January 15

I don't normally post two photos in one day, but I'm making an exception today.  The photo of the little baby lamb was taken October 13th.  Today's photo is from the same litter, now three months older.  There are probably a dozen lambs in all, but these four were so in sync that I really found it irresistible.  Also I'm really amazed by how different each of their faces look.  If the little guy from the October photo is in today's photo, then I think he's second from the left.

January 14

Today was busy and I didn't time things very well, so I was caught without a photo.  This one was taken earlier this month when I visited the Zen Garden in SF.  I remember liking this scene because there was a nice patch of weak sunlight on the door frame.  And also because I could almost fill a crayola 8 count box with the colors here. 

January 13

*-*
It's such an earnest building.
So cute.

January 12

A girl and her dog

on the path near West Davis Pond.

January 11

Well I had one of those days.  The kind where nothing comes easy.  Where even the simple things take too much time.  The kind of day where you look down as you're walking, and where an orange peel in the dirt can be a thing of beauty.   Hey, at least it wasn't a banana peel!

January 10

Cool clouds today.  Framed by a section of the Death Star on campus this afternoon. 

January 9

This one is from last night too.  I wanted to get to the Sandhill Crane Reserve just after sunset, and this is the scene as I pulled off the highway.  As you can see, I was cutting it close!  Combing through the Todd and Brad Reed 365 Project photos this year, I realized that they make all their sunset photos with a 500mm lens (At least!  Sometimes they use an extender!)  So I guess they start much further from the earthly subject matter, and zoom in a lot more, and in this way they can get a giant sun in their photos.  I, on the other hand, have a lens that zooms to 200mm.  A puny sun by comparison.  But I do like the web of tree branches here. 

January 8

The Sandhill Cranes at Sunset.  This is such an amazing sight! 
I've been wanting to get back here for two months now, and today was my first chance.

Thousands of cranes were flying around, making their eerie calls, but these four came closest and gave a nice silhoutte.  Mt. Diablo is in the background.

January 7

"Blue Barn!"

This past summer I was at an art fair in Indiana, and there was a painter who did rural scenes, mostly barns and farmhouses.  He used a very limited color palette, and the shaded areas were always painted a purplish blue, which I really liked.  The light was really strong this morning, so I decided to try for this effect. 

January 6

The cranes!  They showed up here today!   I was in the car all day running errands, and I saw them first over the Yolo Bypass but couldn't pull over to get the photo.  Then later in the afternoon I saw them again in Woodland.  Lucky day!  They have the most graceful circular flight pattern, like ice skaters looping around in the sky.  Watching them just made all my errand-running stress melt away! 

January 5

These blooms are starting to fade, but the color was so rich in the early morning light.  I always imagined this was Indian Paintbrush...I really think they look like paintbrushes!  But when I did an image search it turns out I was way off on that.  And it's hard to search a flower name when you don't know the flower!  So I'll post an update here once I figure out the name of these orange mystery flowers. 

*They're Red Hot Poker plants.  Thanks, Audra!

January 4

This branch against sky theme is one I've been working on for a few months now, usually with valley oak branches.  I'm actually not sure what kind of tree this is; I was thinking it's some sort of magnolia, but I'm not sure if they even lose their leaves in the winter here.  Whatever the tree, I'm satisfied with the lacey look these little branches give.  I was hoping the little bird would turn around but she never did.  At least she gave me an over the shoulder look that shows her beak.

January 3

From my trip to the Zen Garden at Golden Gate Park yesterday.  This bridge is surprisingly steep, and you climb it like you would a ladder.  It was one of the most popular spots in the garden, with one family after another getting photos here.  I went for the reflection in the pond.  The leaves floating on the surface are ginko.  Too bad my camera can't focus on both the reflection, which is deep in the water, and the leaves on the surface.  The eye can switch back and forth effortlessly, but I have to pick one or the other with the lens.  And I opted for the family, of course!

January 2

Today I went to the San Francisco Botanical Garden and Zen Garden.  I like so many photos from today's visit that I'll have a nice reserve for my bad days in January, I'm happy to report.  This one was taken at the botanical garden.  It's a Giant Fishtail Palm, from Southeast Asia.  Or at least my close up view of it in a flattering light!  So far a colorful start to January.

January 1

Happy New Year!

Beginning 2012 with a lucky blue bird...

the most brilliant blue scrub jay I've ever seen!