On the way to a friend’s “Home on the Range” (I mean that literally) near Redding, CA, riding along a dirt road that took us deeper and deeper into the “wild, wild west”, I spotted this cool pond reflecting the trees and sky beyond. I knew I’d have an appointment with destiny here, at this very spot, in about an hour, when the sun started racing into oblivion. And that’s exactly what I did. While it might have been nice to have my big guns along, I had left those on the East Coast. But I had my backup tucked into my waistband and I wasn’t afraid to use it. After the obligatory seven paces, I drew my iPhone and fired. And it was I who was left standing when the sun went down!
NorCal
Been having sporadic access to the internet due to a move, but hope to have broadband in the new house by 8 September, so off to Starbuck’s in Redding is was to process this one for today. Pretty interesting working in here with the Wacom Intuos 4 tablet as it invites a lot of questions. Anyway, here’s a shot I grabbed recently with the ol’ X100, which is always by my side these days.
When my friend Jim told me I was gonna love what he showed me next, I was not sure what I was going to find, but I knew, based on some of the other gems he showed me in San Francisco, that it was gonna be good. Â And he was right; this space was awesome. Â With the cool banners hanging on the left, I almost felt like I was in some kind of city under the sea, like Atlantis. Â Land Shark!
I know, I know. You all want me to post some more of my Urban Explore photography. Â Well, worry not. Â I have more brackets left to develop from my many shoots in former East Germany than you can imagine. Â All in good time, though, ’cause at the moment I’m keeping myself busy exploring the great outdoors in Northern California. Â Here is a shot taken shortly after sunrise. Â And I’m probably glad I waited until the sun illuminated the dark woods at the edge of the bay, ’cause I swear I saw some fresh bear droppings as I was headed back to the car from shooting this. Â Have to admit, bears were not on my mind at all, but then neither were the rattle snakes they say are plentiful around another area I shot yesterday in Redding. Â Guess I better watch my step!
So this morning I woke up a few minutes later than I’d hoped, with only a few minutes before the sun would be up here in Northern California. Threw on my shorts and a shirt and headed down to the old Cascade Theater to get some cool shots for today’s blog. Well, I got those shots, as well as some cool tilt-shift shots of an old Ford Anglia parked near the theater, but what I was really taken by were a few people hangin’ out on the street this early morning. People with stories, both in their souls and in their hands. Glen, whose hands you see here, was one such fellow. Glen, who’s had a pretty eventful life, is moving into Redding for a bit, with plans to embark on new adventures soon. I’ll be seeing Glen again soon, as I’ve promised to bring him some prints of the couple of shots I made of him. Once I’ve shown him this post, and gifted him some prints, I’ll ask him if he’d like me to share more of his life with you all.
