Here’s another Southern California fire image from Arnold Christensen, this one taken of the Santiago fire from across Mission Viejo Lake by a “friend of a friend” of Arnold’s daughter, Michele. Says Arnold, “This image was taken the same night I took the images I sent you earlier. Though it is actually a little further from the fires than my home (which is somewhere near the middle of the frame of this image, about two blocks from the lake), it was certainly taken from a better pictorial vantage point.”

In hills and canyons from Santa Barbara to San Diego, about 8,000 firefighters struggle against more than a dozen wildfires that have scorched at least 645 square miles, an area twice the size of New York City, in the past five days. Seven people have died and 2,327 structures have been destroyed or damaged as of late yesterday. Damages may top $1 billion and have forced almost a million people from their homes, the biggest evacuation in California’s history. There are 22,000 people in shelters across the region, thousands of them in San Diego’s Qualcomm Stadium. About 2,000 people are at an evacuation center at the Del Mar Fairgrounds.

The four major fires that have burned the most homes are far from being controlled, according to the state’s Web site. In San Diego County, there is only 10 percent containment at the Harris Fire, which has burned 73,000 acres and 200 homes, and the Witch Fire that burned 196,420 acres and 645 homes. The Rice fire, which burned 7,500 acres and destroyed 206 homes, is 15 percent contained. Link

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My good friend Arnold Christensen took these images night before last from his back yard in Mission Viejo. The fire was three or four miles from his home!

Those of you living in the Sacramento area are probably familiar with Apple Hill, an association of small working ranches, farms and wineries just off Highway 50 near Placerville. From March to December, but especially during the fall season, thousands of locals visit more than fifty small ranches to buy apples, enjoy delicious fruit pies, drink home made apple cider, picnic and relish a step back in time to a simpler life many of us remember with fondness. There are even Christmas Tree farms!

So, as we try to do at least once every year, Dawn and I made the short drive up the hill this passed Columbus Day. The weather was perfect, everything was in bloom — it was a beautiful day! Dawn had decided we would alter our usual route and visit some of the farms we’ve missed on previous trips. And she’d done a little research into a rare treat that had somehow eluded us all these years — apple cider donuts! According to her research (on her iPhone while I drove), the very best are those made fresh at Rainbow Orchards, so that was one of our first stops. Here’s the quote by Andy P. that led us there:

“Apple cider doughnuts from Rainbow Orchards. As you bite into one of these warm doughnuts, while smelling the subtle aroma of wood smoke from the cabins and homes in the area wafting down through the pines of the mountains, an incredibly pleasant, indelible memory will be created; a memory that your subconscious will beg for you to re-create year after year.”

Our verdict? Oh my God, they’re delicious! Probably the best donuts we’ve ever tasted! The secret, we concluded, is to get them hot, the minute they’re made if possible. What an amazing discovery! Other farms offer these guilty pleasures; I’m told Abel’s Apple Acres, on the main road and perhaps easier to find, offers donuts just as good. If you do nothing else in Apple Hill, you must try these heavenly delights!

We shopped for gifts, bought some jams and other condiments and, naturally, picked up a fresh apple-strawberry-rhubarb pie. There was even a scarecrow contest featuring creations by local Scout troops! We finished at Primus Vineyards, one of our local favorites, enjoyed some barrel tasting and took home a little wine. It was a wonderfully relaxing day.

We’d brought our cameras so we snapped several images as we meandered through farm country; I’ve posted some of them in an album for your perusal and enjoyment. As always, your constructive comments are welcome.

If you’ve never visited Apple Hill, there’s still time this season and it’s well worth the short drive from Sacramento. Maybe we’ll see you there — in the apple cider donut line at Rainbow Orchards or Abel’s!

It was the Columbus Day weekend, so Dawn and I joined friends Michael & Sisko and Doug & Candy and headed off to Las Vegas to celebrate Sisko’s birthday. It was a “big one” so Michael had arranged for her to drive an Indy-style race car on the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, a long-time fantasy. We were all invited to be part of the event and I brought along my camera to photograph it all.

