Posted on by Anne Sandler · 48 Comments

Lens Artists Challenge #356: Quiet Hours

What is a quiet hour? Is it when you are meditating? Reading a book? Taking a walk? For me it’s all these things and also when I have my camera in my hand. I can be in a noisy touristy area or out in the country; with my Fuji, I don’t hear any noise. Guest host SH wants to know how we enjoy our quiet hours. I might be twisting this challenge, but for me a quiet place is one that brings me relaxation and peace. So here we go.

I especially like visiting our Northern California beaches, especially when they are too cold to attract swimmers or have black sand. I can sit and enjoy the solitude, watching the gentle wave come ashore.

I do find trees so relaxing. With or without leaves, their branches are so expressive and inviting. They can form a canopy welcoming you down a path, or in Autumn, treat you to a colorful display of oranges, reds and browns. Your eyes act as a portal. bringing in all the beauty and silence that feeds your body with calmness and joy.

I do enjoy walking down country paths that take me from my suburban life. Fortunately I don’t have to go far to experience the quiet of country life. It’s about 45 minutes from my home. I’m even getting used to getting lost when looking for County Road 18, 16 or 19! I get so relaxed getting lost on these roads, passing farms, wineries, and orchards. I never know what photo delights I’ll find.

Ponds and creeks are in abundance here. If I need a water fix, I don’t have to drive to the ocean. Their calm movement, seasonal changes and water fowl delights my camera.

These are just some of the places I consider quiet places. Thank you SH for having me revisit places that give me relaxation. When you respond, please link to his original post and use the Lens Artists tag. Before our holiday break we enjoyed Ann-Christine having us look back. What fun! Egidio is our host next week. Until then stay safe and live in gratitude.

Posted on by Anne Sandler · 33 Comments

Picture This: Fog

What would you do if every day for the past couple of weeks brought fog and rain into your hometown and your camera was packed away? You’d do what Christine, Marlene and I did. One day, it wasn’t raining, but fog was still hanging out as a fine mist. We took our cameras out for a walk in the fog!

Actually, I enjoy photographing in fog. It adds a mood to the images. We chose to visit nearby Gibson Ranch, which has been featured in this blog a few times.

Our visit was mostly around the pond since they closed access to some of the trails. But that was okay because I don’t like being out in the damp air for too long. The geese came out of the water when they saw us thinking we had food.

We found some horses out in a pasture.

We also walked over to the stables where we found a couple of barn quilts. These are designs painted on wood.

And, how lucky could I get. I found rust! My friends weren’t interested in these old farm equipment pieces, but I was.

I’ll end with one of the two peacocks I saw roaming the grounds. However, he wouldn’t cooperate and spread his tail feathers.

This ends my adventure in the fog. My visit was on December 22nd. We’ve had one sunny day since then. You know what I’m wishing for in the new year!

Posted on by Anne Sandler · 22 Comments

Why did we go? Apple Hill

Sometimes when you just need to take your camera for an outing, you don’t make wise decisions. Why did we decide to go to Apple Hill, which is just above Placerville in Placer County, on the Saturday of Thanksgiving weekend? There’s no good answer; we just weren’t thinking.

What is Apple Hill? Here’s an excerpt from the Growers Association website.

“Near the Sierra foothill town of Placerville, just off the beaten path between Sacramento and Lake Tahoe are the Apple Hill Growers. We are an agriculture community with a rich history in farming and winemaking where a new generation of growers invites you to share the experience with your family and friends. Representing over 50 local, family farms, the Apple Hill Growers are dedicated to supporting agriculture in our community.  Founded in 1964 with just 16 apple ranches, we’ve now grown to include unique fruit & vegetable farms, bakeshops, wineries, a Bed & Breakfast Inn, flower gardens, and Christmas tree farms. Our winding roads and scenic beauty have been a popular destination for over 50 years.   Come enjoy the fruits of our Apple Hill Growers any time of year!”

They may be open any time of the year, but November and December are their biggest money making months. Abel’s Apples was our first stop and it wasn’t too crowded at 10 a.m. They had candy apples, caramel apples, fudge, and more! We saw many cars with Christmas trees secured on the top.

