As I said earlier, there was a tie between two photos, so I will feature each for about a month and a half. After I closed voting, and recorded the votes, one more vote came in, and voting may even continue, as I haven’t figured out if there is a way to stop voting. So, what I do, is close the voting on the notices post, remove the link, and count the votes that were cast before the deadline. These are our top three photographs: Sunset, by Ken Harlan of Lucia Lodge
tied for first place with:
and our runner-up Sand Dollar Beach by Jessica Westermeyer
Ken Harlan had previously graciously offered a prize of either a SD card, or lunch at Lucia Lodge. But since there was a tie between he and Daniel, he has offered this prize to Daniel. Daniel, I will send you the information about how to claim your prize. Ken has offered to continue his support of this contest with the same prize for the next contest in September. I will notify all of the theme, and the deadlines sometime in August.
Thank you all for entering, and congratulations to our winners!
My internet has been almost dial-up speed for a week. Verizon and I are working on that. We spent an hour on the phone, trying various things, then upgraded the current software, which is providing some assistance, but not as much as it should, so they are sending a new card.
in the meantime, I am testing my uploading capabilities by posting these two shots from Plaskett Ridge Rd. taken yesterday. it is an experiment in connection. Yucca Bloom Grace in Motion
Oh, and while I’m “experimenting” I have to add this quote I found on the NOAA discussion for today, just for grins. What do you think they were trying to say? “MOSTLY SUNNY SKIES PEE ACROSS THE BAY AREA THIS AFTERNOON.” Is this a new forecasting term with which I am unfamiliar? How does a sunny sky pee?
These photos were taken Monday night, and I have been trying to upload them ever since. I am having undiagnosed internet connection problems, and it is frustrating beyond belief.
You know those days, when one notices the clouds are rather spectacular? You know, sort of like this:
And I knew, this is going to be one of those sunset nights. I mean, We have sunsets every night, and from up here, they are all pretty spectacular. But this one? I had a feeling, this one would be more spectacular than usual. Okay, maybe just simply spectacular. But I got my camera ready, kept an eye on the sky, and started shooting.
One of my challenges, in photographing a sunset series, is the changing light. I can barely keep up with it, changing the speed, the aperature, and the exposure compensation.
Until finally, the light has dimmed so sufficiently, that I must increase the ISO. I always do this last, as it increases the grain – err, the “noise” of the photograph, and that is difficult to address in a software program. Of course, one can always shoot into the sun to increase the light, but that presents its own set of problems.
Wretched lens flare! And yes, I have a hood, and a filter, but shooting directly into the sun is tricky! And I clearly haven’t gotten the hang of it. I sometimes use my hand to shade the lens, but did not, this time.
Of course, once the sun dips below the horizon, this is not a problem.
And finally the sun has slipped beneath the Pacific.
Okay, time to vote. You have until next Sunday, June 20th at midnight to vote for your favorite photo to be featured as my blog header. So no one gets confused, the number of the photo is on the photo itself. Some photographers have cropped their photos to fit my header already, others have not, but don’t let that confuse you. Pick the one you would like to see for a month or more. A winner will be picked on June 21st and posted on or about June 22nd. #1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #6 #7 #8 #9 #10
Whoops – please don’t vote for “other.” There is no “other.” My bad, but do vote. As ever, it is completely anonymous. You can leave a comment below, or on the poll itself. Which one is your favorite?
Today is the last day to submit your entry – until midnight tonight, so get those entries in. Photos and voting in a few days.
Gideon received his 3rd heart worm shot yesterday, his second the day before. He’s had to stay at the vets for the last few days. I go pick him up, shortly. He will have to stay quiet for a few weeks, but so far, he has come through this difficult treatment very well.
Of note: A fire was reported yesterday around 4:15 pm in the area of Prewitt Ridge and/or Wild Cattle. Follow-up reports from neighbors indicate this was a false alarm, nothing was located. WildCAD-LPNF does have a “wildfire” report listed on their site for 6:30 pm, but as I said, it appears to have been a false alarm.
A lot is going on with the traffic light at CV Rd and Highway One. Emails and postings have been provided by Pelican Network and the Chamber email systems. I will try to get a post up regarding this situation in the next few days. Gideon comes first.
Only one week left to submit your photo for consideration as my header photo for the summer and the theme is “summer.” ! I will be posting the top 10 entries for my readers to vote on, just as last time, so get those photos in! Remember, must have been taken between Mal Paso Creek and San Carpoforo Creek and must be in landscape (horizontal) format. I’ll try some color themes, or subject themes, next.
Also, if we get a broad enough base of submissions, one reader has offered to sponsor a small prize for the winner, probably not this contest, but the next one, if a broad enough base is achieved.
This morning, my dear friend Barbara Woyt sent me some photos of wildflowers she had taken. We share a passion. She’s also an awesome birder – me, not so much. Some, you will recognize. She didn’t send me the identifications, and while I could guess, I won’t. I’ll just let you enjoy her photographs. Photo by Barbara Woyt Photo by Barbara Woyt Photo by Barbara Woyt Photo by Barbara Woyt Photo by Barbara Woyt
Well, good … no flogging is imminent! Whew! This is what she had to say about what they are (of course, the first one, pink, is a clarkia, and two of them, the Calochortus, you recognize from yesterday, but here is her take on the others:
“the yellow is a singular looking of a usually more many flowered annual that we see after fires – Emmenanthe penduliflora – this was my first one after the Basin fire but I have not seen it in the abundance I remember after other fires … perhaps it is where I am looking but I have seen it sparsely on Partington and down near the coast even in back burn set from the road
…. the creamy white is a Zigadenus fremontii an early perennial and the blue is the brodiaea jolonensis that grows near Jolon but this one is a little different in a way that makes me wonder if that is its exact name. Maybe the plant pro’s will respond & I will find out for sure.” Thanks, Barbara!
