Architect Julia Morgan left her imprint around much of California. Nowhere is it more prominent than at Asilomar in Monterey. Here are a few shots I got this past weekend. 

Rails of one sort or another are evident in Merrill Hall where we have window rails and some stone hand rails . Can't forget those big supporting rails  and of course some doors 'n windows .  

 Had I known the new challenge before leaving I'd have many more of her "rails" for your viewing. 

 

Hmmm, don't seem to be able to enter this in the challenge or put up a thumb. Must be another glitch. 

Entered some shots in our County Fair and got some ribbons! It is so exciting going up to the fair to find your shots and seeing a ribbon on them. So here they are... 

1st place Wildlife Lunch 

2nd place Portraits Summer fun 

Special Fair Manager's Award Waiting 

 

Last year the judges put notes on the back saying what they did or didn't like. This year there was nothing. Darn, their notes were very helpful.

 

Finally finding time to enjoy Photographica again. Here's one for the challenge...

Whatsit?    

 

OK, I'm into my learning curve again with this new format. Any helpful hints on inserting a thumb. And when I check for the challenge, nothing happens. Oh, and how do you preview? And this is supposed to be italics, but it didn't come thru that way. 

reflective

hidden

Here's my entry for this year. It was a toss up between this and my grandson, but the bird won out :-)
Reflected Beauty

Seems like forever since I've had time to take photos let alone post anything. Been too busy with caregiving duties and viruses running rampant. Things are finally slowing down.
Today there were some goldfinches in the yard so I got the camera out, dusted the cobwebs off and went for 'em.
American Goldfinch, female
American Goldfinch, male

The air is brisk, the colors subdued, but the view is worth the walk.
 
As we hiked the path less traveled, we were rewarded with a  view looking out to the bay. Here's a little different angle looking over the undulating hills towards Concord.

Found a little bit of color left in the garden to play with.
petal
yellow
red
pink

While walking the dog this morning I noticed birds at a pond near our home. The dog's walk got cut short so I could go back and get the camera. For such a tiny pond it had lots of visitors.

There was a Snowy Egret as well as a Great Egret, whose reflected beauty caught my eye. Then there was a cormorant drying his wings off after a dive, and several common mergansers who wouldn't let me get very close, and an even shyer pied-billed grebe. Of course there were mallards and muscovies. Lastly a duck's profile .

Got a macro lens, yippee! Here's the first attempt at shooting. The seasonal Poinsettia... it's flower bud and it's leaf .

It's going to take some learning and definitely gonna have to use a tripod with my unsteady hands.

For some of you the cold weather means a loss of things. For us in the milder climates your loss becomes our gain.  We get many birds wintering over around the Bay. Got to see and shoot some t'other day.

american avocet
black-necked stilt
shoveler duck

Last night the sunset was gorgeous. And for once I was in the right place at the right time. These were taken looking across the bay to San Francisco. The only thing I did to these was straighten the horizon a little.

across the bay
SF skyline

even though we've had a few good rains, we're not seeing much green on the mountain yet. But the scenery is still great.
clouds on the mountain
up the road
lone tree
red-tailed hawk

Took the grandson to the park on Saturday. There were lotsa waterfowl hanging around. Couldn't resist documenting some of their sins. The fattened geese were so slothful that they won't head south...hey, we've got green grass here, why move. And talk about pride...have you ever seen a mallard with bling before? Couldn't tell what this sweet female mallard's sin may have been. Maybe she was the angel in the crowd.
 

Yep, even the birds lust, evidenced by this Jay at my backyard feeder.

 "I gotta have it"