Horse Pix

More than once I’ve started taking photos of a nice landscape with horse, and more than once the horse hasn’t been able to resist moseying on over to check me out, most likely suspecting that I have apples or other such goodies hidden in my pocket.

Ansel Adams was lucky that his horse was far enough away to preclude moseying. (And luckier yet that the horse wasn't a cow. Horses are much more picturesque.)

Photo(s): Chula—Marin County, 2008

Passover

Passover has its roots in the ancient spring festivals of farmers and shepherds who celebrated the sacred season of rebirth.

The Haggadah, an anonymous book of history, religious and moral instruction and prayer tells the story of Passover and presents the Seder, or ritual order, for the celebration.

The Seder, which keeps alive in us the love of liberty, has a significance for all humankind. Freedom, which is one of our most precious gifts, must not be taken for granted. In every age it must be won anew. The Pharoah of the Exodus is symbolic of the tyrants of their day as well as the tyrants in every era of history.

Photo: Three Lilies—Marin County, 2008

Contact Sheets II

I had talked about contact sheets earlier, here. But, in re-reading, I can see that I presented contact sheets as something archaic, something that one did in the olden times (that is, 10 years ago).

The reality is that, in fact, I continue to create "contact sheets"—virtual contact sheets, I guess you would call them. I select 30 digital files (photos) and print them on a sheet of Epson matte paper, three-hole punch them, and file them in a binder. Up to now, that has been the extent of my digital organizing, so that if I want to find one particular photo, I have to drag out the binders and go through them, trying to remember the approximate date of the photo.

The issue for me now is that I am having a hard time locating photographs to put on my web site. For example, I want to create a separate "Desert" page, analogous to the "Mountains" page, but up to now I haven’t organized photos based on subject matter. I mean, I’ve taken, oh, hundreds of desert pictures . . . but they’re scattered all over the place.
It can be done, I know: the organizing and categorizing of digital photographs . . . but the prospect of actually sitting in front of the computer and creating keywords, ranking systems, etcetera, strikes me as being incredibly tedious.

Yawn.

Photo: Contact Sheet #198

Mountains

OK, four more pix up at the web site: a Mountains page.

Captions, etc still to do.

Also, a "Prints" page as well.

Photo: Road & Snow—Placer County, 2004

New Lens

Well, I have just received the new lens I ordered from B&H: the Olympus high-end 12-60 telephoto. (35mm equivalent: 24-120.)

I’ll have more to say, I’m sure, about it. Used it for the first time yesterday, in Sausalito. (There for my haircut.)

Photo: Fire Truck—Sausalito, 2008

Congressional Order of Merit!

I got an extremely exciting voice mail today. Let me quote:

"Hi Mr. Mundy. My name is Megan Myers with Tom Cole and the National Republican Congressional Committee in Washington. For your role as a business leader in California we wanted to recognize you with our highest honor: the Congressional Order of Merit. I need to speak to you about it as soon as possible." She left an 800#.

Well.

I mean: the friggin’ Congressional Order of Merit!

For a while, anyway, my journey to the Dark Side was almost complete. I haven’t been so excited since the day I received an invitation from Ronald Reagan to be on the 1985 Republican Presidential Task Force!

Alas and alack: Curse you, Google! For I have now learned that this is, unbelievable though it may sound, a scam designed to solicit Republican donations!

Uh-oh. I think that I might just have run out of my daily quota of exclamation points.

The Way of the Geezer: Bishop Pass—Sierra Nevada, 2007

. . . from last year’s camping notes:

8:00 AM—Trailhead. Begin hike. Nice trail . . . shady.
9:45—Long Lake. Been here many times before, but really, no recognition of the place. M&Ms . . . yum.
11:30—12:00 PM—Lunch at the Saddlerock Lake outlet bridge.
2:00—Bishop Pass. Somewhat regretting my decision to push this far today: very tough ascent. In my memory, I had thought that I’d camped at the top of the pass in 1961, but no . . . far too rocky. Will need to descend to Dusy Basin side.
2:45—Camp site! Jeez . . . ended up going way farther than I planned. A "stealth" site, off the trail behind a group of boulders, about 200-300 feet from nearest water source (some frog ponds).
6:35—Sunset.

