White Mountain Photography News

Waiting for the Waves

2012-01-31T18:07:00.000-08:00

The Mavericks Opening Ceremony 2012

While most areas in the US have four seasons, Half Moon Bay actually has only three: The fog season, the pumpkin season and the "waiting for Mavericks" season.
Right now we are in the middle of the waiting for Mavericks season, which officially started on January 1st with the opening of the contest window.

The waves of Mavericks, named after a German Shepherd, who tried to surf the waves with his owner in the early 1960, became known and famous after Half Moon Bay surf legend Jeff Clark proved that there are indeed big waves comparable to the ones in Hawaii.
Since 1999, the year of the first big wave competition, surfers around the world gather here, by invitation only and only if the swell is right, for one of the most dangerous surf competitions.

Photo taken at the 2004 Mavericks competition

That Mavericks sure is a dangerous spot to surf even Hollywood star Gerald Butler had to experience, as he almost drowned this December during the filming "Of Men and Mavericks" at Mavericks. Though Gerald Butler got lucky, two other big wave surfers, Mark Foo and Sion Milosky did not survive the waves here.

Photo taken at the 2004 Mavericks competition

Mavericks is located past Pillar Point Harbor, just north of Half Moon Bay. A tiny little beach that didn't get a lot of attention, except during the competition, until recently. Somehow word must have gotten out and now at any given low tide hundreds of people trample more or less carelessly around sea anemones and other delicate tide pool life....

Why do the waves get so big here? A sign on top of the Princeton Cliff explains: "When swells complete the journey across the Pacific [coming from Japan] and reach Mavericks, they encounter an abrupt change in water depth along with a uniquely shaped sea floor. As a result, the wave heights increase dramatically and form perfectly shaped giant waves."

On Jan 6th, seventeen of the competitors, alternates, and former winners came together for the opening ceremony of the 2012 season. They were joined by the "big wave surfers of the future", members of the Cunha Intermediate and Half Moon Bay High School surf teams (see picture above). Instead of announcing a given day for the ceremony, which usually took place in December, this year the organizers waited for a day with a good swell, so that the surfers not only could participate in the ceremony but also were able to surf the big waves.

The ceremony was to begin at 2 pm, but with so many "celebrities", the press wanted to interview almost everybody, here Darryl "Flea" Virostko, three time winner of the Maverick competition, and that took some time....

The onlookers spared no effort to get the best view...

And as word got out, that the helicopter that was flying dangerously low over the waves actually was still filming for the "Of Men and Mavericks" movie, people wandered over to sneak a peak.

But in order to really see something one would have to brave the cliffs as this photographer here was willing to do...

...since I already had experienced that seawater and camera equipment is not really compatible, I kept my distance from the waves...;-)

Finally, some movement came into the surfers...

..and the ceremony began.

After the officials had said their initiatory words and the opening prayer was held, the surfers and the kids from the local surf teams paddled out into the ocean to form a prayer circle in the Hawaiian style:

Now I will keep my fingers crossed that the competition will take place. For the first time since I'm following Mavericks I secured myself a spot on the boat, to get closer to the action!

Meet Scarlett

2012-01-30T14:10:00.000-08:00

I just finished editing a photo shoot with a beautiful black Labrador girl named Scarlett:

Guarding her mistress' sweater,

and setting herself in the spotlight on the red chair!

She sure lives up to her famous namesake!

A Nightmare in Bright Daylight!

2012-01-23T20:40:00.000-08:00

An addendum to the November Conservation Tip.

I'm feeling so helpless about this ongoing and unnecessary slaughter of these magnificent creatures......

Please watch and share, and help to spread the word.

THIS NEEDS TO END!!!

January Conservation Tip

2012-01-12T20:07:00.000-08:00

Most of us are aware that buying local is the way to go, it is supporting the local businesses, has the fresher produce and reduces the carbon footprint. But most often it is also a bit more expensive.

Inspired by the book "How Bad Are Bananas" , the carbon footprint of everything by Mike Berners-Lee, our son decided to make the carbon footprint of food the topic of his 8th grade science fair project.

With the question:

"What is the carbon footprint of a burrito with locally bought ingredients VS a burrito with Costco bought ingredients? What is the price difference?" he wanted to find out exactly how much more expensive local food is and exactly how high the carbon footprints are in comparison.....and he did.

After determining what would go into the "test" burrito, he then went to the farmers market and New Leaf to get the ingredients, always checking and noting down where they came from. Then off to Costco to do the same. That was easier said then done, since at Costco one actually doesn't know where the food is produced, only where it is distributed from. The ground beef, for example, had a huge USDA Select sticker on the packaging, but be aware, that doesn't tell you anything about the origin, this is just the quality. Looking closer, he found out, that this ground beef was mixed beef from: Australia, Canada, Mexico, New Zealand and USA.....

After that he had a lot of math to do and these are the results:

As assumed, the local "burrito" was more expensive, it did cost 2.4 x more then the Costco "burrito" , but who would have guessed that the Costco "burrito" had a 111 x higher carbon footprint???? Which doesn't even include the "food miles" from the production site to the distribution center.

Quite amazing, isn't it?

The good news is, that he made First Place in the Ecology category at the Cunha Science Fair and the Gil Ellis Environmental Award.
He now will be off to the countywide Science Fair.

Congratulations, my Dear!

A big Thank You to Christine from the Potrero Nuevo Ranch and Dr.Volker Enders from Hara for their insightful interviews!

Holiday Puppies

2011-12-23T19:51:00.000-08:00

After this rather grief Conservation Tip, here is something to cheer you up!

Earlier this month I had the opportunity to photograph a litter of 12 adorable Labrador Retriever puppies.

They were so much fun to photograph, since...

..they are easygoing,

curious,

adventurous,

sometimes stoic,

playful,

make good stocking stuffers, at least at this age,

and of course, like to chew on everything.

With this I wish you all Happy Holidays

and a wonderful New Year!

click on the image for a full view of this panorama

December Conservation Tip

2011-12-19T21:41:00.000-08:00

The Cove

I know it's the time to be merry, and most of the time I am enjoying the festive spirit, the yummy food and the time together with friends and family.

Ever since I know about "The Cove" though, between September and March a thought pops up in my mind every so often as I follow the daily reports from volunteers in Taiji, a little coastal town in Japan.

What is going on there, that I would mind?

Since centuries, the Japanese hunt marine mammals for food. Since the late 1960's though they catch and slaughter dolphins and other small whales here en masse.

They go out with a group of boats and wait on the known migratory dolphin routes until they spot a pod. The hunter/fishermen then try to interrupt the dolphins' echolocation by banging on metal poles. The goal is to drive the now confused dolphins in a cove, that then can be closed in by nets. Out of the captured dolphins a few nice ones get selected to be sold for a lot of money to dolphinariums around the world, the other ones unfortunately don't get released, no, they get slaughtered and then sold as food. Notwithstanding that the mercury levels in most of these dolphins make it unhealthy to eat, the meat is sold for human consumption and even distributed as lunch meat for school children.

The estimated number of dolphins that meet this fate is about 2000 a year.

As I read the following blog entry today, I decided to do my part to make this more widely aware. It just has to stop, it doesn't make ANY sense!

"The Hardest Day of My Life
December 18, 2011 by Ric O'Barry, Earth Island Institute

By Heather Hill
Cove Monitor
Save Japan Dolphins
Earth Island Institute

NOTE: Today, Japanese police raided the hotel in Kii-Katsuura, near Taiji, where Save Japan Dolphins’ Heather Hill and volunteers from Sea Shepherd Conservation Society were staying. The raid was apparently prompted by the arrest last week of Sea Shepherd volunteer Erwin Vermeulen, who allegedly was involved in an altercation with an employee at the Dolphin Base hotel. While Heather was detained briefly while her room was searched and her computer and cameras were checked, all her equipment was returned to her after it was clear she had no connection to Sea Shepherd. No arrests were made. Earth Island's Save Japan Dolphins and Dolphin Project do not condone violence of any kind in Japan and have never broken any laws in Taiji. We are very grateful for the work of Heather and other volunteers like her who, under very difficult conditions, keep us informed of what is happening in Taiji with the dolphin hunts.

Today was, and will probably always be, the longest and hardest day of my life. Last week we saw five slaughters in six days. The dolphin killers of Taiji took yesterday (Saturday) off, so we had one day of peace, but today they were right back at it. My hopes were soaring high when we spotted several banger boats headed back in this morning, but suddenly the boats turned and sped off to meet others that had apparently located a pod of striped dolphins.

From the lookout on Takababe Mountain, I could see that this pod still had a lot of energy, despite being chased towards the shores of Taiji. Unlike the striped dolphins caught a few days ago that were all too exhausted to panic in the shallow Cove, these ones were quickly frightened by their ever-tightening world. The fishermen had already prepared nets in the Cove to try and keep the dolphins from throwing themselves out of the water and getting stuck on the rocks, but it made no difference. Once the final net was drawn, terror broke out amongst the dolphins. Skiffs tried to position themselves between the rocks and dolphins, and divers sat on the rocks to push and kick the dolphins that slammed their bodies into the wall, tearing their skin open and staining the water with blood. One dolphin made a mad dash into the net and became entangled, wrapping itself tighter and tighter as it thrashed, trying to get a desperately needed breath of air. A diver jumped in to set it free, knowing we were watching with our cameras. The chaos ensued for what felt like an eternity, and we tried in vain to put our cameras between the situation and us, hoping to make it seem less real and therefore easier to document. I later had to clean the dried salt off of my camera from all the tears that had dripped down the view screen.

Finally the skiffs were able to push the frightened dolphins underneath the tarps. They could hide the sight of what happened next from our eyes, but we could hear everything. The 34 or so dolphins continued to thrash in the shallow water of the Cove. Blood seeped into our view. After what felt like forever, the thrashing began to be reduced, and finally ended altogether. The dolphins were all dead, having suffered right up to the very end. I felt dead inside. I thought it was over, until I heard a loud thud, followed by another, and another. The fishermen were tossing the dolphins' bodies into skiff to transport them to the slaughterhouse. I have never been affected by a sound so much in my life. This is a day that will be with me until the day I die."

Please take the time during the winter break to watch the movie "The Cove", which explains and shows! much better what is going on in Taiji then I could ever do it here.

For quick information watch Captain Paul Watson on the Cove Guardians Campaign

If you agree with me, please help spreading the word!

Happy Holidays!

Resources:

http://www.seashepherd.org/cove-guardians/cove-guardian-reports/
http://savejapandolphins.org/blog/category/Taiji-Cove
http://www.celsias.com/article/dolphins-slaughtered-taiji/

The Lunar Eclipse

2011-12-12T18:55:00.000-08:00

As most of you know, this last Saturday morning we had a total lunar eclipse. It started around 4:45 am and was to end around 8 am, but by this time the moon had already set. As I was looking at the charts, I figured out, that the moon would set more or less fully eclipsed. In front of my inner photographic eye I imagined a copper colored, eclipsed moon setting in the ocean in the first light of the day, ahh, what a picture....worth crawling out of bed at 3:45 am!

It started out sufficiently clear, some clouds were predicted, but that should just add to the drama, or so I hoped.

Long exposure of the full moon scene, right before the eclipse started. The long exposure makes it look almost like daylight.

I had set up two cameras on two tripods. The first camera was equipped with a telephoto lens to show the details.

Here the results:

@ 4:45 am

@ 5:03 am

@ 5:26 am

@ 5:49 am

@ 6:03 am

And then all of a sudden, the moon disappeared in a low cloud cover, this was the last I saw of it....

@ 6:15 am

With the other camera, this one equipped with a wide-angle lens, I took an image every 10 minutes or so. I then put all the images together to show the course of the eclipse (click on the image to see a bigger version):

Frozen to the bone, after not enough sleep and being out on the oceans edge for hours, it was rather disappointing to see the moon just vanish in the clouds...but a beautiful sunrise and a nice hot cup of coffee later at home made it all good again. Next time then.....

McWay Falls

2011-11-30T19:47:00.000-08:00

The McWay Falls, about 36 miles south of Carmel on the California Coast, were on my "to do list" for quite some years. I had seen awesome images and of course wanted to take some myself. But how things go with "to do lists", I never got around to really do it....
Until now!
A few weeks ago my friend and Cherie I spontaneously decided to take on the 3+ hour drive down to the waterfall.
Alone the drive along Highway 1 is worth the effort. Although spoiled through living on the coast, we had to get out several times to take pictures and ahh and ohh.

After a long and windy drive, at last we made it:

As planned, we arrived shortly before sunset and could watch the light playing in the cove before the sun finally disappeared in the ocean.

McWay Falls, named after Christopher McWay, an early settler, is not only called the "most beautifully situated waterfall on the California Coast" by the "World of Waterfalls", the park it is located in also has an intriguing history.

In the 1920s Lathrop and Helen Brown purchased McWays Saddle Rock Ranch and built two houses in the area where today the waterfall overlook is situated. The main house supposedly was rather fancy with black marble and a huge panorama window overlooking the ocean. Quite an accomplishment for that time.
Helen Brown became good friends with Julia Pfeiffer Burns, a pioneer woman homesteading on an adjacent ridge.

In 1961 Helen Brown donated the 1800 acre Saddle Rock Ranch to the state under two conditions, it was to be named after Julia Pfeiffer Burns, her admired friend and that the land to the west of Highway 1 should be "unmarred by further construction or out-of-place man-made improvements" and that the Waterfall House should be made into a "museum for the custody and display of indigenous Indian relics, flora and fauna of the California coastal area, and historical objects pertaining to the Big Sur country." But, if the house was not made into a museum within five years it was to be torn down......and so five years later the Waterfall House became history...

After the sun had set, the cove seemed to glow in pink. We photographed like maniacs until the light was almost gone and our exposures got so long, that the water took on a fog-like appearance.
A truly magical place!

Sources:

Pelican Network

Hiking in Big Sur

World of Waterfalls

California State Parks

November Conservation Tip

2011-11-05T20:43:00.000-07:00

Well, we survived Halloween and the pumpkin invasion, and more holidays are on their way. Next on the list is Thanksgiving, but most everywhere the Christmas decoration is in full swing. Starbucks offers it's holiday drinks and soon we will hear Christmas carols from every speaker.
And with that the yearly quest of of finding just the right Christmas presents starts all over again....

Mid September a facebook page called "Indexed" posted the following "index card":

Somehow that strung a cord with me and now as the time comes to think about presents, I was wondering, if it would be possible to "create" presents instead of buying them.
It's not for everybody of course, but if you can bake, cook, sew, photograph, woodwork, knit or are handy in any other way, I'm sure there are projects that could make some of your friends and family happy.

For the knitters among us, I came up with a project that is easy and rather quick to accomplish, useful and trendy.

And here it is,

The Two Hour Beanie

You will need 1-2 skeins of Spud & Chloë Outer Super Bulky wool (60yds(55m)/100grams), this is a wool and organic cotton mix, that is so soft you won't want to stop knitting, and a set of #11/8mm double point needles. Both are available at the super friendly Princeton Yarn shop here in Half Moon Bay. If you are not living in the area, check out the Spud & Chloë website for a store locator, or just get similar wool.

The beanie will be rather stretchy and fit most adult heads.
Cast on 48 stitches, 12 on each double point needle. Knit K(knit)4, P(purl)4 to end of round and join. Repeat until piece is about 6 to 61/2 inch.
Decrease as follows:
1. R(round): K1, K2tog, K1, P1, P2tog, P1
2. R: K3, P3
3. R: K1, K2tog, P1, P2tog
4. R: K2, P2
5. R: K2tog, P2tog
6. R: K1, P1
7. R: K2tog 6 times, cut yarn and threat on tapestry needle, draw yarn through remaining 6 stitches and pull the beanie close, weave in yarn ends.

