thanksgiving day

Nov 23, 06
Thanksgiving Day
midday walk, sunny, windy



Much to be thankful for this day - good weather to start - a family that waits patiently or then finally leaves me to my own devices but knows I'm quite content to be left to myself at times -


Oak grove catches my eye, my heart. I wave to the family - I'll catch up later.



Flocks of turkeys wander all around, some bigger, some smaller - try to capture some on film with the Izone but bad film keeps me from it -

tahoe exploring

Nov 20, 06

Tahoe - west shore - early afternoon
chilly, weather threatening
up with Karen, exploring

Tahoe Hills, overlooking Rubicon Bay


Heavenly in the distance - hiding in the dense negative -




Sunlight hitting Heavenly -
but sometimes things aren't meant to be, like certain photos -

Later -
Carnelian Bay
Wind picking up
waves crashing
storm coming over the Sierra

salmon running

10-27-06
noon

Nimbus Fish Hatchery
Right before Nimbus Dam on the American River
warm, sunny, clear, calm

Came looking for a view of the bluffs - I had forgotten it's salmon running time. Not too many fish this year, but still several breaking the water here before the ladder, which happens to be closed at the moment.



the fish jump so quickly, it's hard to get a glimpse of them, much less a decent sketch - their color stands out - very reddish in the dark blue-green water




little pattern of color & light on the water



Fishermen aren't allowed too close to the ladder but a few fishing birds aren't so restrained - altogether, thought, not as much action as there could be here - I've read of warm late waters as a possible cause - maybe as it cools off more, more salmon will come to spawn -



Driving across Hazel Avenue put me upriver to the fish ladder and in the company of plenty of fishermen - and provids some better views of the golden bluffs.

crazy woman

10-20-06
1:30 p.m.

El Dorado Hills - warm clear

Another crazy woman by the side of the road day - found this odd little wetland spot in from of the golden hills - Some others stop to check out fishing, I think - the sound of tractors moving earth in the background - so much being built here!



Shooting slides for transfers later - then the Izone for instant gratification.



Wetlands like this are often protected in California - to bad our golden hills aren't protected, too - but then where would all the people live? No easy choices, I guess.

Very warm for this time of year - our overnight lows have been in the 40's but highs have been in the 80's -



Finally, a black & white to paint and layer.

peaceful along the river

10-9-06

morning at the American River near Watt Ave
sunny & warm, no clouds or wind

the sound of water rushing over rocks nearby, birds chirping, a grasshopper, a fly buzzes by and the ebb & flow of traffic over the bridge - playing with all three cameras at hand -


This little patch of open grass along the opposite bank seems so inviting. At first there was someone (a man, I think) resting, sitting over there, who I happened to catch on film with the 35mm, but when I brought out the big 180 Polaroid, he left - coincidence? maybe...


a triptych with the Izone, I decided to try again with the 35 slides


Peaceful here along the river - a good place for forgetting.

put on the orange filter and got other problems - taking another shot, hope it was just and odd glitch -

white rock road

Oct 6, 06

White Rock Rd - South of Folsom
parked at a wide spot on the side of this two lane highway where cars & trucks fly by at freeway speeds - I've caught a few strange stares, no doubt those busy to get somewhere wonder what sort of lunatic stops to photograph or scribble by the side of the road...

between meetings

9.21.06
12:40 p.m.
McKinley Park - sunny clear warm
quick stop between meetings - few minutes to kill
testing the pinhole - 60 sec exposure w/ whatever was in the camera, I think 669 -


Funny - I know we had gotten the black lip out of the frame before - now it seems to have moved back -


Sure enough, juggled & pushed & got it back out of the way -

sacramento river

Sept 12, 2006
Sacramento River near Jiboom street
Sacramento River Water Intake

10:30 a.m. very warm already -
a thick layer of smoke has settled down into the valley, having come down from the big fire raging in the foothills near Forest Hill, where Scott works. He told me that he woke up last night (at work) to find the smoke outside so thick that he wouldn't have been able to take off in the helicopter if he had been called.



It's been too long since I've been out - I've been too focused on business and not creating, not feeding my soul -




Boat launch on the west bank.

Fishermen coming out to check on river conditions tell us that in a couple weeks the river here will be thick with boats - salmon will be running - there are a couple out on boats now but not much activity. I wander down to the river's edge to get another view of the old tower - while I stare at the tower, a huge fish leaps out of the water in front of me - wow - another fisherman on the shore looks up and asks if I saw it - oh yeah, I say, huge!





More boats trolling around, looking for fish. When none are near, a couple more fish leap out of the water in front of me...

Sitting under huge old cottonwoods, grass holding the sandy shore together, dead leaves scattered on the grassy carpet.


The light falls just so through the trees and stirs something deep within me - I catch it on the film - a little glimpse of heaven, just to feed my soul.


Looking at the water intake facility

farmer's market

8.22.06
11 a.m.
Farmer's Market 16th & Q, Sac
(Fremont Park)

meeting up with my plein air painting friends - stretching my seeing - at least some - of course I find myself drawn to the park's huge old trees -



City sounds: traffic, conversations, little dogs barking, an airplane overhead

Smells of the market: fresh baked breads, cooked chicken, pungent lime



light breeze, cool in the shade on the green grass - flies and yellow jackets occasionally buzz by -


{Post Script 9.12.06: Left negatives in water all this time - was that three weeks? - at any rate, too long and all three were destroyed, emulsion completely disintegrated. This is how I learn my limits.}

a little hike

Aug 5
morning from top of Lower Eagle Falls
A little hiking around


Looking down on Emerald Bay


looking up to the mountains


Just above Eagle Falls

Later -
Sugar Pine Point

Pine Lodge - AKA Ehrman Mansion


mansion amongst the sugar pines


looking out over the water


out on the dock - looking south to the point


behind the north boat house - from inlet a little farther north



We arrive at Baldwin Beach about 2:30 p.m. - just in time for thunder showers - we huddle on the beach to wait it out and are rewarded after half an hour or so with sun and slightly fewer people on the beach -





looking past the marsh to Baldwin Beach & Lake Tahoe beyond




Our castle in the sand