November 30

Every fence post along the edge of this farm has an old boot on it.

I didn't count how many, but they number in the hundreds for sure, and they all have this much character. 

I wonder what the story is here.

November 29

Sacramento was all tucked in under its "blanket of fog" earlier today.  I hear this weather is pattern is supposed to break, so it should be clear skies tomorrow.

November 28

I drove through the Yolo Basin this morning mainly because it was so foggy, being near the river.  But once I got out there, the abstract patterns made by the marsh reflections are what caught my eye. 

November 27

On our way through San Francisco today we stopped by the Fairmont Hotel to see the giant gingerbread house in their lobby.  It was several stories tall with decorated rooms.  Just to give a sense of the construction, each brick is a gingerbread slab.  It was very impressive.  Plus we had fun exploring the lobby of the hotel.  I hate to be facetious here, but I'm pretty sure the 1% are Occupying the Fairmont.

November 26

The first really foggy morning of the season, but it was easy to spot this persimmon tree!

November 25

So you know in the movie Christmas Vacation when they drive into the mountains to cut a Christmas tree?  Well, we did that today!

Turns out there are plenty of National Forest Service offices in California that offer this, but the closest one to us was the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit.  It costs $10 to purchase the permit, and they give you maps showing areas in the forest where you can cut.  So this photo was taken at one of the locations where we looked.  The trees tend to be thinner than what you get at a tree farm, but the tree we chose is probably my favorite tree we've ever gotten.  I suppose because of the family adventure involved. 

November 24

Happy Thanksgiving!

I was thinking it would be fun to get a photo of one of the many turkey flocks that I see around here.

And normally they're pretty easy to find,

but for some reason, I didn't have any turkey sightings this week!

Hmmm....maybe they're smarter than I think.

Anyway, my idea of a turkey shoot would have been pretty painless.

That's what she said, as she prepares to put the bird in the oven!

November 23

Back to leaves again today.

We're still getting a lot of color around here.

This is a shady spot under a big tree, so I shot in vivid.

The green and yellow came out nice.

November 22

So guess where I was today...
Hint: Rice-a-Roni is a treat here! 

I came through the city to pick Eric up at the airport.
Glad to be back home now, and thankful that the family is together for Thanksgiving!

November 21

I don't normally think of mockingbirds as photogenic, but when this one landed in the branch above me and started eating these berries I couldn't help but take his photo.  It's  way overexposed because my camera wasn't set for pointing the camera to the sky (yes, it's possible that I might have been photographing leaves!), but I sort of like how it came out.  It reminds me a little of a vintage bird picture.

November 20

More leaves from the walk along West Davis Pond today.  It's looking like this might be leaf week.  And given that just last month I was willing to drive several hours up to Lake Tahoe to photograph colorful fall foliage, it's a good week to be thankful for such a beautiful display of color right in my own backyard!

November 19

Perfect November weather today.  Cool and overcast on my walk with Clover. 

November 18

 Rain clouds were coming over the hills this morning out in Yolo. 

And these horses watched me warily from their rusty shed.

I like the before the storm lighting.

And I like the string of lights.

It reminds me of Snoopy's dog house at Christmas time.

November 17

  I can hardly believe this is the West Davis Pond. 

  Where did all this color come from?

  This scene snuck up on me when I wasn't looking.

I love November!

November 16

Also from yesterday's trip to Coloma.

This building is one of two remaining Chinese Stores from a Chinese gold rush settlement, now part of Marshall Gold Discovery State Park. 

Just loved the colors.