I like to play with Photoshop a bit!

It has been really hazy this year, not very conducive to scenery and architecture photos of Santa Barbara. (although I have been thinking about some cool evening photos through the fog).

But the wet weather has it\'s benefits. Nojoqui Falls, just up 101 from Santa Barbara, is only a trickle in the summer and on dry years. This is a photo I took a few years ago, but all the greyness in Santa Barbara has been making me think about the need for a trip somewhere north of here. Not that I really need much of an excuse to go exploring with my camera! :-D

Oh, by the way, there is some debate as to how you pronounce "Nojoqui". Some people insist it is na-ho-KEY or no-ho-KEY, but most locals pronounce it nah-WHO-wee and that is how I learned to say it.

Tuesday, June 7, 2005
Monterey Garden Stairs

This is a shot from a nice garden in the middle of Monterey. They are in the process of trying to revitalize the gardens and so far it looks like they are doing a good job.

Friday, May 27, 2005
Lake Los Carneros

There are some places that you can live right next to and never know they are there. The Monarch Butterfly Overwintering spot in Santa Barbara is one of them, and this is another.

I know I am not the only one that is surprised by this place. Last week at the Art Walk I listened to a "Local" tell his friends from out of town that this was the bird refuge, right down the street from where we were standing (which, of course, it is not).

Where I was standing to take this picture, I had my back to the 101 Freeway about 50 feet away, right near the Los Carneros exit. But, due to the rolling land and the trees, you would never have any idea it was here. Fortunately there is a good adult education program here that has some excellent nature hikes.

Saturday, April 23, 2005
Monterey Garden Path

After stopping at the Monterey Museum of Art we looked around the garden across the street. Apparently Monterey is in the process of restoring many of these small gardens throughout the city. From this view it is hard to believe this is in a very busy part of downtown Monterey.

Saturday, April 16, 2005
El Estero Lake

We have been tinkering with Pastels a bit, and this was one of the locations we thought we might try to paint with them. But, as vacations always do, this week went by way too fast and we never took that much time sitting in one place. So we took lots of pictures for reference.

Of course, painting from photos is nothing short of heresy these days, as the art-fad-du-jour is "Plein Air" art (painting on location.) But I have always been more interested in the end result. I guess I have always loved art but not "Artists" (well not the snooty ones anyway.) :-D IMHO, if anyone tells you a particular way is the "WRONG WAY" or "THE ONLY WAY" they are showing their lack of imagination.

We always pass this lake on the way into Monterey. It is in a great little park. There is something for everyone including paddle-boats and a large playground called "Dennis the Menace Playground". In fact the granite pedestal that Zoe is standing on in yesterday's photo is part of a series of polished stones that get progressively taller as you walk around the lake.