Down the Garden Path with Carol

Wild Florida

2011-11-25T10:24:00.001-08:00

With cooler weather (finally) arriving in Florida, I have resumed my nature walks, in search of all things wild: wildflowers, birds, insects and gators.

No walk is really complete without at least one gator sighting and I've actually starting recognizing and know where to locate quite a few of the 'regular suspects'. On a recent trip, the tally was 3 baby gators and 1 big mama. That was a great 'hunting trip'. All this talk of 'wild' things might sound dangerous, but when it comes to gators, I don't take any chances. Yes, you do have to be careful, but basically if you leave them alone, they leave you alone. Luckily, most of the state parks have wonderful boardwalks that allow you to roam around without being put in harms way. The mosquitoes, on the other hand, can be quite treacherous and you are really in trouble if you forget your bug spray!

It is beautiful in the swamps around Tampa right now (November). The bald cypresses, for a very short time, turn all kinds of wonderful shades orange (as you see in the photo), losing their leaves and remaining 'bald' until springtime.

I have started a new gallery on Fine Art America for my Wild Florida pictures. Click here to see more: Wild Florida

Moving Back to Florida

2010-07-20T06:51:00.000-07:00

My husband and I recently moved back to Florida, after being gone 8 years. I've enjoyed taking pictures with a refreshed eye and wonder for all the interesting creatures and landscapes unique to the southeast. It really is a photographer's paradise. From the swampy inland areas to the lovely beaches, inspiration surrounds you. In the cooler months this last spring, we visited many local parks to take pictures. My husband acted as scout, pointing out things I never saw. (I tend to obsess over the small things and sometimes miss the obvious.) One thing that strikes me on coming back, is how many birds there are. (Was I just too busy to notice before?) They are simply amazing. In my new neighborhood, we have Sandhill Cranes--lovely long-legged birds that walk around like old married couples. Through photography, we have become quite the birdwatchers, sometimes spending the whole day following bird-sitings. They have led us to bald eagles nesting in trees alongside the road, to lovely blue herons fishing on the coast. Now, in the warmer summer months, the parks have taken on a different feel. With every picture I take, I wish I could somehow add the sounds of crickets or chorus of frogs and somehow project the humidity that hangs in the air as thick as the moss. The swamps become a bit more ominous because of the possibility of gators and other crawling things. Funny how I'm not scared, hiding behind my camera. Hmmmm.

First Trip to Savannah

2010-02-09T08:08:00.000-08:00

My first trip to Savannah was a dream come true--I have wanted to visit there as long as I can remember. Daughter, Danielle, and I recently spent a weekend in this photographer's paradise. We 'splurged' a bit on our hotel--staying downtown in the Hyatt Regency because our time was limited--only one full day--and we wanted to be close to the historic district. The first night, we walked along the riverfront, including lovely, tree-lined Emmet Park and Factors Walk--just down the street from the hotel. This used to be the hub for all things related to cotton commerce. Next time, I will definitely check out the neat antique shops there.

We made the most of our full day in Savannah by taking a trolley tour to all the main areas of town, stopping along the way to walk around and take pictures. (This is my favorite way to see a new city; you get a great overview and can always go back to visit the sights you missed.)

We had two memorable meals in Savannah. First was dinner at Paula Deen's restaurant, The Lady and Sons (southern food at its finest with a great atmosphere--if you love her show, you will love this restaurant). And dinner at Chart House on the riverfront(okay, another splurge for sure, but well worth it--great seafood and a lovely old building).

If you haven't read, "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil", I suggest you read it before visiting Savannah. It is a mystery, based on a real murder, in which the author, John Berendt, describes some very interesting 'real' Savannah characters and unique locations around the city. (The tour is even more fun when you remember the areas mentioned in the book.) We found a great little bookstore, "The Book" Gift Shop, where we bought a signed copy of the book! I'll give you a link to this neat store since the address was wrong in our tour map, and we wasted precious time searching for it. If you are a fan of the book, you don't want to miss it: http://www.midnightinsavannah.com

And one last tip--if you are a photographer--do not miss seeing Wormsloe Plantation. You will not see a plantation, just ruins of a colonial house although that was kind of cool. The lane of live oaks is the main attraction--simply stunning. You will see them in my Savannah gallery to the right. I imagine the best time to visit is in the winter since there aren't many visitors and the lane isn't clogged with traffic. We went during the week, in January. No cars at all, except for the park ranger who kept popping up in my line of vision. Oh well, nothing's perfect.

Before leaving the city on our last day there, we drove around Tybee Island and walked along the pier. As a 'west coast girl', I enjoyed seeing the Atlantic Ocean and this beautiful beach and taking pictures of seagulls (one of my favorite passtimes).