***

Mike's sleep was very altitude-impaired. Of course: his camp site was over 11,000 feet. Gasping for air, etc. However, he was able to adjust slightly as the night progressed, so decided to continue (at one point he was wondering!)

Photo: Bishop Pass—Sierra Nevada, 2007

. . . from the archives #9: Bishop Pass—Sierra Nevada, 1961

After a family vacation in Yosemite I drove down through Owens Valley to the trailhead at South Lake, just west of the small town of Bishop. I managed to make it up to Bishop Pass and a little bit beyond. My backpacking equipment was very primitive—as I recall, I had no insulation between my sleeping bag and the ground, basically resulting in a sleepless night of tossing and turning.

But I did have a twin-lens reflex with me!

Photo: Bishop Pass—Sierra Nevada, 1961

Legion of Honor

Another four photos on the web site, this time of San Francisco. (Captions still to come.)

This picture was used in San Francisco Rain, a Glen Drive Production publication.

Photo: Legion of Honor—San Francisco, 2001

Web Site (continued)

I’ve been working on my web site, as I said: tweaking, tweaking, tweaking. Since the subtitle for the site (and this blog) is "Photographs by Michael Mundy: San Francisco, Marin County & California," I want to have separate pages for photos taken in, yes, San Francisco, Marin County and California, starting with Marin County.

I’ve decided on four photos per page. Of course, the resolution and design remain a mystery, so that’s hit-and-miss. And then I need to have copyright info on each photo.

Interesting: got a phone call yesterday from a Register.com representative. He said he was responding to my email request for a consultation. I said that I hadn’t sent an email. Anyway, it turns out that my blog post/mini-rant titled "My Web Site" somehow got into the Register.com queue as a request for support!

At least someone is reading the blog.

Photo: Sunset, Mt. Tamalpais—Marin County, 2005

Publications (#5): Cycles

No more sunsets? I think not.
Somewhere in some sylvan spot
The sun will rise, and flowers bloom,
And butterflies will flit and zoom.

A cycle and recycle thing,
One more Autumn, one more Spring.
Another’s orbit, not our own,
Our sun by then a lifeless stone.

Others have ideas, I know,
About what happens when we go.
A thousand virgins? Demons rare?
A fairyland beyond compare?

And others say beyond the tomb
Is nothing but an empty room.
But I—I think that I’ll just wait and see,
And hope for a recycled me.

Excerpt from Cycles by Richard Summers © Glen Drive Productions 2003.

Photo: Irises—Bodie, 2006.

My Web Site

My official web site can be found here.

I have it as part of a one-price-pays-for-x-pages deal with register.com. For a fairly low price, you get a limited choice of pages, colors, fonts, templates etc. Then it's up to you to do what you can with it. Of course, they will gladly sell you their services in designing a better site.

Whatever. I'm not happy with it. The whole thing is a big trial-by-error operation: try one thing, oops, doesn't work, try another, oops, not that great but maybe I can live with it. My current color scheme is the best that I can do, but certainly could be a lot better. Unfortunately, the choices just aren't there.

I first got the site as a vanity thingie, but now I'd like to turn it towards a more commercial direction. I have in mind something like Dave Beckerman's site. The sad thing is that the whole web-building process is, in fact , very complicated. At first I assumed that all I'd have to do would be to read a few books. But since the project would involve selling prints there are a few quirks that would need to exist, mainly, the need for thumbnail pix with a link to bigger pix.

Now my thoughts are going in the direction of paying for a service. Fleeting Light, for example, is a local company that will design a site for you. They designed Alan Ross' site.

