Here we are; on the right, my roommate -- Kitty, and that's me, the intimidated one, on the left...   Together we form a group well known around here as the "Dynamic Duo"...   Kitty specialized in crimes of passion, and I concentrate on crimes of the heart...
Visit Kitty each day on KittyBlog

Intertidal zone, China Camp

I'm not exactly sure of the name of this weed (which grows so profusively in this area), but I think of it as wild wheat...

Sometimes, the closer you look, the more fantastic they become...

Around here, when you refer to the "North Bay", you are referring to the northern portion of San Francisco Bay.   Just over the tall hills is the bustling town of San Rafael, about 20 miles north of the Golden Gate Bridge...   Directly across and east of the spot in this photo is Carqinez Straights, at the mouth of the Sacramento River and Delta area.   This end of the North Bay is shallow, and personally, I wouldn't recommend eating excessive amounts of fish caught here, but aside from that, there is a certain degree of tranquility that this bay provides...   The predominate feature here at China Camp State Park is the Pickleweed, which is a salt-marsh plant, that grows sort of like a like a thickly stranded wire-brush.   The Pickleweed has a fascinating way of changing colors with the different seasons. And yes, it does taste like pickles...   Very salty pickles...

This boat might look like just an old relic, but when the tide comes back in, Mr. Quan will pilot it out a few hundred yards and set the net...   Or maybe he will just take the day off...   I just don't know...

It was only an audience of one, but nevertheless, the sun put on quite a display...

One of California's best kept secrets is known as the Montezuma Hills, a farming and ranching area at the base of the Sacramento Delta, between Fairfield and Rio Vista.   Not many of us city-slickers would ever have a reason to venture into this area, and sadly the type of people who do are mostly red-neck hunters who flock to the pheasant shoot-em-up club, but I highly recommend visiting the area for esthetic purposes...   This area is threatened by eventual urban sprawl, but for right now it remains pristine, and except for the recent profusion of power generating windmills, the area is definitely stuck in time...
Hot tip:   Want more pix?   Be sure to catch more of my photos (sans commentary) each day over at Daily Duo.

This is a rather "artistic" variety of tree -- the Monterey Cypress.   And one of the best places to find it is Point Lobos, located between Carmel and Big Sur.   Lucky people come to this area to vacation, and even luckier people get to live in this area.   Famous photographers with names like Ansel Adams and Edward Weston have made it their home, and "not so famous" photographers, like me, had the fortune of growing up in the area.   As a teenager, I spent a lot of my free time here.
See more photos of Point Lobos on the little website I put together last year.   When I started the project I hadn't been to Point Lobos for about 40 years, and fortunately, except for a substantial incrase in the number of holiday-makers, I found my old love exactly the same as I had left her...

From this photo it might be hard to judge the actual size of this redwood tree, but I'd estimate the width of the trunk to be about 12 feet across. In the Boy Scouts they taught us how to determine the height of trees by measuring a set distance from the tree in relationship to a measuring stick, then measuring back from the stick a set amount, and then by connecting that point with the top of the tree and observing the measurement on the stick at that angle you were supposed to be able to fairly accurately calculate with simple trigonometry the height of the tree. The procedure assumes you are on level ground so you have a right angle between the ground and the tree, but there you have it -- (and assuming that my explanation hasn't left you scratching you head) that's how Boy Scouts back in the early '60's went arond measuring the height of trees...

With all of the rain that we have had, this year promises a bumper-crop of mushrooms and toadstools...

This is the gentle marsh at the entrance to Johnson Oyster Farm at Point Reyes National Seashore.

Sunset over Stinson Beach, from Mt. Tamalpais.