Overall, this was an amazing trip. If you have any questions or would like more tips on what to see, please feel free to email me: groecar@yahoo.com

Autumn in Sycamore Grove Park

2009-11-15T11:47:00.001-08:00

One of my favorite places to take pictures in California is at Sycamore Grove Park in Livermore. On a recent walk, on a gorgeous fall day, my husband and I came across a family of deer. (I always bring a chaperone along when I walk here because of recent mountain lion spottings.) Once we saw the deer, we quietly walked in their direction and I took photos, while trying to get as much fall foliage in the picture as possible. It was thrilling to watch as they ran from one shady spot to a next. We waited patiently for them to walk into the sunshine which made for a more interesting photo. I have reworked these images to enhance the color and add a bit more drama. To see my deer family pictures and other colorful autumn shots, please check out my Imagekind 'Autumn' gallery to the right.

Crater Lake

2009-07-29T14:02:00.000-07:00

About 5 years ago, I visited Crater Lake for the first time. It was a beautiful day and I took some nice pictures of my two daughters with the lake in the background. Funny, but I never even dreamed of taking pictures of just the scenery. I was in Mom-mode. In July, my husband and I visited again, this time I was in Photographer-Mode. My goal was to try and capture the amazing blue color and figure out a way to show the vastness of the surrounding mountains. I prayed the whole way that there would be some interesting clouds, to make it just a 'bit' different. Being unique is a challenge, especially when millions of people have stood on the same spot, taking the same picture. I was thrilled to see one storm cloud hanging over the lake. Besides obsessing over this neat cloud, I obsessed over the craggy, weathered trees with lovely silver bark and the patterns in the melting snow.

This second time around, I learned some valuable lessons that I would like to pass on to you. 1. Take mosquito repellent. The melting snow is a breeding ground for massive quantities of these evil little guys. They especially love my husband, who safely stayed in the car and drove me to wherever I wanted to take pictures.
2. The lodge is amazing, but book early if you want to stay there. 3. Do not plan to stay in the area without reservations. It will take you another hour to get back to civilization and you don't want to get stuck without a place to stay. There are bears in them woods! 3. Crater Lake is off the beaten path, but is definitely well worth the trip.

To the right, you will find my Waterscapes Gallery on Imagekind.com, including the 'best of' photos of Crater Lake. Use the banner to scroll down, then click on individual pictures to go to the link.

Highlight of Zoo Trip---Pandas!!

2009-04-07T17:59:00.000-07:00

San Diego

2009-04-07T17:42:00.000-07:00

My daughter and I visited San Diego in May. When we first arrived, the hotel's shuttle bus driver welcomed us to 'beautiful, wonderful, perfect San Diego' which became our mantra throughout the trip. We loved Old Town and our tour of the 'most haunted place in America'--the Whaley House. Danielle even captured a picture of two ghosts (I kid you not). Dinner at Fred's Mexican Cafe was out-of-this-world good and the margarita topped off a wonderful day. Another highlight of our trip was a night on the town in the Gaslamp Quarter with dinner at the Croce's Restaurant (owned by Jim Croce's family--he is one of my all-time favorite singers). If you like excitement and nightclubs, Gaslamp District is the place to be. It made me feel like dancing. :)

Our visit to the San Diego Zoo was delightful. I suggest that you take the tour bus around the park when you first arrive, to acclimate yourself and get a good overview of the park. We sat on top of the double-decker and had a perfect vantage point for taking pictures. It definitely was a challenge; shooting from sun to shade, shade to sun, animals far away, etc. But, ahh, sometimes the conditions and animals seem to cooperate. This was one of those rare days and I am most proud of these pictures. To see them in a larger format/slideshow, click on the picture labelled 'San Diego Zoo' in the right column and then click on 'Slideshow' on my Picasa page.

PS--I have since met a friend on Imagekind.com, Randy Riccoboni, who owns Beacon Art Gallery in Old Town. He captures San Diego's beauty in his wonderful paintings. A link to his website and info about his gallery is located in right column.

A Walk in Sycamore Grove Park (Livermore, CA)

2009-03-16T17:42:00.000-07:00

In northern California, my favorite time of year is spring when the hills turn a beautiful shade of green. You learn to enjoy it while you can, because soon enough they turn back to their signature 'golden' color. On one April day, I went out in search of a good place to take pictures. I found it in Livermore at Sycamore Grove Park. Okay, I'm going to humbly admit that I really didn't know what a sycamore looked like, but they are now one of my favorite trees. Their white bark and rambling branches create a lovely contrast to the 'spring green'. Sycamore Grove is popular with runners and has a winding trail that is a bit too remote for me. It didn't help to see signs posted, warning of possible wildlife encounters. Yeah, that did make me a bit nervous, especially since news reports had told of mountain lions wandering this area and being spotted in backyards! Luckily, my only wildlife encounter was with a huge hawk, sitting not more than ten feet above me in a tree. It was truly a magical moment, to look up and see his 'hawk eyes' staring down at me. I quickly swung my camera up (remembering it now, it was in slow-motion) and got a shot of him flying away. A perfect mano-a-nature moment. :)

To see my hawk and other photos of this nice spring day, click on the picture labelled 'Sycamore Grove Park' to the right.

