Adventures of a Maude in Training

Photo of the Day for 03/27/16: Balancing Act

In August of 2014 we spent a few days in a cabin in the Mineral King area of Sequoia National Mark. Mineral King is very remote. There are pockets of bits of generator-produced electricity, but otherwise everything is propane, if anything at all. The only route into Mineral King by car is a long slog (~90 minutes) up a ~one lane mountain road that isn't even paved in some parts. And that was after driving all the way to Sequoia. Anyhow, we had a nice time and enjoyed exploring, though the elevation was rough for all of us. On one of our hikes that took us into a designated wilderness area I spotted this grasshopper balancing on some grass.

Photo of the Day for 03/25/16: Cozy Bee

I shot this of a bee cozied up in a flower when we were at The Butchart Gardens in 2013.

Photo of the Day for 03/23/16: Casual Coyote

When we were making our first (failed) attempt to get to Bader Pass in Yosemite back in January we stopped to adjust our tire chains on our way out of the valley and S. spotted a coyote across the street. I have shared one photo of it before, and here is another.

Photo of the Day for 03/21/16: Dry Hillside

I shot this when we were on a bike ride at Coyote Hills last October. We had had a really, really dry year and the hills out there were awfully crispy. I liked the way this dry brush looked with the contrasting blue and grey/cloudy sky.

Photo of the Day for 03/19/16: Kite in the Sky

White tailed kites are very fun and interesting to watch and I had the opportunity to watch this one fly around and hunt at Coyote Hills when we were out on a bike ride there in late December of 2014.

Photo of the Day for 03/17/16: Progressing

A number of the blossoms on our blueberry plant have progressed to the next stage and we can see the fruit forming. I love watching this process. I shot this of the forming blueberries yesterday.

Photo of the day for 03/15/16: Farm Tortie

We have been visiting Ardenwood farm for just about nine years now. Over that time we have encountered a number of farm kitties who wander the farm freely and help keep the rodent population under control. When L. and I were there last month we spotted this gorgeous long-haired tortie. As you may know, I love torties and have three of them. This one is a beauty and she was quietly wandering and hunting in the sheep field.

Photo of the Day for 03/13/16: Fishing Expedition

I really love egrets and that is one of the reasons I enjoy visiting Coyote Hills. I shot this one of an egret fishing in the marsh while we were there one a bike ride in October of last year.

Photo of the Day for 03/11/16: Just Passing Through

When we went hiking in Sunol last month we encountered grazing cattle a few times. When we were nearly done and near the bridge we encountered this group of cattle coming towards us on the trail.

Photo of the Day for 03/09/16: A Mighty Bee

In August of 2013 we did an eight day trip of Seattle, Vancouver, and Victoria. We flew to Seattle, drove to Vancouver, spent four days there, took the ferry to Vancouver Island and spent two days in Victoria and surrounds and then back to Seattle for another couple days. After our ferry trip and before driving into Victoria we visited The Butchart Gardens which really was quite intriguing and beautiful. I was thrilled by all the bees present and spent a decent amount of time shooting them. I am getting ready to show a different shot of this bee in the PhotoCentral show and have shown that print at the FCAC in 2014. In getting my submission ready for the PC show I found this alternate shot. It is not as sharp as the one I am showing, but I am liking it.