via Photo Challenge: Transient
A stag blends in with the coastal oaks as it travels though a neighborhood front yard. The transient nature of deer out of the forest has been a fact for me whether my early days in New Jersey or the current times by the Pacific Ocean. They wander. They nibble. Protected by state laws. I still take pause with those antlers.
A few days ago I walked out of Starbucks in Prunedale, California at 10:50 a.m. As I walked to my car, I noticed a handful of people looking up at the sky. Smoke was rising quickly. Then I saw two planes flying overhead and a flash of red. Explosion? Fire retardant? Ultimately, the forest fire was out with less than one acre burned–hats off to the firefighters.
This is a very strange place for me. The Taco Bell in the photo–it’s next to Starbucks–was the site of a murder a few years ago–I was part of the jury selection process for a the felony murder trial. I didn’t get selected but I did learn more about the crime. This shopping area has been upgraded to erase, in part, the memory of a bad moment. It hasn’t erased mine.
I took this shot a few weeks ago of a hillside in Big Sur. I was struck by the focal points: a handful of evergreens at the top of the hill, fog, and deep green brush between the hilltop and wild mustard below. There is something about this shot that draws me in…and I think it is the focal points that together give the photo depth. But, in the end, it is regret for not putting more yellow mustard in the frame. Frankly, I didn’t realize the drama of this shot when I took pressed the shutter.
There it was as if it had forcefully claimed this spot on the beach for itself. I’ve never seen claws this large before. RIP!
You can cross the Sacramento River in Redding, California by walking on plated glass, all part of the $23.5 million, toll-free Sundial Bridge. The rear of the bridge serves as the world’s largest sundial, but that feature doesn’t match the structural design of what is truly a work of art.
“You talking to me?” The predator’s focus says it all. I was six feet away from the owl when I took this shot.
Driftwood and ocean debris were fashioned into a message yesterday at Carmel River State Beach. This area is often used for wedding ceremonies.
