Yosemite 2 - Dead Trees

Dead Trees - Yosemite  2023

I first noticed large amounts of dead trees in 2016. It's not totally clear to me if the trees pictured here are damaged due to fire or beetles. 

Yosemite 1 - Entrance Station / Siesta Lake

Trees, Entrance Station - Yosemite  2023

Siesta Lake - Yosemite  2023

Yikes . . . the Old Priest Road cutoff was closed! So I had to take the truck route up to Groveland, thus adding at least another 20 minutes to the drive.

After a bit, I arrived at the Yosemite Entrance Station, where I stopped to use the bathroom. I peeked around the official structures at the surrounding forest and managed some photos. Nicely overcast!

Then, after turning left at the gas station towards Tioga Pass I continued to gain elevation with a photo stop at Siesta Lake just before driving past the White Wolf Campground. 

Driving through Yosemite

Horse Training - Tuolumne County  2023

Lake Don Pedro - Tuolumne County  2023

I wanted to spend a few days in the area around Bishop in the Owens Valley last October . . . hiking, taking pix etcetera. I followed the usual route on highway 120, stopping to take some photos here and there. Of course, one of the must-visit scenic views was the one of beautiful Lake Don Pedro. (Compare to 2015 photo.)

Monday Butterfly & Moth Blogging

Butterfly (Fairfax) - Marin County  2023

Moth (Fairfax) - Marin County  2023

iPhone photos.

“What are these beautiful creatures recently seen all over West Marin? These white-lined sphinx moths (Hyles lineata) are often mistaken for hummingbirds as they hover over thistles and other flowers and slurp the nectar. Their bodies and wingspans are up to 3.5 inches long,” the park said in a social media post.

Seen before in Japan, but this is the first time I've seen one here.

San Bruno Sightems

Gas Station (San Bruno) - San Mateo County  2023

Mazra Dinner (San Bruno_ - San Mateo County  2023

We stayed in a hotel in San Bruno overnight so that Hali could get an extremely early SFO flight. As a nice benefit we were able to have dinner at Mazra. Quite good! 

Enigmatic Sign

Have A Good (San Rafael) - Marin County  2023

Taken during a walk I was taking while I was having the Toyota serviced. 

Loma Alta Sightems

Fence - Marin County  2023

Mt. Tamalpais - Marin County  2023

I used this September hike up Loma Alta as a kind of training exercise for a planned October Sierra Nevada hike. Made it to the top without too much difficulty, although I've decided that carrying the Nikon Z5 with the 24-200mm lens attached is too unwieldy. OK going down, but too clunky going up.

Thanksgiving Turkey Blogging

Turkey on Fence (Lake Lagunitas) - Marin County  2023

Turkeys (Lake Lagunitas) - Marin County  2023

Taken last August using a Nikon Z5.

Berkeley Sightems

Maple Leaves, Shed - Berkeley  2023

Objects on Shelf - Berkeley   2023

Margaret is the one selecting and placing the objects, I believe. Below, a bonus photo of Cloudy, seen multiple times before on the blog. Photos taken last July.

Cloudy - Berkeley  2023

de Young Museum

Museum Courtyard, Self-Portrait - San Francisco  2023

Ansel Adams Exhibit - San Francisco  2023

Two more museum photos.

Monday Goat Blogging

Goats on Hillside (Fairfax) - Marin County  2023

Goats (Fairfax) - Marin County  2023

Clearing the underbrush - late July going into August. This year there were some sheep as well.

Adams, Wiley Art Exhibits

Museum Hall - San Francisco  2023

 

Wiley Painting - San Francisco  2023

Last July: after meeting Margaret at the REI parking lot in Marin we drove over to the de Young museum in San Francisco. There were two large exhibits going on at the time: Kehinde Wiley: An Archaeology of Silence, and Ansel Adams in Our Time. 

The Adams exhibit required timed reservations. It was quite crowded, and the purpose of the exhibit was not very clear. I've seen better Adams exhibits in the past, to be honest.

The Wiley exhibit was compelling enough, I guess. I was somehow more interested in the economics of the show versus any artistic merit it might have. The paintings were quite large, and since I've had some experience in framing my photos, I kept wondering just how much money the basic raw materials for the pieces cost. Margaret didn't seem to be interested in this particular topic though.