Needless to say, Dawn and I took lots of photos, too many for one album, so I’ve divided some of my favorites into two groups. The first album, linked to this post, contains images taken in the hotel (Paris) and along the strip; at the Wynn where we enjoyed 6th row center seats for Spamalot, a hilarious musical based on Monty Python and the Holy Grail; and at dinner after the race as guests of friend Doug Roberts at Lowery’s Prime Rib. The next post will link to images taken at Las Vegas Motor Speedway before, during and after Sisko’s 143 mph streak around the track!

Canadian photographer Gregory Colbert collaborated with animal species around the world to create Ashes and Snow, a groundbreaking exhibit of photographs and films that explores humanity’s relation to the natural world. His remarkable sepia-toned images glimpse a world in which humans live in profound harmony with the rest of the animal kingdom. His poetic style — more art-house film than nature documentary — is unique among wildlife photographers, and it exerts a powerful, almost hypnotic effect on the viewer, awakening a primal feeling of kinship with the natural world. As the New York Times notes, “The power of the images comes less from their formal beauty than from the way they envelop the viewer in their mood.”

Part of the exhibition’s brilliance comes from its permanent home within an impermanent structure, the Nomadic Museum, a portable gallery space designed by Japanese architect Shigeru Ban and made entirely of shipping containers and other recycled or reusable materials. Dawn and I saw the unusual structure during our 2006 vacation, even photographed it, without realizing what lay within. Had we known, we certainly would have enjoyed the experience, described by many as almost spiritual.

Since its Venice premiere in 2002, “Ashes and Snow” has attracted more than a million visitors as it travels the world. The museum debuted in New York in 2005, subsequently opened in Santa Monica, California and Tokyo, Japan, and will travel indefinitely to ports of call with no final destination. Colbert considers the exhibition a work in progress, and plans to develop his “21st-century bestiary” for years to come.

The website is best viewed using Flash and takes a little practice to navigate. Moving the mouse across a page, for instance, reveals thumbnails which, when clicked, display additional images. The work is truly unique and worth spending the time necessary to experience.

Thanks for the “heads up”, Michael!

The California State Fair came and left with lower total (but greater daily) attendance than last year owing, officials point out, to a run that was six days shorter. In addition, it was hot - really hot - and the wonderful delta breezes we usually rely on to cool things down brought little relief.

Dawn and I go to the Fair at least a couple times every year to “take it all in,” but this year, because of the heat, we decided once was enough. We’d gone one weekday right after work and stayed until closing so we could enjoy the evening fireworks. We watched The Temptations perform, toured the exhibit halls, took in some of the livestock and finished on the midway. As has become our custom, we even rode the giant Ferris wheel. It was a lot of ground to cover in too little time and, with the heat, we were exhausted (I was drenched!); I think it was still pushing 90 degrees when we left!

One of the things we love but missed seeing this year was the judging of the 4-H kids with their livestock. Bidders pay top dollar at the after-fair auction for the hand-raised quasi-pets. We also missed the horse races, the herding dog demonstrations, the pig races (oh yeah, pig races!) and the corn husking competition (Dawn’s even entered a couple times over the years!) And no, I didn’t allow them to launch me 180 feet into the air with a giant rubber band this year. Good thing, too, because there was a mishap. A “rubber band” snapped and left the two riders stranded 80 feet in the air (thank goodness for the safety cable) and a bit shaken up!

We finally received word that Canon has repaired and shipped Dawn’s new pocket camera, but not in time for the Fair. So I took my Nikon and a “walk around” lens to try, in one visit, to capture at least some of the flavor of the event. I’ve posted 40 images… Enjoy!

A reminder: All the album images are clickable; once in the album, clicking on an image enlarges it, clicking again returns you to the regular sized image.

Grandson Dakota is pretty involved in sports, playing league soccer and basketball, and running track as well. He had a tournament weekend before last and Dawn and I attended Saturday’s game. They went on to win the tournament Sunday.

I had taken my camera and a “walk-around” lens which was, unfortunately, not quite up to the task of shooting action sports from that distance. Nonetheless, I grabbed a few descent shots (most of which required cropping) and have posted them for your perusal.

I was amazed to notice in the image below just how much Dakota (right) looks like his dad at that age! I’m also amazed that these kids are able to play in this heat - it was over 100 degrees! But it was a great game for the team and the spectators.

