Robin Hood

Jessica taking carefull aim so as to not miss the apple.

Here we are 2/3 of the way through the year.  This photo a day deal is harder than I thought it would be and I didn't think it would be easy.  What I really need to do is buy another lens, right Rebecca?  242 pictures posted this year.  123 to go.  At one point I had pictures scheduled to appear three week or more in advance, lately it seems I have been struggling to make each day.  Right now I have about a week of backlog, but I am going on a two week trip to Houston next week and in the past that has not be photographically productive.  Maybe I will have to dig into the archives again, but there are some new ones coming.

Panning for Gold

We sent the kids out looking for gold to fund our retirement.

The Mouse

Not as famous as Anaheim's other mouse. (Disneyland is in Anaheim)

Rebecca and Me

Garabaldi

The garabaldi is the official fish of California, where it is
protected. Jessica took this picture while snorkeling at Catalina
Island.

Jean Peak

San Jacinto's little sister. At 10,670 Jean is no slouch, but with a
164 ft defecit and no maintained trail she doesn't get many visitors.
Jean Peak is a good reference on the way up. You can see it almost
all the way from Round Valley unlike San Jacinto which stays hidden
until the very end.

The Wooden Narwhal

The Burned Out Tree

Almost There

From Wellman Divide it is a scant 2.3 miles to the peak. No problem,
right Jake?

Wellman Divide

This is the view looking south from Wellman Divide. Probably the best
view of the whole trip.


View Larger Map

Tamarack Valley

This was the starting point for our assault on the peak.

Our Campsite

The campsites were really nice. Well spread out. Considering how
many people are actually there you still felt fairly isolated.

The North American Kangaroo

Palm Springs Aerial Tramway

We took the tram from Valley Station at 2,643 ft to Mountain Station
at 8,516 ft. By far the easiest part of our ascent.

The temperature at the top was 80 F (27 C), at the bottom it was 104 F (40 C).

The yellow platform on top of the tower is where the maintenance guy
lands when the helicopter lowers him down to work on the tower.
http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=636
http://www.pstramway.com

Mt San Gorgonio

Mt. San Jacinto is the second tallest mountain in southern California.  The tallest is Mt. San Gorgonio and can be seen looking north across the valley.  If you look carefully near the peak you can see there is still some snow there. 

Mount Baldy (San Antonio) is the third tallest but is the most prominent and on a clear day can be seen from much of southern California all the way to Long Beach.

On Top of the World

It wasn't easy, but we made it. Jacob hiked almost 8 miles on Sunday
to get up to the peak and back to the tram. He was working hard on
the way up but talked the entire way down. I felt the pain but was
carrying 40 lbs on my back. That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.

The Pineapple

Both kids about to get drenched by the pineapple in Cairnes.

Another Motley Crew

Alluvial Fan

Somewhere between LA and New York I got a shot of this alluvial fan.

NYC Skyline

New York City as seen on the approach to Newark Airport in New Jersey.

Sydney Opera House

Uncle Brett

Before Hayden of course.

Another Four Picture

I still remember this dinner vividly.

Grand Canyon Sunrise

This is from my roadtrip across the Southwestern US to Austin, TX in September of last year. I published it as part of an album but since it is one of my favorites and since I have fallen behind in my daily picture challenge, I am republishing some pictures that you may have seen before in albums. I hope no one objects.

They Won't Stop!

Jessica is on the right, Jacob on the left.

Another 4 Generations

4 Generations

Joshua Tree in a Previous Life

Newport Harbor

A view of Newport Harbor as seen during takeoff from John Wayne airport (SNA).  The outlet to the Pacific is out of view to the left.  The large island in the middle of the harbor is Lido Island.  If you look closely to the right of the harbor you can see the Santa Ana River flow into the Pacific.  This marks the border between Newport Beach to the south and Huntington Beach to the north.

Houston Sunrise

Houston Sunset

Returning to the city where I first tried HDR, I like to think this is
a better result.