La Jolla

In October Kim and I got away for a quick little afternoon trip to explore this iconic beach, catch sunset and dinner for a little birthday celebration. Wow, was our sunset dramatic. I throughly enjoyed exploring the beach and enjoying all the nooks and crannies I discovered in the process. See more from La Jolla.

Idyllwild

Fall colors in Southern California can appear aloof, but if you’re patient and know where and when to look you can find it. At the beginning of the month I spent the day up in the San Jacinto Mountains looking for those elusive golden leaves and I was grateful to find them. See the fall foliage here.

San Gabriels After the Storm

Our recent spat of storms blanketed our local mountains with fresh coating of snow. So I ventured up the local hills to see how the San Gabriel Mountains look after the storm. I wasn’t disappointed by what I saw. You can see all the pictures here.

I hope you enjoy this collection of my fall work. I’d love to here what you favorites were.

One more bit of news as well. My annual Holiday Sale is now live on my Etsy shop. Now through December 2, 2025 you will save 25% off all orders (including my latest work in this gallery). As always custom orders are included in the sale.

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The composition was pure serendipity. Our guide just happened to stop with these two giraffes lined up looking like they were right next to each other, with the faint outlines of Nairobi skyscrapers in the background obscured by the wet weather. In reality, they were at least 100 yards apart. We saw many more animals that day, including some lions with a kill, a family of rhinos, and soaked jackals mid-hunt, all of which you can see in this gallery.

As for the main reason for our trip to Kenya, my heart is so grateful we were able to serve Amani as family, an organization we have helped and supported over the years. Our girls are now the third generation of our family to serve at their Nairobi facility, which was very touching to the women who worked there. I plan to do another post just to share our work with Amani, so stay tuned.

In the meantime, I hope you enjoy the photos. I’d love to hear which is your favorite.

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As for visiting England I always knew I would come back again sometime, I just didn’t think it would take two decades to return. Last year when Kim and I started to plan a family trip, we started to dream of the many places we could explore. She was so excited to show us the North Yorkshire region she had grown to love while visiting her dad when he lived in the Yorkshire Dales. It was an incredible two weeks with Kim’s dad as our personal tour guide. In the first week, we discovered the tranquil beauty of Northern England, and in the second we wandered London.

Rainy Morning in the Dales

I truly loved exploring the Yorkshire Dales. The rolling hills are sectioned off with dry limestone walls. The lush green terrain is such a contrast to what I am used to seeing in Southern California. It was fascinating seeing the public footpaths that spanned the region. I feel like I could have spent a month exploring the area and still wouldn’t have seen it all.

For most of our time in the Dales, it was unusually warm and sunny. I was getting concerned as our time was winding down, worried we wouldn’t get any interesting weather. Thankfully our fortune changed our second to last day, a nice misty morning to make the landscape look more interesting.

Stock Ghyll Force Waterfall

One of the highlights of my previous trip to the UK was discovering the Lake District. My interest was piqued when I heard it was a National Park, but it was nothing like my expectations. The term National Park made me think of uncut wilderness not touched by human development. Instead, I found a quaint countryside of picturesque farms and towns sprinkled amongst this group of lakes with distinct pockets of ruggedness. It opened my eyes to what a National Park could be, and I loved its charm.

Returning to England I instantly wanted to revisit this region, even if all we could do was a day trip. For our one day, we chose to visit Lake Windermere and had a magnificent time. That day was filled with wandering the little towns of Windermere and Ambleside. In the latter, we found a beautiful trail through a lush ravine to Stock Ghyll Force, a beautiful 70-foot waterfall pictured above. This was a wonderful highlight of our brief time in the Lake District.

If I get the opportunity, I will make a concerted effort to spend more time in the region.

Winskill Stones

To be perfectly honest the Yorkshire Dales was not my radar of places to visit until just recently. My interest grew after learning about the limestone pavement prominent in the region. These natural formations resemble large archaic cobblestones of limestone strewn all over the region. Our quest to find said pavement made for some memorable stories. The first attempt to photograph was thwarted by what looked like a fresh barbed-wire fence. On our trip home that evening, I had my first experience driving on the left side of the road! And wouldn’t you know I was instantly tested when I had to squeeze by a huge motorhome on a narrow one-lane road lined with limestone walls on each side.