Fuer meine deutschen Freunde: K = rechte Masche, P = linke Masche, 2tog = zwei Maschen zusammenstricken, decrease = abnehmen

Horse Heaven

2011-10-31T10:57:00.000-07:00

...or maybe rather horseback riders heaven....

Riding in Central Oregon

Two weeks ago I was fortunate enough to spend three days in my version of paradise, on the back of my horse!
I went up to Bend, in Central Oregon, to stay with my friend Kathy, and to hit the trails as long as our horses would carry us.
For all our trail rides we consulted: Riding Central Oregon Horse Trails by Kim McCarrel

The first day we rode along the Deschutes River, on the Lava Island Trail.

While this trail is swarmed by tourists and mosquitoes alike in summer, fall is the perfect time!

Great footing for the horses and a splendor of fall colors contrasting with the lava as well as with the green-blue river made this trail to one of my all time favorites.

The second day we had planned a longer and more strenuous ride, 13+ miles and over a 1000 feet elevation up to the Green Lakes plateau.

For a while we climbed up a rather steep single trail, but soon got rewarded by stunning views:

After crossing lots and lots of creeks,

a few plateaus and more climbing we finally reached Green Lakes:

The weather was not quite cooperating, overcast to a light drizzle, ideal material to play a bit with some filters...;-)

Here applied to South Sisters:

But nothing so serious, that it would keep me from shooting.

Taking photos while mounted on a horse is not the ideal starting point, getting down and back up every time one wants to take a picture is not really feasible either. So I apologize in advance if not all images are in the quality you would expect. This time capturing the spirit of a great time in the saddle was more important to me than the ultimate image quality.

After a short break, we left the Green Lakes area to start our descent, which seemed to be much faster than the way up...

The last day I pledged for a shorter ride, since my seat bones started to protest. But my request got simply denied. Luckily!

As long as the trail to Green Lakes, but no elevation, we started the Cultus Lake trail in the early afternoon. We did not plan to ride it all the way to the end, just two hours in and then back. We started off by letting the horses play a bit on the shallow shore of the lake.

After we passed our turning point, an old homestead shelter in Muskrat Lake,

we had so much fun, we decided to go just a little bit more, and more, and more...until we actually reached the end of the trail at Winopee Lake. We realized that we would have to do quite a bit of trotting on our way back, if we wanted to get back to the trailer in daylight.
But easier said than done, since the fun of this trail were the many obstacles we had to overcome:

But since our horses are real troopers, we made it back in time. After another quick stroll into Cultus Lake for a sip of cold water,

we loaded the horses in the last rays of yet another wonderful day spent in the saddle.

Thank you Kathy, Chyrise and Alyssa for showing Fin and me your gorgeous back country!

October Conservation Tip

2011-10-25T18:14:00.000-07:00

Back to the Roots...or seeds

heirloom fruits and vegetables

Now, what exactly are heirloom fruits and vegetables?

"heir·loom n.

1. A valued possession passed down in a family through succeeding generations.

2. An article of personal property included in an inherited estate.

3. A cultivar of a vegetable or fruit that is open-pollinated and is not grown widely for commercial purposes. An heirloom often exhibits a distinctive characteristic such as superior flavor or unusual coloration. [1]"
[1] http://www.thefreedictionary.com/heirloom

Superior flavor sounds good, doesn't it. So as I picked up a flyer on our trip to the Solar Living Institute back in August, advertising the :

National Heirloom Exposition

The World's Purest Food Fair

in Santa Rosa, I decided I had to check that out!

I was not disappointed, the fruits and vegetable and even livestock varieties were mindboggling.

And lovingly displayed:

I knew that heirloom tomatoes are having a come back,

but the diversity was just beyond words,

vegetables I had never even heard about before

and a refreshing assortment of NOT genetically modified corn!

One of my non vegetable favorites: The dark chocolate brown eggs from the Marans

But not only edibles were showcased, a lot of vendors with related topics had booths at the expo, from seed exchange and books, to garden tools and bee keeper supply and even:

So when you are getting ready to order your seeds for next spring, give some heirloom varieties a thought. If appropriate for you climate zone, you might be needing less fertilizer and pesticides and might yield a crop that is not only "superior in flavor" but will for sure envy your neighbor...;-)

Helpful links:

The National Heirloom Exposition

Peaceful Valley

Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds

Seed Savers Exchange

Comstock, Ferre & Co.

See you next year at the

Fall Color

2011-10-19T20:27:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it's fall again, Costco has Christmas Ornaments for sale since August, every grocery store sells big bags of candy for Halloween and turkey recipes adorn the front cover of every decent cooking magazine. And worst of all for us here in Half Moon Bay, the pumpkin traffic slows down every "over the hill" activity tremendously. Can you tell I'm not such a big fan of fall...;-)
What I really like though, are the fall colors.

As mentioned, in Half Moon Bay one color dominates all in October:

The "Pumpkin Color"....

a bit farther away, in Napa Valley it gets a bit more divers...

...where red wine leaves contrast with deep blue grapes and persimmons are abundant.

But for the real deal one needs to travel to Vermont, right?

Wrong!

On a recent trip to Bend, Central Oregon, I was taken away by the sheer beauty of the fall color display. I even overheard a lady telling her friend, that Oregon is right there next to Vermont in it's display of fall colors. Well, I have never been to Vermont, but I can't imagine how it can be any better than what I saw here:

Cultus Lake Aspens and a street scene in downtown Bend

I especially liked the display of fall colors along the Deschutes River, where the colors a beautifully contrasted by the deep black lava:

The scientist in me of course was curious why there is so much fall color in one place, while an other has only a bit. So I tried to research it a bit. I learned, that the red and yellow colors are in the leafs all year round, but are outnumbered by the vital Chlorophyll. As the days grow shorter the Chlorophyll dwindles and the "carotenoide" can take over. But in the Bay Area days grow shorter, too and except a tree here and there there is not much of fall foliage around.
Then I found the answer, needless to say, on Wikipedia:

" Anthocyanins
The reds, the purples, and their blended combinations that decorate autumn foliage come from another group of pigments in the cells called anthocyanins. Unlike the carotenoids, these pigments are not present in the leaf throughout the growing season, but are actively produced towards the end of summer. They develop in late summer in the sap of the cells of the leaf, and this development is the result of complex interactions of many influences — both inside and outside the plant. Their formation depends on the breakdown of sugars in the presence of bright light as the level of phosphate in the leaf is reduced.
During the summer growing season, phosphate is at a high level. It has a vital role in the breakdown of the sugars manufactured by chlorophyll. But in the fall, phosphate, along with the other chemicals and nutrients, moves out of the leaf into the stem of the plant. When this happens, the sugar-breakdown process changes, leading to the production of anthocyanin pigments. The brighter the light during this period, the greater the production of anthocyanins and the more brilliant the resulting color display. When the days of autumn are bright and cool, and the nights are chilly but not freezing, the brightest colorations usually develop.[1]"

Now that explains it, with all the fog, there is certainly no bright light here...;-)

A good enough reason for me to travel...

Aspen Grove

This is just one tree!

Thank you Kathy, for showing me all these beautiful places!

World Wide Photo Walk

2011-10-04T14:29:00.000-07:00

Last week I got an email, announcing the 4th annual World Wide Photo Walk, with 3 different locations in San Francisco. Not quite sure what that was about, I checked out the website and learned:

The annual World Wide Photo Walk, initiated by Scott Kelby from NAPP, is a "social photography event where photographers get together (usually in a downtown area or trendy section of town) to walk around, shoot photos, and generally have fun with other photographers."

Now, that sounded good and I signed up right away.

Of the three offered locations, the walk around the Japanese Tea Garden in the Golden Gate Park, sounded the most promising to me. We were to meet at the entrance at 3:45 pm on Sunday afternoon.

Well, normally a short drive, it took about 2 hours to get there and find parking, since the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival took place in the Golden Gate Park at the same time and literally thousands of people were milling around, streets were closed and parking was hopeless...

But most of the photo walkers made it, more or less in time, and after a delayed start Catherine Hall, our photo leader, climbed up a short ladder and introduced herself and welcomed us warmly. Then we posed for a group photo, not an easy undertaking with about 50 photo walkers and were let loose, in groups, to explore and photograph the Tea Garden.

After the obligatory postcard photos were taken, everybody was on the lookout for something more special...

From the Tea Garden we moved on to the de Young Museum, where Catherine again climbed her ladder and gave some clever advise on architectural photography.

Although a San Francisco landmark, I can't really share the excitement about the building. Compared to the "old" museum, I find it rather ugly...

But with art all around, it's easy to find something more appealing, right? ;-)

After a short portrait session at the de Young museum, Catherine offered a more extensive demonstration of portrait lighting and most of the attendees were more than happy to pick up some tips and tricks from this accomplished portrait photographer. All too soon the sun was setting and the photo walk was coming to an end.

Even with a last glance towards the Golden Gate Bridge, unfortunately the fog was rolling in, the way home was much faster...

City by the Bay

2011-09-30T21:31:00.000-07:00

"When the lights go down in the city

And the sun shines on the bay

I want to be there in my city..."

by Journey

Living close to the city by the bay I had of course collected a few images of San Francisco over the years, but never really took the time to go to San Francisco just to take pictures.
Since San Francisco's weather is rather unpredictable and very foggy in summer, now in fall, the weather is a bit more stable and even really sunny. Time to go and do some shooting, my friend Cherie and I thought and dedicated a day this last week to do exactly that.

With Journey's song and a plan of action in mind we spent a fabulous day in the city.

The following images follow the route we took, complemented by images from former visits.
Not much writing this time, so turn on your favorite San Francisco tune and enjoy !

Coit Tower

with it's great murals

and fantastic views over the city

Saints Peter&Paul Church

Looking over Columbus' shoulder at Alcatraz

San Francisco's "crookedest" Lombard Street

View from Lombard Street towards the Coit Tower

Cable Car rolling down Taylor Street

The Hornblower and historic streetcars

The Ferry Building Marketplace

...with all it's goodies

The all new Academy of Science

and it's most famous resident: Claude, the albino alligator

The Conservatory of Flowers

I still have to master the perfect shot here, at the "Painted Ladies", my goal being to capture the skyline in the background

AND the nice evening twilight...without the fog

The Palace of Fine Arts at night

and "The Thinker" at the Legion of Honors

Twilight Bay Bridge and Skyline, seen from Treasure Island

Suspension Bridge spanning over the "Golden Gate", the opening of the Bay into the ocean ...

September Conservation Tip

2011-09-19T11:12:00.000-07:00

Solar Living and More

One evening over dinner our family was discussing solar energy. Coming back from Germany this June, where I noticed lots and lots of solar panels on roofs, I was wondering, why we here in California, where the sun shines much more often than in Germany, only have a very few. Ideas were tossed around: too expensive, can't store the energy well, to complicated to install and so forth. Until my husband suggested to spend one of our last vacation days and just drive up to Hopland and visit the Real Goods Solar Living Center, basically the mecca for solar energy here in California.

No sooner said than done. We even booked a tour and were on our way the next day. I was a bit apprehensive. Although I really like the idea of solar energy, to listen to the mathematical equations and physical formulas involved with it didn't much appeal to me. But my worries were for nothing.....
After strolling for a bit through the Real Goods store, we were greeted by our guide, Brittany.
And although we of course talked about solar energy, Brittany showed and explained us so much more....

The Solar Living Institute is located in Hopland, right on Hwy 101. As Real Goods with founder John Schaeffer acquired the 12 acre parcel that is now the Solar Living Institute it was just a "ratty patch of ground". Now I would rather call it a green oasis.

Brittany started the tour off at the Intern Village, Real Goods offers an extensive 7 month Intern program that runs from April to October. The Interns live in Cobs, little houses made out of straw and clay, like this one:

Or in tepees, a "tiny house" and yurts.

Next we got to the huge array of solar panels that we had already spotted from the highway

Notice the flags on top of the solar panels? Brittany explained to us, that since they installed the flags a few years ago, they noticed a significant decrease in the efficiency of the panels. She then demonstrated this on a single solar panel which powers a little fountain. If in full sun the fountain would spurt high, but if we just would put our hand over it, the shade of the hand significantly lowered the fountain. That made us think...is foggy Half Moon Bay the right place for solar? If one just could make energy out of fog......

Then we went by some of the "living structures", two of them I really liked: the Agave Cooling Tower:

...and the memorial car grove. How did the tree get in the car?

When they took over the property, there were all these old cars, so they needed to get creative and planted trees inside the wrecks and then just cut the cars wider open as the trees grew. Now it is a perfect symbol for nature taking over again.

Then we strolled through the various gardens and along beautiful ponds, learning about permaculture and sheet mulching. With the help of the interns these gardens produce enough to feed all the interns and keep the farm stand filled.

Here a garden to be, showing the sheet mulching

here the lush, ready to harvest edition

Another interesting stop was the site of the straw-bale house building workshop.

Brittany is explaining how it works...

An amazing idea, not only have the rice straw-bales a great insulation factor, they also are a so far unused byproduct of rice farming. "Currently over one million tons of carbon dioxide and particulate pollution blacken California skies annually. Instead, two hundred thousand homes could be built with the rice straw that is burned each year. " (1)

The Real Goods store itself is built out of 600 rice straw-bales covered with soil cement.

This main building that houses the store is designed so clever and with nature in mind, that it does not need either heating nor cooling.

The big window front towards the south with deciduous trees planted in front, spends light in summer but with the correct angle and the leaves spending shade it never gets hot in the store. And Hopland deals with three digit temperatures quite often during the summer. In winter though, when the sun comes in at a lower angle and the leaves are dropped, the sun warms the building.

As our tour was coming to an end we had not only learned about solar technology but also about renewable energy, green building and permaculture, in short, about the whole spectrum of sustainable living. Truly to their mission statement " to promote sustainable living through inspirational environmental education" we not only got our initial questions answered but now have a lot of new ideas and concepts to think about.

Thank you Brittany for the lively and knowledgeable tour!

We ended our stay with a visit to the oasis, the central point of the Center and admired the flow of the water and the solar calendar.

Sources:

A highly recommended visit to the
Solar Living Center
13771 S Highway 101
Hopland, CA 94559
(707) 472-2450

(1) A Place in the Sun by John Schaeffer

Further Reading:

Real Goods: Solar Living Source Book

Gaia's Garden, A Guide to Home-Scale Permaculture by Toby Hemenway

Vancouver Calling

2011-08-29T17:01:00.000-07:00

As I got notice in April that "my best friends wedding" in Germany would be in June, I thought this quite to be on short notice...little did I know...

On a lazy Friday afternoon, two weeks ago, while being on vacation in British Columbia, I got a phone call from my dear friend Daisy. She and her longtime partner David would finally tie the knot. My enthusiastic congratulations went right into speechless astonishment when she told me that the wedding would be the following Wednesday and if I please would be her Maid of Honor, and of course take photos.
Luckily I was close by, and after a few phone calls back and forth, all was set.

Knowing Daisy and David, I was aware that this would not be your normal wedding.
But I still was caught by surprise by the purely yet beautiful ceremony the two of them had planned.

