Category: California

Yosemite in Black and White

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These were all shot with a Canon Rebel 35mm camera on T Max film.  I have enjoyed going back and experimenting with the old school film and using Paintshop Pro to do in a few minutes that would have taken me days in the darkroom.

Fallen Tree on the Merced River
Yosemite Valley
Big Rock!
Fallen Sequoia
Sierra Nevada Mountains
View From Glacier Point
Half Dome
Rocks and Trees
Merced River
Bridalveil Falls
Yosemite National Park
Half Dome
Yosemite Valley
Half Dome from Glacier Point
Yosemite Valley

Winchester Mystery House

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The Winchester Mystery House, located in San Jose was the last stop on our trip to California, actually we stopped on the way to the San Francisco Airport.  I would not go so far as saying I was disappointed, but the awe and mystery just was not there.

Beautiful Parlor
Beautiful Parlor
Sarah Winchester
Sarah Winchester

So the story goes, Sarah Winchester was the widow of William Wirt Winchester and heiress to his estate.  He died from tuberculosis in 1881.  Sarah felt that her family was cursed, and sought out spiritualists to determine what she should do.  A psychic told her that the Winchester family was cursed by the spirits of all the people who had been killed by the Winchester rifle, and she should move west to build a house for herself and the spirits.  She believed that if construction on the house ever stopped, she would die. … Continue reading

Yosemite National Park

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I have been fortunate to see some amazing things in my life including The Twelve Apostles and the Great Ocean Road in Australia.  I have stood  atop of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and strolled through the crater of an old volcano in Hawaii.  Nothing was as spectacular and beautiful as Yosemite National Park. … Continue reading

California Architecture

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I really was impressed by some of the buildings we saw in and around San Francisco.  It was refreshing from all the cookie cutter architecture I see (and design) on a daily basis in Atlanta.  Unfortunately it costs money to build something different and unique.

Private Residence, Carmel, California
Private Residence, Carmel, California
Century Theaters, San Jose, California
Century Theaters, San Jose, California
Fremont, California
Fremont, California
Fremont, California
Wendy’s, Fremont, California
Shell Station, Fremont, California
Shell Station, Fremont, California
Restaurant, Fisherman’s Wharf, San Francisco
Restaurant, Fisherman’s Wharf, San Francisco
San Francisco, California
Century Theaters, Fremont, California
Private Residence, Carmel, California

Sequoiadendron Giganteum

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Sequoiadendron Giganteum or Giant Sequoia are absolutely indescribable.  They are similar to the giant redwoods at Muir Woods.

These are located in the Mariposa Grove at Yosemite National Park in California.  The pictures do not do these giants justice as to how large they actually are.   Being in the grove is stunning and just beautiful and very surreal.

We paid $25 each for an hour and a half guided tour on a tram which was well worth the money.  You can hike through the grove but it is several thousand feet in elevation change.

Rocks at the Mariposa Grove
Mariposa Grove at Yosemite National Park
Giant Sequoias
Museum at the Mariposa Grove
Inside a Giant Sequoia
Clothespin Tree at Mariposa Grove
Jennifer and I

California Dreaming (Day 4)

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I was up early on our fourth day, my day, a bucket list day. Growing up I became a Beach Boys fan, not just Surfin USA and Help Me Rhonda, but the great harmonies of the late sixties and early seventies like Trader and California Saga. They sang about John Steinbeck and places like Salinas,… Continue reading California Dreaming (Day 4)

Pebble Beach

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Every where we went in California the terrain, vegetation, trees and landscapes were all different and Pebble Beach was no different.  They even have their own tree which only found there called the Monterey Cypress.

Pebble Beach is not just a golf course but a rather large private community that  you pay $10 for the privilege to drive through…worth every penny.

14th Hole, Monterey Peninsula Golf & Country Club, Pebble Beach, California
Monterey Peninsula Golf & Country Club, Pebble Beach, California
Cobblestone Beach, Pebble Beach, California
Entrance to Spanish Bay
Entrance to Pebble Beach
Cobblestone Beach
Rocky Shoreline
Rocky Shoreline at Pebble Beach
Cypress Trees at Pebble Beach
Fishing off Pebble Beach
Pebble Beach
Cypress Meets The Ocean: Pebble Beach, California
The Lone Cypress

Pacific Coast Highway – Road to Big Sur

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This was the highlight of my solo day trip to Big Sur, where the mountains meet the ocean.   It was a chore staying on the road and trying to catch all the beautiful scenery. So many scenic points, so little time!!

Heading Inland Towards Big Sur
Big Sur Mountains
Pacific Coast Highway
Lunch in Big Sur
Secluded Beach on Pacific Ocean
Bridge
Pacific Coast Highway
Vegetation along the Pacific Coast Highway
Beaches Long the Pacific Coast Highway
Pacific Coast Highway
Point Sur Lightstation on the Right