Doug's photo site

Elephant Seals

2012-01-15T21:27:00.000-08:00

Elephant seals along the California Coastal Trail at Hearst San Simeon State Park... lounging, sniffling, scuffling, and snuggling.

24 Nov 2011

Pismo State Beach Monarch Butterfly Grove

2011-12-23T15:39:00.000-08:00

The Pismo State Beach Butterfly Grove is a routine stop for migrating monarch butterflies.

See them in the grove of eucalyptus trees? No?

How about now?

Thought they were leaves?

No, those are clusters of monarchs.

25 Nov 2011

In the garden: Blue Lake Pole Beans

2011-11-26T20:05:00.000-08:00

May 7 - hum

More from our patio garden over the summer. This post shows the growth of the Blue Lake pole bean plant.

May 21

May 30 - the wrought iron piece is introduced

May 30 - notice how low the bean stalk is

June 4

June 11

June 19

June 25 - the bean stalk has grown well off the top of the iron piece

June 25 - a stalk has grown around the patio railing

June 25

July 2

July 10 - yes, there were beans that grew

July 10 - the stalk from the railing grows back

The plant was not without its pests

July 16

July 16 - the stalk from the railing has reached back to the iron

July 16

July 16 - a stalk has grown around this bean

July 16 - this bean grows lying on this stalk

July 23

July 26

July 31 - the end

In the garden: Zucchini

2011-11-12T22:33:00.000-08:00

May 15

Tracking the progress of the zucchini plant on our patio garden.

May 30

June 4 - the first blossom is noticed

June 4

June 11

June 11 - the blossoms peek through and open in the morning

June 11

June 18

June 26

July 2

July 16

August 7

August 28

In the garden: Cilantro turns to coriander

2011-10-24T09:35:00.000-07:00

May 7

In the herb beds of the garden we planted some cilantro, and got coriander seeds.

May 15

May 21

May 30

June 11

June 26

July 10

July 16

July 23

July 31

In the garden: Strawberries

2011-10-15T21:58:00.000-07:00

Back to the garden (explained in this post), here's the strawberry plant and the first year's modest harvest.

May 7

May 15

May 21

May 30

June 4

June 8: our tiny harvest

June 11

June 26: no more strawberries but the plant still thrived

Maui: Under the sea

2011-09-26T00:19:00.000-07:00

Trying out the new waterproof camera while snorkeling just offshore in Maui.

This giant sea turtle must have been seven feet long.

18-19 Aug 2011

Maui: West Maui

2011-09-24T21:21:00.000-07:00

On the north shore of West Maui.

Nakalele Blowhole

Olivine Pools

18 Aug 2011

Maui: Pipiwai Trail (part 3), Waimoku Falls

2011-09-11T17:33:00.000-07:00

Continuing the trek up the Pipiwai Trail (see these posts) ,we've arrived at Waimoku Falls.

First, we must cross this stream...

Looking back down the valley the other way.

16 Aug 2011

Maui: Pipiwai Trail (part 2)

2011-09-10T17:57:00.000-07:00

Continuing the trek up the Pipiwai Trail, from past the banyan tree but not all the way up to the big Waimoku Falls.

(unnamed small waterfall)

Hey, it's the trail itself.

Bridge over to the Bamboo Forest

Looking down from the bridge

This butterfly perched right below me while crossing the bridge.

Past the bamboo forest the foliage turns to this.

16 Aug 2011

Maui: Pipiwai Trail (part 1)

2011-09-09T05:16:00.000-07:00

At the other side from the path down to 'Ohe'o Gulch is the start to the Pipiwai Trail which heads up past several waterfalls. This post goes part way past the first.

Makahiku Falls

Infinity Pool, at the top of Makahiku Falls

Up close at the big banyan tree

16 Aug 2011

Maui: Ohe'o Gulch (Seven Sacred Pools)

2011-09-07T05:20:00.000-07:00

In southeast Maui, in the part of Haleakala National Park that touches the coast, the Kuloa Point Trail goes down to 'Ohe'o Gulch, better known as the Seven Sacred Pools.

View from the bridge

(Yes, there was swimming.)

15 Aug 2011

Maui: Wailua Falls

2011-09-06T15:53:00.000-07:00

South of Hana in southeast Maui, just off the highway, can be seen Wailua Falls.

15 Aug 2011

Maui: Wai'anapanapa Park

2011-09-05T14:49:00.000-07:00

At Wai'anapanapa Park, near Hana on the northeast side of Maui, there's a black sand beach (which is actually more black pebbles and stones than sand, but let's not quibble) and freshwater caves.

15 Aug 2011

Moonrise over Hana

2011-09-05T14:15:00.000-07:00

The full moon rising behind a palm tree on the shore of Hana, in Maui.

14 Aug 2011

Maui: Along Hana Highway

2011-08-28T21:31:00.000-07:00

Maui, Hawai'i
Along Hana Highway (a.k.a., The Road to Hana)

Looking over Honomanu Bay

Trees from a trail that proved to only have this going for it.

Pua'a Ka'a small falls

14 Aug 2011

In the garden: California Wonder Bell Pepper

2011-07-23T16:52:00.000-07:00

As noted in the last post, my wife planted a garden out on our condo's patio back at the beginning of May (see that one for an overview of the garden's progress over the weeks).

Commencing the plant-specific posts, this post tracks the California Wonder bell pepper plant (one of several peppers she planted) from first bloom through when the first fruit was picked.

May 7

May 15

May 21

May 30

June 4

June 11

June 26

July 2

July 10: the little one starts to turn but also to shrivel

July 16: both turning red

July 23: this one clearly did not make it

July 23

July 23, after harvest--which may have been premature, as it tasted a little bitter; I didn't say it turned out impressively.

