Hold on to the Thread

South Beach, Point Reyes National Seashore, CA

Canon EOS Rebel T5i,  EF 17-40mm f/4L USM, 1/400s, f/14, ISO: 100

I like how this picture looks black and white when in fact it's in color.  I was shooting into the sun and was't too sure what I'd end up with.  Turned out OK, I think.

Amongst the Waves

South Beach, Point Reyes National Seashore, CA
Canon EOS Rebel T5i,  EF 17-40mm f/4L USM, 1/125s, f/10, ISO: 100

I was watching the surf yesterday--it seemed particularly angry--when it occurred to me that I rarely take photos of the ocean by itself.  I have plenty of pictures of the ocean but it's usually part of the scenery, rarely the subject itself.  So, here's a picture of the ocean.  I think I like it.

Dairy Cows

Holstein Cow -- Point Reyes National Seashore, CA
Canon EOS Rebel T5i,  EF 17-40mm f/4L USM, 1/640s, f/5.6, ISO: 100

I took Pongo for a drive to Point Reyes today to see the cows.  These two were closer to the fence for a while, at least until Pongo got too excited and barked at them.  He loves seeing the cows but he gets a little intimidated when they're very close, I think.

Bryce Canyon National Park

Bryce Canyon National Park, UT

Canon PowerShot SX40 HS, 1/1250s, f/4, ISO: 200

If you're looking for endless views, Bryce Canyon is the place to go.  Yosemite and the Grand Canyon might have more spectacular scenery, but only slightly more spectacular, and both of those places are basically closed in.  Bryce Canyon is the high point for miles around in a couple of directions.  The views can go on for miles and miles and miles.

Photo selection inspired by Geogypsy's Foto Friday Fun 104, photo #1955.

Into the Mystic

Bryce Canyon National Park, UT
Canon PowerShot SX40 HS, 1/1000s, f/4, ISO: 100

Anyone that knows me knows I'm not a believer in things mystical or religious.   Well, aside from my mother who seems to need to cling to the idea that I'm a man of faith, which I certainly am not.  I don't disbelieve, I just think if there's a greater being or beings out there then he, she or they are bound to be of unfathomable complexity to these hairless apes that roam the Earth.  Anything we to try to make sense of such things can only succeed in obscuring things further.

That doesn't mean I don't think some people can't have experiences with meaning that surpasses our physical constraints, and when I run into a scene like this I can't help but be a little jealous that these folks just might be getting a brief sliver of a glimpse at the unfathomable.  If not, they're certainly experiencing that enriching peaceful quiet that only places like Bryce Canyon can deliver.  I tend to suspect the latter, for what it's worth.

On this particular day I'd experienced that soul-reviving quiet while taking a nap under a tree a couple of hundred yards away from this scene.  I was probably sawing logs, ruining everyone else's peace.  Sorry.

The Bottom of the Continent

Death Valley National Park, CA
Canon PowerShot SX40 HS, 1/1250s, f/5, ISO: 160

Death Valley wasn't always a dry desert.  The valley floor was once a large, deep lake.  At its largest, it was roughly eighty miles long, six miles wide and six hundred feet deep at its deepest point.  It's known as Lake Manly, and it made a brief return in 2004 after a severe storm.  It only averaged a couple of feet in depth, but it covered most of the valley floor and people were actually able to kayak from one side of the valley to the other.  Wouldn't that have been something to experience?

Today there's a large aquifer beneath Death Valley.  That's why there are always pools of water at Badwater Basin and other places in the valley.  I believe the water in this picture springs from the aquifer as well.

California Ground Squirrel

California Ground Squirrel -- Arrowhead Marsh, Oakland, CA
Canon EOS Rebel T5i, EF-S 55-250mm f/4.0-5.6 IS II, 1/200s, f/5.6, ISO: 100

A lot of people I know consider ground squirrels to be nothing more than rats with bushy tails.  I think they are kind of cute.  Pongo likes chasing them.  One thing is for sure, they're in no danger of going on the endangered species list anytime soon.  They seem to be everywhere in Northern California.