Sunflowers, Butterflies and Bees

Driving down Highway One Oh One towards Hopland I passed a beautiful field of sunflowers. They were a giant swath of yellow parting the green vineyards. I just had to stop and photograph them. I drove up to the next side road and turned around and came back. It was a great decision. Stepping out of the pick up I could hear the sounds of hundreds of bees at work feeding on them. While photographing them a Monarch Butterfly stopped on one of the sunflower heads. I followed it from flower to flower until it had too much of me and it flew off. It continued on its journey south and I continued with mine. God 's love and blessings to all, chris Images created with a Canon 7D and a Canon EFS10-22mm lens handheld.

Here's Jack!

Actually his name was Noochie but that doesn't sound as good for a title. Yesterday when I was watching Annika play tennis there was this cute Rough Coated Jack Russel Terrier fetching balls that the tennis players would hit out into a field next to the tennis courts. Like all terriers Noochie seemed to possess boundless energy. One of the players remarked that he has seen him do this all day and never seem to get tired from it.Noochie had one major drawback to his cuteness. He had a high pitched bark that sounded like two pieces of metal being grated together. May God bless you today with his love, chris

Road Trip Through the San Joaquin Valley

Once in awhile you need a good road trip to open your eyes up to the rest of the world. Even if it is a trip on I5 which travels down the Central Valley almost straight as an arrow for hundreds of miles. Not much to see which is interesting in itself. The landscape is punctuated by cell towers, agricultural fields and equipment. Also too is the never ending procession of trucks hauling all manner of items for this vast consumeristic country of ours. Smell wise you pass by a few feed lots and dairies that will really open up your mind and make you immediately close the car windows if you just happened to have them open.It was very challenging to photgraph from the car traveling at 70 mph. The scenery just zips by so you have very little time to think and compose an image. A long but interesting road trip.

God's love and safe travels to all,

chris