I'm posting a photo of the official explainer below. You know it's official 'cause of its nice use of museum-talk: "cites and subverts this centuries-old process," "deconstructs this chain of associations," "equating light with divinity attributes moral value to color." K.

Wiley Museum Explainer - San Francisco  2023

San Francisco Sightems

Footprints - San Francisco  2023

Tight Quarters - San Francisco  2023

Walking back to our car after a family dinner at a local Vietnamese restaurant.

Oak Branches

Oak Branches (vertical) - Marin County  2023

Oak Branches (horizontal) - Marin County  2023

Photos taken with an Olympus E-M1II and a 14-150mm zoom lens.

Mist / Reeds (Lake Lagunitas - September, 2023)

Mist (Lake Lagunitas) - Marin County  2023

Reeds (Lake Lagunitas) - Marin County  2023

Photos taken using a Nikon Z5 and 24-200mm lens.

Mount Tamalpais (Lake Lagunitas - September, 2023)

Mt. Tamalpais, Sunrise (Lake Lagunitas) - Marin County  2023

Nice viewpoint just off Sky Oaks road in Marin County's Water District. Top photo taken later in the month, bottom one towards the beginning.

Mt. Tamalpais (Lake Lagunitas) - Marin County  2023

Reeds, Reflections (Lake Lagunitas - August, 2023)

Reeds, Lake (Lake Lagunitas) - Marin County  2023

Reeds, Reflections (Lake Lagunitas) - Marin County  2023

I have a lot of these reed photos. (I call all water plants "reeds" just as I call all desert plants "sage.")

Reeds, Reflections (Lake Lagunitas) - Marin County  2023

                                                                

Monday Heron Blogging

Heron (Lake Lagunitas) - Marin County  2023

Heron was sure it was completely camouflaged. But not from the penetrating Nikon lens.

Below: bonus chipmunk photo. Don't see that many of them in Marin.

Chipmunk (Lake Lagunitas) - Marin County  2023

Redwoods / Oak, Lake (Lake Lagunitas - August, 2023)

Redwoods, Sunlight (Lake Lagunitas) - Marin County  2023

Oak, Lake, Reflections (Lake Lagunitas) - Marin County  2023

Photos taken as the sun was starting to peek over the hills to the east.

San Bruno

Airplane (San Bruno) - San Mateo County  2023

Pedestrian (San Bruno) - San Mateo County  2023

Hali's flight back from Eugene was significantly delayed, so I was able to spend some time wandering around San Bruno - a small town adjacent to SFO. 

Buddhist Statue (San Bruno) - San Mateo County  2023

Madrone (Lake Lagunitas - August, 2023)

Madrone Branch (Lake Lagunitas) - Marin County  2023

Madrone, Oak (Lake Lagunitas) - Marin County  2023

I think these were taken when I was hiking the Pilot Knob loop.

Mt Diablo (Lake Lagunitas - August, 2023)

Mt. Diablo from Sky Oaks Road - Marin County  2023

Taken from an overlook while on the way to my regular Lake Lagunitas hike. I used a Nikon Z5 with a 24-200mm lens.

Fern / Ripples (Lake Lagunitas - July, 2023)

Fern (Lake Lagunitas) - Marin County  2023

Ripples, Reflections (Lake Lagunitas) - Marin County  2023

Posting our 2023 Japan trip photos used up most of the blog entries for the July-September quarter. So I'm doing a little bit of catch up for some Lake Lagunitas photos.

. . . from the archives #105: Yuccas - 1973

Yucca #1 - San Gabriel Mountains  1973

Yucca #2 - San Gabriel Mountains  1973

I remember taking the bottom photo as I was driving up the road from Azusa to the Angeles Crest Highway. Not sure about the vertical photo on top.

Monday Dog 'n Lizard Blogging

Dog (Fairfax) - Marin County  2023

Lizard (Fairfax) - Marin County  2023

Top photo taken while I was waiting in line for my Sunday morning coffee.

Bottom one taken while we were on one of our Fitbit hourly walks.

iPhone 12 photos.