Residing in Vancouver, David wanted to marry somewhere close by and found the perfect spot at the bottom of Cypress Mountain. The ceremony took place at a serene little lake, just a short stroll into the Cypress Mountain Provincial Park.

The wedding party was small, just bride and groom, best man and maid of honor and of course the commissioner.
If your best man and maid of honor are both photographers nothing is left to chance...;-)

The ceremony had everybody in tears...

The Kiss!

The formals...Daisy and David style...

After this lovely ceremony, a hike along the Howe Sound Crest Trail all the way up to the summit of St. Marks Mountain was planned. David described it as a roughly two hour casual hike...I should have known better.

After a short walk we got rewarded with a great view over the Howe Sound at the Bowen Island lookout:

Well, where there are celebrities, there are paparazzi...;-)

The trail got a bit steeper now, mostly through forested area, with here and there a peek. Here at the famous Lions that are visible even from downtown Vancouver:

Then on and on it went, over snow fields, little creeks, tree roots and rocks. David encouraged us with: "oh, there is just an easy incline ahead", meaning, now it's getting really steep, or " we are almost there", meaning we might be a third of the way along. But, in the end, we made it!

...and decided it was well worth the effort. The view up here was truly breathtaking!

I couldn't stop taking pictures of the magnificent landscape....

...and of course of the newly-weds.

What a great spot to celebrate the beginning of a new journey!

Even the wedding bouquet had made the trip up to the summit.

Seems that chipmunks also like to dine with a view...

After a lavish lunch break, we started our descent. And in no time we were back at the trail head, just in time for a quick ice cream before the shop closed. It never tasted that good before...;-)
On the way back to Vancouver we got again treated with great views, this time of downtown Vancouver.

This remarkable day ended with a short stroll on the beach and a delicious dinner at Daisy and David's favorite restaurant.

Congratulations again to Daisy and David.

All the luck for your journey together!

August Conservation Tip

2011-08-23T16:18:00.000-07:00

WATER

Our planet consists to 70% out of water, our body contains 75% water.

We need water for life.

Nevertheless do we use it much faster than it can be naturally replenished.

It took a shockingly high water bill to remind me that we really have to cut down on our fresh water consumption. Browsing the Internet I found some easy to implement suggestions on water conservation that I would like to share with you:

1. According to a study of the College of Agricultural Sciences in Pennsylvania, the toilet is number one in indoor water usage = saving water here has the biggest impact:
Don't flush down tissues or garbage.
Older toilets tend to leak, put a few drops of food coloring in your water tank, check after 30 minutes if any colored water is in your toilet bowl.
Consider installing a low-flush or dual-flush toilet.

2. Next in row of water consumption is the washing machine. Only wash a full load or adjust your water level accordingly. If you are looking for a new washing machine: Most Energy Star appliances not only use less energy but also less water. Front loaders need less water than top loaders.

3. Put less down the drain. Try to avoid to use your garbage disposal and compost instead.

4. As with the washing machine, only run the dishwasher when full. Modern dishwashers use less water than if you do your dishes by hand. If you do hand wash, don't let the water run all the time.

5.Turn the tap off while brushing your teeth or shaving.

6.Take shorter showers, an average shower uses up to 10 gallons per minute!
Think about installing a low flow shower head.

7. Plant according to your climate zone. Drought resistant lawn and/or plants need less water.

8. If you have an automatic sprinkler system, have it run in the early morning to avoid evaporation. If you notice water running off after the sprinkler ran, adjust your watering.

9. Mulch keeps moisture in the soil and weeds out.

10. Use a nozzle on your garden hose.

In the Name of the Wolf

2011-07-31T15:30:00.000-07:00

The wolf is probably one of the the most misunderstood mammals on earth. With a reputation as violent killer, the wolf got hunted almost to extinction in the US, severely reduced in Canada and didn't fare much better in the rest of the world.

Although our understanding of the ecological value and benefit is now better than ever before, the ordeal for this magnificent hunter is far from over: Alaska allows aerial gunning; Idaho officials are finalizing a hunting and trapping season that could claim the lives of hundreds of wolves this coming week; in Arizona and New Mexico the Mexican Gray Wolf struggles for survival with only 2 breeding pairs left; the wolf population in many areas of Canada, like the Central Rocky Mountains, is among the lowest density of wolves in the world. The Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife states in it's report about the status of the wolf in Europe: " Human caused mortality, either through hunter harvest, official lethal control, or poaching seems to be the main limiting factor for wolf populations. There are several countries where wolf management is clearly unsustainable due to over-harvest, and even state sanctioned bounty programs."

Years ago, on one of our frequent trips to the Canadian Rocky Mountains, I stumbled upon a Wolf Sanctuary, called the Northern Lights Wolf Centre .The Northern Lights Wolf Centre is owned and managed by Shelley and Casey Black, a couple who not only dedicated their life to the fight for the conservation of the wolves in their natural environment but also built this fabulous wolf education center in the Canadian Rockies.

To keep the wolves fit, Shelley and Casey exercise the wolves daily. As an extra bonus they offer the opportunity to accompany them on these wolf hikes in the wild through Blackwolf Photography. An amazing experience where one is able to get to know the wolves better, observe them in their natural environment and of course can photograph them. These wolves are not tame but imprinted and everything goes on wolf terms.

I have done three hikes already and I'm hoping to do more! All the images on this post are from these hikes.

Here I'm treating one of the "vicious killing machines" to an Altoid. He was way more gentle than my Chocolate Lab....

For more information and how to help the wolves please have a look at the following links:

Northern Lights Wolf Centre

Canadian Wolf Coalition

Defenders of Wildlife

CONVENTION ON THE CONSERVATION OF EUROPEAN WILDLIFE AND NATURAL HABITATS

Encouraging Literature:

Never Cry Wolf by Farley Mowat

3 Among Wolves by Helen Thayer

Brother Wolf by Jim Brandenburg

What makes a photograph award winning?

2011-07-31T14:40:00.000-07:00

Want to find out?

Have a look then:

WHAT MAKES A PHOTOGRAPH "AWARD-WINNING"?

Touring the International Conservation Photography Award

exhibit with juror Cynthia Hall

Burke Museum, Seattle

HTC = High Tech Camera????

2011-07-27T22:23:00.000-07:00

Rather not, but last November I had to upgrade my phone, the old one was just giving up. When it comes to cell phones I would say I'm rather technically challenged and hate changes, but it had to be. Now choosing the right device, just calling it a cell phone would be an understatement, proofed to be quite tricky.
A very patient and knowledgeable salesman showed me different models and explained the different qualities of each. As he came to the model I now own, a HTC Incredible, he pointed out how good the camera was on this phone. I slightly puffed up, explaining him that I'm a professional photographer and surely would NOT ever use a cell phone to take pictures...mark my words...Long story short, I ended up buying that model, for the simple reason that I could remember it's special feature, the camera....

So far so good, after a few challenging weeks I finally mastered my new "device" and was happy. Not long after I went to the beach with the dogs, needless to say without my camera equipment but with my phone, and the light was just perfect. Muttering to myself that I should have taken the camera, a little voice whispered in my head: "your cell phone has a camera...". Well, I had nothing to loose, right? So I tried it, and took one photo, hmmm, didn't look too bad, took another one, even better. Meanwhile I had to download my images twice to my computer because the phone storage was full......

Still, even the best cell phone camera can certainly not replace a SLR, but for sharing on the web and small prints it actually can work.

On a recent trip to Oregon I exclusively used the phone to take pictures, not because of the lack of equipment but because I either couldn't take the camera or we went spontaneously somewhere and I didn't have my camera with me.

Since almost everybody now has a camera in his or her phone, I thought you might enjoy a few ideas on how to get better images with it:

This outing to Arnold's Ice Cave was one of the unplanned side trips and I knew I wouldn't have a chance to come back. As you can see, it got quite dark there towards the entry of the cave, and also very cold...;-) As with a normal camera, your phone probably has an ISO setting. If you are trying to photograph in darker areas, change your ISO from 200 or auto to 800 or as high as it goes. Since you won't print your photo big anyway, it does not matter if it's a bit grainy, at a small size you won't notice and it prevents a blurry picture, just don't forget to put it back to normal after the shoot.

Avoid very contrasty scenes. Luckily the clouds here were not bright white and I avoided to include the part of the rocks that was already in deep shadow.

If you have an even lit scene with one bright spot, it's likely to blow out and ruin the photo. Try tilting your camera slightly, up or down, left or right. I have have no explanation as to why this works, I guess it helps if the light hits the lens at an angle.

Since you can't manually set your exposure or use filters, sometimes it's just hit or miss. Again, tilting the phone a bit often helps. At the above scene the foreground is a bit to dark, in the below image it worked...

The lens on the cell phone doesn't have a lens cap and it is most of the time exposed to all kinds of dirt in your jeans pocket, purse or car. Check and clean before you shoot.

Forget about the "I can fix it in Photo Shop", it doesn't work, or at least not as good as with a "real" photo. I tried to tone down the blown out water in this image of Tumalo Falls, without great success.

Due to the shutter lag (you press the shutter and it takes a short but noticeable time until the camera takes the photo) anything moving fast is a challenge. If you can, have your "model" slow down or stop before you take a picture.

The phone camera is perfect for "out of the airplane window" photos, just don't forget to put it in airplane mode!

July Conservation Tip

2011-07-21T20:01:00.000-07:00

Beach Clean Up

The 4th of July weekend was one of the few summer weekends here in Half Moon Bay that were not foggy but wonderfully sunny. This and the long weekend brought tons of people over here, all enjoying the beach. And so did we. But as our older son came back home from a beach party, he was distraught by all the garbage he had seen, left behind by accident or careless minds.

So both boys decided to go out on July 5th and collect as much garbage as they can. A noble undertaking, so I equipped them with heavy duty garbage bags and gloves.
1 1/2 hours later they came back with 3 filled 42 gallon garbage bags weighing together 48 lb.! Filled with as small things as cigarette butts to broken down air mattresses and everything in between.

Over dinner that night we figured out, that if every family household would clean up for only one hour per year, some part of their community, that with an estimated 75 million households, up to 3.6 billion lb of garbage per year could be taken off the environment. Even better would be, if nobody would litter, or leave his/her stuff 3 feet away from a garbage can....as seen here:

I then asked them which item they found the most, expecting to hear soda cans or the like, but was surprised to hear it was cigarette butts! This is especially disturbing since each cigarette contains more than 3,900 chemicals including nicotine, cyanide, ammonia, cadmium, acetone and arsenic, and cigarette butts contain the toxic residue of these.
It is know that seabirds, turtles and some fish do ingest butts. As the butts swell in the stomach of the animal they cause false satiation. The animal, believing it is full, refrains from eating and eventually starves to death.(1)

A bit of research on this topic revealed even more...

At a national shoreline clean up in Canada findings from that day are showing that 367,010 cigarette butts were collected across Canada. Cigarette butts made up the single largest item collected. Just as the boys did here.
But the picture doesn’t look better elsewhere.

According to Cleanup Australia, out of 24 billion cigarettes sold in Australia each year, 7 billion of these are littered. It is estimated that 4.5 trillion cigarette butts worldwide are littered each year.(2)

In the US, Cigarette butts are the most littered item in the country. Ocean Conservancy’s International Coastal Cleanup reports that “cigarette butts have been the single most recovered item since collections began.” (2)

An excerpt from a report by Smoke Free Oregon:

“…Tumors found in turtles returning to beaches to lay eggs in the sand have been linked to cigarette butt pollution in Hawaii. Sea lions, elephant seals and harbor seals haul out daily on beaches to absorb the heat from the sun, give birth and feed their newborn pups. Crabs, clams, starfish and sea urchins are commonly found on nearly all beaches. According to the UN International Maritime Organization, 177 species of marine animals and 111 species of shorebirds are affected by tobacco litter causing unnecessary malnutrition, starvation, and death (Source: California Coastal Commission 2003, UN International Maritime Organization 2003).” (2)

(1)Whales alive

(2)Sea Forever

The conclusion?

Take only photographs, leave only footprints.

Maybe next time you go to the beach or park, take a bag and collect what others left.

If you smoke, PLEASE don't litter!

This way we all can enjoy clean beaches...

..and marine animals clean oceans.

MY BEST FRIEND'S WEDDING

2011-06-29T22:54:00.000-07:00

Just a few weeks ago I got an email from my dear friend Ulla in Germany with the quite unexpected announcement, that she and her long time partner Thomi would get married and if I please could come....now, needless to say, Germany is not exactly around the corner, but how could I refuse? After a few phone calls back and forth it was decided, I booked a flight and would come back to Germany for her big day. This last weekend then the time had come!
In honor of the lucky girl, this blog will be in English and German.

Vor nur wenigen Wochen bekam ich eine Email von meiner lieben Freundin Ulla aus Deutschland mit der voellig unerwarteten Nachricht, dass sie und ihr langjaehriger Partner nun endlich heiraten wuerden und ich sei herzlich eingeladen...nun, es ist ueberfluessig zu erwaehnen, dass Deutschland fuer mich nicht gerade um die Ecke liegt, aber wie koennte ich so einer Einladung widerstehen? Nach ein paar Telefonaten hin und her war es dann entschieden, ich buchte einen Flug und wuerde fuer ihren grossen Tag nach Deutschland zurueckkehren.
Letztes Wochenende war es dann soweit!

The wedding ceremony took place on the observation deck of the Feldberg tower. The Feldberg is the highest mountain in the Black Forest, with a splendid view over the scenic landscape. A perfect place to tie the knot.
To get there you can either walk...or you can take the Gondola:

Die Trauung fand auf der Aussichtsplattform des Feldbergturmes statt. Der Feldberg ist der hoechste Berg im Schwarzwald und bietet eine fantastische Aussicht auf die umliegende Landschaft. Der perfekte Ort um den Bund fuers Leben einzugehen.
Um dorthin zu gelangen kann man entweder wandern...oder aber man nimmt die Gondel:

Can you tell it was a bit windy?

Here comes the wedding party. Although the distance from the gondola station to the tower was not too far, walking, especially in high heels was tricky ;-)

Hier kommt die Hochzeitsgesellschaft. Obwohl es nur ein kurzes Stueck zum Laufen war von der Gondelstation bis zum Turm, war es doch, besonders fuer hohe Absaetze, nicht ganz einfach ;-)

The ceremony

Die Trauung

After the yes was said and the rings exchanged, we went to an adjacent stone monument to take pictures. To get bride and groom into the right position, I made them climb a bit...no effort too big for the perfect picture!

Nachdem das Jawort gesprochen und die Ringe getauscht waren, ging es zum Bismarckturm um die Hochzeitsgesellschaft zu photographieren. Damit Braut und Braeutigam auch im besten Licht erscheinen, habe ich sie ein bischen klettern lassen...fuer das perfekte Photo wurden keine Muehen gescheut!

From there it went downhill...

...in the special wedding gondola...;-)

Von da an ging's bergab...

...in der eigens dafuer zu Verfuegung gestellten Hochzeitsgondel...;-)

Of course, back down we took many more pictures and had lots of fun doing it.

Unten angekommen haben wir natuerlich noch mehr Bilder gemacht und hatten viel Spass dabei.

The day concluded with a yummy dinner served on lovingly decorated tables, wedding games and dance until the early morning hours.

Am Abend gab es dann ein leckeres Abendessen, serviert auf liebevoll dekorierten Tischen, lustige Partner-Spiele und Tanz bis in die fruehen Morgenstunden.

It was a wonderful and well done wedding! Congratulations again to newly-weds!