Our next stop was Boa Vista Orchards. It was crowded but not too bad. Ray wanted to buy apples. I wanted to photograph at least one close up. How about persimmons?

I can’t remember the name of our next stop, but it’s where we ate lunch. The only thing non-sweet on the menu were corn dogs! They were actually good.

Our last stop was High Hill Ranch, the largest of the growers and most popular. They had crafters and artists selling their wares. There were places to get food and pies, etc. Oh, they had a fudge store. That fudge was delicious. Yes, I succumbed! I mostly sat around the pond and people watched and took photos of the ducks.

We were to meet at the car at 1 p.m. Fortunately for me, Ray was heading back at the same time I was. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to find row 10!

Ray walking to his car.

The best photograph of the day was taken through the car windshield on the way home. We had patches of fog all morning.

So why did we go? Because it was there! Would we go again? Probably not especially on a holiday weekend!

Posted on by Anne Sandler · 27 Comments

Lens Artists Challenge #155: On the Water

Sacramento may be called the “City of Trees” but a truer name would be “River City!” Or maybe Rivers City for the two main rivers that run through Sacramento. In addition, there are many creeks. Cripple Creek runs through my community. If we travel an hour or two, we can visit water areas in the Bay Area.

So, John, it’s a pleasure to take your challenge on! I love living here so close to the rivers, creeks and ponds. But as my images will show, there are many aspects to water around here.

How about the San Francisco Bay shore line where many water fowl are present. This one was photographed while walking the Marina Bay Trail which is a short 1.7 miles. If I still had my bird book (lost when I moved), I could probably ID it for you.

We also have water in fountains. This one was photographed in Tiburon while waiting for the ferry to Angel Island.

The city of San Francisco seen from Treasure Island also gives us a great bay view.

Putah Creek runs through the UC Davis Arboretum, attracting all sorts of water birds. Here we see a great egret.

And then there are ponds. We found this on on private property, and yes we asked if we could photograph it.

Rain water leaves puddles behind that capture wonderful reflections.

Water can also hide hidden treasure. My friend Ken is gold panning near a river.

Last we have the Spirit of Sacramento. She’s an old paddle boat that got stranded when the Sacramento River receded. Once after a lot of rain, I saw her in water. She hasn’t been moved in ages.

So there you have some of the water examples in and near Sacramento. Thank you John for this fun challenge. Next week I’ll be hosting a Black and White challenge. Take care and have a great week.

Posted on by Anne Sandler · 4 Comments

Yolo Art & Ag: Harrison Farms, Woodland

It’s time again to wander, or should I say get lost, down those country roads in Yolo County. Each year Yolo Art & Ag sponsors monthly visits for artists and photographers to farms in the county. I have certainly benefited from these sojourns. I grew up in the city, and I’ve been able to see first hand how a farm operates.

Harrison Farms, featured a sunflower field and a some farm animals. When Marlene and I arrived, we stopped at the sunflowers first. Typically, bee keepers put hives near the fields and this was no exception! But the bees are so busy, they don’t bother someone who is allergic like me! As a field, this one wasn’t spectacular but individually the flowers were fun and pretty to photograph.

And then there was the farm itself. The pond was photographic.

There was also a small garden.

They also had a walnut tree grove.

It was an easy and fun visit. I wonder where we will go in July?

Posted on by Anne Sandler

Beauty is close by: McKinley Park, Sacramento

I’ve heard of McKinley Park, but it took 14 years of living in the Sacramento area to visit it. Now I’m wondering why I waited so long. And, it’s funny what brought Marlene and I to visit it–I still can’t wear anything except Birkenstock sandals! Enclosed shoes still hurt the surgery area on my right foot. The park was an easy access walk. However, it had rained the day before and my feet still got wet from the grass.

There are two areas to visit in McKinley park: the rose garden and the pond. I loved the rose garden. Without a macro lens, I did close up shots of the colorful cast in the rose play. The pond offered beautiful scenery and a lot of ducks.

Best of all, McKinley park is relaxing and peaceful. See for yourself. It won’t take another 14 years for me to return.