I’m not a wanderer; I’m a homebody. But, through the various Meetups I belong to, I’ve been places I didn’t know existed and re-visited sites with a new photography outlook. Essentially, if there’s a Meetup within two hours and a carpool, I’m in.

With the Grand Island Mansion so close to home, in the Sacramento Delta area, this was a must visit. I was intrigued about this wedding and special occasion get away right on the water. So  I packed my gear and off I went. Although I wasn’t disappointed, I was not delighted either. The Mansion was open to photographers during their brunch hours, 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays. We were invited to shoot the grounds and were told we could go inside as long as we did not disturb the diners. Oh, we could also enjoy brunch too–at the regular price of $29.95 not including tax and tip. Truly, I can’t eat that much food! Buffets are not a good option for me.

So, you probably safely assumed that I did not do brunch. But, I did stay out of the guests way and tried to get as much of the interior as I could. Today’s blog will cover the Mansion’s exterior which I found a little lacking. The front grounds were small with an area for weddings. There were many statues in the front, but they needed some sanding (or however you maintain them) and some fresh paint.

In the back, they had a courtyard and tent for more wedding activity, but it was all concrete. I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I did take pictures of the back, but didn’t see much beauty in them. I did find some murals that were beautiful. Most of these images were taken on aperture priority.  Take a look.