Es war ein wunderschoener und gelungener Tag! Nochmals die herzlichsten Glueckwuensche an das frisch vermaehlte Paar!

After this excitement Oli and I decided to take advantage of the sunny weather and take the convertible for a "tour de Black Forest".

Nach diesem aufregenden Tag haben Oli und ich beschlossen, das schoene Wetter auszunutzen und mit dem Cabrio auf eine "Tour de Schwarzwald" zu gehen.

Passing scenic landscapes...

Vorbei an malerischer Landschaft...

...typical Black Forest properties...

...typischen Schwarzwaldhaeusern...

...and charming villages.

...und idyllischen Doerfern.

Cows could be seen...

Kuehe gab es in allen Variationen...

...on pasture...

...auf der Weide...

...and on the street.

...und auf der Strasse.

And last but not least, the world largest cuckoo clock:

Und nicht zu vergessen, die groesste Kuckucksuhr der Welt:

The last stop was Zeller Keramik, one of my favorite ceramics manufacturer,

Zum Abschluss dann ein Besuch bei Zeller Keramik, einer meiner Lieblingsmanufakturen,

where the design is still painted on with hand!

wo die Motive noch handgemalt sind!

My last day in Germany we spent in the town of Tuebingen, a picturesque college town situated on the river Neckar.

Meinen letzten Tag haben wir dann in Tuebingen verbracht, einer malerischen Universitaetsstadt am Neckar.

Town hall with farmers market

Rathaus mit Wochenmarkt

Cozy side street

Heimelige Gasse

Medieval houses mirroring in the river

Mittelalterliche Haeuser, die sich im Neckar spiegeln

Main method of transport ;-)

Hauptverkehrsmittel ;-)

Have you ever wondered, where this delicious square chocolate, called Ritter Sport, comes from? Me,too. And as I found out that the factory is close by and sells its chocolate right there, I had to check it out.

Ritter Sport = Waldenbuch, und als ich herausfand, dass das gerade um die Ecke ist und einen verguenstigten Werksverkauf hat, musste ich da natuerlich auch noch hin.

Chocolate museum and chocolate "outlet".

Museum und Fabrikverkaufsgebaeude.

Not only can you buy chocolate here, you can also taste it...

Man kann nicht nur die Schokolade hier kaufen, man kann sie auch probieren...

And with that my time in Germany was already over. I had a great time, it was wonderful to attend the wedding, meet old friends and enjoy the familiar surroundings. Time was just to short, as always. With a last cup of coffee from the "San Francisco Coffee Company" at the Stuttgart airport, I said Good Bye to my home country and flew back home to California.

Und damit war die Zeit in Deutschland auch schon vorbei. Ich hatte viel Spass, es war toll, dass ich bei der Hochzeit dabei sein konnte und ich habe es sehr genossen, alte Freunde wiederzutreffen. Die Zeit war einfach zu kurz, wie immer. Nach einer letzten Tasse Kaffee, ironischerweise von der "San Francisco Coffee Company" auf dem Stuttgarter Flughafen, habe ich dann meiner alten Heimat Tschuess gesagt und bin zurueck nach Hause, nach Kalifornien, geflogen.

June Conservation Tip

2011-06-19T21:15:00.000-07:00

CAR WASH

Our kids have chores, and one of these chores is washing the car(s) whenever they are dirty. Recently our older son came up to me, after cleaning the Prius, and complained that washing the car at home really would harm the environment. How could I, trying to be so environmentally savvy, let him do it, he wondered?

Always highly suspicious when it comes to discussing chores, I asked him what he meant.

The points he made, that the waste water from the wash, containing the soap, oil and more would run off unfiltered and could possibly harm the environment and that the common garden hose would waste a lot of water, sounded plausible, but I wasn't completely convinced yet.

So I did some research, and that is what I found:

"Few people realize that washing our cars in our driveways is one of the most environmentally un-friendly chores we can do around the house. Unlike household waste water that enters sewers or septic systems and undergoes treatment before it is discharged into the environment, what runs off from your car goes right into storm drains -- and eventually into rivers, streams, creeks and wetlands where it poisons aquatic life and wreaks other ecosystem havoc. After all, that water is loaded with a witch’s brew of gasoline, oil and residues from exhaust fumes -- as well as the harsh detergents being used for the washing itself." [1]
[1] Eco-friendly car washing

"The average homeowner uses 116 gallons of
water to wash a car! Most commercial car
washes use 60 percent less water for the entire
process than a homeowner uses just to rinse
the car." [2]

"Among the many impacts of motor
vehicles on our environment, car
washing has been noted by water
quality experts as a serious contributor
to water pollution." [2]

"The phosphates from soap can cause excess
algae to grow. Excessive algae smell bad, look
bad, and harm water quality. As algae decay,
the process uses up oxygen in the water that
fish need." [2]
[2] KSMO

"The Clean Water Act requires professional car washes to pipe their dirty water to water treatment facilities or into state-approved drainage facilities designed to protect the environment. Automatic and self-serve car washes also use water efficient equipment such as computer controlled systems and high-pressure nozzles and pumps, allowing them to clean cars thoroughly while conserving water." [3]

"soap is for dishes not for fishes" [3]
[3] Images Auto Spa

OK, I'm convinced now.

However, if you HAVE to wash your car at home, here some tips to minimize your impact on the environment:

only use biodegradable, phosphate free and water based cleaners.
use as less water as possible, turn the water off in between rinses or use a spray gun. Use a bucket whenever possible. Then drain the bucket into a sink or toilet.
wash on an area that absorbs water, such as grass or gravel. This can help filtering the water before it goes into the groundwater. Do not wash the car on the street where it drains into a storm drain and leads directly and unfiltered to the next waterway.

Having said this....Happy Fathers Day...;-)

Nature Photography Day 2011

2011-06-15T14:27:00.000-07:00

Let's celebrate the Nature Photography Day 2011!

Reportedly inspired by McGraw-Hill's reference work "Chases's Calendar of Events" in 2006, photographers throughout the US, and worldwide, celebrate Nature Photography Day on June 15.
And since it is exactly in the middle of the year, I would like to share some of my favorite nature images with you, each representing a season.

Enjoy!

Spring: Death Valley in Bloom

Summer: Moraine Lake

Fall: Ripe Grapes in Napa Valley

Winter: Leaf frozen in Merced River

In Pursuit of the Perfect Bread

2011-06-11T20:41:00.000-07:00

I love to bake!
I always liked to bake my own bread, first occasionally, lately more often. Pursuing my quest for better food, I had read the mile long ingredient list on a regular toast packing and decided: No more of this for us.
After practicing a while, I think I got it down pretty good, at least my family would eat it without complaining, which means a lot...;-)

Now ready to up it to the next step, I wanted to bake in a wood fired oven. Asking around, people would give me different advice, reading books was helpful, but only so far and I was not quite ready to make the investment without better knowledge of what I was about to undertake.

Visiting a friend in Oregon, I stumbled about a small ad in a Hobby Farm magazine, originating from the San Francisco Baking Institute, offering a weekend class in the art of wood fire oven baking. That was just the right thing for me and I tried to apply, but unfortunately the course was already booked out. So the waiting list it was. To my utter delight a few weeks later I got an email from the SFBI telling me that a spot was available. My hopes came true, I would be able to attend the workshop!

Last weekend, now, was THE weekend. While driving in pouring rain to South San Francisco, I was wondering, if the class wouldn't be over my head, if everybody else was already an experienced or even professional baker and so forth.
But the moment I opened the door and was greeted not only by a friendly receptionist but also with a delicious waft of freshly baked goods, I did not really care anymore. Just following the mouth watering aroma, I knew I was at the right spot.

I was led to a big table adjacent to a beautiful huge wood fire oven

out of which to my great surprise, a baker, which later turned out to be one of our instructors, just pulled a sheet full of croissants. Croissants in a wood fired oven, and they are not burned, but perfectly baked, how was that possible??? And it became even better, these croissants were to be our breakfast! Although I already had breakfast at home, stupid me, I could not resist and devoured one of these delicious croissants.

Baking in a wood fired oven requires quite a bit of planning and so, to accommodate all our needs during the day, we started right away with how to fire the oven.

Here one of our very knowledgeable instructors, Michael Faircloth, explaining the important points of proper firing:

resulting in a perfectly burning fire!

After this first excitement we went into the classroom for a more formal introduction, and to my relief, I found out that I was not the only "home baker". After learning about the history and the different types of wood fire ovens we were ushered to the "lab", the actual bakery. This well planned mix between theoretical and practical instruction would continue throughout the weekend and was perfect: Just before one was about to loose attention in the classroom, the practical part would start, and after standing and processing for a while in the lab, everybody was thankful to be able to sit down again.

In the lab now, we were taught by Frank Sally, an exceptionally good teacher and accomplished baker, how to prepare, handle and shape different doughs that we later would bake in the wood fire oven. Due to the limited space, even in this huge wood fire oven, we chose the samples to be baked in it, whereas the rest was baked in the bakery's deck ovens.

Since loading the breads is quite a time sensitive and hot undertaking, Frank would demonstrate the "how to" on the first day:

Aren't they beautiful, our perfectly shaped first sour dough breads???? Baking happily away.

A pity, that the image can't convey the heat and smell......

As I came home that evening with my "harvest", proud as can be,

my family at first did not believe that I baked these wonderful breads, well, I had a little help....And guess what was for dinner? Yep, bread and cheese, lots of it!

The next morning, this time I was smarter and did not have breakfast at home, we were greeted with the most delicious sticky buns I ever ate, in addition to scones and muffins, all baked in the retained heat from yesterdays firing.
Yesterday we had prepared pie dough, which we now finished to galettes to be baked also in the retained heat of the oven before it would be fired again.

Before

and after

Then we mixed and later formed dough for the pizzas, which were to be our lunch, and

for ciabattas...

...and pita bread, which popped up like balloons in the oven:

As the pita bread came fresh out of the oven we were presented with yummy hummus and baba ganoush, a tasty eggplant dip. I had planned not to eat anything in order to enjoy the pizza, but the smell and taste was just too good to be ignored!

We already had practiced with the more forgiving pita bread to load and unload the wood oven but now with the more delicate pizza the hour of truth had arrived.

Before we could load the pizza, Mike had to bring up the heat in the oven again and explained to us how the flames basically have to lick the side and ceiling of the oven in order to provide enough heat for the pizza:

In goes the pizza with the help of a wooden peel, then it has to be turned continuously with a "palino" and after not even 2 minutes it's ready!

Here is comes:

Not that I was hungry in any way, but I didn't leave a crumb....it was that good. Full to the brim it was back to the classroom, where Frank gave us an eye-opening (at least for me) introduction into the more scientific approach of baking with yeast and sourdough. I always was so proud of my self made sourdough starter, but here I learned that I almost starved that poor thing to death.

Baking in a wood fire oven, as I learned, is all about the right amount of heat, retaining the heat and the right timing in baking different items. First comes the right fire and lots of patience to maintain it. Then one can bake pizza with flames licking the oven walls as seen above. After then removing the heat source, the oven is ready for bread, after cooling down even more it is ready for baking pastries. Remember the croissants from the first morning, these were baked basically on the remaining heat from the baking the day before!
Sounds easy, but I certainly gained a lot of respect for wood fire oven bakers. The question is now, will I be able accomplish all that?
Yes, I will. It won't be easy but well worth it.

I came to learn about wood fire ovens and I did learn more than I thought possible. That I also got a lot of inspiration and information for my home baking was the icing on the cake!

Thank you Frank and Michael, and all the staff that worked in the background, it was a great experience and I will be back, promise!

To learn more about the courses and workshops offered by the SFBI, please click here:
San Francisco Baking Institute course calendar

Epson Pano Awards Surprise

2011-05-30T21:05:00.000-07:00

I'm excited to announce

that the following image "Aurora"

placed first in the open competition, nature category

of The Epson International Pano Awards 2011

As I wrote earlier this month, in the 2011 competition four of my images won awards, and I was very happy with that.

Now imagine my surprise as I opened my email a few days ago and found the following:

"Dear Susanne,

Congratulations!! You have placed first in the Open competition, Nature category with your image of the Northern Lights in Hudson Bay.

This year we received 3474 entries from 952 photographers in 62 countries, so you should be very proud of this achievement.

The top 50 images in each category will very soon be published on the website.[...]"

They have now published all the images and I would like to invite you to check out their website and see all the great submissions. Just click here to go there directly.

Together with the seven best images of each category my image will be on display in an exhibition on the occasion of the PMA (Photo Marketing Association International) in Sydney this June.
Anyone going ?

The Hummingbird Challenge

2011-05-26T13:44:00.000-07:00

This last Sunday I had the pleasure to participate in a fun hummingbird photography workshop in the Santa Cruz Mountains, held by my dear friends Judy Bingman and Meggi Raeder.

Inspired by a similar workshop that Judy and I attended, Judy had converted her already bird friendly garden into a hummingbird paradise.
Together with Meggi, these both accomplished photographers as well as avid birders, put together a knowledgeable and fun program for photographers interested in hummingbird photography.

With plenty of hummers around, and different setups to choose from, everybody filled their memory cards fast.

I approached the photography part rather nonchalantly, just enjoying the nice weather and the chatting with fellow photographers. After all hummingbirds are not on top of my "wildlife I want to photograph" list.

BUT after filling my memory card with a lot of super sharp and colorful....hummingbird feeders instead of hummingbirds, I got thinking....

I photographed polar bears, penguins, seals, wolves.....and now these tiny birds with their big attitude make me look like a rookie??

Well, if you consider that they are the smallest birds on earth measuring only between 2,5 to 8 inches, weigh in average only as much as an U.S. penny, beat their wings between 40 and 80 times per second, can reach a speed of 30 mph and are the only birds that truly can fly backwards and upside down, it's no wonder they are not an easy catch.

Always happy to conquer a photographic challenge, I gave it a more serious try. I hope you enjoy the results as much as I did photographing the hummingbirds.

If you are interested in attending one of Meggi's and Judy's workshops, please click here for more information. The next "Photo Workshop: Hummingbirds" is scheduled for July 10th and possibly another one later in fall.

The Epson International Photographic Pano Awards

2011-05-11T14:34:00.000-07:00

I'm happy to announce that four of my submitted images earned awards at the second international Pano Awards. One Silver and three Bronze!

"The Epson International Pano Awards showcases the work of panoramic photographers worldwide and is the largest and most important competition for panoramic photography. "

There are two entry classes, one for amateurs (amateur) and one for professional photographers and amateurs (open), with two categories each, Nature and The Built Environment.

The awarded images were entered in the open competition Nature category.

Aurora

Lightrays Palouse

Wheat

El Capitan Storm

May Conservation Tip

2011-05-07T19:32:00.000-07:00

HUNTING FOR SOLUTIONS

I was just leafing through the new Audubon Magazine when I stumbled upon a shocking article: Bad Shot by Ted Williams

Since I'm not a hunter I had no idea, that some, most?, hunters not only kill the animal they are shooting, but in the long run other animals that share the same habitat, mostly birds.

How?
By plumbism, lead poisoning.