Nothing that I'm going to do any time soon, mind you. I'll stick with register.com for a while longer, tweaking, tweaking, tweaking.

. . . from the archives #8: Fritos & Beer—Death Valley Road, 1994

If you travel east out of Big Pine in the Owens Valley you will be heading towards the famous Bristlecone Pines in the White Mountains, a trip full of forests and far-reaching vistas. But before you arrive at the high altitude pines there is another road, a side road that you could take—oh yes, a secret way into Death Valley itself. We knows this road, we took it, long ago it was. (Gollum, gollum.)

Oh, OK, excuse the LOTR imitation. This road—the Death Valley Road—eventually meanders through Eureka Valley, heading south past some spectacular sand dunes to arrive at the main Death Valley highway near Scotty’s Castle. In this photo I’ve stopped at the road’s crest at the start of the Saline Valley Road: time for lunch and a little Fritos & Beer interlude. Not even a single car passed by the whole time I was there; I remained in splendid solitude with my precious Fritos & Beer.

This inaugurated a whole series of Fritos & Beer-themed pix.

Photo: Fritos & Beer—Death Valley Road, 1994

Thematic Considerations II

So I’ve spent some time putting together a little booklet displaying my work, with the opening section titled "Los Angeles & Environs, 1958—2008." As an experiment, I'm going to have the overall dimensions 11x11 inches, so I can use both horizontal and vertical pictures. (So it's taking some time: I'll have to print the pages onto 11x14 paper and then trim to 11x11.)

With those dates, I had to use something from 1958: my Pacific Electric photo, and then something from 2008: my jogger photo. Scattered in-between are various black and white photos from the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s. I also wanted at least two color shots: I picked the one of the Oki Dog and then, the above Mural Painter photo.

The second section of the booklet has selections relating to my published work—quotes from Robinson Jeffers, Gary Snyder, Rebecca Saito and others.

Photo: Mural Painter—Los Angeles, 2006

Thematic Considerations

While waiting in the reception room at Kaiser the other day, I was leafing through my "handout," the little booklet I’ve put together to show my photographs to gallery people, interested parties, or anyone. It’s divided into two sections: "Photographs" and "Limited Editions." The Limited Editions section covers works produced by James Linden (letterpress editions) and Glen Drive Productions (inexpensive, spiral-bound editions.)

The Photographs section, though, is honestly a bit of a jumble. I’ve got landscapes, street scenes, old photos, new photos, black and white and color. As Rebecca Saito has written:

Going through a stack of Mike Mundy’s photos can be somewhat disconcerting. Some of them are color; some are black and white. Photographs of the Oki Dog and Trashy Lingerie in Los Angeles mix with serene autumn colors in Rhode Island. Black and white images of austere mountain landscapes are set against seductive Valentine’s Day mannequins in Macy’s. It seems clear that Mike has never been interested in cultivating a distinctive photographic style.

Well, that’s certainly true. But now I’m wondering. I think that I should, possibly, present a more unified image, at least in my little handout. I’ve been thinking of having, in the Photographs section, just images of Los Angeles (as representing one of my more consistent themes over the past decades.) Maybe "Los Angeles, 1973—2008."

I might just give it a try.

Photo: One Dollar Yard Sale—Los Angeles, 2007

Bobcat

More on the wildlife theme. I saw this bobcat being chased by crows last year in Pinnacles National Monument.

Low light . . . hand-held . . . turned out OK!

At least you can see the bobcat.

Photo: Bobcat—Pinnacles National Monument, 2007

In the Time of the Turkeys

Early Sunday A.M., on my way to the gym.

Yes. It’s The Return of the Turkeys in Fairfax.

Photo: Turkeys—Marin County, 2008

San Francisco Federal Building

Designed by Thom Mayne of Morphosis in Santa Monica. Very intriguing and artsy, with sculptural spaces and subtle details; in the higher floors, vistas of San Francisco. It’s my understanding that it can get very cold in the annex, which is where Social Security is housed.

