A Few Shots from California

It's amazing how disruptive vacations can be! It is taking me a while to get squared away again after taking two vacations almost in a row with a week of chaos in between. I've still got lot's of pictures from both trips in camera raw form. But here are a few from California.

The coast line north of San Francisco was absolutely stunning. I made Khalden stop so many times it took us most of the day to get to (and from) where we were going.

This gull balanced on the wind on one leg for quite a long time, just watching us. Maybe he was performing, just hoping I would reach into my pocket for a Cheeto or something.

Abalone diving is very popular. We didn't do this but we did have a chance to chat with this fisherman. Turns out abalone diving is very dangerous because of the strong cross currents and masses of kelp near the shore.

That's me.

A brave quail. His family scattered. He just sat there as we walked by.

We did a lot of hiking and camped just east of Mendocino. We were never far from the sounds of the shore.

My Friend Khalden and I had a chance to tell old stories, catch up on about ten years of separate histories and share our current hopes and directions.

The gorgeous views were often blanketed by fog.

Everywhere I looked I was confronted by beauty. I envy all you Californians!

And if that wasn't enough, my trip ended in a wonderful evening with one of my new favorite Gather friends, Granny Janny and her husband Sam.

All photographs taken with a Nikon D80 (various lenses)

Comments: 35

Donna Besso Sep 21, 2009, 12:13am UTC

Wonderful shots! I love California!

Atticus *. Sep 21, 2009, 10:34pm UTC

Thank you Donna, I do too.

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Annmarie B. Sep 21, 2009, 12:25am UTC

Such great pictures. OH I long for the ocean.

Atticus *. Sep 21, 2009, 10:35pm UTC

Thank you Annmarie, There is something so primally seductive about the ocean.

Annmarie B. Sep 22, 2009, 12:43am UTC

I know, I lived in a beach home right on the water in Connecticut for a lot of years. I miss it so much

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JOHN BECK Sep 21, 2009, 12:37am UTC

Nice!

Atticus *. Sep 21, 2009, 10:35pm UTC

Thanks John

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Vivian A. Sep 21, 2009, 2:02am UTC

The world is filled with beautiful places Atticus. You certainly have captured some really beauties.

Atticus *. Sep 21, 2009, 10:35pm UTC

Thanks Vivian

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Kushal Poddar Sep 21, 2009, 7:19am UTC

The brave quail is stirring something in me. Great photo essay.

gutter-girl for a walk

Atticus *. Sep 21, 2009, 10:36pm UTC

Thanks Ku. He was pretty cool.

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Cristina S. Sep 21, 2009, 7:43am UTC

Oh yes, I do miss all of it!

Atticus *. Sep 21, 2009, 10:37pm UTC

Me too. It was so great!

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Kathryn Flynn Sep 21, 2009, 8:22am UTC

wow, atticus, such gorgeous photos...been 20 years since i was that way.... and yes it does take a while to regeaer....

One way you can get your photos larger in the article is during the edit or re edit phase, to click on the actual photo in the ...whatever it is called....below the line...etc... and a larger image will pop up - or possible it will stay in your bottom line...but you can slide that one in....and it will be much larger....

Featured in the Triple Name Club.

Atticus *. Sep 21, 2009, 8:59am UTC

Thanks for the suggestion Kathryn! I had forgotten about that.

Atticus *. Sep 21, 2009, 10:37pm UTC

Thanks for the feature Kathryn!

Kathryn Flynn Sep 29, 2009, 8:11am UTC

I had to stop by again. Super photos. Great angles. Great......

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Andrea Grenadier Sep 21, 2009, 9:25am UTC

Atticus, these are absolutely splendid! What camera were you using? And I'm so jealous you got to spend time with our wondrous Jan! : - )

Atticus *. Sep 21, 2009, 9:31am UTC

Hi Andrea! Yes, it was a great time. Thanks for the comment on my photos. It was an absolute pleasure meeting Jan!

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Andrea Grenadier Sep 21, 2009, 9:26am UTC

Oh, DUH, I just noticed the photo credit line!

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Granny Janny Sep 21, 2009, 10:13am UTC

You do our state an honor with your photos and your words. Funny comment about the quail...
Anyway I finally off loaded my pictures to the macbook but now have to learn how to share them. I emailed one to myself but it didn't work. I loved the iphoto editor and had some fun with the pictures of us...hopefully, I'll figure this out. Thanks for a great photo essay!

Atticus *. Sep 21, 2009, 10:39pm UTC

Yea I think that must be some kind of oxymoron brave/quail. Thanks Jan, the pleasure was mine.

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John Philipp Sep 21, 2009, 11:21am UTC

Kushal, let other Californians know when you come next time.

Great photos.

At Stinson Beach right now (in the fog) listening to waves and escaping the 90 degree heat just over the hill.

Atticus *. Sep 21, 2009, 10:40pm UTC

Sounds lovely John. Thanks

Granny Janny Sep 22, 2009, 1:11am UTC

And still we have not met John.

Andrea Grenadier Sep 26, 2009, 7:21pm UTC

Hey! I'm jealous! But one of these days....!

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Busy Buzzy Bee 'Gather Proud Mamarazzi' Sep 21, 2009, 2:46pm UTC

fabulous shots. Wow!

Atticus *. Sep 21, 2009, 10:40pm UTC

Hey Bhawana! Thanks I appreciate it.

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R. Ellen M. Sep 25, 2009, 2:16pm UTC

Great pictures! Thank you for sharing. The last picture particularly caught me. I love the places where nature is "untouched" and all you can see is natural...but this picture of the road and fog is a bold reminder of the beauty in human construction, as well as the power of natural occurrences and how the tension between "natural" and "made" is sometimes an exquisite place to reside for those special moments. I found great beauty and awe in this photo.

Atticus *. Sep 27, 2009, 1:24pm UTC

Hey Ellen, thanks so much. I really like that shot too. Fog is so mysterious. Then when you have a bridge going out into it. It becomes a little spooky too.

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Andrea Grenadier Sep 26, 2009, 7:21pm UTC

Dear Atticus, I usually make it a rule to only have my own photos on my MacBook desktop (and set to change every 15 minutes!) but I had to add a few of your gorgeous shots to my mix. I will, of course, always credit the artist, should someone see them. : - )

Atticus *. Sep 27, 2009, 1:23pm UTC

Of course Andrea, feel free to use them as a wallpaper for your laptop. I am flattered. I guess I should work on the pictures for North Carolina also. Some of them are stunning. I also have some HDR shots that may come together, but they require a little photoshop to pull the pieces together; and they are large files. Thanks Andrea! I'm so glad you like them.

Andrea Grenadier Sep 27, 2009, 2:12pm UTC

They're so beautiful! I just watched the first episode of Ken Burns' new film about the national parks, and some of those shots remind me of your photos. : - )
Don't forget to watch it! It's really stunning, and also very moving.

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A Few Shots from California

Comments: 35

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