Two Word Tuesday: Redwood Grove

Massey Monday: Scanning the Field

She looks so regal when she's studying a field. So calm, so serene...until an unsuspecting bird gives up its location.

Two Word Tuesday: SF Morning

Massey Monday: Wine Dog

She's such a good dog in the tasting rooms! It does help when you visit the beach a bit first :-)

Thirsty Thursday: A bit of color

Rambler: Terry
Drink in Hand: 2010 Irie Zinfandel

Sometimes times are black and white and other times they're not. And sometimes, they're just a bit of both.

Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden, Des Moines, IA

Two Word Tuesday: One Down

Massey Monday: In the Weeds

Sometimes the grass is so tall she gets lost.

Other times she apparently has an invisible pogo stick to see over everything.

Thirsty Thursday: New Year Stars

Rambler: Beth

Drink at Hand: Newman's Limeade

Thirsty Thursday here again. Time to pour something yummy and make those weekend plans. After a fantastic dinner at our favorite place, I decided to go try to shoot some stars to bring in the New Year. Terry has a sore foot, so I set out on my own at Ft Ord...just me, my camera, my headlamp, and a warm down jacket!

We get very few crispy clear nights around here, due to our close proximity to the ocean. We also live between Monterey and Salinas, both of which produce plenty of light pollution. But, because it was so clear (and cold), I figured it was a good night to try to shoot some stars. There was also a bright moon, which would help illuminate the the foreground.

My first thought was star trails, but I didn't feel like staying out there that long by myself. So I just did a few long exposures near a couple of my favorite Ft Ord trees. I haven't had much luck with star photography in the past, so my expectations were low. So, if you weren't looking at the stars at midnight last night, here's what they looked like.

The brightest star in the above image isn't a star at all...its Jupiter! The moon really illuminated this scene. Local mountain bikers should recognize that trail!

I was really happy to get Orion and this tree in the same frame.

Looking forward to more night sky experimentation...and hopefully something to share on future Thirsty Thursdays.

Two Word Tuesday: Holding On

Massey Monday: The Way Ahead

Always a great backpacking companion. She'll constantly be walking ahead of us scouting the route. Even if that means getting a better view.

Two Word Tuesday: Happy Holidays!

Massey Monday: Princess

I'm so pretty. Take pictures of me!

Two Word Tuesday: Mountain Sunrise

Massey Monday: To the beach

Her new favorite way to the ocean at Carmel Beach. She always likes to make an entrance!

Thirsty Thursday: Ft Ord Stroll

Rambler: Beth

Drink at Hand: Newman's Limeade

Yep, its Friday, not Thursday. Ooops! We didn't get a Thirsty Thursday posted last night. In fact, it seems its been a few weeks since we've posted our regular Thursday evening babbles and pixels. We've been a bit busy, but hopefully things will settle down soon!

Back in October, when we still had the luxury of getting home from work before dark (darn daylight savings time change), we hopped over to Ft Ord with our new cameras to play around a bit. Our old cameras were stolen earlier this fall, and we both dearly missed our camera time while we waited through the replacement process. While the location was a spot we hit up a couple times a week (the dog has to run!), we enjoyed having cameras in hand, daylight, cool clouds, and watching a dog that loves her open space just as much as her owners.