Back to the Caribbean. Dominican Republic, Here We Come!

On Thursday, it will be 5 years since Joe and I tied the knot. Time has sure gone by quickly!

After our wedding, Joe and I headed to Puerto Rico for our honeymoon. That was my first time to the Caribbean and it was incredibly fun and special.

As we were thinking about where to go to celebrate our 5th wedding anniversary (we have been lucky to travel to fun places during our anniversary every year since getting married!), we ended up deciding to go back to the Caribbean. So, tonight, we will be taking a red eye flight to New Jersey and then a quick 4-hour flight to Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic! So very excited!

We are planning on 2 days in Santo Domingo and 7 days in an off-the-beaten-track location north of the capital. The town called Las Galeras is supposed to have some of the best beaches in the Caribbean and I can't wait to get my feet in the warm water there!

Of course, I'm packing my camera and tripod as I also see this as a great opportunity to take awesome photos. I'm very excited about tropical beaches and palm tree-lined seashores, but I'm also equally excited about Santo Domingo and its colonial architecture and history!

In anticipation of our anniversary getaway, I dug out some photos we took while in Puerto Rico, 5 years ago. I hope you like them! For more fun photos, go to my Etsy store, or visit my website.

Old San Juan, Puerto Rico

Rincon, Puerto Rico

Storms approaching Rincon, Puerto Rico

Turquoise waters in Rincon

Looking up in Rincon

Napa Valley Art

Starting this next September, I will be displaying my photography at the All Seasons Bistro, a restaurant in Calistoga, Napa Valley. The showing will last for 3 months during harvest season in the valley, which is supposed to be the most vibrant time to be in Napa.

Yesterday, we went to Calistoga to meet the owner of the restaurant, visit with the friend who connected me with the restaurant, and to get some shots of the area in preparation for the upcoming showing. While there, I learned that I will have an opening night and that the showing will be promoted by the Calistoga Arts Center, of which I'm a member. I'm very excited! This is the biggest exhibit I will have done, and it's all about my photography and nothing else!

Check out some of the photos I took yesterday while exploring the area. I will be going back to Napa several times over the next few months to continue to capture the area, the vineyards, and the wine experience, in order to come up with the best photos to fit the restaurant setting! For more fun photos, visit my Etsy store, or go to my website.

Bay to Breakers and the Other Way Around

We've been wanting to walk across the Golden Gate Park for a while now.  Last Saturday, Joe, Bomber and I took the train to Ocean Beach and started making our way through it. We didn't follow a map. We simply followed whatever path looked better, more promising, or more in line with the direction we wanted to follow. I love walking in the park like this, as you always find new hidden gardens, pastures, hills, redwoods, etc.

This time, we found some horses and a stable. Later on, we climbed up the tallest hill in the park and we found a grove of redwoods on top of it. I can't wait to see what we'll find next time we go back to the park.

After we reached the end of the park, we kept walking all the way home. By the time we got back, we had walked pretty much all the way from the ocean to the bay.

The next day, thousands of people walked/ran from the bay to the ocean celebrating Bay to Breakers, San Francisco's most popular race/street festival/party. We joined the race route at Alamo Square and stuck around for a bit to check out people's costumes. Good people watching.

For more fun photos, go to my Etsy store or visit my website.

Into the Sky

Sometimes, when we take photos, we notice different angles and different interpretations of the same object. Sometimes, your imagination takes over the camera and you are able to capture an idea, not just an image.

This is one of the photos I took while in MN by the Mississippi River. I hope you enjoy the different perspective it offers!

Minnesota Nice

Last weekend we went to the Twin Cities to attend my sister in law's Vet School graduation. While we were there, despite the unseasonably cold temperatures, we ventured outside to take some photos. Because of the nature of our trip, we didn't have a lot of free time (our visit also coincided with Mothers' Day!), but we still managed to find the time for me to snap some photos of the area.

My in laws live in Stillwater, a small town about a half hour drive from Minneapolis. Stillwater has a lovely historic Lift Bridge. I was happy to photograph it at night!

After the graduation and the party that followed, we headed to the Stone Arch Bridge in Minneapolis to take some photos. It was about 40 some degrees that afternoon and I was not dressed for it. However, I got over the fact that my hands and feet were frozen, and I stuck around outside for some photo taking! It was well worth it! I love the old mill signs all around that area!

On Mothers's Day we went for a hike at a State Park. It seemed like everybody else had the same idea! There were lots of people out there! Good for people for wanting to groove their bodies!

Enjoy these photos. For more fun photos, visit my Etsy store, or my website.

Hiking and Whale Watching at Point Reyes National Seashore

Last weekend, the three of us drove north to Point Reyes National Seashore. The forecast was for a warm 75+ degree day with full sun so we decided to make the most out of it. We have been to Point Reyes several times before. We love the dog-friendly beach there. If you walk a half mile or so away from the parking lot, you get the entire beach to yourself, which is just fabulous!

We split our day into two parts: hiking in the morning and beaching in the afternoon. We went on the only dog-friendly trail there is in the area and had a great time. The trail goes on forever, but because of the sun, we turned around about an hour or so into the hike. Our poor puppy had his tongue out and we wanted to make sure he didn't overheat.

After the hike, we headed to the beach and hung out there for hours. We didn't have our watches with us, so we don't know how long we were there for. What we do know is that, while laying around on the sand, we saw a pod of whales go by! Two of them jumped in classic whale style, and most of them spouted water as they went by! It was one of the most special moments of my life!

I took several photos of the passing whales but none of them were great. But, I'm still including one in this post.

Hope you enjoy these photos of open fields surrounded by mountains and wilderness! For more photos, visit my Etsy store, or go to my website.