Posted on by Anne Sandler · 39 Comments

Lens Artists Challenge #418: Memories

Memories, yes, I have lots of them. This week, Tina encourages us to share some memorable moments. But my photographic memories don’t start until 2013 when I got my first camera. I got it just in time to record our cross country road trip. Here is the trailer we lived in for 3 months and the truck that pulled it for 16,000 miles.

Visiting our relatives was an important part of the trip, especially given our ages. Pictured is me and my cousin Irene who lives in Long Island, NY.

Getting further into my new hobby, I joined a photography group, mostly to learn. I did ask a lot of questions. Fortunately, photographers are patient and enjoy sharing information. One of the most memorable outings was photographing light trails. This was taken on the walkway next to the I-5 freeway.

Photographing the Milky Way the first time was another memorable night. This was taken at Blue Canyon where my husband’s observatory is.

I quickly learned to seize the opportunity while we were camped in the foothills. I was walking our dog when I saw this sun rise in the mist. Fortunately, I had my camera with me. After that experience, I always take my camera when went on a walk.

I’m so glad to have captured the lotus while they planted them in the pond at Land Park in Sacramento. They have since stopped this yearly attraction.

I’ve written about my yearly April visits to the nesting tree in Lincoln, Calif. There are so many egrets and herons building nests that my only challenge was the length of my lens: 300 mm. The tree was across a gully and nestled between two shopping centers. This egret is bringing back a twig for its mate that was guarding the nest.

Finally, a favorite from my visit to the Santa Cruz Arboretum.

I’m so happy to have these photographic memories. But memories are made every day. What does the future hold for me. We will see!

Thanks Tina for taking me down my own memory lane. When you respond to her post, remember to link to her original post and use the lens artists tag. We were certainly led down many roads last week. Thanks Egidio, for that creative challenge. John will be leading next week’s challenge, so be sure to look for his post. In the meantime, stay safe and be resilient.

Posted on by Anne Sandler · 38 Comments

Lens Artists Challenge #417: Where Does It Lead

This week Egidio led me down memory lane and to my photo buddy who passed away almost 10 years ago. Why? Because he would take us on weekly camera outing adventures. We would never know what road Greg Morris would take us on. The only thing we had control over was the time. We women needed to be back by dinner time!

He would drive and pay for the gas, and we (Marlene and I) would buy him lunch. He knew all the back roads; and if he didn’t, he would take them anyway. The three of us had the same camera, Nikon D7100, but only Greg would use a tripod–consistently. One of his favorite places was Jackson, a town in the Gold Country. His favorite stop was a small diner where he would get hot dogs. For Greg it was the hot dogs and conversation with the diner’s owner.

The Diner
The Diner’s Owner

Sometimes the road took us to another of Greg’s favorites the small town of Locke. Locke is known for being the only town in the United States built by Chinese for Chinese. In 1912, three Chinese merchants constructed three buildings – a store and saloon, a gambling hall, and a hotel and restaurant. It’s still there, but some buildings are falling down.

The toilet garden in Locke
Hungry?
Greg Morris

And then there was the “getting there.” We saw sights along the road and pulled off somewhere safe.

A brain tumor took Greg from us. We could never replicate the road trips, but we did our best. We still try to go out with our cameras weekly. Sometimes we will head out on a Greg Morris road trip, seeing where the road will take us. But it’s not easy when you don’t know the area that well.

I’m dedicating this post to GM. We still miss you!

Thanks Egidio for taking me down the memory lane road. When you post your responses, please remember to link to Egidio’s post and use the Lens-Artist tag. Last week Ritva challenged us with music and it’s meaning to each of us. Your responses were wonderful. Next week Tina will challenge us. Look for her post. In the meantime, stay safe and be resilient!

Posted on by Anne Sandler · 28 Comments

Lens Artists Challenge #416: Music

I’m not a “You Tuber,” but one evening I got caught up in music videos. Most of the night was spent finding new artists and enjoying my old favorites. Yes, music fills my soul, relaxes me and brings back fond memories.

This week, Ritva encourages us to share music and its amazing effect on us. While I enjoy concerts, memories of the 4-day weekend Sacramento Music Festival, in Old Sacramento, bring back wonderful times, excitement and joy.

For five years, we were volunteers at the youth stage, introducing the students and keeping the area clean. These kids came from all over the U. S. and beyond. And they were extremely talented. After our shift each day, we were free to take in all of the festival.

I absolutely loved the live music. Over the years, we got to know the entertainers and made sure we saw at least one set of our favorites. Each day, we found time to catch a set with Dave Bennett, a multi talented musician. He played the piano, Jerry Lee Lewis style, clarinet, guitar and sang. WOW. We tried to catch sets of both styles: rock and roll and jazz.

Then there was Tom Rigney and Flambeau. They played all musical genres including Tom’s own compositions. He called his instrument a “fiddle” until, one performance, he cross tuned his fiddle to play a classical violin piece. From time to time, other jazz musicians would surprise him on stage and play a duet. Nothing was formal the the Jazz Festival. His group had their own talents also. There were many CDs to purchase. We have a few!

Sometimes the audience was entertaining!

The festival also introduced us to different types of music.

Our Armed Forces were also there to entertain us. This Navy band was excellent.

We did have fun, but, unfortunately, the Jazz Festival had to face dwindling attendance and ended its yearly run. I do miss it. There’s something about live music in a festival atmosphere that cannot be duplicated in a concert hall: the sounds, the people, the food vendors and the excitement.

That wraps up my musical memory. I’m looking forward to seeing yours. Please remember to link to Ritva’s post and use the Lens-Artists tag when you respond. I totally enjoyed seeing how you captured photos last week by moving your body rather then your zoom lens. Next week Egidio will be leading the challenge, so look for his post. In the meantime, stay healthy and be resilient!