There were some newcomers to the waterfront- at least new since the last time we visited!
I had seen (and photographed) pelicans flying over the Benicia Bridge before, but never actually saw any down at the water. On this visit, we saw them on the Martinez side and the Benicia side of the bridge. Fun!
Last week, I accompanied my husband on a spur-of-the-moment (for me anyway) road trip to the Bay Area. We took two days to drive each way- and were only there two days- but we managed to pack a LOT in! We stayed in a hotel in Benicia for the first two nights, and then drove over to Petaluma for the second day, staying with friends for some R&R after Lonnie’s meeting. We somehow managed to pack in get-togethers with most of our good friends during this short time with only a few days notice- amazing!
Here’s the morning fog rolling in over the Carquinez Bridge- a sight I have photographed many times over the years. So great to see it again- I do miss the waterfront!
Yesterday I went with some photography friends and my friend, Debbie (not a photographer, but definitely an artist) to a very unique spot called Eliphante, located in Cornville, near Sedona. It was once the home of an artist couple, who created art which evolved on the land where they lived. It is now a private museum, which is only open to the public by appointment.
We had to meet one of the live-in caretakers/guides and then walk on rocks across a creek to get there. Eliphante is hard to describe- but the words, Hobbit and Through the Looking Glass are what came to my mind.
One of the structures we explored:
My friend, Gail, taking photos inside this one:
Debbie went through the tunnel ahead of me to get inside this building:
So here I am- through the looking glass!
Aaaah- those colorful Tucson barrio doors! It was images like these that made me want to explore this area with my camera!
Even though we only spent two full days there, I still have Tucson photos to share! Here are two views of the foothills of the Santa Catalina Mountains taken from the balcony of our hotel room.
Double rainbow and rain!
Sunset
One of the areas we enjoyed the most at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum was the aviary- mostly because of the hummingbirds. As we wandered around the paths, we were able to catch glimpses of many of these cute little guys.
Probably the highlight for me of our trip to Tucson (beyond lying by the pool and having guacamole with every meal) was seeing the Sonoran Desert. I now get why people love the desert. The landscape there is different from what we’ve seen around Phoenix and definitely not like the high desert climate we live in- it is BEAUTIFUL and full of life. I would love to go back and see more.
This view is from when we stopped the car on the way to the museum.
This is the view next to the museum.
I can only imagine what this looks like at sunrise or sunset (these were around noon. . . and it was SO HOT! ). Beautiful country!
And this one is for Miles, my fellow lover of “old, falling apart things”.
When we visited the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum in Tucson, the hills in the distance looked like layers of tissue paper.
Framing fun using the new Rule of Thirds Blend kit from Photomorphis!
Since we moved to Arizona, I’ve wanted to visit Tucson’s famous Barrio Viejo, the historic district of quaint and VIBRANT old adobe buildings. We managed set aside a morning out of our anniversary trip last week to stroll through the area and take photos- MANY photos. You will be seeing many more photos like the ones in this diptych in future posts!
Nine miles south of Tucson, on the Tohono O’odham reservation sits the beautiful Mission San Xavier del Bac, an incredible structure constructed in 1797, with the mission itself dating back to 1692. It is undergoing repair and reconstruction, as you can see from the photos.
I had to wait patiently for tourists to move so that I could have a clear view of the building. It amused me how people would walk toward me and my tripod, looking straight at me and then turn, still standing in front of me, and take cell phone photos. I started thinking about how to clone them out in post processing. Finally, I took some shots with only a few people in the photo, and we went inside to tour the building.
When we came out, Lonnie noticed that the front of the building was clear, so I raced back to the car to get my tripod and set up again.
I like the photo below too, because of the foursome walking toward the mission.
The image below has the completed tower in the foreground, the incomplete behind. Edited with Topaz Simplify and Flypaper textures.
I’ve just returned from a wonderful, quick midweek getaway to Tucson, where we celebrated our 44th anniversary at a beautiful resort. We did a couple excursions in the mornings and then spent the afternoons relaxing by the pool- my kind of vacation! I always say (correctly so) that I am not a landscape photographer- I don’t have all the best gear, I hate to use my tripod out in public, and I don’t like getting up early to get the best light! But recently it dawned on me that, when I travel, I always take landscape photographs anyway- usually without a tripod and never in good light- even though I KNOW BETTER. I decided that on this trip I would take my tripod and perhaps even use it in public if appropriate. Since we had a view from our hotel room of the mountains, I decided to get up early one morning and do it right. The night before, I put the camera on the tripod, attached the cable release, and adjusted the settings. I set my alarm and got up well before the sun came up; I haven’t counted the photos but I clicked that cable release many, MANY times over the course of an hour. I really like how the rays of the early morning sun peek up over the horizon in this image.
I also took my tripod along when visiting the Mission San Xavier del Bac- but you’ll have to wait for those photos!
My wonderful son-in-law drove me and my sweet and very patient family through a section of Yellowstone to see some beautiful country- and mostly so I could take some photographs. Although it was midday and therefore not the best light, the sky full of white puffy clouds made a beautiful backdrop- and there were wildflowers everywhere!
These were all taken on Blacktail Road. The Gallatins were behind us; the predominant mountain is Electric Peak.
Several times over the last few years, we’ve seen owl babies in a huge nest waaaaay up high in a tree by the Visitor’s Center at Mammoth in Yellowstone. When I’ve photographed them, the images were never sharp, because they were too far away. We came later this year, after the owl babies had already fledged, so I didn’t think we’d be able to see any. However, the babies were still in the area, and one evening, I managed to get photos of this guy on the roof of one of the residences near our daughter’s. Despite being a juvenile, he still has the fierce, don’t mess with me look of his mother!
melinda anderson photography 