Mariposa

Another beautiful weekend in Henry Coe State Park. The weather was cool and breezy this time. A big contrast to the weekend we spent at the Dowdy a couple weeks ago.

This weekend we checked in on our plant recovery sites on the way to a day of visitor center duty at the Dowdy. We were delighted to find a bumper crop of Mariposa Lilies both on one of our plant sites but also all over the Blue Ridge, both in the fire affected area and on the eastern flank as well. What a treat.

On Sunday we did Visitor Center duty on a very lightly visited morning and afternoon shift. We broke up the day by stalking and photographing the quails and photographing the old ranch fences and grasses.

This is another season of dramatic change at Coe. Grasses are golden and the days are longer, more challenging for the hikers out there, but still full of beauty and grace.

Memorial Day Weekend

Aaah...a long weekend stretched out in front of us without a lot of obligations. We headed down to Los Lobos State Park south of Carmel late in the afternoon with the plan to stay through sunset. Point Lobos used to close before sunset which was a true vexation to photographers. I'm really looking forward to seeing what other photographers produce there over the months to come.

We also enjoyed watching the cormorants on Bird Island in the south end of the park and spent a delightful half hour on Hidden Beach watching the waves toss the tiny pebbles, which make up this beach, into the air as each wave crashed on shore. I even found a ready-made necklace to enjoy.

A delightful afternoon and evening.

Volunteerism has it's privileges!!

As a uniformed volunteer at Henry W. Coe State Park, I get to spend a few overnights in the backcountry, a little off the beaten path. Bruce and I spent a lovely evening and moonlit night at the Dowdy Ranch Visitor Center this past weekend. It was a lonely outpost. Not a single visitor on Saturday. But the temperature climbed into the mid-90's for the fourth day in a row, so I can certainly appreciate why hikers and cyclists stayed away.

We enjoyed it, nevertheless. A little too warm for wandering around taking photo but these are from just a few steps away from the VC.

Maternity Portraits

I have to say a big thank you to my lovely client, Mrs. B. who has given me permission to post photos from her maternity session. I think pregnant women are beautiful. Mrs. B. wanted to have a formal portrait session with "classic" shots done in black and white. Here are a few we both liked.

These portraits are a lovely way to honor and remember the joy we felt during our pregnancy...the anticipation of the new addition to our family. A way to say I loved you before I knew you.

In a garden

This lovely garden has been the site of many successful portrait sessions. But, of course, only tiny bits of the garden show up in those portraits. To make a successful portrait you need to keep the background secondary to the subject. It does make a wonderful backdrop for children and family photography. It belongs to a wonderful couple I met through a wedding client. I feel so fortunate to have access to it from time to time.

In the course of my friendship with the owners, I have begun documenting the garden in the various seasons and moods. Here are some from the other misty morning, mid-Spring in the garden.

Fire Flowers

Coe Park is awash with green in the fire-affected areas. Just 7 months and a single spring since the wildfire and we're seeing all kinds of exciting things happen.

Significantly, we are seeing some rare fire-following plants. I had the chance this weekend to photograph these pretty Whispering Bells in fire-devastated area, where normally there would be manzanita and chamise.

Also in the oak woodlands, we're seeing an explosion of bulb plants, brodeas in particular. I also am finding shaded oak hillsides abloom with vetch and fiesta flower.

Here are just a couple photos from my weekend in the Coe backcountry with the public for the annual backcountry weekend. More to follow...

Wildflower Season

The wildflower season is starting to wind down, but I'm not yet, lol. I've been to the mountains this past weekend looking for the first evidence of their wildflower season and it's not looking very good, according to the locals up there.

Nevertheless, I did find some nice poppies in Red Hills. It reminded me that I'd spent quite a bit of time on my belly a few years ago photographing some pretty poppies in an area under development. I'll share those with you as well as the collage I made from photos taken on my ramble yesterday.

California poppies, yes, even the cream-colored one, a natural but unusual variation.