I worked there (in the annex) for just one week in 2007—the last week of March, to be exact. Not long enough to totally get to know the building, but long enough for me to do my snapshot thing.

Photos: Federal Building, Evening—San Francisco, 2007; Federal Building Interior—San Francisco, 2007

Publications (#4): Camping Stories

First Camping Trip

In 1959 my friend Howard and I left Los Angeles, driving up highway 395 to the Mammoth Lakes area, eventually traveling down a winding, dusty dirt road to the Minaret Falls campground on the banks of the San Joaquin River. He had been there before on a fishing trip, but neither one of us had any high altitude hiking experience. We started out late one morning for a quick (we thought) jaunt to Minaret Lake, only to be beaten back hours later and miles from our goal by the brain-warping ascent. I got out my Argus C3 and snapped Howard as he slumped disconsolately against a tree at the Minaret Mine trail junction.

Photo: Howard, Minaret Lake Trail—Sierra Nevada, 1959

. . . from the archives #7: Man Sweeping—Kyoto, 1965

We’ve been trying to plan for our upcoming (in October) trip to Japan. There are quite a few imponderables! The yen-dollar issue, for one.

And then, trying to plan an itinerary is very difficult. Tokyo, yes. Kyoto, of course. But there should be at least one other place. But which? In addition, there are the difficulties of finding hotels, ryokans, etc.

Discussed some of these issues at last night’s dinner, prepared by Shawna and Maz for John and Dena, Hali and myself, which featured Ohitashi, Albacore Tuna Tataki, Hiyashi-Chuka and an exquisitely rich Vanilla Ginger Crème Brulee. Wow!

My trip to Japan in 1965 was, in large part, financed by U.S. taxpayers. As I recall, I stayed at a small ryokan near the Kyoto train station and located quite close to a pachinko parlor.

Photo: Man Sweeping—Kyoto, 1965

Infiniti G35

My car in Owens Valley. I would think that Infiniti would want this shot for an ad campaign. (Of course I'd have to get rid of the bug stains on the bumper in Photoshop.)

Photo: Infiniti G35—Owens Valley, 2008

Yerba Buena Gardens, San Francisco

Thursday: Lunch in San Francisco with Marilyn, at Mo’s in Yerba Buena Gardens. The view was outstanding, but they’ve inconsiderately planted trees right in front of the balconey, blocking my photo attempts. Had to wander down towards the play area to get the full skyline expanse.

Yerba Buena Gardens is also home to the "historic Charles Looff Carousel." According to the website, "This beautifully hand carved Carousel was built in 1906 and was formerly the Carousel from Playland-at-the-Beach where it ran from 1912 to 1972. In 1998, it was purchased by the City of San Francisco, fully restored and brought to Yerba Buena Gardens."

Photos: Skyline from Yerba Buena Gardens—San Francisco, 2008; Carousel—San Francisco, 2008

L.A. & the Santa Monica Mountains

Hali and I stayed at the Best Western motel just a hop, skip and a jump away from the famous intersection of Pico and Sepulveda. I took a walk in the early morning traffic and took this picture of traffic stopped at, yes, Pico and Sepulveda.

We drove into the Santa Monica Mountains, past Malibu, Zuma and Leo Carillo beaches, turning on a small two-lane road winding up into the foothills, past bicyclists, thence hiking down, down, down through the chaparral, finally reaching a sylvan glade with oaks and sycamores.

Photos: Escape—Los Angeles, 2008; Sycamore—Santa Monica Mountains, 2008

Santa Monica & Malibu

After camping, I picked Hali up at LAX and we drove to the Santa Monica shopping district. The shopping, such as there was, was disappointing. The same dreary things over and over: Sunglass Hut, Banana Republic etc etc ad infinitum. Better was the view overlooking the Pacific: miles of unused early spring beaches, with the lone jogger making an appearance.