Let me throw a few numbers at you...and some of my eagle images, to lighten the load...this is heavy reading:

" The U.S. geological Survey reports that as many as 400,000 lead shotgun pellets per acre are falling down on popular hunting fields, and that about 80,000 tons of lead accumulate each year on the nation's trap, skeet and target ranges." (2)

Bald Eagle in Pine Tree

"Hunters shoot roughly 20 million mourning doves a year, but evidence suggests that nearly that many die from eating lead shot." (2)

Bald Eagle with Hatchling

"There is, therefore, no doubt that millions of birds die annually worldwide from lead poisoning (in the U.S.A., around 3 000 000), this problem being most acute in marshland." (1)

Juvenile Bald Eagle nibbling on plant

"The University of Minnesota's Raptor Center in St. Paul received 117 lead poisoned bald eagles during the winter of 2009-2010" (2)

Curious juvenile Bald Eagle inspecting sundial

"Since 2000 there have been at least 276 documented cases of plumbism in condors.[ ]Numbers of free flying California Condors in the wild vary almost daily, but as of March 1, there were 369 left on the planet, including 177 in captivity." (2)

On top

How does the lead get into the birds and what does it cause there?

Many birds mistake the pellets for the little stones or grit that they usually take in to grind food in their gizzards.
Vultures and Condors seek out the lead in carrion, because it feels like the bone they feed their chicks to maintain calcium levels.
Raptors ingest lead indirectly by hunting easier to catch poisoned small mammals, birds or fish, the latter poisoned by lead sinkers or ballast.

The lead then enters the digestion tract where they dissolve into lead salt. These are incorporated into the bloodstream and the rest of the body and accumulate in organs like the liver or kidneys causing physiological or behavioural changes.
No safe threshold for lead exposure has been discovered, meaning there is no known amount of lead that is too small to cause the body harm.

The lead poisoning problem due to lead ammunition is known since 1894, wouldn't it be time to make some changes????

If you have a moment, read the article, since it is really well written and gives a complex understanding of the topic, this is just a small abstract to raise awareness.

WHAT WE CAN DO ?

Help spread the word, you can share this blog on facebook or send a link to your friends and relatives, especially if they are hunt or fish.

If you hunt, switch to nontoxic ammunition.

If you fish, switch to nontoxic sinkers and jigheads.

Tell your legislators to oppose bills that would strip the EPA of authority to regulate ammunition and fishing tackle.

Sources:
(1) Lead and lead toxicity in domestic and free living birdsAvian Pathology June 2010

(2) Bad Shot Incite, Audubon Magazine May-June 2011, Ted Williams

Blowin' in the Wind

2011-04-30T17:59:00.000-07:00

Usually Point Reyes sees me on horseback in summer. But since horseback riding and photography don't mix too well, I always wanted to come back in spring, when the wildflowers are in bloom and the pastures are still lush. But how it often goes with good ideas, they take a while to come true....

This year, due to my friend Meggi's initiative, I finally went!

Meggi and I planned this weeks ahead and almost cancelled it due to the unstable weather, but luck was on our side and the day we had picked started out sunny and clear. Arriving in Point Reyes, we first checked in at the Bear Valley Visitor Center to get the newest tips and locations on wildflowers. A knowledgeable guide pointed out the best areas and wished us a great day. On the side he mentioned that it had been a bit windy at the lighthouse as he left it that morning. Now this was the understatement of the day as we discovered later.....

Our first stop was Abbotts Lagoon for the wild poppies

Windswept Yellow Poppies with Abbotts Lagoon in the background:

Macro photography was really challenging, but perseverance prevailed:

From there we worked our way up towards the Historic Pierce Point Ranch and Tule Elk Reserve at the North end of the park. On the way there, I captured my favorite image of the day, an images that characterizes Point Reyes how I see it:

And a bit down the road we then saw the more native grazers, the Tule Elk:

By the time we reached the historic Pierce Point Ranch, we were mighty hungry and decided to find a wind protected spot to enjoy our sandwiches. Freshly restored, we explored the ranch. Pierce Point Ranch was one of the most successful "butter rancho" in the Point Reyes area.
"The Pierce Point Ranch on Tomales Point ceased operations in 1973. Three years later, Congress authorized creation of the wilderness area incorporating that ranch as habitat for the reintroduction of tule elk. Beginning in 1980, NPS invested in the rehabilitation of the ranch core, citing it as the best example of a nineteenth century west Marin dairy ranch. Pierce Point Ranch was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1985, and was subsequently opened to the public as an interpretive site." from the nps.gov website about Point Reyes

The ranch is the biggest surviving historic diary ranch complex in the Park:

New & Old:

The lichen speaks for itself:

After that interesting historic back flash, we went back on the road towards the lighthouse. In pursuit of more wildflowers we took a little side trip to North Beach, were we found these lovely iceplants. Since they are low to the ground, they were not impacted by the howling winds. But we learned that the iceplant is a very invasive non native species that not only inhibits native plant growth but also prevents a necessary natural dune movement:

Still hopeful to find a less windy area, we moved on to Chimney Rock, another wildflower area the ranger had pointed out. The sign on the entrance to the little trail looked promising:

We saw the Douglas Irises, Beach Strawberries, Mule Ears and many more, but the wind just made it impossible to get a decent photograph of them. Lying on my stomach, I managed to photograph these low growing Goldfields:

Nevertheless, the hike out there was great and the views worthwhile:

The best, and most Iconic view of Point Reyes, of course was from the lighthouse:

By now the wind was howling so loud, that we had to yell at each other and our ears started to ring. With a last glance towards this fantastic shore line we said good bye to Point Reyes and slowly wound our way home.

April Conservation Tip

2011-04-18T18:27:00.000-07:00

You are hungry, and you don't really have time to cook or you are not even home...so you get yourself some chips, cookies or a chocolate bar to quickly fill your stomach...sounds familiar?

I'm on the road a lot and after my share of above mentioned fillers I really tried to find healthy alternatives. For a while I had fresh fruit with me, especially bananas...they really smell good after a while when you forget them in the car;-) Then I had a bag of mixed nuts with me, that was quite good, but how many nuts can you eat.

A couple of months ago I went to Costco with my husband, it was supposed to be a quick running in and getting one or two things. But actually I don't know anyone who can get her husband out of a Costco in under one hour, neither could I.

Almost done with shopping we stumbled upon a plastic container with "Aussie Bites" inside. Why they are called Aussie Bites I don't know, maybe because they look like Kangaroo droppings? To my utter surprise, they landed in our shopping cart.

Since it by now was way past lunch time, we were quite hungry and so my husband started to munch on the not very appetizing looking "Bites". With my stomach growling I caved in and tried one. They were not super tasty, but edible, but they really stilled my hunger, even to the point that I forgot to eat real lunch at home. Two of these "Bites" kept me fine all afternoon. So I got thinking and went online to see if I can find a more tasty recipe.

I did find a wealth of recipes and tried a few, the very first batch was good, the second too crumbly, the third....and so forth. But after a couple of batches I think I now found a reliable recipe, that I would like to share:

Power Bites Recipe:

I use all organic ingredients, but I assume the recipe works just fine with conventional ones

2 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups rolled oats
2/3 cup sugar
1 cup shredded coconut
1 1/2 to 2 cups of extras such as nuts, sunflower kennels, flax seed, dried fruit (I dried some raspberries last summer, but any dried fruit in small pieces will work)
1/3 cup of honey
8 oz ( 2 sticks)butter
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 tablespoons hot water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Mix all the dry ingredients

Melt the butter together with the honey (over slow heat on the stove or in the microwave)

Mix the baking soda into the hot water and add to the butter mixture.

Pour the butter - baking soda mixture over the premixed dry ingredients and mix well.

With the help of two teaspoons fill the mixture into a mini cupcake pan (due to the high butter content there is no need to grease the form) and press firmly in.

Bake about 10 min at 350 degrees, let them cool slightly but not completely before carefully taking them out of the form. Let cool completely and store in an airtight container. Makes around 48 Power Bites.

They keep well in an airtight container for about two months, they might be even longer edible, but they start to taste stale after a while. And although really healthy and good for you, they are not low calorie. Depending on what you use for the "extras" they have about 100 to 130 calories per bite..! So enjoy them in moderation.

Mustard Fields Forever

2011-03-30T21:25:00.000-07:00

As we know, there are two kinds of people: Photographers and others...

For "others" the Napa Valley is considered one of the best wine regions in the US. Due to a healthy mix of almost Mediterranean climate, sheltered geography and fertile soil the area around Napa County is ideal for growing grapes.

Now photographers, although certainly enjoying the wine, are coming here for a different reason: The Mustard!

Vineyard owners plant the mustard not only for the photographers pleasure but actually it makes a perfect cover crop for the dirt in between the rows for multiple reasons: It improves water penetration, it fertilizes by capturing nitrogen out of the air and contributing it to the soil once plowed under and best of all, it functions as "biofumigant" warding off nasty pests.

Whatever the reason from late February to early April it's simply beautiful!

I hadn't been to Napa in spring for a few seasons, so this year two photographer friends and I headed up there to indulge ourselves in yellow!

Since the morning weather was close to rain we decided to start our trip at the Oxbow Market in Napa.

A culinary as well as very photogenic destination!

Not your simple cupcake from Kara's Cupcakes:

Delicious Olive Oils from The Olive Press
Their Blood Orange Olive Oil is to die for!

Spices from all over the world at Whole Spice

and much more, but we wanted to photograph mustard, right?

Our first stop was Quixote winery, which is secretly tucked in a side valley off the Silverado trail. As a Hundertwasser fan, I first had to photograph some architecture, before diverting my attention to the mustard:

Here now, Mustard everywhere:

Not much mustard here, but these old vines reminded my of fencers in a bout, ready to attack:

After spending quite some time at and around Quixote winery, we were off to our next destination, Yountmill Road. But on the way, we found these rows, just bursting with mustard at Baldacci's winery:

At Yountmill road photographing the mustard proofed to be a bit tricky, since workers were swarming all over the place to give the vines their spring cut. Here a scene with the yet uncut vines...bad hair day?

Our next stop was Chateau Montelena, not much mustard here, but such nice grounds, that we decided to give in to our growling stomachs ( it was after 2 pm already) and have lunch. Of course with a sip of wine.

After these highlights we drove along Hwy 29, looking out for mustard and stopping at promising sights. As for example these "striped" vineyards at Trinchero Winery:

Or these really old vines along Hwy 29:

It always amazes me how fast a day goes by when photographing. It seemed we just had started, when we noticed the light was fading and we had to part and head home.
I want to close with my very favorite image of Napa Valley, that I took many years ago at Rattlesnake Acres. Unfortunately these vines are no longer, they became too old and had to go a couple of years ago.

Misty Morning at Rattlesnake Acres:

For more of my Napa Valley images, please check out the Napa Valley Gallery on my website.

March Conservation Tip

2011-03-23T22:06:00.000-07:00

Gardening Tips

Spring is in the air, or let's say should be in the air, our spring here in Northern California gets drowned by rain on a daily basis.
Nevertheless, at some point the rain will stop, hopefully, and we will spend more time outside and in our backyards and gardens. So I thought some "green" garden tips could come in handy.

In order to spruce up these tips with some color I was on the lookout for some spring flowers. Not much luck outside, the few flowers that braved the rain here in Half Moon Bay got flattened by last weeks hail. Hungry for some color, I went to the Half Moon Bay Nursery and was not disappointed!

A group of local artists, seeking refuge from the weather, had the same idea.

In spring mode now? Good, here now some better weather gardening tips:

1. Try to look for natural and organic alternatives to fertilizer.

The use of inorganic fertilizer is causing a toxic buildup of chemicals in our soil and drinking water. Residential users of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides apply more pounds per acre of these chemicals then farmers do. As these pollutants run off, they harm aquatic life, especially here on the coast, and contaminate the food chain.
And natural fertilizers, compost and organic materials encourage native earthworms. Earthworms are nature's soil conditioners and manufacture great fertilizer.

2. Compost your kitchen waste and garden clippings. It is easy and keeps green waste out of the landfill. Compost improves soil structure, texture, and aeration and increases the soil's water holding capacity. It also helps soil fertility and stimulates a healthy root development. Best of all, it's free.

3. Mulch, if you are mulching your flower beds and trees with 3" of organic material you will conserve water, add humus and nutrients, and discourage weeds. Bonus: It gives your beds a nice and clean appearance.

4. Problems with aphids? Try natural predators like these little critters

or try spraying infested stems, leaves, and buds with a very diluted soap water, then clear water. It works even on the heaviest infestation.

5. Plant native plants, they are adapted to your local climate, are less prone to insect infestation and need less fertilizer.

6. Think of replacing high maintenance lawn with herbs

or a vegetable garden

7. Weed problems? Normal vinegar, applied on a sunny day takes care of them, it's a safe and organic weed killer.

8. Snails? Instead of poisoning them, which also might poison the birds that later eat the snails, try collecting them early in the morning. I once offered the kids a quarter for each snail they found in the garden, it was a VERY effective way of getting rid of a lot of snails...I have lowered my price per snail since, it got a bit expensive...;-)
If you absolutely need to use a deterrent, try Sluggo, it is a non toxic snail killer. After digesting Sluggo, the snails will stop eating and die within a couple of days.

Now, let's hope we have less of this

and more of that

If you have another great "green" garden tip, please add it in the comments!

Happy Spring!

Whiteout

2011-02-26T21:27:00.000-08:00

In pursuit of yet another, THE perfect Horsetail Falls image, (for a detailed explanation click here), my good friend Judy and I migrate every February to Yosemite National Park. Sometimes I think, the falls are just an excuse, since we are meeting with friends and good weather or not, have always lots of fun. This year, though we were in for a surprise...

The weather report wasn't very promising, but that would not deter us one small bit.
And the nice weather on the first day, forecast was pouring rain, proved us right. As soon as we arrived in the park, we checked in and went immediately to one of our favorite spots to photograph the falls. Over the years, photographing the falls has become so popular among photographers, that you have to be on the spot at least two hours before sunset, or your perfect spot is taken. We don't mind, since one always meets fellow photographers, chats about different equipment and experiences, exchanges tips and tricks and simply meets interesting people. This first evening was not different, we had a good time chatting and met Colins, who came all the way up from L.A.
Then sunset grew closer, the chatting ebbed and everybody focused on the falls, as they started to light up quite promising...
...but that was it, as soon as the glow came, it went, and disappointed murmur went through the photographers.
While editing later, the following was the best we got this evening.
We didn't mind, we had two more evenings to try, or so we thought.

We packed our gear, went to dinner and made plans for the next day.
On our way back from dinner, I marveled at the moon shining on Yosemite Falls and an idea popped up in my mind: With the rocks so brightly lit by the almost full moon, how about a long exposure night shot of the falls?
No sooner said than done, I ventured out by myself to give it a try. Not an easy task, I got the right exposure, 2 min, but that was too long, everything turned out pretty grainy (or noisy how the digital photographer calls it). I looked around for a better spot, all the while thinking about how to solve the exposure problem. While I was wandering around with my tripod shouldered, a truck stops next to me, the window goes done and a man (must have been a photographer) yells out at me: "ISO 800, f 4, 1/30 of a second"...window goes back up and gone he was...That's it, I was still shooting at ISO 200, but with the new generation of digital cameras, ISO 800 is not longer a problem. Thanks to this "mystery" photographer I got the image I envisioned:

Starry Night at the Yosemite Falls:

Excited I went to bed, just to wake up the next morning to the noise of pouring rain...
Judy and I went to breakfast with our friends. While we were enjoying our coffee, the rain turned into snow and in matter of minutes it snowed so much that our friends, who only had a two wheel drive car, decided to head back home before it got worse. We hopped in our car to check out how Yosemite would transform with this amount of snow coming down.

I took the following image as we left the lodge...

...and this about ten minutes later...

It snowed on and off, so we were able to take some "winter wonderland" images, but in the early afternoon it became a blizzard and we decided to head back to the lodge for a break.

