The G7 again

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I have been back in town for several days, but recovering from a little bug that slowed me down. Before we left town, I shot this with the G7 during my evening walk. While I find I am not using my pocket camera all that often, on certain occasions it is perfect.

Monuments

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This monument at the entrance to the state park provides, for the visitor, fascinating background on the preservation of Bodie, the once "wild and wooly" gold-mining town in the the Eastern Sierra region of California. I am a newly converted and enthusiastic fan of this state park--you can probably guess that from all the photos you see here featuring old structures, wagons, etc in the town. I could have shot there for a week and still found things to intrigue me. I hope you will click on the image above, and when you get to the gallery please stick around to see some of Bodie, as well as other Eastern Sierra scenes.

Photographers Supporting Photographers

Doug Stockdale, who posts some haunting images at http://singularimages.wordpress.com/, takes the time to lay out a description of a photographer’s exchange in the southern California area. It sounds like a terrific organization.
Stick around to browse after you soak up the valuable info. You will never again view those roadside memorials without thinking of Doug and his homage to those poignant scenes.

I'm Not Alone in My Madness

If my post titled "Training for New Careers" and the comments about shooting from a moving vehicle, made you smile or shake your head, check out Beau Harbin's "Speeding Monument" post today at http://blog.beauharbin.com/. It seems I'm not the only one who sometimes can't resist shooting even when it's not practical to pull over and take that "serious" shot.

Refills

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When we stopped for gasoline on the way to Bishop from Bridgeport, we were treated to this view just across the 395. Not a bad scene to look at while the tank refills.

Training for New Careers

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On the way back from Bridgeport, I started teasing my husband that I was working on my technique for shooting out of helicopters. That would explain all the shots I took through the windshield or hanging outside the window, as Jim guided the RV along the 395 at roughly 65 miles per hour. This one wan't quite straight and there was more than one throwaway shot, but it was a great learning exercise. My technique for quickly setting exposure improved another notch. This experiment also increased my appreciation for IS lenses.

Rain, Rain, Stay and Play--Come Again Another Day

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This afternoon, I stood inside the door and deliriously shot pictures of plants covered with beautiful raindrops. Yes, I am giddy. You can't imagine what an amazing and welcome sight this rain has been to those of us in southern California. It's been a long time since we had anything more than a fine mist--just enough to to remind of what we were missing. And the sound! As exquisite as any symphony I have ever heard. Could this be the beginning of the end of this drought? That's something to dream about tonight.

The Road To Bodie

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I have added several images to the Eastern Sierra Gallery and I hope you will drop by to visit. (If you click on the image above, you will be taken to the higher resolution version of the shot and you will be at the gallery.)

I have been raving about the region and advocating a trip to Bodie, the ghost town near Bridgeport, CA. I thought I would mention that if you make the trip, Bodie is about twenty miles off Highway 395 and you will have to endure scenes such as the one above for the entire trip. (Believe me, it will get you through even the three miles of dirt road at the end.)

The Hoosegow

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Based on what I have read about Bodie, it was a fairly typical gold-mining town—meaning the jail was rarely empty.

Although you can't walk into this building, you can peer through one window to get a fairly good look at the cell door. I managed to poke my lens between the bars and get a shot with the help of a little fill flash.

Twilight

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I took this shot after sunset while we were at an RV campground in Bishop, CA. While you are at the Eastern Sierras Gallery, look for a couple more shots from that evening (including the rising full moon).