Only Two Months Ago

Yosemite Valley

November 11th, 2016

"Beautiful winter means beautiful spring!

 When you look at a great winter scenery, see the flowers, see the bees, see the butterflies, they are all there."

~Mehmet Murat ildan

Last autumn was a challenge. I knew it would be. I had gotten really rusty with my picture taking, as my world shifted off it's axis over the great move of 2015. You would think after we moved into the house, I would have picked up the camera, if for no other reason then to climb out of my own thoughts and stress, but instead when I wasn't working on unpacking the house, I was withdrawing from as much life as I could. I was tired. I was stressed. I thought on some level that a deep withdraw was the way to go, instead it was the worst thing I could have done. Hiding doesn't work. Shrug. I didn't know that, but when last October came around, and our vacation began, I took some baby steps, and I felt more and more energized with each new photo, and by the middle of our vacation, in late October, I was back to my old self. Mostly.

Snow came earlier than usual. In fact the first snowfall happened the day after Halloween! That's rare in California, and while I knew it was going to shorten my time with the autumn leaves, it also makes me really hopeful for next autumn color to be as colorful or even more so than autumn 2016 had been! I am hoping so, because next autumn I want to spend more time in Plumas, the western Sierra and definitely Yosemite! I fell in love with Yosemite Valley, but I was only there for one day, a little past the mid-point of autumn, and while I got some good photos, and I was happy overall with the results, I realized I should have been there weeks earlier. Another thing working against me the day I went, was the fact that we got there so late in the day, and because of the angles and sides of the valley, I think early morning photos, when the sun casts a softer glow, would have been amazing!

I need to do some photos during the winter snowfall, and again when things begin to thaw in the spring. The research begins now. I struggled after the early snowfall. The leaves in the Sierra fell early, and the bright white of the hills in the background of some of my photos just appears bright and washed out. So, it's my goal for this year, to practice with that kind of lighting. If I was in the Bay Area, I would probably be working on sunset photos, but I think I have done enough with that, so a new challenge will be welcome. I can't spend all my time stressing over things I have NO control over. It's a waste of time. So, this goal fits nicely, and it's a much more realistic way of spending my time. LOL. Good for me! Right? Gosh, looking at these photos, it's hard to believe it was only a couple months ago!

 Cisco Grove Park, California

November 1st, 2016

"Perhaps when we find ourselves wanting everything, it is because we are dangerously close to wanting nothing."

~Sylvia Plath

And now another new winter leaf...

Winter Leaf

January 2nd 2017

San Ramon, California

Mood: Encouraged

~Me

 

Autumnal Sunshine

"I cannot endure to waste anything so precious

 as autumnal sunshine by staying in the house."

~Nathaniel Hawthorne

The American Notebooks

Notebook: October 10th, 1842

Alan and I went for a ride for the first day of November. This autumn is only at the half way point, so I am prepared to chase it for as long as I can, and my darling husband supports me in my creativity, so off we went for Cisco Grove park. The rain and snow from the day before had unfortunately did some early damage to the usually lovely Aspen trees.

There wasn't much to be photographed, although I did get a few shots there, but after we realized that there was little to do there, we decided to continue on to Donner Lake, and then into Reno! We had a blast, and I will share more about our adventure as the week progresses on! But for now, let me show you some of the most beautiful of the sights we were treated to along the way! Most of them along HWY 80 around Donner Summit, and just west of Reno, Nevada. My cameras got quite a workout!

Stay Tuned. There's More To Come!

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

Waiting For Aspens

"Go spend time with the aspen trees. They'll tell you how it works. They'll tell you to look to your roots for energy. They'll tell you there's warmth below the surface."

~Kaya McLaren, How I Came To Sparkle Again

This photo is obviously from my archives, but hasn't been posted before. I hadn't posted it because it was a little blurry, but I was looking at it the other day and for whatever reason I just kind of felt warm inside when I viewed it. It's been a long time since we have visited Cisco Grove, but maybe we can remedy that! We found this stop one autumn day, while on our way to Reno, Nevada. It's about a 3 1/2 hour drive from our house to Reno, and this stop sits, tucked off from the road, a little more than half way through our journey. It's one of the prettiest places along the route to stretch your legs and take in the natural beauty... no matter what time of year, but I bet you can guess when I enjoy it the most! That's right! Autumn! The Aspen trees are nothing short of breathtaking! Alan usually has to pull me away when it's time to leave because I could literally sit all day and just watch the bright yellow leaves fall slowly silently to the earth. I think I might be longing for autumn this year more than in any other year in the last decade! I wish it would hurry up come! LOL.

Cisco Grove Aspens In Previous Years...