Later that evening: an excellent dinner at Providence on Melrose Avenue! (Unbelievable traffic getting there, though.)

Next day, to Malibu and the Getty Villa, reminiscent of San Simeon. We had early reservations, so the "Outer Peristyle" was empty, where I was able to take this panoramic shot.

Photographs: Jogger—Santa Monica, 2008; Outer Peristyle, Getty Villa—Malibu, 2008.

Sunrise—Owens Valley

Mike huddled in his sleeping bag, loathe to challenge the early morning cold outside the tent. But he knew that the first light of sunrise was starting to touch the higher peaks, so he resolutely wriggled out of the bag and into his clothes, popped two handwarmers into his North Face down jacket, unzipped the door and stepped out. He stood facing the Sierra crest, gazing at Lone Pine Peak and Mt. Whitney; then he turned around.

Dark clouds were moving in from the east, tinged red by the rising sun. He stood and stared for a second, then moved to his car, threw the camera in, and took off for the ridge overlooking Owens Valley. Once there, he mounted the camera—an Olympus E-510—on his flimsy—yet sturdy enough—tripod, intermittantly jamming his hands into his pockets and clutching the handwarmers. This photograph consists of three vertical shots, combined in Photoshop.

Photograph: Sunrise—Owens Valley, 2008

Lone Pine Campground (1)

Drove from Marin last Monday to Lone Pine Campground, within view of Mt. Whitney. A very long drive. (Note to self: avoid highway 58 in the future through Bakersfield. In the olden times, I could zip through rural fields; but now, of course: traffic lights, congestion . . . the works, all conspiring against one.) OK, the campground: most of it is closed for the season, but some sites have been left open. I was happy to find one at the end that afforded a degree of privacy.

The campground is located directly below Mt. Whitney, as I said, but actually Lone Pine Peak is more impressive, looming over Owens Valley. I took this picture as the sun was rising over the White Mountains, the light just beginning to strike the Sierra Nevada.

Also in the vicinity are the Alabama Hills, location for several western films. A veritable photographic treasure trove: Ansel Adams, Edward Weston, Alan Ross and Galen Rowell have all worked here. This picture was taken at twilight.

Photos: Sunrise, Lone Pine Peak—Sierra Nevada, 2008; Rocks—Alabama Hills, 2008

Greetings From L.A.

Currently in Los Angeles, and it's hot! Trips to the Getty Villa and the Santa Monica mountains. Pix to follow!

Hiatus

Leaving for a short trip tomorrow . . . Owens Valley, Alabama Hills etc, and then to L.A.

Blogging will be intermittent.

de Young Museum

From the de Young Museum’s website:

What better introduction to spring than dozens of stunning, elaborate floral arrangements displayed in a dramatic museum setting? And what better way to see the de Young than when filled with Bouquets to Art? Enjoy floral exhibits, lectures, lunch, and tea.

I was there! Hali & I parked at the museum and walked over to the San Francisco Conservatory of Flowers, observing a wedding photography session taking place on the steps. Then we met Shawna & Maz for lunch at the museum . . . really very nice. Afterwards we toured the museum, ooh-ing and ah-ing at the flower arrangements.

(Actually, I was mainly looking at the art works themselves. This solitary statue, plenty of fool-the-eye paintings, and . . . an original Charles Sheeler!)

Photos: Wedding Party—San Francisco, 2008, de Young Museum Lobby—San Francisco, 2008, Statue, de Young Museum—San Francisco, 2008

Publications (#3): San Francisco Places (Dance of the Hours)

Late afternoon at Fisherman’s Wharf.

My advice: ignore the crowds and wander around the docks. Listen to the quiet lapping of the Bay against the piers. Search for that transforming moment when the golden evening light slanting through the masts casts its spell and you’re no longer in the frantic fifties but a much earlier, much less hurried, time.