Dawn and I spent a few days in Orange County earlier this month to decompress. We took few photographs; I’d packed one “walk around” lens, determined to travel light, and Dawn’s new camera was still being repaired. Most images are of the Casa Laguna Inn, our digs for the second leg of our trip, with a few “wildlife” shots taken within walking distance of the Laguna Cliffs Resort in Dana Point, our first leg hotel. We strolled Laguna Beach and Balboa Island, Crystal Cove in Newport Beach, even ventured up to San Clemente, a first for both of us.

Our trip almost didn’t get off the ground — moving through airport security took an hour and forty five minutes! Our flight attendant told us they’d had to leave 37 people in San Diego because of backed up security! But once we arrived at our hotel, we immediately began to unwind. There’s something about sitting on your balcony with a glass of iced mint tea and a cool breeze in your hair, gazing at the endless blue horizon of the Pacific Ocean, that brings an almost instant calm to even the most troubled soul. And so we relaxed. It was wonderful!

We had forgotten, however, how warm — and crowded — Laguna Beach becomes at this time of year. We’ve usually visited during May when the temps are cooler and family vacationers haven’t yet arrived. We’ll remember next time. But we were finally able to attend the Festival of Arts and Pageant of the Masters, an event we’ve wanted to experience for years. It was even more remarkable than we had imagined.

I’ve also linked to some Orange County images taken last May when we had a little more time and fewer crowds. An amazing contrast. I hope you enjoy them.

The California State Fair opens today in Sacramento. Dawn and I look forward to it every year and usually go two or three times in order to take in the full “experience” — the kids with their livestock exhibits, the craft displays, the product demonstrations, the rodeo, the horse races — and we always ride the giant ferris wheel and the tram at least once. Both give us a bird’s eye view of the fairgrounds and, let’s face it, ferris wheels can be pretty romantic at night. We take a pocket camera to record the fair “atmosphere” — I’ll try to post some of images this fair season.

Meanwhile, I thought you might enjoy a slide show compiled by one of the Sacramento Bee’s premiere staff photographers. During the past several years, Manny Cristostomo spent his summers taking pictures for a series called “Postcards From the State Fair.” Hundreds of “postcards” were published in the newspaper and on-line at sacbee.com. Here are some of his favorites.

This is streaming from the Bee’s server, so it probably requires broadband and may require a free “subscription” to the Bee’s web site. Enjoy the slide show and “See ya’ at the Fair!”

I know we just took a vacation last month, but Dawn and I are in serious need of some rest and rejuvenation as we lick our wounds from a disastrous turn of events with our home renovation. I won’t go into it now; we need to put it away for a few days, collect our thoughts and prepare for what will likely be a nasty legal battle.

But for the next few days, we’ll be taking a little walkabout. So although I probably won’t be posting for a few days (unless I decide to drop by an Apple Store), it’ll be a good opportunity for you to visit the “Archives” and see what you may have missed.

And hey, it wouldn’t kill you to comment, ya’ know…

The second leg of our road trip was a visit to Yosemite National Park. With summer vacations in full swing, there wasn’t a prayer of getting accommodations in the park, but we’d snagged adjoining cabins near the tree line at Evergreen Lodge, about 8 miles or so outside the park. What a delightful find! We’ll definitely return during cooler weather.

Since it was a first visit for both Cindy and Ray, we stayed pretty much on the valley floor, and hiked in to see the big sequoias which was on Ray’s “must see” list. And we enjoyed a thunderstorm, complete with lightning and hail as we sipped Irish coffees on the veranda at the Awahnee Lodge.

We even took a long and bumpy ride with a lodge guide up a fire trail to a clearing with a panoramic view of the valley below and watched the sunset while enjoying wine and cheese. It was during this outing that our guide reformatted Cindy’s camera card!

It was a wonderful vacation, all too short, of course. But we all vowed to return for a longer stay… During spring if I have anything to say about it. I’ve posted 25 images here. Enjoy!

Dawn and I vacationed last month with her sister and brother-in-law in the Carmel area and in Yosemite National Park. Cindy had visited Carmel with us before but neither she nor Ray had ever visited the park.

Now, summer isn’t my favorite season to vacation anywhere except where we can enjoy spring-like temperatures, but it was their vacation and their choice. And despite the heat and crowds, we had a wonderful time. We’re looking forward to vacationing with them again!

