Praying for the Return of the Fog

When I first moved to the Redwoods just inland from the North Coast of California in 1989 I remember the fog rolling in from the ocean at least three to four times a week. It's beautiful to behold and it provides nourishment for the Redwood trees to be healthy through the summer. The incoming marine layer hits the tall trees and ridges causing fog drip that falls like rain around the bases of the trees. Within the last five years or so I have noticed the fog rolling in less and less. Now it seems like the fog only comes in three or four times a month robbing the redwoods and the rest of the forest of the moisture that it needs to be healthy. I wondered if my empirical record keeping had any validity? Today I did a little research and there are plenty of studies that show this to be true. The lack of fog is impacting the health of the Redwoods in California in a negative way. Hopefully the last few weeks mark the beginning of a change in the fog patterns. The marine layer has been rolling in almost every night as of late. That would be a wondrous change and something good we can pray for. God's love and blessings to all, chris This image wascreated with a Canon 7D MkII camera and a Tamron 18-200mm lens, #TeamCanon, #WithMyTamron

Historic William Schwerin Photo Collection

I've really got my work cut out for me. Here is just a small sample of the prolific collection of my Grandfather William Schwerin's photos. My long term goal is to eventually digitize and post his whole collection of images. I'm starting with copying his photographs and eventually I'll move onto scanning his negatives. It's a pretty amazing collection. The pick up in the top center of this photo shows the shop truck of the Schwerin Brake Service which is still in business today in San Francisco on Bush St. This image was created with a Canon 7D MkII camera and a Canon EF-S 17-85mm lens. #TeamCanon

City Boy

In my college years I spent some time living in the city of Sacramento. Luckily I lived in an apartment right next to the levee of the American River. I spent a lot of time kayaking, fishing and swimming in the river. It was my saving grace as it helped my sanity by having nature just over the top of the levee. Over the weekend I visited relatives in the Sacramento area. I made it a point to visit where I used to live. I found that the apartments had been converted to high end senior condos for 55 and up. Just down the street in Campus Commons I found some Wild Turkeys strutting in front of an office complex. Judging by how fat this on was they weren't lacking for food! This image was created with a Canon 7D mkII camera and a Tamron 150-600mm G2 lens. Fill flash was provided by a Canon 550 EX flash, #TeamCanon, #WithMyTamron

Poppin' Out All Over

There has been a wonderful California Poppy bloom this spring. I went out a couple of times to photograph them this last week. Both in Ukiah and Willits. As beautiful as they are it takes some work to get a beautiful image of them. Part of the reason for that the grasses have grown up faster than the poppies pretty much burying them in the grass. You have to look for poppies that stand out or are isolated from the grasses in some way. I created a lot of images but here are three of my favorites. All of these images were created with a Canon T1i camera and a variety of different lenses. #TeamCanon

Wee One From the Woodpile

Spring is the perfect time for me to find salamanders in the woodpile. I'm usually getting down to the bottom of the pile and salamanders are getting active because it is still moist and getting warm. Yesterday I uncovered this slender salamander under one of the last logs in the pile. At first glance I thought it was a worm until I noticed the tiny little legs sprouting out from the body. I carefully placed it in a glass container. This morning I photographed it before setting it free. Compare the salamander to some of the fir needles in the images and you can get an idea of how small they are. God's blessings upon your week, chris All of these images were created with a Canon 7D MkII camera and a Canon EF-S 60mm USM macro lens on a tripod. #TeamCanon

Sally

Earlier this week while getting some wood from the woodpile I discovered this cool little salamander between the layers of the tarp covering the pile. It was awesome in appearance being black with gold flecking. Size wise it was very small only being about two inches long. It was also difficult to capture because it was really fast and active for a salamander. This afternoon I photographed it before releasing it back into the woodpile where I had captured it. I'm sure it has some pretty wild stories to tell to its buddies. God's blessings upon your weekend, chris Both of these images were created with a Canon T1i camera and a Canon EF-S 60mm macro USM lens. #TeamCanon

Night of the Newt

The other night we made a late night grocery run. It was pouring rain on the drive downtown and very, very foggy on the return trip home. When we were unloading the car we had made several trips back and forth carrying in groceries when Lenore noticed something slowly crawling across our walkway. She called me over and pointed it out for me to see. I bent down and picked up an orange and black Rough Skinned Newt. We were really lucky that we hadn't stepped on it while going back and forth to the house. I brought it inside and popped it into a jar. This morning I grabbed a mossy limb from a knocked down oak tree and I used it to photograph the newt before setting it free outside. Here are three of my favorite images.God's love and blessings upon your week, chris All of these images were created with a Canon 7D MkII camera and a Canon EF-S60mm F/2.8 macro USM lens. #TeamCanon