This dead tree seemed to wave at us

Lower Yosemite Falls

El Capitan with Merced River

El Capitan panorama

Around 4 o'clock that afternoon, we didn't want to surrender to the weather and hoped against better knowledge, that the sun would come out just for sunset.
No such luck and we figured, the best chance for any good image would be from Tunnel View. As you can see, we were not the only ones with that idea...and not the only ones who finally DID surrender and went back to the lodge in heavy snowfall.

It snowed on and off during the night and as we headed out of our ground level hotel room the next morning, we stopped immediately in our tracks, since we looked face to face in a group of not so shy deer.

The sun tried hard to come out and cruising the park we found some interesting shots, but around noon the weather turned, and since much more snow and bad weather was predicted we decided to play it safe and cut our visit short in order to get home.

Cathedral Spires reflecting in a temporary pond

Trees at the bottom of El Capitan reflecting in Merced River

Union Point reflecting in Merced River

Half Dome

After one last stop at Tunnel View, this time actually with a view, we said Good Bye to the Park and drove home.

Guess I have to try again, right?

For more Winter photos of the park, please visit the Yosemite in Winter gallery on my website

International Polar Bear Day

2011-02-26T15:23:00.000-08:00

FEBRUARY 27TH, 2011 is International Polar Bear Day!

To honor the International Polar Bear Day, I put together some of my favorite Polar Bear photographs.

I hope these images will inspire you to think and act upon climate change.

To help the Polar Bears directly, please check out the following links:

Polar Bears International

Defenders of Wildlife

WWF

To see more of my Polar Bear images and to read about my adventures up north, feel free to check out the Polar Bear Galleries on my website:

The Polar Bears of Churchill

More Polar Bears of Churchill

Enjoy and Happy Polar Bear Day!

February Conservation Tip

2011-02-09T20:45:00.000-08:00

The Dirty Dozen

If you are like me, you are trying to buy most of your groceries organic. But sometimes you wonder, if you really should spend $ 5.99 for 8 oz of strawberries, if the conventional ones are $ 2.99 a lb, right?

Help is on the way: The EWG (Environmental Working Group)publishes a so called "Dirty Dozen" guide every year, listing the twelve most pesticide contaminated fruits and vegetables. According to their measurements, we, the consumers, can reduce our pesticide exposure by up to 80% by either avoiding the "Dirty Dozen" or buying organic.
And here the list, number 1 being the most, number 12 the least contaminated:

1. Celery...up to 64 pesticides were found!
2. Peaches
3. Strawberries...maybe we should spend the extra $$
4. Apples
5. Blueberries
6. Nectarines
7. Bell Pepper
8. Spinach
9. Kale
10. Cherries
11. Potatoes
12. Grapes

Just barely off the list in 2010 were Carrots, Pears and Tomatoes

Not in the fruit and vegetable section, but dairy, especially milk, and meat not only can contain pesticides, but also hormones and antibiotics.

Another grocery to think about is coffee, since it's often produced in countries where pesticide control is marginal, look for the USDA Organic label, and even better, look for Fair Trade coffee.

Now the good news, here a list with the 15 least contaminated fruits and vegetables:

1. Onion
2. Avocado
3. Sweet Corn...although to my knowledge, all not organic corn is genetically modified...
4. Pineapple...which is usually not local...
5. Mango
6. Sweet Peas
7. Asparagus
8. Kiwi
9. Cabbage...of course...;-)
10. Eggplant
11. Papaya
12. Watermelon
13. Broccoli
14. Tomato
15. Sweet Potato

Please check out the Daily Green and the EWG websites for more information and details.

EARTH HOUR IS COMING UP!!

2011-02-08T21:29:00.001-08:00

California dreamin'

2011-01-28T21:03:00.000-08:00

After the cold and rainy weather has finally stopped, or at least given us a break, and the sun started to spoil us again, I realized anew at what a breathtaking place we live.

So I decided to put together a homage to my beloved California coast!

STUNNING SCENERY

Pigeon Point Lighthouse

Montara coast line

the surf

UNIQUE WEATHER

a storm brewing

coastal rainbow

PEOPLE ENJOYING THE WATER

kite surfers

in action

and of course surfing the big waves

at the famous, or infamous? Mavericks

WILDLIFE

Otter

Pelicans

TIDE POOLS

sea stars

and sea urchins

INESCAPABLE SUNSETS

view from our balcony

Princeton harbor

AND OF COURSE THE ICON OF THE WEST...

not much writing this time,

a real case of "a picture is worth a thousand words"...

And all of you, who don't live here can now do a bit of California dreamin'

Little Red Fox

2011-01-16T21:42:00.000-08:00

As I was working on the Conservation Tips posted below this afternoon, I happened to look out of my office window and saw this red fox lying in the middle of the pasture in perfect late afternoon light. I took the hint, left the computer, grabbed the camera and went quietly outside

After a few minutes people walked by, which alerted her

and she got up, ready to run

away from the human voices towards the cows,
safety in numbers

or in size?

What a treat!

January Conservation Tip

2011-01-12T17:18:00.001-08:00

How many New Year's Resolutions did you have? And how many did you break already...;-)?

Well, I thought I give you some ideas for some "easy to do" resolutions, that also will help our planet:

10 NEW YEARS RESOLUTIONS FOR A GREENER FUTURE

1. BYO
This is an old one, but a reminder won't hurt: Bring you own reusable bag or basket when you go shopping! Even the produce plastic bags can be reused a couple of times, so you don't have to get new ones every time.
Click here to find really nice baskets.

2. BYO, again...
Going to Peets or Starbucks a lot? Read here how many trees we could save, if everybody brought their own cup.

3. Use dryer balls
Your dryer and your refrigerator are probably the two appliances that suck the most electricity. Except setting the fridge to the right temperature (meaning not too cold)and getting an energy efficient model in the first place, there is not much you can do. BUT you can save a lot of energy by line drying whenever the weather permits it and using dryer balls every time you use your dryer. More Info.

4. Bottle your own water
Water is good, water is a resource, water is scarce, water is necessary, but did
you know that two gallons of water are needed to produce a bottle/bottles for one gallon of drinking water. Now, how stupid is that?
Tap water, or filtered tap water is, in most occasions, as good, if not better, than bottled water. Just get some metal, BPA free plastic or glass bottles and bottle your own water!
My favorite bottle: Life Factory

5. Opt out of mail in
How many catalogs did you get right before Christmas? Through how many did you actually look? And how many did you really like and use??
There is an easy to use website: Catalogchoice.org, that helps you to get rid of unwanted mailings and catalogs.

6. TP
Luckily the time where recycled toilet paper was rough and unpleasant are long gone. So next time you go shopping, buy recycled toilet paper.
Because, regarding to the NRDC: "If every household in the United States bought just one four-pack of 260-sheet recycled bath tissue, instead of the typical tissue made from virgin fiber, it would eliminate 60,600 pounds of chlorine pollution, preserve 356 million gallons (1.35 billion liters) of fresh water and save nearly 1 million trees."
Read more: http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/green-new-years-resolutions-10109#ixzz1AsEvPreM

7. Eat less meat
With eating less or no meat you can achieve three important goals in one:
a. Water and fuel conservation: Numbers fluctuate, but it takes up to 2000 gallons!! of water to produce one pound of edible beef (includes everything, from raising the animal to cleaning the stalls to package etc.). In order to produce 1 calorie of beef , 28 calories of fossil fuels are needed, to produce 1 calorie of soybeans, only 2 calories of fossil fuel are necessary.
b. Health: You miss out on all the yummy antibiotics and growth hormones! And, how many overweight vegetarians do you know??
c. Care for the animals: In order to produce meat cheap and in high quantities, animals are raised in factory farms under unimaginable conditions...
More Info

8. Shop local
You will know where your food comes from, have less environmental impact and support the local community.

9. Don't throw away - Donate
Now with spring cleaning ahead of us, consider donating all the toys, clothes, books and unwanted household items, instead of just throwing them away. Your junk could be someones treasure...btw I found one of my coolest photo prop at Goodwill, as I was turning in our stuff...instant reward ;-)

10. The 3 R's
Reduce - Reuse - Recycle, keep that in mind at all times and little thing will make a big difference!

Happy New Year!

Tis' is the season

2010-12-26T20:43:00.000-08:00

click on the title to see more of my Northern Elephant Seal images

Tis' is the season to be jolly...I guess we all had our share of that by now...
But tis' is also the season for the northern elephant seals to make their appearance in Año Nuevo.
Año Nuevo, a California State Park only about 25 miles south of Half Moon Bay, is the largest breeding colony in the world for the northern elephant seal.

Named by Spanish maritime explorers who sailed around this rugged and windy point in early January 1603 (Año Nuevo - New Years Point), Año Nuevo went through quite a few changes, but managed to keep it's undeveloped wild shore. Even the lighthouse keeper house on Año Nuevo Island, deserted since 1948, is reinhabitated by elephant, harbor and stellar seals.

Elephant seals were slaughtered almost to extinction in the 1800s due to their blubber that could be made into oil. By 1892 only 50 to 100 seals were left. The only then existing breeding ground was on an island off Baja California. Luckily the Mexican Government put them under protection and the US Government followed suit as elephant seals started to come back to the California Coast.
By today the northern elephant seal population has recovered to approx. 160.000!!

Between 1955 and 1975 northern elephant seals started to "colonize" Año Nuevo, and today up to 2000 pups are born here during the winter months.

Elephant seals spend most of there life at sea, swimming from breeding grounds to feeding grounds and back. Biologists at Año Nuevo found out that some of the tagged males swim as far as the Aleutian Islands to feed, the females as far as Hawaii. While at Año Nuevo, neither the males nor the females eat.

Breeding season starts by mid December, when the males arrive.

Here a coyote wanders between the arriving males.

Young males play fighting and practicing for the rather violent battles that in their later years will establish their rank and dominance. Only the most successful bulls will preside over a harem and be able to breed.

Vocalizing, as well as the actual battles, is a form of showing dominance and establishing territory. It sounds like a really loud and hoarse barking.
By the way, elephant seals indeed got their name because of the long pendulous nose of the males.

In later December then, the females arrive. They group together by building "harems" and give birth only a few days after they arrive. If you are out there in late December and early January look out for flocks of gulls. Often these gulls are feasting on the afterbirth and are an excellent indicator for a recent birth.

Here a female with a newborn pup.

Elephant seals only nurse for about 4 weeks. in this short period the pup gains about 200 to 300 pounds, due to the high fat percentage (55%) of the milk.

About 3 weeks after giving birth the female comes into season and the mating starts.

Exhausted...?

The females might mate several times before heading back to the ocean and their feeding grounds. This kind of desertion abruptly weans the pups, which are then aptly called weaners. Unable to swim yet they huddle together in so called pods and stay at Año Nuevo for another two or three months.

At four to six weeks of age, the weaners molt and the original dark coat will be replaced by a new silvery coat.

Soon after the molt the weaners start to learn how to swim with shallow off shore waters or big rain water puddles serving as weaner wading pools. During all this time they are not eating but living off their fat reserve. In early summer though the hunger forces them into the open water. Here they face a uncertain future, only about 50% will survive their first year.

The best time to visit Año Nuevo is in my opinion right now. But be aware that you will need to make a reservation for a guided walk between December 15 and March 31.
Click here for information about the walks and and online booking .

Año Nuevo sunset

A big Thank You to my good friend Judy Bingman, an Año Nuevo volunteer and docent. She made it possible for me to visit the park often by sharing a lot of her after hour walks with me. Most of the images here were taken during these after hour adventures.

Land of the Thunder Dragon

2010-12-23T20:15:00.000-08:00

BHUTAN

Photography by Meggi Raeder

This last Sunday, my friend Meggi Raeder invited us to a private viewing of her stunning photos of her most recent travel to Bhutan. Meggi traveled Bhutan extensively and is now preparing to lead tours through the Land of the Thunder Dragon.
The show kept us spell bound until the last photo faded away. The deep knowledge of the Bhutan culture and the catching photography show clearly where Meggi's heart resides.
To see her photography and learn more of her recent trip, please log on to her blog.
To learn more about the upcoming tour to Bhutan, click here: Travel with Meggi

December Conservation Tip

2010-12-07T21:20:00.000-08:00

Before I start with the actual tip here a Christmas present tip that is really close to my heart:
My good friend, the conservation photographer Daisy Gilardini, published a wonderful book on her arctic and antarctic adventures this fall, and I think this makes a wonderful Christmas present.
To see a preview of the book and to order, please click here. Please be aware of the holiday shipping deadlines:
Priority mail : Sunday December 12th
Express mail : Tuesday December 14th

"POLAR WONDERS: photographs from the ends of the Earth"

Have you been Christmas shopping this last weekend, or are you planning to do so next weekend. I love shopping for friends and family. The feeling of getting just the right item to put a smile on their faces when they unwrap their present fills me with happy anticipation.

Unwrap?

Every year I wonder about that huge heap of wrapping paper that litters the floor after the gift giving. But never mind, we recycle, or so I thought. Did you know that most of the wrapping paper is NOT recyclable, because it is dyed, laminated or has additives like glitter and plastic attached?

I did a bit of research and found some mind boggling facts:

In 1994 the American Greetings Company alone sold 1.7 billion linear feet of wrapping paper, enough to go around earth 12 times!

In average every year 4 million tons of logs go from forest to landfill due to wrapping paper and gift bags.

In 2009 an estimated 8000 tons of wrapping paper was used, the equivalent of 50.000 trees.

So, is there an alternative? Putting the gifts unwrapped under the tree just doesn't seem to do the trick.

Here some ideas I used last year and plan to use this year:

Most grocery stores sell now fabric shopping bags, look for a really nice one (I like the Whole Foods "a better bag" a lot) and wrap your present in one of these.

How about putting the gifts for a family in a handwoven African shopping basket, which is a great gift by itself. Whole Foods and New Leaf sell fair trade baskets from Africa, if you are in the Bay Area.
If not check out this website: Baskets of Africa

Give gift certificates, they don't need much wrapping.

Choose a symbolic wildlife adoption, no wrapping required either. Checkout my June Conservation tip for sources and ideas on that.

Use old magazines, catalogs or colored newspaper as wrapping material.

Let your kids decorate normal (recyclable) paper for Grandma and Grandpa's presents. Dried leaves or dried flowers make beautiful decorations.

Ordered online? Use the shipping box as wrapping and decorate it with magazine clippings, old photos etc. Again, a great kids project.

If you really want to wrap your present, make sure it is made from recycled material and/or recyclable.
A great source for this is EarthPresents, their wrapping paper is 100% recycled and recyclable. They feature the art of students with special talents and special needs on their wrapping paper and support these students with parts of their sales. Good for you, good for the environment and good for the students with special needs.

Happy Holidays!

Should've been a cowgirl...

2010-11-28T23:44:00.001-08:00

Two years ago, around this time of the year I joined my friend Daisy on a special kind of short trip, a visit to The Hideout.

As a horse back rider and photographer, what can be better than having three days of fun on a 300.000 acre ranch photographing and riding exquisite Quarter Horses? Not much except staying longer, of course...
Unfortunately, as I came home and tried to work on the images, lots of my files got corrupted due to an software problem with my old computer, and editing became so frustrating that I quit working on my images.
About a month ago, I suddenly remembered the trip, and since I had backed up the original files and now have a new computer, I happily went to work and can now share the results with you here.

