Amy reminds us that “When winter melts away, spring brings a new beginning; colors begin to awaken under the warm sunlight, April showers, and gentle wind.” So our theme for this week is “Colorful April”.
Tulips abound at Crystal Hermitage Garden. It has been some time since I visited. This used to be an annual visit. Darn CoVid 19 gets in the way. Such a peaceful place set in “Gold Country”.
Colorful tulip path
Another place I used to visit was Daffodil Hill in Amador County. Its popularity caused this traditional Spring shoot to close. About six years ago I visited during a cloudy weekday. The daffodils provided a backdrop for the Seeing Eye puppy Labrador retrievers out for a day with their puppy raisers. The
These puppies have no problem posing!
2019 was the last year this family opened up this “gem” to the public. Hidden away the roads were not equiped to handle the traffic.
The last flower of the spring that I just love to photograph is the California poppy. Last weekend some friends headed up to search for a field of orange. Found these beauties in flower pots in Sutter Creek, and not in the wild as I had hoped.
California poppies showing off their bright orange color.
Spring has sprung here in Northern California. I would just love this mild enjoyable weather to stick around for a while!
“Natural light photography uses the sun as a light source. The available light from the sun varies with the time of day. A sunny day provides full illumination, while an overcast day may afford texture and nuance to a photographer.” — Annie Leibovitz
For this theme, Amywould like to share photos of changing light throughout the day in different parts of the world.
Different parts of the day are something I can relate to. Different parts of the world are harder for me. My days of travel occurs when I was in high school. My father, a civil engineer, was working in Karachi, Pakistan. After a few months, the whole family joined him there. I attended Karachi American School (KAS) for two years. I visited London, England; Delhi, India; Katmandu, Nepal; Bangkok, Thailand; Hong Kong; Israel; Rome, Italy; Paris, France; Madrid, Spain; and The Netherlands. I returned home to New York for my senior year and my travels stopped. I did visit Niagra Falls, Canada for my first anniversary. About 3 years ago my husband and I got passports, and then life happened. So no travel photos from me.
I thought this challenge would be an easy one. My photographs are carefully cataloged in Lightroom. I can find my sunrise and sunset images. But looking over my catalog I am reminded of all the beauty I have captured, and all the times I spent with my friends and family. I am grateful for this.
Sunrise
I am not usually an early morning person. Though once I am up I appreciate the stillness I feel as the sun fills the sky.
Mono Lake at sunrise.
Visiting Sedona, Arizona my brother and I woke up early to catch the sunrise, and beat the blazing heat in August. Quiet and peaceful time.
Sunset
My sunsets demonstrate variety. I like being near the ocean. Originally, from New York and now living in California most of my sunsets are reflected on water.
Golden Gate Bridge as the sun goes down.
San Fransisco Bay Bridge
Yosemite National Park – El Capitan
Driving away from Mount Diablo the light fell just perfectly on this farm setting. The “Golden” hour.
Maui Sunset
Images from around Sacramento, and Yolo County, Ca.
Dramatic End of the day
Lightning strikes along the Sacramento River in downtown Sacramento, Ca.
Light makes such a difference in creating an image. Do you have a favorite time of day to take in the world?
Patti says, “For this week’sLens-Artists Photo Challenge #136, we’re circling back to the alphabet. This time, we’re going to focus on the letter S. What images can you find that feature a subject that begins with the letter S? Here are some ideas to get you started.”
My friends and I visit sunflower fields in Yolo County.
Shadows on my Sunflower!
In Sacramento, there is the Museum of Medical History. An interesting place to visit when it reopens after CoVid. So my first letter S is for Skeleton with its funny sign.
Is this the result of too much touching?
So many things that shout out to me, “Pick me! I start with the letter S!”
Smilie Face Cookie
Shadow Friends
Sunset on Tower Bridge
Sailboat
Shadow on a leaf
Another Skeleton
Variety is the Spice of Life!
Silverware
Staircase
Smiling
Silly Signs
Swimming
Singing
Did I really need to caption these photos? Could you guess my S word?
Among the many problems created by the pandemic is the under socialization of my puppy. My nine-month wait coincided with CoVid 19. Born on February 7th he arrived home just after society was shutting down. Governor Newsom declared a stay at home order in mid-March. We picked up Charlie at 7 weeks rather than chance not being about to make the 2-hour drive to Orland, Ca, and Serenity Springs Labradoodles.
So instead of allowing Charlie to have many social interactions during this critical puppy period, we were busy having our groceries picked up through e-cart, and sanitizing them before bringing them into the home. No one knew what we were up against. Social interactions consisted of listening to Amy teach us on Zoom. Charlie would sit next to my computer and together we learned. Amy’s voice and treats were our first classroom at Baxter & Bella online training. As more was known about CoVid 19 I reached out to my friend Carly and a few months ago we went to our first in-person training with other under-socialized puppies.
Nearing one year of age, Charlie now attends class with the “gifted” pups training to be CCI (Canine Companions for Independence) dogs. Sometimes this works, and sometimes not so much. Skateboarders, cyclists, and motorcycles are triggers (Puppy training language). He was so alert last week, that when I asked for a paw he followed the instruction with his eyes on the road. It was funny to watch but frustrating to teach. In this new 6 feet separation society when you take dogs in public you may not want to let anyone pet your dog. So to be polite, you can say, “Please don’t pet my dog, but if you want he can wave to you.” Giving a paw is the first step in teaching dogs to wave. Good adaptation for the pandemic. Right?
Being anxious is detrimental to learning. To desensitize Charlie I decided to park in front of a store and let him watch the world around him. He feels safe in the car. I give him treats when he is calm. I listened to an NPR interview with Alexandra Horowitz, a cognitive scientist. Her research specialty is dog cognition. I have since downloaded one of her audiobooks to take with us. A perfect soundtrack for people watching from the car. While we watch I capture some images with my Fuji x100f. I like this camera for street shooting.
Next time I will park right in front of entrance!
Looking in to the store.
Reading while walking.
Charlie, the ghost dog!
Last weekend my friends planned to walk the Johnny Cash Trail outside of Folsom Prison. Since my focus has been on Charlie I decided to take him with me. I brought my Fuji x100f to simplify the photo walk. This was a real test. I met the group in a shopping mall parking lot next to very busy, fast-moving street traffic. He was doing well considering the noise.
Right outside the razor-wired fence of Folsom Prison.
Group planning doesn’t always work out, so I decided to pass on the trail, and went in search of a nature trail. The Miner’s Ravine Nature Preserve parking lot was 1 1/2 miles down the road.
Came across this interesting tree. Such an expression What does it say to you?
Gave Charlie the command, “Wait!” He allowed me to take my photograph.
Raised manhole cover ahead. My friend Anne sees something else.
Charlie walks around the manhole cover.
I took this photo after our walk. I think the nature preserve was on the side that we did not visit. Or else Charlie did not pay attention to the sign. That’s my story and I am sticking to it!
Charlie relaxed, and when I asked him to wait, he allowed me to capture some images. This was a win-win situation.
He always recognizes our car, and is happy to jump in!
I plan to make a point to take Charlie out with me daily. After all, someday we all will not be homebound. I hope!
A Photo's Worth 