It’s hard NOT to get excited when there are beauties like this to find and photograph – or even look at. Join the mania, and see what you can find!
Okay, so I forgot a couple of the captions, BUT, they are ALL by Barbara Woyt! Thanks Barbara, and I know, I know, I didn’t wait for your permission – as you are so very rarely on line. You can flog me later! LOL.
But hold on, it doesn’t end here. You can see more wildflowers from bigsurwoman (Avis Latone) here:
and XT has included some in his bicycle tour down the coast, over N-F Rd. and beyond here
I’m sure there are others who are busy blogging about Big Sur Wildflowers right now, and if I find them, I will include links!
Oh, lordy, I was in heaven today, June 1, 2010. Several of my absolute favorite wildflowers were in bloom today – mostly, these are summer wildflowers, or that’s when I normally see several of them. But the delicate beauty is easy to miss among the tall brown grasses. Not today – and not for me. Once I saw the first one, heading down my driveway, I was on a mission.
Okay, this first one, the Calochortus albus, or Fairy Lantern, I featured a few days ago, but they are really going off, and I got more shots, and better shots, and … well … they are Fairy Lanterns, for pete’s sake. Can you really see too many of these beauties? Nah … Fairy Lanterns #1
Isn’t this sweet? Don’t you feel blessed when you see one of these? Like, maybe a fairy is going to run out from under a near-by bush? Field of Fairy Lanterns
And this! A whole field of them! Some fairies are going to have a party here! Fairy Lantern, close-up
Oh, I just couldn’t resist – one more. Can you tell I’m a nut for these beauties?
Then, there were the sweet delicate clarkias, a wine cup, and what looked like a miniature farewell-to-spring. These are on my property, so I’ll be going out to visit again tomorrow, with grubby clothes, so I can get down and dirty! Clarkia
But this is the flower that started it all. It is a delphinium, or larkspur. That baby is so tall, it comes to my waist! Electric blue catches the eye! Driveway Delphinium
This is the way I saw it, from the Jeep. I backed the Jeep up, and took this shot. Yes, I have closer photos, and I’ll post them in a moment. But first, a story to tell.
Okay, this is the only “stand” of larkspur I know about anywhere near me, and it never has more than 5-6 stalks of larkspur. One year, I collected seeds and planted them. I had little success. Of course, it doesn’t help that I used a weedwacker who thinks a stand of hummingbird sage is a weed. I set out rocks around them, and told him, “If you cut them down again, I will cut off your arm.” Well, not really, but I felt like it. Anyway, one year, I just collected the seeds and scattered them, outside my garden, thinking they would not get wacked. Driveway Delphinium, #2
This is the result. Isn’t that just gorgeous? Driveway Delphinium #3
It is times like this that I wish I had a macro! That’s my next “toy.” This baby is on my “down-and-dirty” list for tomorrow, too!
And right across the road, one of my all time favorites – the Calochortus venustus – some call it the Mariposa Lily. Both Calochortus are in the Lily family. Calochortus, unopened
But right next to this one, one was completely opened. Oh, Joy! Calochortus venustus, unfurled
Isn’t she a beaut? My favorite native wildflower up here! I am blessed that she loves this land and graces me with her presence!
And so, tonight’s sunset on the Wildflower Mania, but I’ll be back soon with some down-and-dirty photos! Sunset on the first day of June
Today was what I refer to as “opening day of tourist season.” And so, I went out and played tourist today. THAT was an experience.
For those of you who have been following me for sometime, you know I write “off-the-cuff” so-to-speak. I do little editing, I just write what I am experiencing, with little to no thought. Sort of a stream of consciousness sort of thing. God knows my “paid” writing is staid, logical, and well-thought out. This is anything but. So tonight, I just tell what happened.
First, getting off the mountain is always a treat. The views,
the flowers, the beauty – another shot of one of my favorite wildflowers, the Calochortus albus, or fairy lantern:
First, I went to Ventana
where I met with author Janey Bennett (“The Pale Surface of Things”) with whom I have been corresponding about her latest book. I’ve read her first book twice, now. It is fantastic! It is about relationships, finding one’s self, and finding one’s place on this planet. (Rather simplistic overview, but I don’t want to give the story away, and that’s not what this post is about.) It takes place in Crete in current times, but weaves together the time of the Minoans and the resistance during WWII, into the fabric of today. It has won numerous awards, and is a great read.
Well, Janey is working on her second book, and it takes place during the Basin Fire. We talked about logistics, facts, and an ending that made me tear up. I can’t wait for it to be released. We met at Ventana, where the story will probably end.
After Ventana, I met friends in town, did the usual, and then headed back down the coast. Town was CROWDED!! (I wish I had thought to take a photo of all the traffic! I could not believe it!) I so wanted to get out of there! Well, Big Sur was crowded, too. Like I said, it was the opening day of tourist season.
So, I first stopped in the local pub. Nothing new there, and I did not stay long. Then I went back to Ventana.
Oh, the ambiance, the views,
the food, the people! I took photos of everything, including my incredible dinner!
I took a drive through the state park the other day …
and ambled along the river.
I was amazed at how clear the water was!
And the redwood forest lining her shores …
majestic, is one word to describe the lofty redwood.
Sculpted by Mother Nature
And I ended the day at “the Dog,” looking at one of Cheryl’s many contributions.