Excerpt from San Francisco Places (Dance of the Hours) by Ronald Sung © Glen Drive Productions 2006.

Photo: Boats, Fisherman’s Wharf—San Francisco, 2005

Low Print Prices

Whoa . . . I'm quoted in one of my "photo sites" blogs, here.

I myself am thinking through a pricing structure for my prints, even as we speak. Have come up with something very theoretical . . . will need to be tested in the harsh light of reality.

Abbotts Lagoon

After I was done hanging my pix, I drove into Point Reyes National Seashore . . . rolling hills, grazing cattle, spring wildflowers. Turning around to come back, I saw this view of Abbotts Lagoon . . . then, frantically looking for a pullout and finding none, stopping right on the road, getting out of the car, snapping the shot and beating a hasty getaway.

Photo: Abbott’s Lagoon—Point Reyes, 2008

Inverness Library

I have a few photos being exhibited at the quaint little library in Inverness.

(The town of Inverness is located in an extremely scenic area adjacent to Point Reyes National Seashore, just off Tomales Bay.) Spent some time yesterday hanging the pix using nylon twine.

Tulelake

A photo taken with the Sony DSC-R1, showing the use of the wide angle option to good effect.

Photo: Tulelake—Modoc County, 2007

Oki Dog

From a review of Oki Dog found on the website Chowhound:

As we stood there talking, I watched the gentleman put 4 hot-dogs split down the middle on the grill, making 8 lengths of hot-dog. I thought to myself, 'Who is all that for??" Then, after a minute or two, he used some tongs to drag up and throw a HUGE portion of something that looked like corned beef on the griddle next to the hot dogs. Again I thought, 'Goodness, who the hell is all that food for??' I even looked around, but we were the only people in the place.

Then, he pulled two ENORMOUS flour tortillas from the refrigerator. He lay them on grill to warm. I started to realize what was about to happen. Ha! If only I knew! When everything was ready, he took each huge tortilla, arranged 4 halves of hot dog in each one, then piled on the 'corned beef.' THEN, he took chili that was cooking unforeseen next the grill and ladled it over everything. (It was Tommy's/Jay Burger type chili.) THEN he took large slices of cheese and put them on top. Finally, as I watched agape, he rolled it all together and gave us each the biggest 'burrito' either of us had ever seen. Hot dogs, chili, cheese, some kind of meat, huge portions of each, all rolled together in an enormous flour tortilla.

I just have to say, this was one of the most amazing, revolting, wonderful, literally heart stopping (cholesterol city), pleasure and heart burn inducing treats I have ever encountered. I am not sure I could ever eat one if I was not slightly toasted. But I will definitely be back.

Alas, Oki Dog was closed in the early AM when I took this photograph.

Photo: Oki Dog—Los Angeles, 2007

. . . from the archives #6: Boulder, Tree—Olmstead Point, 1984

Olmstead Point is a popular scenic viewpoint on the Tioga Road in Yosemite National Park, now of course with its own Wikipedia entry. The granite backbone of the Sierra is in full view here, as are small bonsai-like pines and glacially-placed erratic boulders. This particular arrangement has, I believe, been photographed many times before.

Photo: Boulder, Tree—Olmstead Point, 1984

Sunday

Photo: We’re Open Sunday—San Francisco, 2008

Publications (#2): Rocks & Peaks, Rivers & Streams

Rain falling
Slick surfaced rock glistens
Wiping my glasses I hear
The sound of the water.

Excerpt from Rocks and Peaks, Rivers and Streams by Richard Saunders © Glen Drive Productions 2005.

Photo: Rain on Silver Creek—Pocket Meadow, 2003

San Francisco Evening

Into the city yesterday afternoon for a Meeting with my Publisher. Sold a picture! Arrived slightly early, so I was able to wander around a bit taking advantage of the late afternoon light.

