Knights Ferry Covered Bridge, California

I took these photos of the covered bridge over the Stanislaus at Knights Ferry near Oakdale, California on Highway 120. It was a beautiful, sunny day there.

Staten Island Preserve on January 5, 2023 in California

I took these photos of some sandhill cranes and an egret on the first dry day after an atmospheric river had just passed by the area. The wildlife seemed to be enjoying and to be taking advantage of a sunny day. For me, it’s always a pleasure to watch the cranes, geese, and egret in the Preserve.

Fall Colors near me in California

I took these six photos on a walk in my neighborhood in Stockton, California. There are some beautiful and vivid fall colors to be spotted here. The weather is great: cool and sunny.

Stockton Rural Cemetery, California

I took these photos during an Olli Bird Safari guided by David Yee. The Bird Safari went to Stockton Rural Cemetery. I learned that birds like to live in the valley oaks there. The cemetery keeps and maintains the original valley oaks and natural landscape. There are many different styles of tombstones and markers. I imagine there are lots of interesting stories about the history of the City of Stockton. I also learned that birds and birders like cemeteries simply because they are public and quiet.

Stockton Cambodian Buddhist Temple, California

Recently I visited the Stockton Cambodian Buddhist Temple to take these pictures in the early morning light. The statures are beautiful with vivid colors and details. It’s located in South Stockton off Freeway 99 on Carpenter Road. It’s also called Wat Dhammaram. Their website is http://www.watdhammararambuddhist.org.

Dogwoods in Big Trees State Park, California

Above are seven photos that I took in Calaveras Big Trees State Park, California. There were only a few remaining dogwood blooms left there when I arrived. For me it’s always a delight and restful to wander around the North Trail in the park.

Lupines at Folsom Lake, California

I took these photos of lupines at Beeks Bight on Folsom Lake last April 1, 2022. The weather was ideal: sunny, warm, blue sky, and with a wind speed of 3 mph. Of course there were plenty of lupines in bloom. I had a wonderful time taking photos there.

Caswell State Park, California

Last Friday morning, I joined the Olli Bird Safari at Caswell State Park, South Austin Road, Ripon, California. The bird safari was led by David Lee. The state park is on a winding bend of the Stanislaus River in the middle of the Central Valley. It’s a rare example of an oak mature riparian forest in California. I took these seven photos mostly of the oaks here and of the the birders looking at diverse bird species in those valley oaks.

Amador County Golden Landscape, California

I took these landscape photos in Amador County in the Gold Country. I mostly took these photos along Latrobe and Greilich Roads in Amador County in California. These roads mostly parallel California Highway 49 in the Gold Country. The grass on the hillsides is mostly dry with a golden yellow color contrasted with the green oak trees and the blue sky. This scenery is typical of the foothills in the middle of summer here.

July Flowers in the Neighborhood

I received a new Nikkor Z MC 105 f/2.8 last Friday. So I was curious to try it on my Nikon Z6 camera this morning. Here are some samples that I took with it of flowers in the neighborhood. For me, it seems to have great detail, nice color rendition, and good bokeh. The flowers include African lilies, society garlic, marigolds, day lily, and roses. Happy Fourth of July! Nature also puts on colorful fireworks too I believe.