Daisy and I planned to meet at the Hideout, since she arrived there a few days earlier. The ranch is located in Shell, WY, which is pretty much in the middle of nowhere. On Sunday I flew into Billings, which is about 140 miles from the Hideout. Coming from about 70 degree warm California, landing in a snowstorm was a bit scary, but I figured I would just upgrade my rental car to a 4wheel drive and all would be good.
Unfortunately, I was not the only one who had this great idea and by the time I arrived, there were no 4wheel drive cars available anymore. But the clerk assured me, the streets would be clear and I should not worry...
As I went to my car, it was buried under so much snow, that I first had to borrow a shovel to make sure I was standing in front of the right car! Then I waited about 30 min in the still ongoing storm until the rental car people could help me dig out my car, so much to the clear roads...but once on the main street, driving went quite smoothly indeed. My only worries were, that except for myself in my little rental car, nobody seemed to be on the road.
Nevertheless, I reached the ranch without any incidents and right on time. Greeted warmly by Ashley, I checked in to my cozy room.

In the early evening, I caught up with Daisy and together we went to the main lodge. Here, after yummy appetizers we were treated to a delicious dinner.

The next morning greeted us with sunny blue skies...

... and excited, fresh horses.

It was rather chilly, but neither the horses

nor the cowboys seemed to mind.

Stewart

Shawn

Due to the warming weather, by the afternoon, most of the snow had melted,

and we got the opportunity to photograph the running horses in front of this magnificent scenery.

Tuesday morning we got up early to take advantage of the nice morning light to catch the horses while they were crossing a small river.

While photographing the horses crossing the river, I happened to run out of memory on my card. As I was changing the card I caught a glimpse of this solitary grey horse standing in the grove behind the river, watching the crossing horses.

After a hearty lunch red rock country was on the program...

Marijn

Full moon rising behind the ranch.

On Wednesday, I had a hard decision to fell: Should I go with the photographers to take more pictures or should I go horse back riding...
After I heard, that the ride this Wednesday would be a real cattle drive, bringing down cows from higher pastures down to the valley, the decision was clear: I would ride the cattle drive.
What an experience! The horses are unbelievably well trained and as sure-footed as mountain goats! After a steep decline, we rode along the street down to the valley,

where it got rather dusty...

...after about 8 hours in the saddle, I joined the photo group for a quick dinner and one last sunset shot.

Even if it is now two years later, the memories are still vivid in my mind, it was a short but wonderful trip....that needs to be repeated...

Meet Tilly, the tough ranch dog

2010-11-28T20:09:00.001-08:00

I bet you did not expect to see Yorki portraits now.
Although Tilly looks like a princess and is one of the sweetest dogs I know, she is indeed a ranch dog. On a recent visit to good friends of mine in Bend, OR, I had the chance to see her run through the snow, herd cows and chase everything that doesn't belong on the farm.
I prefered to stay warm though and took her portatits inside...;-)

November Conservation Tip

2010-11-22T19:06:00.000-08:00

We all have heard about BPA (Bisphenol A) in plastic water bottles by now and hopefully most of them are not containing BPA anymore. In connection with BPA, phthalates popped up in several publications, too. At first I was kind of ignoring these unpronounceable chemicals, there are so many scary things nowadays, one can't keep up. But as I heard that Canada declared BPA as a hazardous/toxic substance and that phthalates are banned in cosmetics in Europe since 2003! I gave it a second thought.

What exactly are BPA and phatalates?

BPA or Bisphenol A is a plastic component, which is clear and shatter proof. Although it is known to interfere with the human hormone system, especially with estrogen, since the 1930s, billions of pounds of BPA are produced yearly. Among other things BPA can be found in baby bottles, water containers, plastic food storage containers and the lining of cans.
Platics with a 3,6 or 7 in the little recycling triangle on the bottom are possibly containing BPA.

Phthalates are found in soft plastic, like cling wrap, and lots of cosmetic articles. Phthalates help plastic to stay flexible and in cosmetics it helps the fragrance to linger longer around and stay better on skin and nails (for example in nail polish). Phthalates don't have to be labeled, but if you find the word "fragrance" or "perfume" in the ingredients list, it is a pretty good indication that the product contains phthalates.

BPA and phthalates are known to interfere with the hormone system and therefore have been linked to quite a few health problems, including heart problems and damage to the reproductive system (especially in males).
Explore the following links as they describe more accurate the risks and problems involved with BPA and phthalates. Please don't ignore it as I did, especially not if you are pregnant or raising boys!

Yale about BPA

Phthalates

Warming up food in plastic containers

How safe is Tupperware

National Geographic Green Guide

Interesting short video:
The Story about Cosmetics

Some safety tips:
Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit

Check your favorite shampoo, lotion etc. here:
Skin Deep, cosmetic safety database

For more in depth reading I recommend:
Slow Death by Rubber Duck by Rick Smith & Bruce Lourie

Green Festival San Francisco

2010-11-10T18:41:00.000-08:00

This last weekend I went to the 9th Annual San Francisco Green Festival.
It is good to see that the "green" movement is gaining momentum!

From green baby clothing to solar energy and from sustainable farming to green travel, a lot of vendors had a lot to offer.

Here a few of my favorites, collected for you, in no particular order:

Mr. Ellie Pooh

yup, you read right, pooh, not Winnie the Pooh, but elephant pooh....

Amazing papers, notebooks and photo albums.

nubius organics

Although, Tupperware might probably doing the trick, too (see September conservation tip), this is a way nicer way!
Use coupon code SAVE5 to save $5 on your first order of $35 or more.

To Go Ware

Same idea, more practical maybe, but not quite as nice as nubius...

Jade Planet

Think recycling...! The film shopper was absolutely gorgeous. A must have for any film fan. Super ideas and skillful artistic execution.

Strauss Family Creamery

Not only is their milk absolutely delicious, I also talked to them for a bit at the festival, and yes, their cows are on pasture, and they are open for visitors.
Just found this Patagonia blog to go with it!

Seed Savers Exchange

Sick of these pale tasteless tomatoes, all you need is a bit of garden and some heirloom seeds.

DigginLivin

A funny name for a company who sells goat milk soap, bees wax candles and more, but their message is an important one. I always thought palm oil is something good. Well, it probably is, but in order to satisfy the market for it, tropical rain forest gets destroyed at an alarming rate, and with it vital Orangutan habitat. I had no idea. Even if you are not interested in goat soap, take a minute to read their information on the palm oil.

Tread Light

I really thought long and hard, if I could come up with a valid reason to buy these. They just look really cool if you hold them in your hands. But for one they are just a bit expensive and second, I could not come up when and where I would wear them. Definitively worth a look.

I hope you enjoyed these links, they are by no means complete or representative, just my favorite picks....

Meeting Lowell Herrero

2010-10-30T19:46:00.000-07:00

A DREAM COME TRUE

HOMAGE TO LOWELL HERRERO

The first Lowell Herrero painting I saw was in form of a cow calendar at a friends house in Canada.
I was immediately drawn not only to the cow, but how it was painted: big, oversized but enormously friendly and calm. So I began to look out for Lowell Herreros paintings, especially for the cows of course, that just lies in my nature..., but also for his other work.
Trying to explain what fascinates me about his paintings is not an easy task. For one, in our ever so hectic and bustling world his art emanates a comforting calmness. His oversized figures, human or animal, have a certain soothing effect to me. They are so down-to-earth, pure, contained within themselves, joyous and content. There is no stress, running and disharmony. Everything is as it is supposed to be, natural!
Then the colors! I am a color person, you will hardly find any black&white photography in my work. Looking at Lowells colorful paintings opens my heart. Just look at the luscious lavender or even better the cadmium orange, my absolute favorite.

Now my good fortune had it, that my dear friend and fellow photographer Cherie made it possible for me to actually meet Lowell Herrero in person.
On a recent trip to the Napa Valley we drove to Calistoga and the home of the Herreros.

Even standing at the gate I realized, everything here is breathing and living art. Then the gate opens and and one feels transported right into an Italian estate. Nestled in a lush olive grove lies a beautiful Tuscan farm house solely designed by Lowell Herrero. And again, art is everywhere, iron and copper statues of typical Herrero women stand on ladders and seem to harvest olives of the trees, and other smaller sculptures line the way.
I was beginning to feel a bit nervous, I was about to meet an artist whose art I'm admiring since over a decade. But Cherie left me no time to ponder by jumping out of the car and walking right into the outstretched arms of Janet, Lowell Herrero's wife. After a short introduction and a warm welcome extended to me, we entered Lowells' studio.

Lowell, who was in the process of designing and painting Halloween costumes for his wife and himself, greeted us with glee and welcomed us in his realm.

My eyes darted between the artist and all the wonderful original painting. I had a hard time concentrating at first because it was such a visual overload. The Herreros, obviously used to the overwhelming effect the studio has on visitors, began to debate teasingly about the design of their costumes and gave me time to look at all the paintings. What an experience to suddenly see the originals of artwork one has only seen in books or on the computer. Not only that, but also to see some work in progress, to see how much thought and work goes in it.
For the moment I was speechless.

But it got even better, Janet showed us through their house with many more originals and shared the stories of various paintings with us. What a treat. And again, everything breathed art. The Herreros not only are artists, they collect the art of other artists, too. To walk through their home is like a stroll through a personal museum, just better.

Back at the studio I had the chance to chat more with Lowell, this time with all my attention, about his travel to Europe and about how his art evolved over the years. Originally we had only planned to stay a few minutes, and suddenly we realized it was getting dark and we had spent hours!

We left with a bottle of original Herrero Olive Oil, a warm hug and unforgettable memories.

Thank you Janet and Lowell for this memorable afternoon!

Please check out Lowell Herreros' website at : http://www.lowellherrero.com

Harley Farms Autumn Dinner

2010-10-24T19:24:00.000-07:00

My dear friend Monika and I are both long time fans of Dee Harleys' award winning goat cheese, and as we read the following excerpt from the Harley Farms website, we became curious and secured us a space at one of the Autumn Dinners last Saturday.

"On our funny, intimate tour of the farm, allow us to introduce your guests to our milking herd of American Alpine goats, our restored Victorian milking parlor, and our world medal-winning dairy.
Gaze over the pastures and gardens as you nibble our cheeses on the hayloft balcony. Draw up your folk-art chair to our astonishing long barn table as you're served local (10-mile radius) and seasonal foods cooked in the farm kitchen.
Almost all of our food grew in the farm gardens or once grazed the pastures, and is served on our handmade Harley Farms pottery service and pewter goblets. The owls will be hooting over the barn long before you're ready to leave! Rustic charm is never this real."

With an empty stomach but full of anticipation we arrived at Harley Farms right around 4 pm, in spite of the pouring rain. This friendly sign ushered us inside the warm and cozy shop, where we were to meet our fellow diners.

Before the official start we had plenty of time to taste all the different kinds of cheese and were offered a delicious hot apple cider. Exactly the right drink for the all too early autumnal weather.

The store sells not only cheese, but also herb infused oils and vinegars...

... and luxurious body (and soul) creams, lotions and soaps.

After a brief but thorough introduction to the farm and its history our knowledgeable guide Janet led us on towards the barn. Usually the guests would stroll out to the goats in the pasture, but since neither the goats nor we liked the rain too much we took a stroll down the "food alley" of the stable. It is breeding time right now and hence the goats are with the billy goat, which was rather obvious to the nose...Janet had warned us...and also explained, that they are only together during this short period of the breeding season to avoid having the cheese smell, well, like a billy goat.

Meet the girls:

While Janet endured patiently Elvis', the billy goat, advances, she explained the ins and outs of the daily chores with the goat farm. And we had plenty of time to interact with the cute and friendly female (= not stinky) goats

Ahhh, the fresh air after the stables was sure nice...! After washing our hands we stepped into the milk parlour and got an introduction into the milking process. Since the goats are right now only milked once a day, we didn't see the actual milking, but got a good idea of the procedure.

Following the "milk pipe" we went from the milk parlour to the dairy. But before we could enter the holy hall, we had to put on some snazzy hair nets. This alone put a smile on everybody's face, which only widened after we saw that there were more cheese samples waiting for us.
Janet explained how the milk gets pasteurized, slow not flash, to preserve the aroma and how then the different cheese are made out of this milk. Also how sustainable this dairy is working: Usually it would take hundreds of gallons to help produce the cheese every day, but Harley Farms uses a closed system, so the water can be used over and over again for one whole year, instead of being wasted on a daily basis. They even collect the whey, which drains from the cheese, and have the goats drink it. A delicacy for them and nothing goes to waste.
We tried, now more aware and appreciative, the four different award winning Harley Farms cheeses: The signature chevre, the fromage blanc, which is essentially the same cheese, just not as well drained and therefor more spreadable; the brined feta and of course the fresh ricotta.

The dairy was the last step of the farm tour and so, after we returned our lovely hairnets, we climbed up the stairs to the converted hayloft. A magnificent table beautifully laid out with hand made pewter dishes and decorated lovingly with flowers awaited us. The table was made locally from one single tree and seats twenty comfortably on high backed, also locally hand made, chairs.

We all found our place at the long table and mingled with other cheese enthusiasts as suddenly a heavenly smell filled the air. Dee's son, who also faithfully updated the Giants fans, brought in freshly clay oven baked pizza for appetizer. I can't recall all the different toppings, my favorite was one with pesto, and, of course, goat cheese:

The tasty pizza was followed by a spicy roasted vegetable soup, served here by Dee Harley

Before every course Dee would explain to us, what we were about to eat and where it came from. It was really amazing to me, that she and her team could put together this fantastic gourmet menu and all ingredients were planted or raised and harvested in her garden or just around the little town of Pescadero. Showing and proving to us, that it is not necessary to fly or truck in food from far away places, it's right here and plenty of it!

Then my absolute favorite dish of the evening entered the stage: Harley Farms Goat Cheese Ravioli with fried sage in a browned butter sauce....melted in my mouth...hmmmm sooo good. Sorry, no picture, I was too busy with eating...

After this culinary climax, the main course, duck over seasonal vegetable and rosemary potatoes and for the vegetarians, filled butternut squash, sprinkled with lots of goat cheese combined with seasonal vegetable and rosemary potatoes had a hard time competing. But,of course, it lived up to all expectations and was delicious!

And for desert: Baked pear over marzipan rounds with berry syrup drizzle and ginger snaps

Although I thought, I was absolutely stuffed, as Dee came around to offer bits of her chocolate brittle to go with the tea or coffee, I could not resist...

In short: An exceptional dinner experience right to my taste and a successful continuation of my quest for more "food awareness" (see October Conservation tips)

A must for every goat cheese lover!

Check out the 2011 dinner schedule:

For more information regarding the farm, the farm tours and the farm dinners, click here for the Harley Farm website.

A big thank you to Dee and all the dedicated staff for this unforgettable and insightful evening.

October Conservation Tip

2010-10-13T18:42:00.000-07:00

YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT...

How often are we actually thinking about what we eat?

How often do we read the labels on the food items we buy?

How often do we buy processed food, because it is so convenient?

How often does our appetite versus our better knowledge decide what we eat?

It started all with a simple question from our younger son, as he was reading the ingredient list of one of his cereal cartons: " Mom, what is Polydextrose and Turmeric Oleoresin? " Being able to explain that Polydextrose is a form of sugar was as far as I got, and I have a degree in Veterinary Medicine...so I had a closer look and discovered that the cereal that is called Fruity Pebbles actually contained not even a milligram of anything even close to a fruit.
Ok, I thought, that's easy to fix, just read the labels, buy food as unprocessed as possible and only if you can pronounce the ingredients...That's easy and all is fine.
So far, so good.
Then I read a book report about a book called: " Eating Animals".
Being already "food alert" through the former episode, I decided to read it and it quite triggered a research and thought avalanche.
What I realized by reading and researching about this particular branch of the food industry was shocking, mildly put.
So I thought I put together the material I read and watched, and hope to get you interested in doing some reading, too.

