Winter Morning

Winter Morning, originally uploaded by ParsecTraveller.

Dew in the winter morning sun in Alamo, California. There are certain mornings that just seem to be prone to this kind of photography, and this time of the year is filled with those mornings.

Columbus and Kearny, San Francisco

Columbus and Kearny, originally uploaded by ParsecTraveller.

Recognize this view? If you do, that's because it's on many a San Francisco postcard. My friend and I ate at a Thai restaurant nearby and inadvertently walked into one of San Francisco's most famous intersections, which highlights both old and new architecture.

Sparks Will Fly

Sparks Will Fly, originally uploaded by ParsecTraveller.

As part of a photographic experiment in long exposures, earlier tonight I launched a small shovelful of glowing bonfire embers into the air and onto a very wet, rain-soaked lawn. The end result showed the embers leaving parabolic trails in the air, quite an interesting study of math in nature.

Although, I would hardly call hurling embers a natural occurrence.

Don't worry - the rain was coming down all night and I had the hose handy...no houses burned down in the making of this picture.

Wall Point Ridge

Wall Point Ridge, originally uploaded by ParsecTraveller.

The view west from the Wall Point Trail in Mt. Diablo State Park. Look closely on the left and you can see the house of PeopleSoft founder David Duffield. When complete, his house will be one of the largest in the world.

Approaching Storm

A Storm Approaches, originally uploaded by ParsecTraveller.

While out hiking on Mt. Diablo, we could see dark storm clouds coming in from the north. Eventually they began to block out the Sun, but not without creating a beautiful sky. The lighting quickly became ethereal and ominous.

Anyone else have interesting weather these days?

Sunset from Diablo

Sunset from Diablo, originally uploaded by ParsecTraveller.

With clouds in the western sky, yesterday's sunset was beautiful. I was hiking in Diablo Foothills Regional Park when the sky lit up with beautiful shades of orange and pink. This area is home to the amazing China Wall rock formation, which stretches across two large hills. Rock outcroppings such as the one in this photo are common in the park.

California Rainforest

California Rainforest, originally uploaded by ParsecTraveller.

When the rainy season comes to California, the hills certainly do get lush and green.

I found this fern grotto off-trail in Diablo Foothills Regional Park. The ferns cascaded down a steep wall and over boulders, covering a height of at least 30 feet. With rain dripping from the trees overhead and mist filling the air, the mood was straight out of prehistory.

Interestingly enough, only a few hundred yards away was a large swath of rocky chaparral...quite the contrast to the verdant ferns.

Morning Sun, Post Rain

Morning Sun, Post Rain, originally uploaded by ParsecTraveller.

Water droplets on fresh winter grass in Alamo, California. This was taken on my first visit to the Bay Area since September.