Landscape
Zen Garden
I walked over to the San Francisco Japanese Tea Garden looking for Spring blossoms. It’s late January on the West Coast but the unseasonal warm weather has trees showing color early. When I got there, the Tea Garden itself didn’t have much to offer in the way of colorful blooms and I was disappointed. I walked towards the back of the garden and the sun was peeking through the trees. It added another texture to the Zen Garden.
Japanese Tea Garden
After the conclusion of the 1894 World’s Fair, Makoto Hagiwara, a Japanese immigrant and gardener, approached John McLaren with the idea to convert the temporary exhibit into a permanent park. Hagiwara personally oversaw the building of the Japanese Tea Garden and was official caretaker of the garden from 1895 to 1925. He specifically requested that one thousand flowering cherry trees be imported from Japan, as well as other native plants, birds, and the now famous goldfish. After San Francisco’s 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition closed, he obtained the two large ornamental wooden gates, and probably also the Tea Garden’s prominent five-tiered pagoda, from that fair’s Japanese enclave.
Montara State Beach – CA
Montara State Beach, California
Went out to Montara State Beach the other day to try out my new Hoya Pro 1D ND x64. I like the results of this neutral density filter . On a bright day, this filter reduces the shot 6 stops (for you camera geeks)
Last Pop at Dusk
Point Bonita – Marin Headlands, CA. There is a moment just after the sun sets below the horizon; where the sun seems to add one final ‘pop’ before it disappears for the evening. You never know what you’re going to get when you head out. From the cloud cover above I didn’t expect much from this evening. But, in those last moments the rays lit up the sky just a touch for some contrast.
Walkway to Point Bonita Lighthouse
Got to Pt Bonita Lighthouse trail a little bit after closing. Nobody was around and I was able to take this shot just before sunset.
Watching the World Go By
I went out to the Marin Headlands overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge and San Francisco. The lights of the cars commuting back and forth, the illuminating lights as darkness sets. At the Marin Headlands, the only sound is the wind as you look at the City. It seems like a world away but its only a short distance to find that peace.
Colors in Idaho
Striking colors, blue sky, red lava flow, Dwarf Goldenbush and a sapling Limber Pine – Craters of the Moon, Idaho
Mt Moran Morning Reflection
Grand Tetons National Park – Wyoming, sunrise at String Lake with Mt. Moran in the background.
Snapshots by Kats 