Walking through the Castro

Last weekend was pretty low key. We hung out around the apartment, took care of some errands, and mostly relaxed. On Sunday morning we got up early and decided to head out to the Castro for a walk. We hardly ever get there, so it sounded like a great way to spend a Sunday morning.

We took the L Muni train there, got off at Castro station and we started walking up the hill. The streets were still a bit sleepy, which was fine because what I really wanted was to walk around, climb some hills and enjoy new views. Here are some photos I took during that walk.  I hope you like them. I have "played" with them a bit, just for fun, so I hope you like the twist too!

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

Ocean Beach

We are experiencing a heatwave! Yes, SF has been having amazing weather and I'm not really complaining about it. A heatwave in San Francisco looks something like this: Upper 60s to Mid 70s with a warm breeze. Not too bad!

Taking advantage of the warm weather, we headed to Ocean Beach last week to walk on the beach, let Bomber run around (and go in the water, as it turned out!), and to relax with the sound of the waves.

Here are some photos I took using only my new macro lens (have I mentioned I love it?!?). I really love the full control I have over where I focus on when using my camera!

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

Cable Cars in San Francisco

A couple of morning ago, I headed down towards Market St. in San Francisco looking forward to taking some fun photos of the city in the morning. I didn't make it to Market St. Instead,  I was totally sidetracked and ended up chasing cable cars going up and down Powell St. I mean, who doesn't like cable cars, right?

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

Macro Photography

My favorite birthday present this year was a macro lens for my camera, courtesy of my amazing husband! For no specific reason at all, I'd been wanting to have a macro lens and he made my wishes come true!

Since I got the lens, I've been out and about, getting up close with all sorts of objects. I hit the jackpot when I was out on a walk with Joe and Bomber, and we found ourselves outside the Fort Mason Community Garden in San Francisco. While Joe waited outside with Bomber, I went in and had a superb time photographing the beauty that is all over the garden. Here are some of the results!

I hope you like these photos! For more fun photos, visit my Etsy store or go to my website.

  

Hiking in Squaw Valley

The day of my birthday, we went for a hike up in Squaw Valley which, as it turns out, is open for hiking and 100% dog friendly during their no-snow season. From Base Camp, we took a gondola up to High Camp. Once we got up, we hiked around the area for about 3 miles. Our main hike while up on High Camp was to Squaw Peak. At about 9,000 feet, those hikes can be quite the challenge, but you are always rewarded by the amazing views from top!

After we hiked around up there, we decided that, instead of taking the gondola back to Base Camp, we would hike 3.5 miles and 2,000 vertical feet down to Base Camp. The hike was incredibly challenging as most of the terrain was either completely flat (rarely!), or very very steep. Needless to say, all 3 of us were very happy when we reached the village, drank some cold water and switched our hiking shoes for flip flops (or, in the case of Bomber, laid down on his bed!).

Hope you enjoy these photos. I definitely enjoyed walking around such gorgeous area, up in the clouds, surrounded by tall mountains and gorgeous forests!

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

North Lake Tahoe

Last week was my 33rd birthday and we celebrated it by going camping to the North Lake Tahoe area. We left Friday morning and came back on Monday.

Our days in Tahoe were filled with lots of hiking, lots of time on the hammock, lots of reading, and a lot of hanging out by the fire, surrounded by gorgeous pine forests. I like camping for my birthday but, since it's in the middle of the hottest month of the year, I have to choose my campground wisely. Experience has taught me that camping at altitude gives you a well-needed respite from the August heat. This year, our campground, Mount Rose Campground, sat an an awesome 9,000 feet above sea level!

Here are some photos from our time in Tahoe. Soon, I'll post photos from our day trip to Squaw Valley but, in the meantime, enjoy these shots! For more fun photos, check my Etsy store, or visit my website.

 

Napa Valley Beauty

We made our last photo trip to Napa this past Saturday. I wanted to get there in the late afternoon in the hopes of catching the golden hour over the vineyards. The light was gorgeous that evening! I'd been wanting to stop on the side of the road by some vineyards that had bright red flowers adorning the beginning of each row of vines and this time we did!

I hope you enjoy these photos. For more fun photos, visit my Etsy store or go to my website.