2013/269 Evening Photo Walk

An evening photo walk in Old Towne Orange did me a world of good.

Next time maybe I'll be brave enough to ask a few strangers if I could take their picture.

2013/54 A Blustery Day

It was a beautiful blustery day, the kind they must have at Hundred Acre Wood. Perfect for a walk around Old Town Orange, breathing in deep, enjoying the sunshine, cool breeze, thanking God for his faithfulness.

I did not want the day to end. I still don't.

Remembering Friday

These are the things I don't want to forget about last Friday.

How my sister so graciously spent her day off showing me places that she thought I might want to explore with my camera. Our first stop, Placerville, aka Hangtown, USA.

How incredibly busy that little Main Street was. There was always, always a steady stream of traffic on the road.

Driving on the country roads, being able to stop right in the middle of the road to snap a picture, how the ride changed when we took the top down. We could smell the vegetation and hear the birds singing. How Eliz never once complained about all the pictures I took. And how people smiled and waved at us as we drove along.

Just a Fool with a Camera, Trying to Catch Up

Thursday - woke up earlier than one should on their third day of vacation to pick up my prescription from Kaiser with my sis. Ate lunch at the inexpensively delicious Waffle restaurant.

Next up, a drive to Old Fair Oaks to see the roosters and walk around the town. It was amazing. We actually saw roosters (or chickens?) crossing the road. A car had to stop to let the chicken cross and another car came up from behind and starting blaring on his horn.

There wasn't just one or two roosters, but there were over twenty that we saw. The old town itself was just two short blocks so we walked around the back side and saw even more chickens. One was hanging out on a tree branch, pretending to be a flying bird.

The old town itself was cute and quaint, but we arrived right before 10am and most of the shops weren't open. One of them had the funniest sign in the window letting us know exactly when to expect the shop to open.

Walking through the residential part of old Fair Oaks, we happened upon an interesting house. It looked to be owned by an artist for part of the house was a studio. I desperately wished I lived there.

After stopping for a cup of coffee, we headed back towards old Folsom. Eliz stopped to show me a statue of a rooster in Fair Oaks. It was pretty and gaudy at the same time.

Similar to the day before in San Francisco, the weather was cool, but the skies were clear, bright, sunny and blue with puffy clouds all about. I was in heaven. On the way to Folsom, we stopped at a park near the river.

I've loved old Folsom from the first moment I saw it years ago. I'm always sure to stop there. Things have changed a little, but it's still my favorite place.

After some ice cream at Snooks, we went back home to get ready for dinner and our painting session at The Painted Cork.

The drive there was so beautiful.

Dinner at Chicago Fire, once again, did not disappoint, but the best part of the evening was at The Painted Cork. It was a blast!! And who knew how talented Eliz is with the paint brush??

While mine will NOT be put on auction on eBay after all :)

Knowing that next week I'm only working on Monday made Saturday morning coffee even more relaxing.

Earlier this week I planned to go out specifically to take some pictures. Even though the weather wasn't cooperating, I wasn't going to let that stop me. After I cleaned up my room, I packed up my camera, iPad and iPod and headed for Ventura.

I ended up in an area of Ventura I hadn't been before. It was drizzling on my way up the 101, but the clouds had cleared by the time I arrived at the beach. There were others out and about enjoying themselves too. Enough to give me a sense of security, but not so many that I felt impeded.

After walking around and taking pictures for a better part of an hour, I drove to Main Street with the intention of hanging out there until the golden hour.

I took this picture by mistake. For some reason I like it.

After lunch and coffee, I went back to the beach. It wasn't quite the golden hour and the clouds were starting to thicken up. After sitting in my car for about 15 minutes, I decided that the conditions weren't going to be worth the wait so I headed back home. I noticed this neon sign on the way to Ventura and made a note to myself to stop on the back back and take some pictures of it. I missed the exit and almost kept going, but told myself it was now or never so I pulled off on the next exit and back tracked. So glad I did!

But hands down, the best part of the day was hanging out with my baby girl. She spent the day at home watching tv and texting friends so she was ready for some company by the time I got home. Mom and I went to dinner while Brie stayed at home baking brownies. We were watching a movie when she got a text from a friend telling her to come over as some of their mutual friends were at her house. Even though we were having a good time, I encouraged her to go.

This one was in a playful mood so I took over for Brie as she got ready to go to Sierra's.