"Goin' to Kansas City, Kansas City here I come"

    My father grew up on a small farm in Kansas. Fortunately he joined the Navy, saw California, and decided it would be a better place to live.  Our family made many cross-country road trips back to the farm to visit his parents and sister, and a couple of times my brother, sister and I were sent back on our own (a 5 hour flight during which we were allowed to enter the cockpit to meet the pilots and  receive a pair of wings - pilot wings for Mike and stewardess wings for me & Judy). 

   I journeyed back on my own this time (still 5 hours of flying plus a layover, but locked out of the cockpit, and no wings, just a tiny bag of peanuts) to see my aunt who is now 94. On previous trips I have photographed fields of corn, sunflowers, lightening strikes, and HUGE farm equipment with my Nikon.  This trip I only took my iPhone.  (If only my arms were a little longer, our heads wouldn't look so big.)

The sunsets in Kansas are different than those around here.  Because the land is flat, you can see the sun all the way to the horizon, and it is a GIGANTIC, burning orb.  I processed this iPhoto in Snapseed & then Painteresque, and include it here because the sign so resembled the real thing.

With a heat index of 105 every day (still 99 degrees at sunset), 

I truly appreciated my father's move to California.

Deer Encounters

An unexpected wildlife encounter always invigorates my spirit.  On two recent morning walks I have had the pleasure of meeting up with deer.  One early morning, this trophy buck watched me pass by and was kind enough to look up and pose for a picture (taken with my iPhone).  Click on the photo to see a larger image.

 

I met this doe twice on the same walk in Morgan Hill.  First, I passed within a few feet of her feasting in a yard on West Dunne.  We were both startled and she scurried off up a hill.  Forty minutes later  I crossed over the same hill from the opposite direction and there she was.  This time she stopped long enough for a photo.  I saw her again the next week near the same area with her very small fawn, and even though both stopped to look at me, they were too far away for a clear picture.

These encounters are gifts that are always appreciated

(unlike when they eat the flowers right out of my front garden).

June Moon

In June (& only in June) the full moon rises over Chesbro Dam.  This is the 3rd, or maybe 4th year I have returned to my favorite spot along the bank to capture this charming, celestial event. 

   You would think that photos from the same spot would look 

the same each year, but the light, the weather

& even the water level make each rise unique.

 I loved the moon light on the water.

It has been over 2 years since I ended my project to photograph every full moon for a year, but its allure still pulls me out of the house with camera & tripod in hand.  Still the lunatic am I.