Past Interpretations

"A path is a prior interpretation

 of the best way to traverse a landscape."

~Rebecca Solnit

Wanderlust: A History Of Walking

This past summer I was on a path. A path that came along suddenly, and seemed to only have one direction. When my rental cottage was ripped out from under me, it meant one thing, Alan and I would be moving on, and moving on meant one thing, it was time to buy our own place. Buying our own place meant one thing... we would be leaving the Bay Area and heading east. And that's what we did! We moved east! Well, not at first. At first we planned to move slightly southeast, but when that all changed we took out a map, and a Zillow app, and ended up in Stockton, California. Oddly enough, Stockton was where I thought we might move to, prior to the ill fated decision to move southeast. Anyway, to get to either place from the Bay Area, one must travel through the Altamont Pass.

 The pass can be one of the most tranquil drives in the area, or a bumper to bumper nightmare, depending on time of day, and the day of the week. I took this picture almost a month ago, on one of those bumper to bumper drives, which as it turns out, would be my last trip over the pass. A bit of information I didn't know at the time. But that day, as I looked at that moon shining in the sky, I felt tranquil and ready for the future, whatever that meant. I don't know why, but the sight of the moon made me feel safe somehow. I had my camera out, the moon was posing for me, and the landscape was serene. I am smiling now just thinking about it, and I know that it makes me want to try really hard later tonight when the moon goes into it's eclipse.

 After all, I will be photographing it from the comfort of my own back yard! How awesome is that? My first lunar eclipse, in my own back yard! I have all the cameras charged and loaded with batteries! I have some snacks and beverages ready. My tripods are all set up, and everything is a go! Well, except for the ridiculous end of the world theories and the possibility of some low fog out here in the San Joaquin valley. It's always something! If the end of the world doesn't get ya, there is a "possibility of fog!"

LOL.

Am I worried? Nah! I am not worried in the slightest! If the end of the world comes, then so be it! All I ask is that I am not in the shower when the trumpets blare.And as for the fog, well, who knows, maybe some fog will give the photos just the edge I am looking for! Phooey on fog and end of the drama junkies. I am happy. 

And I am home!

Leaf Of The Day

September 26th, 2015

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

A Photo A Day For 6 Months: Day 12~ The Solar Eclipse

"Light, when suddenly let in, dazzles and hurts and almost blinds us: but this soon passes away, and it seems to become the only element we can exist in."

~Augustus William Hare and Julius Charles Hare, Guesses at Truth, by Two Brothers, 1827

Sunday's Annular eclipse as seen from my yard here in the San Francisco East Bay. It was magical. And to think I did it using my old friend Konica Minolta... you know... the camera that is currently being held together with rubber bands! LOL. I have purchased two new cameras in the last 6 months, one of which arrived Saturday, but I always keep going back to my old friend.

For more photos of Sunday's eclipse visit Spaceweather.com

~Me :)

If you would like to join in, please feel free to do so! Upload your photos to the site of your choice, and come back here with the direct link back to it. I will list you with my entry for tomorrow. There is no need to participate each day, just join in as the spirit moves you. There's no subject, just whatever you find that day.

Now go see what these folks have come up with...

JR Cline Day 10

http://jrclinephotography.blogspot.com/2012/05/apadf6-10.html

JR Cline Day 11

http://jrclinephotography.blogspot.com/2012/05/apadf6-11.html

Martha's A-Z Photo Challenge: E Is For "Eclipse" And Egrets"

"It's only during an eclipse that the man in the moon has a place in the sun."

-Unknown

Time for the letter "E" to have it's moment! I usually only post one reference to the letter we are currently playing, but I couldn't resist showing off my two favorite "E" words. Eclipse and Egret. The egret is my favorite bird, and I love photographing the moon during an eclipse, so how was I to choose? This eclipse is from last August. It was so much fun to cuddle up with Elvis, and the opossums and my trusty tripod, to watch the show in the sky. It was a clear, hot night, and my imagination was running completely wild with memories and notions. I can't wait for the next one!

As for the egret photos, well, that was a delightful afternoon in autumn of 2006. I found a lovely little pond with leaves of every imaginable color floating in it, and among them was this beautiful snowy egret. These birds are amazing to photograph. At first they seem a little awkward and silly, with those bright yellow feet of theirs, and then all of a sudden, you see one take flight, and you know in an instant, you have just seen an angel. Grace and beauty describe them best I think. Yes, grace and beauty.

First the ECLIPSE of the August moon...

And now the Snowy EGRET...

"Gracefulness has been defined to be the outward expression of the inward harmony of the soul."

-William Hazlitt

Why don't you join me for Martha's A-Z Photo Challenge? You can find all the links for the letter "D" by visiting here.

-OndineMonet
"Dancing with the Moon"
Berkeley, California
August 28th, 2007
Early Morning

Slow Dancing With The Full Sturgeon Moon

Please click on the above image to see the larger version.

"Night, the beloved. Night, when words fade and things come alive. When the destructive analysis of day is done, and all that is truly important becomes whole and sound again. When man reassembles his fragmentary self and grows with the calm of the tree."

-Antoine de Saint-Exupery

The amazing moon. It was thrilling to sit in the calm and quiet of my garden, and photograph the moon as it went through the stages of last night's lunar eclipse. The shadows in the yard, and the ghostly dance in the sky, at times, made me feel that there was someone, or something watching me. There probably was... lol... maybe some creature of the night who was also watching the strange red illumination in the sky. Sigh. :) Still, I felt both alone, and also one of many, because I am sure I wasn't the only moon gazer last night. I am sure I had many friends, under the same big night sky, sharing the eclipse with me. And anyway, I had my two best four legged friends by my side most of the night. Elvis to my right, and Thomas the opossum to my left, and of course, there was the man in the moon watching over me. :)

"There is something haunting in the light of the moon; it has all the discompassionatness of a disembodied soul, and something of it's inconceivable mystery."

-Joseph Conrad

The Eclipse Of The Full Sturgeon Moon

"I'm standing on the moon with nothing better to do, with a lovely view of heaven, but I'd rather be with you."

-Unknown

"It is one of life's bitterest truths that bedtime so often arrives just when things are getting really interesting."

-Lemony Snicket

Farmer's Almanac - Astronomy


-OndineMonet
"The Full Sturgeon Moon"
My Garden
Berkeley, California
August 28th, 2007
After Midnight