Monday, June 3, 2019
Mission San Antonio de Padua IR

One of the beautiful California Missions, San Antonio de Pauda is a little off the beaten path compared to some of its peers. But it's well worth the 26 mile drive off the 101 just south of the Monterey peninsula. As with all of the missions, the architecture is beautiful and there are countless opportunities to learn about California's history. This particular day was beautiful and warm, a great day to get some infrared shots that nicely show off the architecture of the main archways, which are not covered in mud plaster. So you can appreciate the beautiful craftsmanship.

Sunday, August 31, 2014
Heaven and Earth

Every evening as we go about our lives there is an amazing ballet going on above our heads. Most of us are too busy to think about it. But if you take some time to get away from the brighter lights of the city you can see some spectacular things just by looking up. This is the the beautiful Santa Barbara Greek Orthodox Church, under the equally beautiful Milky Way Galaxy. The Galaxy we call home. If you think of all those stars at night that you usually see from any location, they are in general just our local neighbors in a small part of the Milky Way. All the visible stars you can make out with your naked eye in every direction from the earth (anywhere between five to ten thousand stars give or take) only comprise a tiny fraction of the stars in the Milky Way. That glowing band however, is made up of individual stars so numerous that they appear to be a continuous cloud of light to the unaided eye. Estimates put it from one to four hundred billion stars. There are absolutely wondrous and beautiful things all around us!

Sunday, May 4, 2014
La Purisima Mission Bells

This week I visited La Purisima mission. If you havent been there in a while it's a great place to visit. They are always working on some creative example of how life must have been for the inhabitants of the mission. If you wander behind the main building of the mission, where this shot was taken you'll actually find some displays of the mission store, a spot where people working and visiting the mission could trade their goods. And a mill where you can get up close to a mill stone that looks like it's ready to grind flour. All it needs are the burros. Of course don't ask the guys out front, them and their beautiful Ox friend are retired. They just spend time entertaining the visitors and absorbing as much love as they can.

Friday, March 21, 2014
Courthouse Bell Morning Light Wide

Morning light on the Santa Barbara County Courthouse Bell

Monday, August 19, 2013
Evening at Mount Carmel

One of my favorite local landmarks, Our Lady of Mount Carmel church in Montecito. There are many well known sights to see in Santa Barbara, but this is one of the little local gems that is more tucked away off the beaten path.

Thursday, April 5, 2012
Mission San Miguel Bell Tower

View of the bells at the Mission San Miguel. The red tiles in the foreground are on the top of the low wall that surrounds the mission. As with many of the California Missions, this mission has had a troubled life. But the people who care for it now are doing an excellent job restoring it to the thing of beauty it deserves to be. The Mission San Miguel is California Historical Landmark No. 326.

Sunday, March 11, 2012
Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church Sanctuary

This is an iconic little church out in Montecito, California. It's image has popped up everywhere from album covers to advertising according to the nice people in the office. It is a wonderful example of south-western architecture. It seems like it would not be out of place in the middle of the desert, or southern Mexico somewhere.

Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Mission Carmel Bell Tower

This is from the inner courtyard at the Carmel Mission. I believe the tree with the white blossoms is a Flowering Pear Tree. This is thier time of year. There are some around here that are pure white with so many blossoms you can't see their leaves.

Monday, April 24, 2006
Bells of the Valley

This was a beautiful little flower we found during a recent walk. It did not last long though, the next time we went back it was gone. Luckily I have a good way to save it.   :-D

Monday, February 20, 2006
Pink Bells

Not sure exactly what kind of flower it is. (This is one of the rare times that the Internet has let me down!) But I like it... the flower that is... not the Internet... well I like that too, but you know what I mean! :-D

Yes, as a matter of fact I am posting very late at night and I am past ready for sleep!

Friday, July 15, 2005
Bells at Mission Santa Inéz

This is the bell tower from inside the mission grounds.

Tuesday, July 12, 2005
La Purisima Mission Bell

This was taken the first day experimenting with a new present, a polarizing filter. It made the sky much more intense.

There is a never-ending supply of wonderful subjects at the California missions.

Friday, July 1, 2005
Santa Barbara Sunset

This is a little different angle on an image from a couple weeks ago. Santa Barbara's business area was virtually flattened by a 6.3 earthquake in 1925. When they rebuilt, they took the opportunity to enforce a strict "Spanish style" building code. It has made for a really nice feel to the downtown area to this day.

Saturday, June 18, 2005
Courthouse Bell

I have a customer that was looking for images of the Courthouse for her father for Father's day. I have a few that I pulled out to make prints for her for this weekend.

But, as I was driving home yesterday evening, the colors of the sunset were particularly golden from the residual "June Gloom" in the air.

So I stopped by the courthouse and got a few nice images of which, this one is my favorite. It is a different angle on a highly recognizable building, and I will be interested to find out how many people realized it even had an exposed bell!

Friday, June 17, 2005
The First Mission

Statue of the founder of this and eight other California missions, Father Junipero Serra. This is the first of twenty-one missions.

• More informaion about Mission San Diego de Alcalá