Cabernet Sauvignon

What are we looking at here? Hint: this image is not the result of special effects. If it were, I'd have posted it on Pixelmeister.

Yosemite National Park Day 2

On Sunday, we returned to the park with the benefit of the previous day's experiences. Having already visited all the major attractions, this afforded the opportunity to take focus more on some perhaps less noticed vistas.


A stream bed reveals a spectrum of color.


Standing atop a handicapped parking sign, this bird looked around expectantly as it made a series of unusual sounds. We surmised it was performing for a handout, as many tourists feed the animals, despite park rules to the contrary.


North Dome.


A wider shot of North Dome, its reflection visible in the creek.


A coyote rests near a roadside pull-out.


Yosemite Overview. Seen from a high mountain vista point just before going into through a tunnel on the way out of the park.


A view toward the San Joaquin Valley from about 6000' elevation on the road out.

Yosemite National Park

In all the years I lived in California, I never visited Yosemite. Now, over six years after moving, finally I have seen the place. It's beautiful indeed; if perhaps a little more developed than I'd like (of necessity, but still). For some reason I expected it to be larger than it actually is. Some of the roads are closed for repairs, making the traffic pattern somewhat disconcerting. It's clear that it would be necessary to return at other times of the year in order to fully experience all its moods.

As one of the most photographed sites in the world, Yosemite doesn't offer many opportunities for unique vistas. At every location could be found crowds of photographers lined up as if to cover a news conference, with equipment of all descriptions ranging from cell-phone cameras, to disposable 35mm snapshot cameras, consumer digital cameras, up through the very high-end equipment. At any given moment, hundreds if not thousands of exposures are being recorded of the main attractions. I had no choice but to try my hand at it, but little chance of producing anything unique or outstanding. I did seek out what I considered to be unusual angles in the hope of producing at least a few images not heavily duplicated.

Here are some highlights from a Saturday spent getting to know the place a little.

Majestic El Capitan, standing guard over the park, invites us in.

El Capitan in the morning light looms above the trees.


El Capitan reflected in a partially frozen pool along a creek. The frozen bank of the creek roughly traces the contours of the mountain.


Evening rolls around. El Capitan in the warmer pre-sunset glow, beams proud before its illumination begins to fade.


Bridal Veil Fall. This time of year, little light is available. What appear to be deposits of snow probably result from the waterfall's own spray freezing as it falls to the ground nearby.


Heckel & Jeckel.


Yosemite Falls.


Rusty Mirror Lake.


Half Dome in the sunset glow.

If you haven't been to Yosemite, the following picture snapped from a commercial flight in late March of 2006 may help to explain the relative positions of the popular sites. I've highlighted a number of sites and annotated them. If I manage to get a better shot in the future, I'll replace it here. Please click the image for a larger view.


Aerial view of Yosemite National Park from a commercial flight.

Volcanos in White

Mount St. Helens.


Mt. Hood in the sunrise glow.

A Bright, Sunny Winter Afternoon in Seattle

A ferry from Bremerton crosses Elliott Bay.


A couple strolls along a scenic walkway, enjoying the weather.


A sculpture at Kerry Park on Queen Anne Hill.

Pine Cone

A tiny pine cone up close.

Wine

Bottle aging at the Gainey Winery near Solvang, California.


Wine glasses ready for tasting.

Amazing Water

Click the image to enlarge for clearer detail.

Water. It is basic to life as we know it. We drink it, bathe in it, cook with it. But left to its own devices, aided by cold temperatures, variable humidity and wind, water crystallizes into amazing shapes. Seen here up close is snow after it sat for a while in such conditions.

Snow falls in many places. To most of us, snow is just part of the background. Something pretty on the trees; something to plow from the roadway, shovel out of the driveway, or ball up and throw at someone. But in nature, the closer we look, the more interesting things get.

Good Morning, Redmond

Click the image for a larger view.
A blanket of fresh snow covers Redmond, Washington in this pre-dawn shot. The shadows on the snow are cast by moonlight. The brightening of the sky is from the pre-dawn glow of the rising sun. Other glows are from artificial light sources. The slight star trail effect is due to the 60 second exposure time.

Wonder

Look.

Wall of Water

Bellevue skyline looms over waterfall feature at Downtown Park, Bellevue, Washington.

New Years Eve, 2006, Seward Park, Seattle, Washington

Mt. Ranier at sunset, blanketed in a huge lenticular cloud, seen across Lake Washington.


In the twilight, a couple share this park bench overlooking the lake. In the distance is part of Mercer Island.


Beyond the darkened pier, a large boat, festively decked out for the season, its lights carrying across the water.


Lights glinting off the glassy surface.

Happy New Year 2007!

Patterns on the Surface of the Ice

Ice crystal forms shape the surface of a puddle. Just outside the focal field, sunlight scatters off the facets.

Delicate Snow in the Light of Partly Sunny Day

Snow falls equally on the sturdy and the delicate, on the ground and on the plants, blanketing everything. It reflects and refracts the light and brightens the day.


Stalks that supported flowers through the spring and summer, and into the autumn now display a fragile hat of snow, gently illuminated in the filtered sunshine.


Slowly melting in the warmth of the sun, a little bit of snow still caps these dried flowers.