Everyone took lots of vacation photos although there were a couple of camera related “incidents” that momentarily threatened to spoil our fun: Dawn’s new camera inexplicably “quit” during the first leg of our trip leaving her reliant on her new iPhone for photos; and Cindy let a guide in Yosemite “set” her camera for her, accidentally reformatting the card and erasing all her photos from the Carmel leg of the vacation. I had taken the heavy gear so I’d pretty much limited myself to scenics and wildlife. But we were all surprised at how nimble the iPhone was in a pinch. Dawn was able to snap photos and email them instantly from wherever we were along the way! Very handy!

This linked album contains 14 images I took along Pebble Beach’s 17 Mile Drive. The original files are large, so I’ve “optimized” them to load faster on the website. I’ve noticed, however, that the colors are somewhat muted in the compressed form. My suggestion is that, once you navigate to the album, you click on each image to slightly enlarge it.. The colors will be a little brighter at that size. Then click on the enlarged image to remove it from the screen and continue using the arrows to advance through the photos (I hope that makes sense.)

I’ll post some shots from Yosemite tomorrow (I hope.)

It was a much needed and enjoyable vacation with wifey’s sister and b-i-l to Carmel and then on to Yosemite National Park. Both were firsts for Ray, and Cindy had never visited Yosemite.

We stayed at Carmel’s Vagabond’s House Inn, an old favorite of ours, and in adjoining cabins at the Evergreen Lodge just outside the park at Yosemite. As always, the park was magnificent and majestic. But I doubt we’ll ever visit again during summer - it was hot and crowded! Our previous visits have been in May when it’s been much cooler with fewer people, the falls have been more impressive and the overall experience has been much more pleasant. Perhaps a winter visit is in our near future.

This being a new experience for Cindy and Ray, we concentrated on Yosemite Valley and took the usual “postcard” photos. When Dawn and I next visit the park, we’ll do more hiking and focus more on photography. And I’ll have to be in better shape! This trip made me painfully aware of just how out of shape I’ve become over the past year. Hiking with camera gear used to be routine; this time it was work! Note to self: Hit the gym!

On our next to last day in the park, while sipping Irish coffees on the veranda at the Ahwanee Lodge, we were treated to a valley thunderstorm, complete with hail! Children ran to play in the rain while their parents ran to get them out of it. It was short and delightful! And we enjoyed a special treat on our last day, just as we were leaving the park. A deer was enjoying dinner in Cook’s Meadow and worked her way to within six feet of us as though we were old friends. The grass was deep, but I was able to grab several images of her as she feasted.

I’ll post more photos once I’m caught up at the office and have some time to look through them. It was a wonderful vacation and we feel rejuvenated and ready to resume our regular routines — at least until our next get-away.

Another of the many things I cherish about our wonderful country is the patriotism Americans proudly and enthusiastically display in celebration of Independence Day. Flags fly as families and friends gather for neighborhood parades and backyard barbecues all across the nation. We’re proud of our heritage and, although our history is comparatively short by world standards, on this day more than any other we embrace and celebrate the birth of our great nation.

One such gathering is the “Fab 40’s 4th of July Parade”. Billed as the oldest continuing neighborhood parade west of the Mississippi, this East Sacramento event has become a tradition with us. Hundreds of neighborhood families get involved, decorating anything with wheels, themselves, their kids and even their dogs! It’s always a fun outing and I always bring a camera. I’ve posted a gallery of 40 images to give you a taste of East Sacramento Americana. Enjoy, and have a wonderful 4th of July. God bless America!

This is my final “official” Patriot’s Journey post for 2007 although I’ll continue to photograph and write about this great land of ours as the mood strikes me. If you’d like to re-read any of my previous “Patriot’s Journey” posts, click on “archives” in the navigation bar on the right, then click on “Patriot’s Journey” and you’ll be directed to all of this year’s related posts. And I’m sure my fellow journeyers, JimK, Scott, Larry, Drumwaster, and Cosmicbabe would appreciate a visit, too. I’ve enjoyed participating in this year’s journey with some terrific bloggers and hope to do it again next year. ‘Til then, God bless America!

A nice image by Preston Keres of Donald Rouse and Airman John Yorde making early morning security rounds by the radomes at the Cryptologic Operations Center, Misawa, Japan.

Have a photo you’d like to share? Send it to me.