Books:

"Eating Animals" by Jonathan Safran Foer
Amazon.com has a little trailer for that: Eating Animals Trailer

"Farm Sanctuary" by Gene Baur
Very inspiring, check out their website at http://www.farmsanctuary.org/

"Dominion" by Matthew Scully
I just begun to read this book, so I can't really say much, but it starts very interesting...

"The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan
...you will think back to above mentioned Fruity Pebbles...
Check out his website for more info: The Omnivore's Dilemma

"Slow Death by Rubber Duck" by Dr. Rick Smith and Bruce Lourie
This book is not only about food, but all the "other" dangers in our every day life, that I bet most of us are not aware of.

Movies:

Food Inc.
See their website for more info and a trailer: Hungry For Change

Meet your meat
I needed a few attempts until I could watch the whole movie, although it's only 12 minutes long. Please do not watch it with little kids around you. I dearly hope what is shown in this movie, although unforgivable and unforgettable, is only the extreme and not the standard.

Links:

Animal Welfare Approved

American Humane Association

PETA

There are many more books, movies and website out there, I just put together the ones I read and saw and thought they are the most informative.

In the end, after doing all this research, I came to the conclusion that if we accept the quote : We are what we eat, then we need to decide: Who do we want to be?"

I decided for myself, and I would be curious to hear from you. What do you think, how did or will you decide?

In Memoriam

2010-10-08T22:36:00.000-07:00

This last Sunday a dead pregnant blue whale beached at Bean Hollow State Park, a beach just about 20 minutes south of Half Moon Bay.
A very sad incident and only after lot of soul-searching did I decide to put it on my blog.

The examining scientists believe that she died after colliding with an unidentified large ship. They found at least three broken vertebrae and bruises on her belly.
In the last couple of years two to three blue whales died each year on the California coast due to collisions.
That is especially tragic, since blue whales are endangered after being hunted almost to extinction and now are just on the verge of coming back. The blue whale was probably on her way to the Sea of Cortez to give birth.

This particular collision though killed two blue whales, the female and her male baby...
The fetus likely got discharged post mortem due to the gas build up inside the female whale.

her eyes are closed now

baby whale

It was a grim outing, to say the least. Some of the onlookers were as equally sad and upset by the devastation in font of us as I was. Many though, seemed to see this as a variation of an amusement park attraction, which left me really disturbed and...speechless.

More Information

Behind the scenes

2010-09-27T19:38:00.000-07:00

I love dogs and I love to photograph dogs!

This last week I had a photo shoot with an adorable Labrador Retriever litter of 10 puppies. So instead of just posting the resulting images, I thought I give you a peek "behind the scenes".

You always thought it is easy, puppies are so cute, nothing can possibly go wrong? All you need is a camera and some puppies?

Well....there are some rules:

Rule # 1: Don't fall in love with your models, there are only so many dogs your spouse will tolerate, now that is really the hardest part for me, but I manage.

Rule # 2: You need a lot of helpers

Rule # 3: That doesn't always help

Rule # 4: Make sure your model doesn't look away from the camera

Rule # 5: Try to keep your models within the frame

Rule # 6: It doesn't speak for you, if your model falls asleep

Rule # 7: Props are nice, so make sure they don't get eaten

Rule # 8: There are many more "rules", but I really don't want to bore you.

In addition to that you of course need the perfect light and a LOTS of patience.

But the results are worth it:

Now then, Happy Fall!

September Conservation Tip

2010-09-12T17:55:00.000-07:00

It's back to school time, and for the parents among us the exasperating daily question of what to feed our kids for lunch, too. I'm sure all of us are making healthy and nutritious choices, so I don't want to focus on the WHAT but on the HOW.

Every day millions of students get their lunch in brown bags, ziploc bags or even worse in the form of "lunchables" or the like, together with cans, cartons or plastic bottles containing the drinks. After the lunch is consumed these "one way" container land, best case scenario, in the garbage bins, or they litter the schoolyards and the neighborhood around. Not even to think of how many resources, trees and all, got wasted to produce the packing.

For an environmental science project, I packed two kids a "lunchable" and a drink carton with juice for one week with the request to bring home every bit of garbage. In one week these two kids filled a 13 gallon garbage bag just with their lunch packing!!

The following week they went to school with their lunch packed in a reusable plastic container and water in a metal bottle = zero waste!

Now isn't that easy, just pack the lunch in a reusable container instead of a brown bag or ziploc bag and save the environment every day!

And just for fun: Want to see what celebrated British chef, Jamie Oliver has to say about lunchables:
Jamie Oliver Attacks Kraft’s Lunchables — A First for Network TV

Although he is definetivly more concerned about the what...

The Canadian Rocky Mountains

2010-08-27T11:10:00.001-07:00

Almost every year our family migrates to the Canadian Rockies for as much time of the summer as we can. For me it is the perfect place to spend time with the family. Tucked between the Purcell Mountains and the Rocky Mountains, Wasa, the little village we were staying, offers a nice warm lake with sandy beaches, endless hikes and close by river adventures, to name only a few activities. And in a bit more than an hour one can reach the grand Rocky Mountain National Parks. In the previous years I took advantage of this and took my share of the iconic Canadian Rockies images:

One of my favorites, Moraine Lake

Spirit Island, located in Maligne Lake, near Jasper

Takakkaw Falls

Lake Louise

for more of my Canadian Rocky Mountain images click here:
Canadian Rocky Mountains Gallery

This year, though I stayed put and enjoyed the nature close by. All the following images are taken within a few yards from our lodging.

Curious Chipmunk on the porch

Love is in the air: Mating Boreal Bluet Damselflies

Peekaboo Deer

"Burning Sky", sunset after a thunderstorm

and the grand finale:

Can't wait to go again!

August Conservation Tip

2010-08-26T10:34:00.001-07:00

Omega Fatty Acids

You wonder what omega fatty acids have to do with conservation?
Stay put, I'll explain.

First a little information about the omega fatty acids:

There are mainly two essential (essential means our body can't make them, so we need to take them in with our food) omega fatty acids, the omega 3 and the omega 6 fatty acids. Omega 3 (O3) fatty acids can be consumed as ALA (I spare you with the exact chemical names here), the “parent” O3, which is then converted into the more effective O3s, DHA and EPA in the human body. ALA is found in high quantities in flax seed oil. DHA and EPA also can be consumed directly through fish/fish oil (salmon, herring, mackerel, anchovies, sardines and tuna).
Omega 6 fatty acids (O6) are more common and found in most vegetable oils, poultry, eggs, nuts and most grains.

What are the benefits of O3s and O6s?

O3s are known to reduce inflammation and may help in chronic diseases like heart disease and rheumatoid arthritis. They also appear to be important for brain memory and performance (give me an extra dose...!)

O6s have a crucial role in brain function, growth and development. They also help with skin problems, hair growth and maintain bone health.

These are just some of the proven health benefits, much more are suggested, as for example prevention of Alzheimer, but more research is called for to verify.

Another important fact is the ratio ratio between the two Os, which should be 1:1, or at least 1 (O3) : 5 (O6), unfortunately, in our modern diet the ratio is rather 1:10, even up to 1:30. Why is this so important? To many O6s interfere with the health benefits of the O3s, since both fatty acids compete in the body for utilisation and if there are to many O6s, the O3s "don't have a chance". The result, of course, is the opposite of the benefits and can include heart attacks, thrombotic stroke, arrhythmia, arthritis, osteoporosis, inflammation, mood disorders, obesity, and cancer.

So far, so good, now the question is, how do we get these two magical fatty acids into our body.

The easiest way is to just to eat lots of fish (at least twice a week) or get fish oil tablets, they contain already the more effective O3s, the DHA and EPA. And the O3 to O6 ratio is 6 : 1, perfect, or????

So what's the catch?

First, it might not the best choice for you, since fish potentially can contain heavy metals and FAT soluble pollutants like PCBs and dioxin which even accumulate up the food chain. The American Heart Association warns:”Children and pregnant women are advised by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to avoid eating those fish with the potential for the highest level of mercury contamination (e.g., shark, swordfish, king mackerel or tilefish)” Yummy...

Second, it's definitively not the best choice for our planet, most of the fish that are used for the production of fish oil, are already in peril of overfishing. I want to quote Green Peace here:
“Many marine ecologists think that the biggest single threat to marine ecosystems today is overfishing. Our appetite for fish is exceeding the oceans' ecological limits with devastating impacts on marine ecosystems. Scientists are warning that overfishing results in profound changes in our oceans, perhaps changing them forever. Not to mention our dinner plates, which in future may only feature fish and chips as a rare and expensive delicacy.”

So in a perfect, not contaminated and overfished, world eating fish would be the best way to supplement ones diet with the essential O3s and O6s. Unfortunately, we are no longer living in a perfect world. I personally take organic flaxseed oil "soft gels". Yes, I have to take more and they are not quite as effective, but together with a healthy diet, absolutely sufficient. They grow back and they don't contain mercury and else. That's why I think, omega fatty acids are a conservation topic.

You have a choice, choose conservation!

Point Reyes

2010-07-18T22:05:00.001-07:00

The wind of heaven is that which blows between a horse's ears. ~Arabian Proverb

Which is why my friend Emma and I carve out a few days from our busy work and family schedule each summer and take our horses to the Point Reyes National Seashore.

Lots and lots of horse friendly trails, 150 miles of it to be exact, trailer parking, hitching posts and water which are provided at several trailheads, and of course great views make this western most tip of the continental USA the perfect place for horse and rider.
We usually start at the Bear View visitor center, to get a map and the most current trail info, and then we head out to enjoy that tranquil scenery together with our horses.

After a day of riding we come back to our home away from home, the Point Reyes Country Inn and Stables

The host Tom Evans made his B&B as horse friendly as you can wish. Nice stalls layered with fresh wood shavings, many of them even with paddocks make sure that the horses stay as comfortable overnight as we are in the lovingly furnished rooms of the B&B. But the best is yet to come, after one woke up to the soft neighing of the horses, Tom greets you with such an delicious breakfast, that you easily survive a day in the saddle with just a light snack.

Point Reyes Station, the little town where the B&B is located is a place with character. As we stroll through its main street, we discover a lot of nice, tasteful and useful stores. My favorite being the Flower Power:

Another highlight of Main Street is Toby’s Feed Barn, a family owned true general store, which offers a wide range of goods from organic, local produce to pet food and hay, to gifts and garden supplies.

On our way to dinner one evening I noticed a sign saying MARIN ORGANIC on quite a few stores and restraunts, including the one we chose for dinner, the Stellina.

Curious about this I set out to learn more about it: Regarding to the West Marin Citizen, “Marin County is the home to 250,000 residents, 20,000 cows, 15 million oysters, 500 acres of organic fruit and vegetables and a vision for the future”. A century ago Marin was the “milk” basket of the country, just as the Palouse is the breadbasket nowadays. But the industrialization and centralization of mass produced dairy wiped Marin off the map. Instead of desperately trying to keep up with the frenzy, Marin turned the table and specialized on small scale, local, artisan and organic food. MARIN ORGANIC , an increasing network of farmers, restaurants and local retail stores, was founded 1999, to promote and support this organic county and to address many environmental issues. It sees itself as the primary link between farmers and eater!

An admirable concept, a working concept for sustainability that the whole country should adopt!

ICP Awards on National Geographic News

2010-07-12T15:45:00.000-07:00

The ICP Awards Winners are featured on

National Geographic News!

Check it out!

Loose in the Palouse

2010-07-04T22:17:00.000-07:00

After the excitement of the Reception in Seattle, my friend Daisy Gilardini and I decided to drive east and see what the Palouse has to offer.

Coming back home from this trip, friends would ask two questions.
The first one was: “Where have you been?” and upon my answer:
“Photographing the Palouse”, I most often looked into a puzzled face.
So here the extended explanation:

The Palouse lies roughly in the northeast corner of the state of Washington. Grasslands and savannas once covered the large area, but now it has been plowed and converted to grain fields. The Palouse is mainly a wheat growing area and the largest producer of lentils in the United States. A combination of just the right amount of rain, thanks to Washington's Cascade Range and the deep, rich volcanic soil make the Palouse to a very successful breadbasket of the West.

Now, why would two wildlife and nature photographer go there?
That, on the other hand brings us to the second question: “What did you do there?”
Well, we usually got up around 3.45 am, yep that's right, 3.45 am! to be on the top of Steptoe Butte for the sunrise:

My favorite:

After the sun got too intense on Steptoe Butte, we would hop into the car, and see where the road would take us...

...which were not always the roads we expected...

...to scout out nice barns and calming, rolling hills.

We had all kinds of weather, from blue sky...

...to a few clouds...

...to more clouds...

...to a stormy sky...

...and even a full grown storm

And in time for sunset, around 8 pm, we would be back at Steptoe for the nice evening light and of course the sunset. After the third day of that “vacation” regimen, we would quit the midday scouting and just go back to the hotel and take a nap!

Our last evening had a special treat for us, it was full moon and we got to photograph the rising full moon over the Palouse.

On our last morning, however, we had actually planned to sleep in, we had plenty of nice sunrises, and Daisy had a lot of driving ahead of her that day. But remembering that it was full moon, we didn't want to miss the setting full moon. Dragging out of bed at 3.45 am we sleep-drunken got dressed and on the way to Steptoe. Arriving there we were rather puzzled and confused, our full moon was just a mere quarter moon. Not quite awake yet, we doubted our self, assured us, that we had indeed photographed the full moon the evening before and tried to find an explanation for this weird occurrence. Since it was a brilliantly clear morning, it couldn't be clouds...suddenly it dawned on us...”check the lunar eclipses for 2010” Daisy asked, and sure enough one of the two lunar eclipses in 2010 was right there, on June 26th. We didn't know if we should cry or laugh, but in best photographers manner, we used the nice early morning light and photographed our last rolling hills.

No setting full moon then, sorry...

Please make sure to check out Daisy's blog as well at http://blog.daisygilardini.com/

July Conservation Tip

2010-07-02T15:41:00.000-07:00

" The chief characteristic of civilization is the sacrifice of the future for the present"
- William James, Harvard Professor, 1890 -

Every once in a while I get "Rootstock", a news magazine that is put together by Organic Valley, I guess I must have signed up for it somewhere. Usually I just quickly browse through it, take out the coupons and then put it in the recycling bin. This time however, on my coupon hunt, I stumbled upon this quote. That, I thought, sounds rather interesting. And before I knew it, I was reading a captivating article about the World Food Plan. Never heard about it? Well, that's ok, since there is non...And the article does not provide one, BUT makes one thinking about an issue that we are easily forget in out daily worry about global climate change, oil spill and else, the issue about global hunger. Again the article does not provide solutions, but thoughts and ideas, that actually could help develop a "World Food Plan".
I know, you don't have the time....but if you can carve out 2 or 3 minutes, I urge you to read the Rootstock article.

Coming just back from the Palouse, photographing the beautiful rolling hills of monoculture wheat and crop dusters flying from sunrise to sunset, this article really hit a nerve.

So, this months conservation tip is not much of a tip , but more an encouragement to think about what we eat and how it gets produced.