Willits Kinetic Carnivale

This weekend I spent some time photographing the Carnivale. There was so much subject matter to choose from. There was the Roots of Motive Power steam up. The California and Western Railroad brought in a steam engine from Ft. Bragg. There were the Hand Car Races and magic acts. There was just a lot going on. Yesterday Lenore and I watched the hand car races for a short time and then we walked through the grove in the park and looked at the vendors displays and had a bite to eat. The The Natural Hot Dog Tent and the Crepes Truck were fantastic.After awhile I just started stopping people in the crowd and asking to photograph them. Some of the Steam Punk outfits were incredible. After we left the park we photographed the steam engine on its way out of town to Ft. Bragg. We were at the crossing at Highway 101 when it passed by and the ground shakes and your body literally vibrates from the sound when the locomotive passes by on the tracks. It's quite the emotional experience.We had a really fun day. I'm looking forward to next year. God's love and protection to all, chris

Logos,Names and Signs

Yesterday I walked around the Roots of Motive Power site. They are a group dedicated to saving steam and diesel logging equipment. They have an amazing collection of many common and one of a kind pieces of equipment both working and static models. The place was a beehive of activity as they were gearing up for today's Kinetic Carnivale. They will be playing a major role in demonstrating their equipment and offering free rides on their short loop train track with one of their steam engines. I focused on logos, signs and names as I wandered through the equipment.Many nameplates are covered in the grit and grime of a life of hard work and the elements while others have been restored and look as if they recently rolled off the assembly line. It made for some fun and interesting photography. God's love and blessings to all, chris

Mini Drama in the forest

This morning I dragged my feet getting out the door. My plan was to look for some deer to photograph, restock my bird feeders at the Burris Ranch, work out and then maybe do some photography of the train and logging equipment steam up at the Roots of Motive Power. They are gearing up for the Willits Kinetic Carnivale being held this weekend. After a bit of pushing I managed to get myself out the door and on the road.I found quite a few fawns in hard to photograph locations. I was at the point of giving up when I heard the sound of antlers clattering and creating quite a fuss. Just off the road in the forest I saw two small spike bucks sparring.They were really going at it with the dust and fur flying.Pretty amazing for two little spikes. They would spar for two or three minutes,then take a breather and then they would go at it again.They were still going at it when I left. What a really cool thing to watch and photograph. Sincerely and God bless, chris

Chasing the Ridgetop Light

There is just something about sunrises and sunsets. To me they are gorgeous examples of God's handiwork. No two are ever alike. They are a challenge and fun to photograph. Yesterday and this morning we had clouds which aren't common in summertime in California near the coast. As a consequence we were treated to a wonderful sunset and this morning a sunrise. Last night I didn't know where to turn next as the light kept changing. I kept moving around trying to find the best spot. God's love and blessings to all, chris

Model "T"s Whole, Parts and Pieces

A few weeks back the Redwood Empire Model "T" Club came through Willits on a tour. I only discovered it because Lenore and I dropped by the library to return some books. When we pulled up to the library there were close to twenty model "T"s and "A"s pulled up in front of the county museum next door. Well what is a fella to do in that kind of situation? I grabbed my camera and had some fun. The lighting was really bad because it was right in the middle of the day so I started focusing on the parts and details. I had a great time though I didn't get around to processing the images until today. God's love and blessings to all, chris

Boiling it Down

Tonight there was a pretty sunset. What I found the most intriguing though was not the sunset so much as the warm light it was casting onto the trees in the forest. At first I tried a broad approach of capturing a wide swath of the forest.It didn't work. It was too busy with not enough focus. I finally boiled it down to where I was just focusing on just on the trunks of the trees. I liked it much better that way. God's love and blessings to all, chris

Paul Bunyan Parade

Today we ventured over into the coastal fog of Ft. Bragg and we watched the parade. Ft. Bragg puts on Paul Bunyan Days complete with a small town parade. My favorites were the Shriners and The Marching Lumberjacks Banned from Humboldt State University.