The next night we were more successful, finding the scene above. Little did we know we were going to be entertained as we waited for sunset. Shortly after arriving, we found ourselves surrounded by a herd of sheep as a local farmer was training his border collie how to herd his flock. Thankfully Kim filmed the whole experience while I was setting up my camera for sunset, see below.

As gratifying as it was to capture the beautiful images on our trip, I will always cherish the wonderful memories we made as a family exploring England this past summer.

If you enjoyed these photos you’ll be happy to know they’re also in my brand-new 2025 Photo Calendar. You can also see more photos from our trip to England in this gallery here. In addition, like all the other photos featured in this year’s calendar, I am offering 20% off all prints, click here to visit my Etsy shop and get the deal.

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On our first night exploring the Nevada desert I wanted to find a nice scene to linger around after the sun went down. Lo and behold I stumbled onto this little ridge with a paper-thin rock ledge. Spending the hour leading up to sunset exploring all the nooks and crannies of this little crag, I settled down to this spot to capture the last of the waning light from that day. Not a bad way to end the day! You can see more of that trip in one of my earlier posts of my Adorned series here.

Anyone who has seen my 2025 Photo Calendar knows that “this”Red Rock in Blue Light” is the cover image and the December featured photograph. And for a limited time, you can get 20% off the print of this beautiful image in my Etsy shop. If you want to see more of my favorite photos from the Southwest check out this gallery.

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Another photo from the best of 2023, and since it was taken on the first day of autumn I thought it fitting to be my September images in my new calendar on sale on my Etsy site. If you would like to see more of my bristlecone photos I have a gallery solely devoted to these ancient trees. Want a print of this photo? Use this link to my Etsy shop and save 20% today.

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Personally, I have been visiting Vasquez Rocks since I was a kid on family day trips and Boy Scout camping trips. In recent years my visits have been more infrequent, usually just seeing it from the freeway on our way to the High Desert. And knowing how recognizable the location is, I haven’t been eager to explore it photographically. However in recent years, I have been getting an urge to revisit the location with a camera and see if I could find something interesting on the park’s fringes. Bringing my camera along this spring on our family trip seemed like a good way to scratch that itch, and I was happy I did! This spring the area was so green and lush after our winter rains, truly it felt different than how it normally looks.

If you do choose to visit Vasquez Rocks and explore beyond the main rock formation, I highly recommend using the park map or GPS. The trails are not well marked outside of the main picnic area. We were constantly doubling back to find where we lost the trail. One other tidbit I learned on my most recent trip, the Pacific Crest Trail passes through the eastern side of the park right after it crosses the Antelope Valley Freeway.

Did you enjoy this photo? If you did you’ll be glad to know it’s the March image in my 2025 Photo Calendar which is on sale now in my Etsy shop. Want to see more of my photos of the local Southern California area visit this gallery. And if you want a print of this image you can save 20% today through this link.

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Afterward, my fellow travel companions and I were scouring the internet for answers as to the cause of this phenomenon. Our initial assumption was that rainwater from earlier in the week leeched salt and other minerals out of the red rock as it dried up. While researching the occurrence, a local expert also posed the theory it could be algae on the rocks. Regardless, it was a beautiful sight to behold.

I hope you enjoy my collection from my desert experience.

Visit the full gallery here, or click on the button below.

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By far this was the most water I had seen in the canyon in about 20 years. We saw quite a few waterfalls you don’t normally see, and we had to cross many new streams. When we got to the main set of falls we were greeted by a wall of noise as the water crashing on the canyon rocks echoed off the walls of the narrow ravine.

This raucous tranquility was such an interesting experience. The dissonance of these two conflicting feelings really made me take notice. This dichotomy also reminded me of how out-of-place a quiet scene like this could be just minutes away from the hustle and bustle of the LA metro area. It also caused me to reflect on the mutual contrasts currently in my personal life as well. Life is so hectic right now juggling family, work,the upcoming wedding, and prepping for Kim and I to combine our houses. And yet I am feeling a strong sense of peace looking ahead to the new season I am about to embark on.

This day in the Santa Monicas made me mindful to cherish those tranquil moments in midst of this fleeting raucous season.

Here are some photos from the trip.

Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoy this raucous tranquility.

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Thanks for looking! Which of the three is your favorite? I’d love to hear.

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Last week my girls had their spring break so I took them on a quick trip, their first, to Yosemite. At least that they remember. This wasn’t a photo trip per se, but I did bring my camera. It was good to revisit the valley, since it’s been several years since I had been in this part of the park.

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