March 15

This California Poppy was breaking through its cover and just about to open earlier this morning.  The bud is shaped like a traffic cone, and the outer casing splits off when it's ready to flower.  So the green at the top of the photo is the casing coming loose. And the stem, if I had photographed it, would have shown under the bottom right corner of the photo.  I think this orientation makes the flower look like a couture gown.  I'm a huge fan of Project Runway, and the first part of the finale is tonight.  This "dress" reminds me of an Austin Scarlett creation.

March 14

I went back to the red bud trees again today.  They're still mainly blossoms, but there are a few baby leaves at the end of each stem.  So that's what I photographed today, along with trying to refine yesterday's shot.  I'm not satisfied with my results on the yellow and purple panning shot yet, so I'm posting the little leaf hearts instead. 

March 13

I really love this color combination, and have been trying to figure out how to photograph it all week.  Our red bud trees are blossoming, and around here, the red bud branches attract this yellow lichen.  I decided to try for a more impressionistic take on this beautiful spring palette.  I tried to pan vertically, and maybe it doesn't quite work since the branches curve a little, I don't know.  I think it helped that we've got a rainy day.

March 12

I think these are also a variety of poppy.  Not wild though.  These were growing at a community garden in the local cemetery.  And they were growing on a steep hill, which made it easier to get this angle.  I didn't really know what I was looking for here, so I just took photos at random.   I ended up liking this one best, mainly because it had so many more stems than blossoms.

March 11

We drove out to the Capay Valley today for the Almond Blossom Festival.  It was one of those driving festivals where you get a map and drive from town to town.  Very beautiful out there, but it was overcast and hazy, so the photography wasn't easy today.  One thing I learned is that people in almond country don't pronounce almond like you and I do.  Out here, the word almond rhymes with salmon!  Say "salmon" and then say it again but without the "s".  That's how they pronounce it!

March 10

Just yesterday I noticed that we've got orange poppies blooming around here.  This one was in a little flower garden by West Davis Pond.  I saw it walking Clover, but I had to come back to make a close up photo.  I only take my 80-200 lens on dog walks these days.   But I've got this crazy +10 macro filter that fits my old 18-55 lens (52mm).  And so that's what I always use for my close ups. 

March 9

Also from my trip to Napa Valley last Saturday.  I just happened to drive past this scene, and had to pull over quickly.  That left balloon was up up and away, so I only got a few shots.  Early in the mornings hot air balloons are very common here.  And in fact, if it's foggy on this side of the coastal range, then the balloon tour company sends up balloons on our side of the mountains in Winters.  Although I have to say it's probably a little more picturesque in Napa, especially at this time of year. 

March 8

A lone valley oak was putting out leaves this morning on a hill near Vacaville.  I think these colors work nicely together; more of my spring green, plus the first good sky color we've had in quite a while!

March 7

One of the things I forgot about, when I left for Napa Valley at the crack of dawn, was that it takes a lot longer for the rising sun to reach all the parts of a valley.  This section was still in the shade, so the colors came out much different than my other photos.  But I was drawn to the pattern.  And with this shade of green, it sort of looks like a leprechaun might come skipping through here.

March 6

 I know this is a lot of wild mustard and spring green on the blog this week.  I guess I'm just so glad for the change of color from earlier this month.   And I have to admit I'm really enjoying my "week off!"  I really like this photo, but it wasn't well received by other members of my household.  I happen to think it's easy on the eyes.  My only concern was that dark band at the top.  I considered cropping, but I decided to leave it to give a vignette.

March 5

When I was a kid, one of my least favorite crayon colors was spring green.  It seemed like such a sickly color.  In fact, we called it puke green, which hardly seems fair to me now.  Spring green was one of those crayons that always kept its point.  I don't think I ever really "saw" this shade of green when I was younger.  I guess I always saw a more generic green.  Now that I'm (a little) older, I've got an appreciation for the subtleties of green, and for this youthful first green of the season.

March 4

I had a hard time deciding between this photo and yesterday's photo, so this one was my second choice.  And actually these were the only two "row" photos I took, so I guess I should have taken more!  This one is much more scenic, and very bucolic.  Whereas yesterday's photo was much more geometric, and almost abstract.  Even now I'm not sure I made the right choice.  I guess it's just a matter of mood.

March 3

Well today I finally took a photo field trip, which I haven't done all winter.  I set my alarm for 5am, got myself a Starbucks, and drove to Napa Valley.  I've been really interested in this wild mustard growing around the roadside, and I read that it grows between the grape vines out here.  So I guess I've confirmed that.  Although it wasn't quite as ubiquitous as I was imagining.  It's been a while since I've had so many photos to choose for my blog entry.  This was one of the first I took, so the light is very low, and almost backlit.  I'll probably post a few more in coming days.

March 2

We have two cats at our house.  Luna is a box cat, and Linus is a string cat.  So this isn't my first blog photo of Luna in a box.  To see earlier versions click the links here and here.  I think this one has the best lighting.  I always think our house is so bright, until I try to photograph inside.  I opened a lot of blinds all the way to make this photo, and I'm glad she stayed put, because she really doesn't like being photographed! 

March 1

Not much time for photos today, so I played around with my camera while my daughter was driving us home from Sacramento.  I rolled the window down to photograph, which really annoyed her.  I keep calling this winter wheat, although maybe that's a midwest term.  Right now it's the only thing growing around here.