Karen Carll

Another trip to Santa Barbara - this time to get out of the heat (It’s been close to 100 for a week now), visit the butterfly garden at the natural history museum, and just plain get out and shoot! It’s been awhile since we’ve done that. We went up with some friends from the club and studio which made it a fun and different experience. The butterfly garden was small and really nice. LOTS of butterflies, colorful flowers, benches tucked here and there, and a couple of great fountains. Very peaceful and yet full of butterfly energy. We also visited the courthouse and the wharf, then off to Ventura harbor for dinner and sunset before heading home. A fun day that went by way too fast!

A fun trip to Eastern Washington state where everything is green, green, green. We went on this long weekend adventure with 3 of our photo club buddies to see a part of the country that until recently I didn’t even know existed. Most of what we saw was farmland. I was struck by the green rolling hills that reminded me so much of sand dunes, only green. Many of the farms we visited had old barns full of old cars, trucks and junk - perfect for photographing! We visited several very small, quaint towns - a completely different lifestyle from our fast-paced city lives. I would love to go back during harvest time and the winter - I bet this area is beautiful in the snow!

We headed up to Santa Barbara early this morning to take some images of the mission and rose gardens before they were choked with people. No worries there ~ the fog was so thick you couldn’t even see the mission, much less photograph it. So, off to the harbor. Same story. There was a huge cruise ship that was almost completely enveloped in fog. So we met my brother and his family for breakfast downtown. As we got further up State street, the fog disappeared and we were able to get some classic shots of the courthouse. After a delicious breakfast we ventured back to the mission, where there we now beautiful blue skies and brilliant roses. Too bad it was choked with people! Oh well - it was still a great to spend some time with my family.

A really fun day at the Cowboy Poetry Festival at Melody Ranch in Santa Clarita. Melody Ranch has been used for years by the movie studios. It is only open to the public this one time each year. It’s a chance to see some movie sets, visit the museum, and do a little time traveling. Lots of people in a variety of costumes, some living history, activities for kids, shopping, and lots of delicious food. The weather was perfect - nice and cool, the sun was out and there was a breeze. Much milder than last year’s 90+. We went with a couple of friends and explored all of the sights - and ran into some other friends as well. To top it off - a couple of good shots!

A local bicycle criterium - 40 minutes of riding around large industrial blocks - based on age groups. Most of the races had lap prizes. The jerseys are so colorful and eyecatching. It was a pretty hush, hush event as it seemed that the only observers were related to the participants - except for us - there taking photos! I was so burned from yesterday, that once the sun came out, I had to hide in whatever shade I could fine. Yikes! I don’t know how I forgot sunscreen.

I love irises! These beauties greet me outside my front door each day. We have some darker ones across the walk and near the garage. They are a sign to me that Spring is actually here. I miss them when they are gone and look forward to their arrival each year. The bearded iris are on the way - look forward to photos of them in the near future. Sometimes you don’t have to go any farther than your own back yard to find something beautiful and interesting to photograph!

I think we hit the end of wildflower season here. We were hoping against hope to find poppies, but they were gone. Despite a wonderfully rainy year, the poppy season was short lived. There was basically a week where they were good and that was it. We still managed to find these small hills and fields of these tiny yellow flowers which were beautiful in the early morning light. Don’t let the warm tones fool you, though, it was about 20 degrees up here with the wind chill factor. I was almost blown over a couple of times by the gusts of wind! One of the most important things we have learned is to always be prepared for all kinds of weather. This is easy to do when we are driving and we always take all of our gear. You never know…

It was freezing and windy at the end of this short concrete pier to the South Haven lighthouse in western Michigan. It bears a strong resemblance to the Grand Haven lighthouse we visited last summer. There were a few die hard fisherman bundled up, in good spirits and trying to catch dinner. South Haven is a quaint town that looks like it is a lot of fun in the height of summer. We visited on a stormy Sunday afternoon and most of the shops were closed. The few that were open when we arrived were closed on our way out of town - approximately 3:30 p.m. Life is much different here.

We went to Michigan recently to visit some relatives for along weekend. What fun we had~! Back in California it is Spring, so imagine our surprise to discover that it was still Winter here. In fact they were predicting snow all weekend ~ which never materialized unfortunately. It was plenty cold, though - easily in the 20s with the windchill factor. We found this small pond and it really was the epitomy of winter - the browns with their own beauty. When you get close to the trees, you can see the buds starting to come out. I’m sure it’s equally beautiful in full bloom!

I was excited to go to Anacapa Island and hesitant at the same time. I get very sea sick and did not want to be stuck on a boat with only one way out. So, I took some precautions and hopped on board. I am so glad I did! The island is much different than I remember from my college biology trip, which was much longer ago than I want to think about! The seagulls were nesting and the flowers were in bloom. The sun broke through the clouds just as we were getting ready to board the boat home, which made for some nice shots of the island. We saw lots of wildlife too, including some whales! What a fabulous day! If you have any inclination to take a trip - do it! Find out how to overcome your hesitation and enjoy - you’ll be glad you did.