Manito Park (Spokane, WA)

2009-03-05T16:16:00.001-08:00

One cold December day in Spokane, Washington, I had about 3 hours to kill, so went in search for some interesting winter shots. I ended up at Manito Park on Spokane's south side. I parked at the entrance and noticed a pond full of ducks--perfect! (I love taking pictures of birds). It turned out the ducks weren't hanging out at the usual spot, but were busy forging through the ice on what was once a grassy field. It had turned into a pond, created from massive snow piles that were now melting. It was so interesting--especially watching them dip for something--couldn't have been fish. Hmmmm. Next stop--the rose garden, where I saw cool mounds of grass covering the rose bushes and huge rolls of white plastic covering the vines on the arbors. Just different. Then, while trying to find the Japanese Gardens (which I later found closed), I hit paydirt! A sign pointed in the direction of a conservatory/greenhouse. I walked into a steamy 'other world' to find the most beautiful displays of plants and flower, cacti and even a waterfall with cute bridge. And all free--yippee! Needless to say, I enjoyed walking around and taking pictures. After I left, I noticed the caretaker locking up after me and wondered how long he had been patiently waiting for me to finish. So nice.

To see all of my pictures from this day, please see the slideshow to the right. And if you want to see them in a bigger format, click directly on the picture.

Half Moon Bay, CA

2009-02-23T12:18:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite daytrips was to Half Moon Bay, California. My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed visiting this area, about 30 miles south of San Francisco. Our main goal was to spot some elephant seals along the coast. They normally show up during the winter months (January to March). I find them to be such interesting, unique and unbelievably huge creatures. We first spotted them last year at Point Reyes National Park (Chimney Rock) and I fell in love! This trip took us first to Half Moon Bay Recreational Park. It looked like a great place to picnic and camp, so we hope to make it back there with someday. After a nice discussion with the volunteer at the information center, we learned that one lone elephant seal had been hanging out at the Pigeon Point Light Station down the road. We stopped for a walk along Pillar Point Harbor and then drove through the town of Half Moon Bay (nice shops and lots of interesting restaurants) to get to Pigeon Point, just off of Hwy 1. It turned out to be a photographer's paradise--neat lighthouse, quaint little blue and white cottages (actually a hostel) and cute paths with white picket fences that take you all around the point. Absolutely beautiful views in every direction! I especially loved seeing the ice plants that grow on the rocks and cliffs. Unfortunately, the elephant seal wasn't hanging out there anymore, but another talk with a ranger sent us further down the road to another beach where they 'might' be. It took several turnarounds and some serious map-reading to find it, but we eventually were rewarded with the beautiful sight of around 8 seals lounging on the beach. We very respectfully walked around them--giving the wide berth that the ranger suggested of 50 feet (not the 25 feet that was posted on a sign). I was thankful for my 250mm lens that let me get close up, without getting too personal. :)

To read more about visiting Half Moon Bay, go to the link:
http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=531

Welcome to My Blog!

2009-02-17T17:53:00.000-08:00

Welcome to my photography blog. This is an invitation to walk 'down the garden path' with me....to share my travels through photos and friendship. Please feel free to comment and give tips. All are welcome. My philosophy on life is that you are enriched by learning new things. Currently, I am learning to take the best pictures that I can with my first SLR camera--a Canon Rebel XSi. I also have a Panasonic 'point and shoot' that I love and a Nikon Coolpix 8700. Each has its own special purpose or advantage. The Panasonic is lightweight and great for keeping in my purse at all times. The Nikon also fits in my purse, is a bit heavier, but has more options for manual selections--perfect for daytrips where I will be walking a lot and plan to take lots of pictures. The Canon is the most versatile, but definitely heavier. This is what I use for 'serious' photo days and for walks around my neighborhood.

One of my favorite things to do is hop in the car, with no particular idea of what I want to take pictures of, and just look around until I find something interesting. You should try it. Since taking up photography seriously, I have not been bored. Even in the winter, I have discovered such unusual nature shots that I would have never noticed before. Just look a little closer, and you will 'see' beauty and interest where you never thought it existed.

Thank you for taking the time to read my first blog. Besides this, I am working on a website dedicated to my photography. Check it out at http://www.downthegardenpath.org/. On it, I would like to highlight other photography sites so, if you have one, please send me the link and I will include it.

Carol