California – Page 65 – Ink, Yarn & Beer

Travelin’

We are off on a road trip for the next few weeks! It is so exciting to “get out of Dodge” and see other parts of the world, familiar and new. The morning of the 6th is when we slid out of town, stopping for a fast food breakfast just because we could. And then out to the I-5 to head up to Chico to stay at our favorite place there, the Goodman House Bed & Breakfast.

I always enjoy the drive up to Chico. There are so many changes in the landscape on the trip. Where we live, in the suburbs, we move into the congestion of Los Angeles to connect to the I-5, and from there drive through the craziness of the Grapevine, only to end up in the vast expanses of the Central Valley. This valley is one of the most productive areas in the country for crops, ranging from rice and cotton to stone fruits and nuts. Unfortunately, with the drought of the last few years, irrigation has become a problem as water is becoming more scarce and more stringently rationed by the state to farmers. Some crops require more water than others, which means some farmers suffer more than others. Fruit and nut trees take time to grow, as do vines, while other crops may be seasonal. I wonder, though, what the future holds for us as the planet continues to warm – what can we do as far as sustainable food production with more drought-tolerant crops? Some farmers are blaming it on Congress and the Democrats – there were signs posted along the roadside saying “Thank Obama and Congress for another dust bowl” or something like that. These days, water is power.

That said, the San Joaquin (another name for the Central Valley) is impressive! The closer we got to Chico, the closer the hills came, and the more the crops became fruits and nuts. Orchards never cease to draw my eye; I love trees, and lines of trees are endlessly fascinating to me. Chico is a college town, with a state university in its midst, as well as the famous Sierra Nevada Brewery. Walking around Chico is very pleasant as there are tall, old trees lining so many of the streets. It was rather sticky and muggy, but still worth the bit of sweat we worked up just to be able to enjoy another city.

At the very top of the Central Valley along the I-5, you move into mountains formed by volcanos, the most famous of which is Mt. Shasta. To me, that first look at that snow-covered ancient volcano is awesome – snow in the middle of summer, pointed, and unlike everything else around it. That, to me, tells me I am moving into new territory.

Spring Break: Days 5 & 6

Day 5

Today I drove up to Santa Barbara where I lived ages ago. It’s hard to believe I spent 15 years of my life there, but in many ways it hasn’t changed. While not the small town it used to be, it is still quite beautiful. Careful city planning makes sure that construction codes are stringent, and renovation of many of the sleazier or slummier parts of the city are increasing its beauty. The problem is that it is very unaffordable. Outlying communities offer more reasonable, but still expensive, housing, and the result is that what was once a small town is now a tourist attraction. The charm of the city is that it is walkable, surrounded by mountains and the sea. Many famous landmarks dot the city, and my favorites tend to be the mission, the botanical gardens, and Alice Keck Park Memorial Gardens. Above the city, the Santa Ynez mountains offer hiking, vistas, and if you are willing to travel the back roads, hot springs and other natural wonders. The ocean forms the western border of the city, and the best beaches are along the pier, at Henry’s, and at Butterfly in Montecito. Dining is phenomenal and ever-changing. Oh, how I wish I had bought property!!

Well, now that I have listed some pros and cons of the city, one of the cons I found was that the botanical gardens are now charging an $8.00 admission fee, unless you are a member. Since I didn’t have any cash on me – duh, why didn’t I? – I didn’t go in. I wish I had, though, as I love it, and certainly would consider being a member if I still lived in SB. Rising costs, though, make it necessary, and if you love beautiful spaces, it is a definite plus and worthwhile.

So, my photo shoot was limited to a park that went in when I was still living in Santa Barbara, Alice Keck Park Memorial Gardens. This has a pond, drought tolerant and low-water landscaping, beautiful trees, flowers and other plants. The pond is home to ducks and turtles, and at one time koi, and an abandoned piranha. It has grown a great deal, is beautifully maintained, and a place to relax, look, sniff, nap. When I was there, someone was playing a violin under a tree.

Besides taking pictures, I visited a few stores, called up friends for lunch, went to the beach. It was a very peaceful day, and certainly one I needed. There was a bit of nostalgia, too, when I think of that time in my life. Hard to believe the passage of time, of aging, of lost youth and love (tra la), and yet, here I am, despite (or in spite) of it all!

Below are some pictures I took at Alice Keck Park Memorial Gardens. This is a place of serenity and beauty, all within a city block. A very old city park, Alameda Park, is directly across the street, and is home to a bandstand, playground, old and fascinating trees, and the Summer Solstice celebration every June.

There were a lot of red-pink and yellow flowers in bloom, on stems and on trees!

