The irises were abloom everywhere I went on that US visit in April and early May. This one was catching raindrops outside the National Aviary in Pittsburgh on May 4th :-).
Although I did find the clouds and the dawn sky lovely, I took and am sharing this photo because of the coast of Donegal County, which you can see most clearly just above the turbine / engine. This was a bit just north of the farthest northwest that Nikos and I got in our road trip last November.
I took these two photos on my first full day back in SF (and the US) last month, near the top of Twin Peaks which contains three of the highest points in SF city itself, the higher of the twins clocking in at 282 meters (925 feet), making it nearly as high as the highest point in the Netherlands, to which I returned last week. The Vaalserberg’s peak is actually in Belgium (google “highest point in NL and see what you get – it’s a bit funny tbh), but before the hill crosses the border it becomes NL’s highest point at 322 meters. By comparison, at the top right above and top left below, you see the diamond-shaped top of Mt Diablo, second-highest point in the bay area (the counties which immediately border that bay you see down there). Diablo’s highest point is 1,173 meters. Later on I’ll share some lovely photos I took with Diablo as seen from the northwest in Sonoma County – very different profile, and we caught both Mt Tam and Mt Diablo in the frame :-). Anyhoo: lovely to be back in Amsterdam, but I do miss the mountains and the immediate proximity of open ocean.
Lake Tahoe, surrounded by snow-capped Sierra Nevada peaks as our plane crossed that first major mountain range on our flight from SF to Pittsburgh on May 3rd. More Lake Living coming soon, as I’ve recently had the chance to spend with Steve and other friends on Lake Geneva, which first inspired this series.
The Celery Farm & at least one of its scarier denizens. Bergen County, NJ, USA.
(so much world, so little time....) 