Thanks to everyone who has recently left comments on the site.   It is very interesting to find out what images other people like.   And don't forget, I am not just phishing for compliments here -- constructive criticism will also be appreciated.   I am well aware that many of you may be much better photographers than me, so let me know how I can improve.   And I would especially appreciate corrections on my use of the English language -- grammar and spelling is a struggle for me at times...
...and by the way, due to an oversight, I recently discovered that my actual name doesn't appear on the AphotoAday or AnimalPhotoToday sites.   To introduce myself, I am Donald Kinney, 58, single, painfully shy, and really "full-of-it"...   I was an avid photographer 40 years ago as a teenager, but have just gotten back into photography "digitally" two years ago, and I certainly have been having a lot of fun with this... So, now that you know all about me, lets hear all about you too!

This is part of the ten mile expansion of land jutting into the Pacific, known as Point Reyes National Seashore.

new galleries over at pbase:   be sure to visit my new set of galleries and see what pbase is all about...

Two Lupine seed pods.   Already, this year's crop of Lupine is getting ready for next year.

Now, if I didn't tell you that this is a montage produced in Photoshop, would you believe it was real? In other words, does this shot look realistic enough to pass, or does it look less-real the more you look at it?   Any comments.   Is anybody EVER going to make any comments????????????   Oh come on, you can post a comment anonymously and don't have to sign up on Blogger, so why not leave a comment.   I know people are out there, but they are very, very quiet, so come on, leave a comment! (all you have to do is click on "0 comments" for the message form)

Streaming morning rays of light at Roy's Redwoods...

By their abundance right now, we would have to name Marin County Dandelions "wildflower of the week"...

A monitored and highly locatable Tule Elk.   Years ago, there was a TV show named Wild Kingdom where they did an over-abundance of darting wild animals to carry out what I consider to be the questionable persuit of attaching radio collars.   And here, way out on the government's Tule Elk reserve near Pierce Point on Point Reyes National Seashore, they seem to be making absolutely sure they don't lose track of this critter.   The scientists who did the tagging probably never thought of, or cared about the potential consequences to this animal's delicate social status by having to wear such outlandish gear...
Read more about the Pt. Reyes Tule Elk in SFgate article.

Grazing cows at Point Reyes National Seashore.

Cloud and volunteer oats...   They come and go...

San Francisco's Bay Bridge at sunrise.

new galleries over at pbase:   be sure to visit my new set of galleries and see what pbase is all about...

Yes, this is beautiful and historic downtown China Camp.   The building on the left is the local restaurant.   Bon apitite.

Incoming freight bound for the Port of Oakland.   The Port of San Francisco deals with tourists, not freight, mostly, these days...

At dawn, on San Pablo Bay, just north of San Francisco.

It's rattlesnake-grass season again, but at this early stage the rattles are still soft and green...   But the crop is exceptionally lush, so there should be a whole lot of shake-rattle-and-roll later this summer...

o.k. folks, nobody seems to want to leave a comment, but REMEMBER that you are certainly welcome to do so...

A pleasant day in the Montezuma Slough, at the base of the Sacramento Delta area.

Wheat can grow just about anywhere, but it grows particularly well in the endless and gentle Montezuma Hills.

Main house, Point Pierce Ranch.

Shortly after the discovery of gold in California, Point Reyes became a large center for dairy farming.   In those days, Point Reyes was extremely remote, and the most efficient way to transport their butter and cheese to the hungry markets in San Francisco was on shallow draft schooners.   In the 1930's, the dairy industry was required to adopt strict sanitary practices, and it was then that milk was trucked to a cooperative creamery in Point Reyes Station, 15 miles distant (and about 3 hours away in those days).   Pierce Point Ranch finally ceased operation in 1976, but the empty buildings are still there -- near the tip of Tomales Point.   A schoolhouse, blacksmith shop, milking barn, and creamery remain.   Walking through the empty milking barn is a genuine experience...

We all have measely and pathetic specimins of Dandelions growing in our domesticated lawns, but here in the outer regions of Marin County, they also are famous for growing wild, happy and proud, and in great abundance...

This abandoned boat, the Point Reyes, quietly arrived in Inverness sometime during the past 38 years, but exactly when that was, or why, I'm not sure...