Day 6

Today is Day 6, the midpoint of my spring break. Yesterday was Day 5, and a day of total relaxation. Today, I plan a work day. Papers will be graded, and I will sit down at the computer to start reading some books on software I bought. And that will be really, really difficult. I hate being inside when I can be outdoors! The patio has the papers to be graded piled on its table, and a couple of textbooks to look at for class prep. That should keep me busy for the morning. And tonight, our photo group meets. We will do a walk-around shoot in a local park – walk a bit, stop, look around. Find something to photograph in a creative way (a bench, a person, a piece of trash), move on, and repeat. Should be interesting to see our results.

Day 7 is already planned – a friend is arriving by bus to spend the day!

Weathering the Season

These past weeks here in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties have seen odd weather – not seasonally odd – but overall odd. Thunder and lightning seldom occur here – but they did, in abundance. Cold weather, and a week of rain. Now, up into the 70s and 80s, the east winds are blowing dust and pollen everywhere. Everyone is congested and feeling as if hayfever has descended like a plague. The winds are drying up people and plants. Tomorrow, we can expect more rain.

Despite my whining, it has been really lovely to get a week or so of rain. The problem is the sudden shift from high humidity to low, and the winds just add to the mix by drying everything up more so than just higher temperatures might. The skies have been beautifully clear and blue, and the clouds are more than usual – the usual is no clouds around here!

After work, a friend and I took our cameras and headed out to a local park in Thousand Oaks, Wildwood Park, which is part of the land dedicated to open space around the city. This park has meadows and scrub, rocky paths, vistas. In the early evening, with a week of rain behind us, the winter vegetation is beginning to green up. Underfoot, the earth gives a little, which feels strange when one is used to a dry, dusty crunch.

The cacti are rather fat and full of water. The prickly pear have ripening fruit.

Sagebrush flowers are dried, hollow shells, but the leaves erupt in an acrid spiciness when crushed. While the hills still look burnt from the dryness of the summer, a hint of green may be seen.

The sunset was bright and clear, with a majestic descent of the sun into the western mountains, turning clouds pink and the valley gold, orange, purple, and gone.

Sparkles

I am a magpie at heart – I love shiny objects. As a kid, I used to drive my mother nuts because I liked rhinestone buttons on my dresses and gaudy costume jewelry. These days, I am more conservative, or at least demonstrate better taste, than I did when I was five years old as far as clothing. But, I am still irresistibly drawn to sparkles – splashes in water – spider webs in the morning light – flickery sun in dark shadow.

Today, I returned to the local botanical gardens. Autumn is settling in. The sky has a different quality of blue, the light is cool and intense. The scent of pine needles rises up with the heat of the day. With me came my Lumix ZS5, and the Canon QL17 GIII. I took a few pictures with the Canon, and oodles with the Lumix. This is the luxury of digital – 60 pictures without the cost for processing.

The path I took this morning was one I haven’t taken before. I always head uphill for some reason, but today I deliberately went downhill. Here, the garden is more of a woodland, with large California oaks mixed in with other native plants. The colors are more brown and green in the woodland area of the garden than up the hill, but there are little bright spots here and there of sunshine and shadow, along with lingering flowers and autumnal berries.

What I looked for today, very deliberately, was the contrast of light and dark, of sun and shadow. I stopped the camera down to -1/3 EV, to keep the camera from making all the light areas washed out. In the shadows, this creates a bit of drama with contrast. Compositional elements were a bit more studiously considered as well, such as movement of a tree branch across the picture, a pathway, a stairway. Some shots I framed with foliage, others I attempted to focus on a specific part, such as a tree leaf, and open the f/stop as much as possible with this camera (which is not more than f/3.3 manual), to blur out the background.

The set on Flickr for today contains images as they came from the camera. Most of them need some help, I think, but a few of the ones of the oaks are interesting and successful as they stand, I think. The one below has been cropped.

I am always in conflict about post-processing images, yet it has been done since the early days of photography. Images have been manipulated by time and f/stop, airbrushing out of unwanted characters who have lost political importance, handpainting. Processing of film images also influences the final product.

Why should digital images be any different?

A Walk in the Garden

The weather this spring is so incredible this year. There are breezes in off the ocean, the skies are blue, we have cool weather. And we have had rain. The result is that flowers are in bloom everywhere, and a few miles down the road, we are blessed with 33 acres of an ever-changing and evolving botanical garden, the Conejo Valley Botanic Garden. I believe all the plants are native to California, and most are drought tolerant – perfect for the xeriscape garden – and incredibly beautiful.