Sunset over Monterey Bay from Westcliff Drive, Santa Cruz, Ca. Monterey in the distance and Pacific Ocean on the right.
Surf's up! Winter surfing with the sea birds at Steamer Lane, Westcliff Drive, Santa Cruz, Ca.
Crashing winter waves at Steamer lane, Westcliff Drive, Santa Cruz, Ca.
Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk from Westcliff Drive, Santa Cruz, Ca.
Surf's up! Winter surfing at Steamer Lane, Westcliff Drive, Santa Cruz, Ca.
Wind swept trees on the road to the Lighthouse, Point Reyes National Seashore, California
Reflections on the San Lorenzo River on a late Fall day.Boulder Creek, ca.
Looking up into the California Redwood fairy ring on our back deck between the house and san Lorenzo River. Sequoia sempervirens is the sole living species of the genus Sequoia in the cypress family Cupressaceae . Common names include coast redwood, coastal redwood and California redwood. It is an evergreen, long-lived, monoecious tree living 1,200–1,800 years or more. The Coast Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) is the world's tallest tree. Like the other redwoods, it has a massive trunk that only tapers slightly. The many, and much smaller, branches grow out horizontally. On young trees the branches start from ground level, but mature trees growing close together in a forest lose their lower branches up to a level of 20 or 30 meters (66 to 100 feet). This allows room for other plants, even other trees, to flourish in their shade.The trunk is covered with thick (up to 30 cm or 1 foot) reddish bark, which is soft and fibrous. The bark is highly resistant to fire, which protects the trees from all but the very worst forest fires. Unlike those of most other trees, the roots of the Coast Redwood do not go deep into the ground but spread out widely just under the surface. Dark green, needle-like leaves cover the branches. The seed cones are small (1.5 to 3 cm; 0.6 to 1.2 inches) and bear very small winged seeds in late fall when the rainy season is starting and the chances for the survival of the seedlings are best.Coast Redwoods are among the longest lived of all living things, reaching an age of 2,000 years or more.
A beautiful winter day in Santa Cruz. Lighthouse Point, Westcliff Drive, Santa Cruz, Ca. On the other side of Lighthouse Point is Steamer Lane, the infamous surfing area where many surfing contests are held.
Conrad Glacier & Conrad Creek head waters under Gilbert Peak and the Goat Rocks in meadow full of wild flowers in bloom, Goat Rock Wilderness, Washington State
On a early October evening just a few nights past a full moon I had about 40 minutes after sunset and total darkness before the moon would rise and create too much light to capture the Milky Way over the Painted Hills of John Day National Monument in Oregon. The skies had been very cloudy all day but magically cleared around sunset. I painted the hills with a spotlight on a 30 second exposure at 16mm, f/2.8 and ISO 8000
Full moon arising over the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes in Death Valley National Park, California. The sand dunes are at the northern end of the Death Valley floor and are nearly surrounded by mountains on all sides.
