I'm Back... Kinda

"Bittersweet October. The mellow, messy, leaf-kicking perfect pause between the opposing miseries of summer and winter."

-Carol Bishop Hipps

I am back from Nevada. It was a wonderful getaway for Alan and I. We took pictures, and played a bit in the casino, and just enjoyed each other's company. Two days is about the right sized trip for us I think. I was ready to get back to my own little world when it was time to leave, sleeping in my own bed last night was wonderful too. Ok, so the big getaway is over, but Alan is still on vacation for another 2 weeks, so I will be in and out of town. I will keep you posted.

Today we are off to Half Moon Bay, to enjoy our Family Day, which is our very own made up holiday, then we are going down HWY1 south toward Santa Cruz. Could some roller coasters be in my future? You bet! I loves me a good roller coaster! You just never know with me... do you? Stay tuned to watch the adventure of, Carly and Alan's Vacation 2008, unfold!

-Carly
"Autumn Sky"
Reno, Nevada
October 22, 2008
Afternoon

Autumn Most Fowl :)

"Did you ever see an unhappy horse? Did you ever see a bird that had the blues? One reason horses and birds are not unhappy is because they are not trying to impress other birds and horses."

-Dale Carnegie

It was another good day with the camera yesterday. Lots, and lots of cloud cover, as the first big storm of the season was just off shore. I kind of like photographing birds, and flowers, when the sky is milky and overcast. The natural filtering tends to take the glare off of some types of birds, like this Blue Heron. I have been trying to photograph one just like it at the Palace of Fine Arts, for the last month or so. Each time under lots of sun, and a pretty blue, clear sky. And each time there was a tremendous amount of glare, which left the bird mostly washed out.

It was extremely frustrating. I tried multiple settings, no no avail. So I was thankful to find this one while I was in Golden Gate Park yesterday. I spent about 30 minutes, taking note of the differences in the small pond this one was in, as opposed to the larger one at the palace. Maybe in a week or so, I will go back to the palace, and give it another chance. Lots of terrain to work with over there, so maybe I just need to practice a little more patience, or perhaps study things a little deeper. We'll see. Either way, it's always good to have a goal to look forward to in my photography.

It was definitely a birding day yesterday. I spent a little time yesterday, down in Half Moon Bay, at Lemos Pumpkin farm, and there was a lot of critters following me around, especially the chickens and ducks. Neither one was particularly shy, which made it very enjoyable. I will revisit there again soon, hopefully before the end of the month. I love the little farms during this time of year, everything is so fresh and inviting. It just has a vibe that only comes along at Halloween. It's good for the soul, especially the weary soul. :)



-OndineMonet
Half Moon Bay, California
Golden Gate Park
San Francisco, California
October 9th, 2007
Afternoon