A California Hillside
In early November Marilyn and I went to Sonoma on a wine country vacation with friends. I was still on East Coast time and woke up at 5:30 every morning. Instead of tossing and turning and trying to go back to sleep, I got dressed, grabbed my camera and went to a nearby woodland in the northern California foothills. I spent three early mornings walking and wandering through this oak covered hillside as the sun rose and its light filtered through the oak trees.
I know - who goes on a wine tasting vacation and rises before sunrise to go hiking each morning? It wasn’t my original plan but I am very happy I did! I have always loved the twisted and gnarled branches of California oaks and how they rise out of the dry golden grass of the hills. Add in the beautiful sunrise light and each morning was magical.
One of the things I enjoy about photography is when I explore a small area and truly see it. I definitely love going to big exotic places like our national parks. But I get just as much enjoyment - and maybe more - by spending time and truly exploring and photographing smaller areas. This small preserved woodland was just 1.5 miles long and less than a mile wide. But the combination of light from the rising sun, color from the grasses and leaves, and lines from the trunks of the oaks was truly captivating.
A short photo story of six images is shown here, on A California Hillside. Click on the link and experience those three sunrise mornings among the oaks like I did. Enjoy!
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everyone!
And don't look now, but the days are getting longer! It's December 21st - the shortest day of the year. Starting tomorrow we have extra daylight every day to be outside enjoying nature. Soon it will be Spring! 79 days until Daylight Saving Time! ;)