Mad, Mad Mix

Today when I took Annika to school about eight this morning it was already 75F. It has been a warm day. I headed to the big city of Ukiah today to stock up on supplies. On the way down I took a spin through the White Deer Ranch looking for some white deer. Not a one was to be located. I did manage to get a nice image of one of this years young wild turkeys flying off from the side of the road. they were the only critters I spotted on my trip to Ukiah.

On the return trip I stopped off at Lake Ada Rose where I chased the Western Fence Lizards for a bit. A dragonfly stopped to model for me on a cattail tip. Finally the sun got to me and I headed home up on the ridge. As I was pulling into the driveway a Western Gray squirrel scampered up a tree next to the car. Finally I settled into the house with a nice cool drink. I'll unload the car when the temps drop this evening.
God bless,

chris

Almost to Hell and Gone

This morning I took a short drive out Sherwood Road to look for Tule Elk. Just past the gate to Spring Valley Ranch a spike and two cow elk crossed the road in front of me and jumped the fence into the James Ranch. Not the most ideal conditions but I took a documentary click of the shutter just to show that I did find some elk.

Further out the road when I got to the "Y" I took the right fork which is seven miles of twisty, steep, single lane gravel road to Highway 101. It's almost to hell and gone. Going left at the "Y" will take you to Ft. Bragg. That road is hell. Many,many vehicles have gotten stuck out there which is why they close it in winter. The right fork is doable in any most any vehicle as long as you travel slowly and don't attempt it in winter time due to two creek crossings.

The scenery out this way is incredible as it varies from mountainous oak woodlands to heavy mixed forest as you ge closer to the 101. I stopped for a couple of scenic images like the classic California Oak tree, a beautiful sunrise view to the east and one of a black wild pig trying to figure out how to get through a fence. Unusual for today's drive was the fact that I had to pull over to let a pickup go by coming the other way. That's the first time I have ever encountered another vehicle while driving the gravel section of this road.

God's precious love and blessings to all,

chris

When it All Comes Together

I love it when it all comes together on something you least expected. I set off this morning with the intention of getting some excellent Blacktail Deer images. The lighting was beautiful this morning. It was sunny with a little bit of cloud cover. Just perfect. Except for one major problem. I didn't see, spot or spy a single deer. Not one doe, fawn or buck.

I did see two Blacktailed Jack Rabbits. They were too far away and in the middle of a field so they would be extremely difficult to stalk. Next I spotted two big Jake Turkeys. They were in a really dark forested area that was way too difficult to photograph in. Next I spied a Blue Grouse. It was on private property and it was too far away.

Early on as I passed Lake Ada Rose I thought to myself, "Well if I don't find any deer I can always come back here and photograph lizards". Which is what I did. Right away I found a Skink. Its blue tail stood out like a sore thumb but it was in a really hard place to photograph. Then I found a Western fence Lizard eyeing a fly. Following that I noticed a lizard angled up over the edge of a rock. I was about to leave when I decided to make one final sweep of the dam face. That's when I saw it. A Bluebelly (Western Fence Lizard) turned sideways on a rock, flying it's colors. It was on a rock that was tall enough that I could set my camera up so that it would be right at eye level. It was just perfect. A superb way to end my mornings photography.

God's precious light and love to eveeyone,

chris

I Eat Toyotas for Breakfast

"I Eat Toyotas for Breakfast" at least that is what it said on the back of this jeep when I picked up Annika from volleball practice today. I didn't capture an image of the sticker but I was intrigued by the play of light off of the back rim contrasting with the dark rubber tire. It just kind of spelled out rough and tough to me. It was pretty much the only image I created all day. I had a lot of little projects to take care of today so photography took a back seat today.

God's love and blessings to all,
chris

Magazine Cover?

Every once in awhile I create an image that is perfect for a magazine cover. I get this cover layout in my mind just before I press the shutter release . I can picture the banner at the top of the image with space in the lower corners for the key articles to be listed. This morning I was stalking a Blacktail buck when he suddenly lifted his head out of the brush and looked my way. Instantly I thought MMMnn... Cover as I composed, focused and pressed the shutter release.
Later I found a beautiful doe laying down in a meadow. it's been awhile since I have regularly photographed deer so it was fun.

God' love and blessings to all,

chris

There is a Spider in the House

Today Lenore brought me a spider in a drinking glass from the upstairs. Luckily for me she is not squeamish about spiders and such. If they are in the shower and she doesn't have her glasses on, well then it's a whole new ball game. I took the spider outside and photographed it on a white piece of tagboard. I wanted a minnimalist approach of just the spider. I used a macro lens stopped all the way down so I could get as much of the spider in focus as I could. No one was available to wrangle the spider so I did it myself. Trying to keep the spider in one spot and the camera composed and focused was a bit of a three ringed circus. It must have been pretty amusing to watch me.

The Lords blessings to all,

chris

All in a Morning's Work

I set out this morning to see if I could capture a few deer images. I grabbed my camera and telephoto as I walked out the door. I forgot my tripod which I could kick myself for now as a number of my images aren't as sharp as they should be and so will end up in th trash. After dropping off Annika I went back to one of my old haunts for deer and found quite a few bucks there. It was a challenge as they were all in mixed lighting with a lot of distracting elements in the backgrounds. If I had my tripod I would have been more mobile. As it was I had to keep moving my truck here and there to try and get the best positions possible. The deer have just lost their velvet and it was hanging down on a few of them. The acorns have started dropping so they had those to eat in plentiful supply to bulk up on for the rut and the winter ahead.
After leaving the bucks I stopped by Lake Emily and photographed some Queen Anne's Lace and one lone lizard who had just come out onto the rocks to warm themselves. I also got one image of some cattails with the lakes reflection in the backfround. It was an awesome way to start off today.

God's light and precious love to all,

chris