Photos: Reflections—San Francisco, 2008, Market Street, Evening—San Francisco, 2008

Sony DSC-R1

Boulders (White Wolf) - Yosemite  2007

I had the Sony DSC-R1 for a number of months in 2006-2007. What attracted me to it was the large lens—a zoom lens that was the 35mm equivalent of 24-120, and the rotating LCD, of which I’ve spoken before. But it wasn’t long before problems surfaced.

I found that JPG files from the camera were unworkable, very smeared and unpleasant. RAW files were much better, so I used those. Still, I found it odd that I had to write off the use of JPGs.

It was the camera’s weight, however, that became the biggest issue for me over time. And, the R1 was extremely clunky: the weight of the lens meant that the camera pointed down when worn hanging around the neck. Over two pounds of camera with the EVF assembly constantly poking one in the ribs is quickly tiring—at least for me. But I valued it for its 10MP sensor and the ability to compose on the (small) LCD screen. However, once Olympus announced the E-510 SLR I quickly resolved to switch, eventually selling the R1 back to B&H.

The best use that I found for the R1 was on a tripod, as in this shot taken in an oddly mosquito-less White Wolf Campground, Yosemite, June, 2007.

Photo: Tree Trunk & Boulders—Yosemite, 2007

Bridge Viewing

Traveled to San Francisco today for a really nice dim sum brunch with Jenny. (At the "Lucky Fortune" on Geary Blvd.) Topics of discussion: art festivals, festival displays, pricing tactics, snooty gallery owners and, of course, the latest gossip.

Afterwards, I headed out Geary, parked at the Fort Miley parking lot and walked to this overlook. A most unique perspective on the Golden Gate Bridge . . . will have to return.

Photo: Bridge Viewing—San Francisco, 2008

Gandhi

As depicted in the statue at the rear of the Ferry Building, Gandhi appears to be walking, staff in hand, towards the Bay Bridge. While all of the other commuters were scurrying off the just-arrived ferry in the chill morning air of March, there was one commuter who quickly scurried over to the statue, rested his Olympus C-8080 on his wheeled daypack, and took this picture.

Photo: Gandhi, Sunrise—San Francisco, 2006

. . . from the archives #5: Photographers—Yosemite, 1991

As a late Spring storm began to clear I hurried up from my El Portal campsite to the famous Yosemite overlook area, only to find it overrun by photographers. The clouds weren't cooperating and the sun kept trying to break through, frustrating us in our mutual desire to create a fake Ansel Adams.

Photo: Photographers—Yosemite, 1991

Herding Cattle

Traveling though Northern California last year, I came across this cattle drive; the cowboys had stopped traffic so that the cattle could be moved from one pasture to the other. Alas, I was stuck in the line of cars and couldn’t really get a good shot. I managed to make a quick U-turn, come back, and stop right on the highway, taking this shot through the passenger side window. Please note the presence of the working dog, probably some kind of border collie.

Photo: Herding Cattle—Plumas County, 2007

Publications (#1): Notes From My Desert Novel

Out in the dry riverbed I wander through corridors of corroding rocky soil. Randomly halting, I gaze at the clean colored stones under my feet. Pale-shaded, ochre, vermilion and mauve―what was the poet’s phrase? Ah yes, “The infinite sum of particular things." Just a few simple elements: sky, rocks, mountains, the steaming cup in my hand. Can moments like these ever be fully realized? I pause . . . I hesitate. A revelation is just at the edge of things, borne on that dry breeze caressing my skin. I smile and dismiss the half-formed notion of a desert satori.

And yet. The slanting sunbeams pick out discrete objects; boulders and plants glow in the desert splendor. The wind shakes a dried shrub, creating a slight, subliminal rattle.

And yet . . .

—Excerpt from Notes From My Desert Novel by Rebecca Saito, © Glen Drive Productions 2004

Photo: Rocks, Fall Canyon—Death Valley, 2003