Muir Woods National Monument, Mill Valley, CA
I took this photo while hiking at the John Muir Woods National Monument, just north of San Francisco, California. These giant redwood trees tower hundreds of feet overhead and nearly block out all light on the forest floor below. If you view the large version of this photo (link below), you can just see a fencepost in the bottom right corner of the photo, which gives you an idea of the size of these trees.
View the large version of this photo
Foggy Sunset, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco
If you head up Marine Drive in Golden Gate Park, past Crissy field and Fort Mason, you’ll find this beautiful spot with a fantastic view of the Golden Gate Bridge. I stopped here Saturday evening just before sunset and watched the fog roll in over the Golden Gate Bridge. It was quite chilly here, with at least a 15 degree (F) drop in temperature from the east side of San Francisco.
The fog really subdued the effect of the sunset in the sky but watching it drift silently over the bridge and listening to the sounds of the water along the shore was quite peaceful. My timing was even lucky enough to capture the freighter passing under the bridge and the bird walking along the beach.
Parrot munching on an apple at the San Diego Zoo
While at the San Diego zoo last week, I had the opportunity to observe these beautiful green parrots up close. Within the zoo, there are several large aviaries which you can walk through and see the birds up close – not behind cages. This cute critter was busy eating an apple (and keeping an eye on me) when I took this photo. His beak is moving so quickly you can actually see the blur in the photo, despite a relatively fast shutter time (1/60 sec).
Seaport Village, San Diego
Another of many photos I took on my trip to San Diego (it will probably take me weeks to sort through them all!). This photo was taken in Seaport Village, a charming tourist area on the San Diego waterfront with many shops, restaurants, etc for visitors as well as a large park with beautiful flowers such as those shown here.