Posted on by Anne Sandler · 38 Comments

Lens Artists Challenge 377: Holiday Fun

One good aspect of being housebound this year is there is no holiday stress! Yesterday, I drove for the first time in a month and I’m at my computer right now! I’m headed in the right direction!!

This week Ann-Christine is asking us to share some holiday fun. We are now a blended family, celebrating Chanamas or Christmacha! Here’s a picture from one of our Chanukah celebrations on the eighth night. I’m missing the Christmas celebration in Reno.

Each year, my photo buddies and I go out to capture the beautiful holiday lights. The first indication that it’s Holiday time are the displays in the store windows, including reflections.

Next to find a festive store display and a picture within a picture.

What would the Holiday be without tree displays. First in Old Sacramento and next in front of the Sacramento Capitol building. I had a bit of with that tree.

It’s that time of year to look for snow. Yes, I like to look but not play in it!

No matter what or how you celebrate, the holidays are a time for gathering together–friends, family or neighbors.

Last week, we spread our wings with Beth’s wonderful challenge. Your responses sure brightened my week. Next week, we’ll host our annual Last Chance Challenge, inviting you to share any photos you took in 2025 that haven’t been part of our earlier challenges! Time to take a deep dive into your archives. Until then, stay safe and live in gratitude.

Posted on by Anne Sandler · 48 Comments

Lens Artists Challenge #328: Winter

What does winter mean to you? Sweater weather? Hot chocolate? Jackets and snow boots? John wants to know! To us photographers, it probably means snow and icicle images. To me, winter means one trip to the snow when the air is just right for a winter jacket and boots, you can drive in it without snow tires/chains and hot chocolate can be purchased at the nearest restaurant!

You got it, I enjoy seeing it, playing in it and leaving it behind. Fortunately I live in Sacramento California where it doesn’t snow. However that glorious winter weather is just a little over an hour away up Highway 80 at Donner Lake.

Also up the same road and about 10 minutes closer to home is Blue Canyon where my Astronomer husband has his observatory. Because of its location it is inaccessible in the winter.

Almost to the observatory.
The observatory
The road there and back.

One surprise snow experience happened when we were staying with the younger set of grands, in Reno Nevada, while their parents were away. During the night, I heard a strong wind slapping against the house. I woke up to a winter wonderland like I had never experience before. The truck was buried, the walkway had to dug out and the grands had a fun snow time.

Talking about the same trip, we decided to take the train from Sacramento to Reno, and back. We wanted the experience. Here are some pictures taken from the train on the way home.

Now we are about to enter winter. The weather will be cold, in the 30s (F) at night, climbing to the 60s in the afternoon. Yes, that’s the winter I want to experience!

Here in the Sacramento Valley the only time we get rain is in the winter. We do rely on the Sierra mountains snow pack, to fill our reservoirs with the melt during the summer. There have been many years of drought here when water has been rationed.

Thank you John for helping bring back those winter memories. Please remember to link to John’s challenge when you post your response, and use the Lens-Artists tag. Last week we explored elements via Sofia’s challenge. I enjoyed seeing your interesting responses.

Next week is our annual year-end challenge. In December 2022, the Lens-Artists team introduced a “Last-Chance” challenge. The idea was to review the year’s images that never quite fit our challenge subjects that year. The “rule” is that your chosen photographs must have been taken in 2024 and not have been included in response to our 2024 challenges. This challenge is not hosted. So, go through your archives and join us on Saturday, December 14, at noon Eastern Standard Time.

In the meantime, enjoy your holidays, have a safe New Year and we will be back in January.

Posted on by Anne Sandler · 15 Comments

Winter white: Donner Lake

The snow beckons, but not in the middle of a storm or when it’s 6-feet deep. I’m a fair-weather-snow type of gal. I like the ambient temperature not freezing and to have ample snow on the ground. Had we made it up to Donner Lake a few days earlier it would have been perfect, but life did not permit. But it was still good when we did get there.

Donner Lake Village is a small town wrapping around the lake. It’s quaint and attracts tourists and residents year round. It is close to all major sky areas for winter sports, and in the summer is just stunning. When we went up, I didn’t even need to put my snow boots on. The weather was perfect.

The lake is about 1 1/2 hours from my home. Richard drove and Ray and Sally came along. Here are some of my images captured that day.

We were able to enter the Donner Memorial State Park Visitors’ Center, but the museum was closed. I had a different kind of fun in the gift shop.

    Outside the gift shop was a photographer’s snowy opportunity.

    After lunch, we went back into town for a last look.

    We are expecting another storm soon. Maybe then I can go up again and need to wear my snow boots!

    Posted on by Anne Sandler · 4 Comments

    Fog, trees and pond! Boulder Ridge and Coyote Pond parks

    I’m not too fond of fog when I’m driving, but when I have my camera in my hand, I love it. On one foggy morning we (Marlene, Linda, Ray and I) ventured out to two local parks hoping to get foggy images.

    The fog was lifting when we arrived at Boulder Ridge park in Rocklin, but still thick enough to block the visual of most of the park. This time of the year, the trees are bare and stand tall against the fog.

    This large park is popular with locals. But it was damp and cold while we were there, and the hillsides weren’t visible. When we couldn’t see the rest of the park, we left and followed in our cars to Coyote Pond in Lincoln. The fog had lifted there and the beauty of this small neighborhood park was waiting for us.

    • Ray happened to be sitting, looking at his camera.

    It’s great that we have such beauty easily accessible in these COVID days.

    Posted on by Anne Sandler · 21 Comments

    Lens-Artist Challenge #107: Winter

    The wonderful thing about living in Sacramento is being able to visit Winter, enjoy for a few hours and come back to mild temperatures and no snow! Oh, I forgot to mention that if you time it right, you won’t need snow tires or chains to get to the snow and ski resorts. But timing is critical.

    I remember taking two members of my Skillbuilders Toastmasters Club to Reno, Nevada for a District 39 conference. We didn’t see any snow on the 2-hour ride up to Reno. We were just about to find a place to eat dinner when my husband called and said to come home. There was a big storm ready to hit Reno and further west. We didn’t hesitate. By the time we got to the car, the snow was already falling. When we got to the California border, I couldn’t see in front of me; the snow was falling that heavy. I managed to get down the mountain by following truck tracks that sort of plowed the road. I didn’t have snow tires or chains. However, the scenery was simply beautiful. Freshly fallen snow on pine trees; a photographer’s dream. It’s too bad I was driving. I would have been taking pictures.

    While the timing was wrong for that trip, it was right for our February 2016 trip to the small town of Donner Lake, near Truckee, in Nevada County. The weather was perfect, roads were plowed and plenty of snow available to photograph. Linda drove and Marlene and I went along. It was an amazing day, topped off by the best pizza. Yes, we are foodies of sort.

    Thank you Ann-Christine, and this challenge, for taking me back to a wonderful day! Check the captions for image details.




    • Donner Lake as seen from Donner Pass Road.
    • We assumed these homeowners would have to dig themselves in!
    • Icicles are beautiful.
    • There were many snowmen guarding the roads.
    • The small town lake side.
    • Mirror reflection.
    • Donner lake as seen from the snow tunnels no longer used by the trains.
    • On the way to lunch, we stopped at the Truckee River.
    • On the way home, we stopped at Cisco Grove.

    I’ve been up the mountain to shoot snow since, but never experienced a day like this. Isn’t it wonderful that we have our images to help us remember. Keep beauty in your heart!