08/17/08
Have you discovered Etsy yet?
It's a great place to find all kinds of wonderful gifts and treasures you might not be able to live without. Over the past year I've indulged in some assorted pieces of jewelery, accessories and bath products. It's great to purchase directly from the creative folks that sell here.
Some of the shops I've enjoyed and recommend include;
aoisart, bellarosebyliz, emfalconbridge, IMCreations, karaku, Lilikoi Designs, Paul Zozem, Spa Therapy Works, susie's country garden, Tracy Joy
03/21-24/08 YOSEMITE!
 I had the immense joy of visiting Yosemite National Park in the winter for a photography workshop with Bob Evans of Scenic Light. It was a great 4 days to say the least. Despite challenging weather we managed to find lots of photograph opportunities and tried our best to take full advantage of each one.
Our arrival in the park was met with low clouds and snow/rain. In fact the clouds were so low in the valley that I was worried that it might not clear enough to see all of the amazing wonders one would expect to observe but fortunately by Saturday morning it was clear enough to see the grand monoliths that stood surrounding us. Every day in Yosemite was slightly different and offered its own beauty in a variety of ways. I feel lucky to have seen this beautiful location amidst real winter conditions because it was truly spectacular and a one of a kind trip.
I have compiled a set of photographs on Flickr in a photo set called “Yosemite in Winter”. Much of the scenery was low in color and very contrasty which was of course challenging but also a lot of fun and had all the making of a magical winter wonderland.
12.11.07
 Just this last weekend I visited a new little treasure that is surprisingly close to home; Duarte Nursery's holiday poinsettias in Hughson CA. I brought my camera, not knowing what to expect. I had heard a few people I know mention it a few years ago and the weekend before I spotted the signs. On arrival I was completely impressed with the size, varieties and volume of poinsettias that were offered inside. Beautiful big lush perfect plants start as $7. The one lady I spoke with mentioned that they have offered 30 different varieties and some do sell out very early in the season. Regardless there were poinsettias as far as the eye could see and it was a delight to visit. We left with a lovely "Jester Jingle", as chosen by Miranda. Visit my Duarte Nursery Poinsettia's photo set to have a peek as some of these lovely winter plants.
11.27.07
 Early on Thanksgiving Day I had the pleasure of joining my parents at Natural Bridges State Park, a location which has been a wintering home to Monarch Butterflies in Santa Cruz, CA for many years. Despite actually living in Santa Cruz several years ago, we had never visited the park to see this gift of nature. It was troubling to learn just how sharply these butterflies numbers have been dropping; from roughly 100’s of thousands a decade ago to about 10,000 last year and early this season, only about 3,000. They believe that building and community expansion is to blame. Along with that, harsh landscaping and pest control measures are depleting the natural habitat while polluting what’s left for these creatures.
 After learning that Milkweed is the only plant that Monarch Butterfly’s can use to reproduce I searched online to identify some photos and I became quite impressed by the facts I found about this “weed”. If you are interested in seeing more photos from this location please visit my Monarchs at Natural Bridges Flickr photoset, or perhaps you are interested in learning more about Milkweed or Monarch Butterflies.
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