United States

County Views.143

Since I unabashedly love (and repeatedly photograph) the rolling hills, vineyards and farms of West (Sonoma) County, there remain quite a few unposted photos which will carry this particular category forward for at least several more posts… 🙂

Islands.63

Go ahead, tell me those aren’t islands 🙂

From the Air.53

The last shots I’ve not yet posted from our May departure from SFO en route to Pittsburgh. Still plenty left, of snowy Sierra and Rocky mountains and so on. But this is another farewell to the bay-area shots from my most recent trip. For those unfamiliar — open a map of SF and the bay, and then it’ll make sense. SF city itself is that white area in the upper left, while Alameda island is in the middle right, below the wing. The rounded bay you to the top middle is San Pablo bay, which we’ve shown you before – it’s part of the SF Bay but separately named b/c as you see it’s a bit distinct, having various peninsulas and such to define it a bit more clearly.

Mountains.43

Hood Mountain as seen from Annadel, above; other shots of the peaks and valleys in and around Annadel and Santa Rosa in these last photos from the time I spent in SR itself during that April visit. Plenty more from California still to come (think Redwood Forests in Mendocino and more of the coast line, etc.)…but these are my last visuals of my once and presumably future home for the time being 🙂

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Small Wonders.243


Lake Living.33

Above, Spring Lake; at bottom & in the  middle below, Lake Ilsanjo as seen from close up and then near the top of one of my favorite trails. All from April, first day back in these parks whose hiking and biking trails I do so love, on that lovely visit in April and early May.


Gallery

Coasting.103


Small Wonders.242


County Views.142

Sonoma County – turns out I didn’t manage to identify all the photos with Mt St Helena somewhere in them when I tried to put them all in one big post early last month. So herewith a few more images from the place that’s still the home of my heart 🙂

Lake Living.32

Mostly Hessian Lake, at Bear Mtn State Park, with one image in the middle below showing a turtle-abundant lake at Storm King, with a bit of Andy Goldsworthy’s Storm King Wall rising up out of the water on this side of the lake 🙂


Mountains.42

Our farewell, this and the next post, to Bear Mountain, the state park and bridge over the Hudson named after it, and other things we saw during our short stay there a few months ago for our small-family gathering to celebrate memories of Mom :-).


From The Air.52

Definitely Mt St Helena top right corner – Mt Tam top left edge, and for anyone who doesn’t know the Bay Area, that’s the Bay Bridge connecting SF (left) to Oakland – Berkeley and the east bay then on to rest of the US. (That’s I-80, connecting from the GWB in NYC to the Bay Bridge right across the whole continent. Though, given how things are going in the US, one must consider that perhaps SF and the bay area might by next year prefer to not be so well connected to the rest of the US, which might make sense considering what so much of the rest of the US seems to think of our part of the country. Hmmm….any younger voters reading this who think there’s “no difference” between the two main choices you’ll have in November: please do not let the perfect be the enemy – and very possibly destroyer — of the good.)

Village Views.82

Breakfast by the Hudson in Peekskill, NY

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Signs of the City.92


Coasting.101

Lime Kiln Lighthouse, San Juan Island, Washington State – courtesy of Sam 🙂