I have always loved how palm trees line Benicia’s First Street and especially love how they look at night lit up with twinkly white lights. After photographing sunset there a couple weeks ago, I took a moment to take some photos looking up at the palm fronds.
The below image started as an in-camera multiple exposure- and then I went a little crazy . . .
Does this scene look familiar to you?
That’s right- it’s the Carquinez Bridge as photographed from the Benicia waterfront! After our trip to Alaska last month, we were in the SF Bay Area for two days on business. I had a wonderful reunion with some of my teacher friends, and then came back later for sunset photography. The Benicia waterfront was one of my favorite photography haunts from the beginning of my photography journey, and I miss it! I know I was shooting some of the scenes I have shot many, many times- but couldn’t help myself.
Here is a different take on a familiar view- the sunset and bridge shot through the waterfront fence.
I’ve moved to Arizona and love it, but I still miss my friends and the beautiful Benicia waterfront.
One of the highlights of our recent trip to Alaska was taking the tram up the mountain at the Alyeska Ski Resort, where our daughter’s family skis. They are all accomplished skiers, but the thought of those little guys up on the steep ski runs at the top strikes terror into this grandmother’s heart! BTW, those are glaciers on the nearby peaks!
When we were visiting Talkeetna, Alaska, we kept hearing a motor over our heads. We looked up to see this guy with a very loud motor powered paraglider (is that what it’s called?) going back and forth over the downtown and river areas. It looks peaceful (and fun!) in this photo- but it was very LOUD.
We stopped at a pullout to walk down to the water after we crossed this bridge in Alaska. I was standing there taking photos when another truck pulled onto the gravel- and then surprised me by continuing on through the water to the other side. I started photographing the now distorted reflections – but then along came another truck. Time to leave!
Spotted in Talkeetna, Alaska
Yes- it really is this pretty- everywhere you go, everywhere you look! Mountains, glaciers, water, flowers- Alaska is beautiful!
This was taken at the Eagle River Nature Center.
Here are the two main reasons we visit Alaska:
Miles at age 9: bookworm, lego-builder, adventurous skier and mountain biker
Henry at age 6: friend to all, gardener, adventurous skier and mountain biker
These two grow and change so fast- we don’t want to miss a thing!
We’ve just returned from a two week trip, which included a week in Alaska with our daughter, son-in-law, and grand-boys, a quick couple days in the Bay Area for business, and then a few days in Orange County to celebrate our son’s 40th birthday. It was a wonderful trip, but I’m glad to not be living out of a suitcase right now (although we leave Wednesday for a couple nights in Utah). I also came home with a determination to pack lighter and to look for lightweight luggage with spinner wheels!
I have almost 2500 photos to go through- mostly Alaska, but the last 450 are of a surfing competition in Huntington Beach (one of my most fun photography experiences ever!). No, I definitely did not have the right lens to photograph surfing, but my Nikon autofocus system performed admirably, considering the limited reach I had with my 24-120 f/4.
The view above is from my daughter’s deck in Alaska. I will be posting more photos over the next few weeks as I get them processed.
I found this little store across from the beach in Newport very charming. I had an idea of replacing the background with the beach and oceans- and still might someday- but here it is in its (almost) natural surroundings.
The morning we left, we took a quick walk on the beach, and I must have taken at least 20 photos of a man and his mother as they came walking toward me. I think he thought I was stalking them, but what I really liked was the composition of the S-curve in the sand (and gull) with the dog walker in the background. A peaceful scene!
Blast from the past- the sun going down in Alaska.
The views go on forever!
Yes, it’s an outhouse!
When we were coming back from Payson a couple weeks ago, we stopped at the town of Strawberry to view the oldest standing schoolhouse in Arizona- the Strawberry Schoolhouse. It wasn’t open, but I took photos from the outside and probably took as many photos of the outhouse as I did of the schoolhouse itself.
I offer no apologies.
Since we couldn’t get down to the bottom of the Tonto Natural Bridge, I took photos looking down at the other side of the bridge.
It’s hard to see at first how massive it is- until you notice the trees growing at the top!
melinda anderson photography 