It has rained the past few days and it will rain again tomorrow. I took the opportunity to head out to Joshua Treen National Park to shoot some photos early this morning. It was a great opportunity to exercise the photography muscle.
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Just went for an adventure to see what I could find. 
The weather forecast indicates that a storm is headed our way. Tonight, there were some high clouds and I thought it would put some color into the sky. I headed to the local park to see if any color would appear. I arrived just in time to watch the sun sink in the horizon. 
I moved to a different location to clear up my view of the clouds and waited patiently for the sun to continue further away from the horizon. As the sun sank lower, the sky started to gain some color. There was nothing of interest to shoot in the foreground. However, the color on the water and in the sky was great. 
Several years ago, in October I traveled to the Aspen Grove in the San Gorgonio Wilderness to see the fall colors. Then there was a fire, and the area was closed for several years. There are still a lot of reminders of the past fire.  The aspen trees have been growing slowly and it will take years for them to return to their former glory. The trees were a little bare as there have been rainstorms in the mountains the past week.  There was still some color on the trees to appreciate. It is good to see the forest recovering.  As the years pass, they trees will only get taller as they reach for the sun.  I have a goal of hiking Mt. San Gorgonio this fall. In order to do so, I have been out hiking on the weekends. One of my favorite places is Aspen Grove trailhead. It is not a nice as it was when the aspen trees were tall before a fire burnt the area to a crisp. However, I do fondly remember what it did look like. For now, the trees are small, and it will take time for them to grow tall again.  I was out hiking this morning and all I was seeing was a lot of dry grass and plants. Then standing by the trail was a little sunshine amid the dry brown view.  Sometimes you see a picture in your mind. Then you plan on how to get the picture. It requires about a two-hour drive and a four-mile hike to be in the right place. To be there at the right time, the plan is to get up very early, so you are on site at sunrise. The basic math is leave three hours before sunrise. The old mine intrigues me. The old mechanics of having a steam engine run stamping mill in the middle of the desert. It was gas powered in later years. As I hiked in, I was thinking to myself, it is actually very beautiful in the desert before the sun actually comes up and begins to beat down on humanity as well as the flora and fauna.    Now and then you see something that strikes your eye. The average tree has a bark that could be considered unremarkable. Some trees have a little more character in their bark. Some tree barks even have a fragrance. Then there is the Floss Silk Tree. There is nothing silky about that bark.  When I was a kid, there were cat eye marbles in my marble bag. They did not look like cat eyes to me. Then again, the cat eye on the concrete cat does not nook much like a cat eye. The cat sits on the top of a fountain at a neighbors house.  I needed a picture with a little color. I rememberd seeing a post from the City of Riverside with a pink wall. I drove around with the grandchild looking for the wall. I searched the feed from the city and found the location. Decided to have some fun as we took some clean paintbrushes to look like we were painting the wall.  I have been taking a photograpy class and today I was out searching something showing some motion. I decided to head east towards Falls Creek to find some falling motion.  On a walkabout in Downtown Riverside looking to capture some pictures that are interesting. Looking out from a parking structure, it seemed like there was a window with a view.  My lovely wife wanted me to plant some sweet peas in the backyard this year. They added color to our backyared and I enjoied them. Looking forward to more of them next spring.  I have not posted in a long time so I thought I would create a simple little post. It is just too hot. We have had several days over 100 degrees. It has been a few years ago that dad passes away. I do not remember the exact year as I try to look forward rather than towards the past. However, I do miss him. I catch myself looking back at those happy moments that stand out. Over time, the sad moments fade away. Whether it is fishing in Yellowstone Lake, hiking in Southern Utah or watching him smile when interacting with my children, there are a lot of happy things to remember. Happy Birthday Dad! |
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