How does your garden grow?

2011-07-22T22:14:00.000-07:00

Back at the beginning of May my wife decided to start a garden. However, we live in a third floor condo with only a small patio, so we had to put everything in pots and planters. Given that our patio only gets afternoon sun we weren't sure whether the plants would grow. (She planted five different tomato plants, six different peppers, beans, zucchini, cucumber, and many herbs.)

Below are shots taken at roughly weekly increments showing an overview of what has come of our little garden. (Note: Yes, we did rearrange the whole patio part way through.) Updated.

May 7

May 15

May 21

May 30

June 11

June 18

June 25

July 2

July 10

July 16

In coming posts I'll feature shots focusing more on individual plants.

Morning glory pole

2011-06-26T22:45:00.000-07:00

This morning glory and its vines have wrapped themselves around this power pole, on 4th St. in Long Beach.
(Taken with Droid Incredible phone camera.)

25 June 2010

San Diego Zoo: Polar Bear plunge

2011-06-04T18:01:00.000-07:00

More of the polar bears, both in the water and on land.

23 Apr 2011

San Diego Zoo: Hippos

2011-06-02T05:16:00.000-07:00

At the hippo exhibit, the mother (Funani) gets the baby into the water.

23 Apr 2011

San Diego Zoo: Elephants

2011-05-31T04:47:00.000-07:00

See the zoo's elephants live on the webcam.

23 Apr 2011

San Diego Zoo: Koalas and Meerkats

2011-05-30T04:23:00.000-07:00

23 Apr 2011

San Diego Zoo: Siamangs, Orangutans, Gorillas, Bonobos

2011-05-27T22:08:00.000-07:00

More from the April visit to the San Diego Zoo: Primates along the "Lost Forest"...

Siamangs

Rolling orangutan

Gorillas, of course

Bonobos

22 Apr 2011

San Diego Zoo: Polar Bear feeding time

2011-05-22T14:20:00.000-07:00

At the San Diego Zoo's Polar Bear Plunge, the zookeepers put out a bone, some carrots, and a head of romaine lettuce for the polar bear. Which will the bear go for first?

Approaching...

Frightening off a crow...

And the winner is...the lettuce!

And the bone?

Saving that for a main course.

Heading up the hill with it...

And getting comfy to focus on it.

But that doesn't prevent the bear from wanting some more lettuce later from the hand of a zoo staffer.

22 Apr 2011

San Diego Zoo: Pandas, Antelopes, and Zebras (oh my!)

2011-05-21T21:20:00.000-07:00

In April we returned to the San Diego Zoo. Here's some assorted quadrupeds:

22 Apr 2011

The Flower Fields, Carlsbad - ranunculus

2011-05-07T21:47:00.000-07:00

At the Flower Fields in Carlsbad the fields were filled with many varieties of ranunculus, examples of which can be seen below.

21 Apr 2011

Orange Ranunculus - the end

2011-04-10T19:22:00.000-07:00

Back in February I got my wife some ranunculus and photographed them when they were freshly cut, which I posted here. Then two weeks later (yes, the lasted that long), just before we had to throw them out I used them as a subject again. The results are shown below.

26 Feb 2011

Back to Urban Light during daylight

2011-04-09T20:44:00.000-07:00

On morning back in late February I happened to be driving through the mid-town part of Los Angeles, with a few minutes to kill, and I realized I was close to LACMA. Of course that brought to mind the Urban Light installation, which I photographed back in 2008, and one of those photos ended up on the cover of a book.

I didn't have a camera with me but I did have my Droid phone, so I pulled over and decided to see how that little lens could do.

Yes, the moon was in the background sky, just like in that cover shot.

24 Feb 2011

Ubiquitous Poppies

2011-04-05T21:41:00.000-07:00

Delays on the train this morning made me late for work but it did give me a little while to spot these little guys growing up through the rocks next to the tracks:

California poppies. (Notice those orange blooms.)

It's no coincidence that they're the state flower: they grow everywhere (and can also be seen in these other posts).

Perigee

2011-03-19T23:32:00.000-07:00

Tonight's perigee full moon (or "supermoon" as some called it) was partially obscured by clouds here in Southern California, but that didn't stop me from getting some shots.

19 Mar 2011

By the bridge

2011-03-12T21:52:00.000-08:00

More from that same night in November 2007 from the last post (where I'm finally getting around to posting). This is a from/near a bridge over the L.A. River.

Refining

2011-03-05T21:55:00.000-08:00

These shots were taken over three years ago, only a few months after I got my S3, but I never got around to doing anything with them. Then last night I drove past this oil refining plant again and remembered I'd once spent a cool November evening standing on a bridge taking them, and it was about time I got them up.

6 Nov 2007

Spider

2011-02-24T07:09:00.000-08:00

Spider and its web, and its recently caught prey.

27 Aug 2009

Spider web

2011-02-22T11:33:00.000-08:00

(Took these with the little point-n-shoot camera. The spider is in there, too.)

28 Aug 2009

Orange Ranunculus

2011-02-12T21:46:00.000-08:00

Orange ranunculus blooms in light filtered through horizontal shades.

12 Feb 2011

Speaker phone

2011-02-06T18:35:00.000-08:00

20 Feb 2009

You say it's your birthday...

2011-01-27T23:37:00.000-08:00

Drain cover

2011-01-11T22:23:00.000-08:00

24 Feb 2010

Dandelion

2011-01-09T22:32:00.000-08:00

25 Feb 2010

2011 Rose Parade Floats

2010-12-30T22:17:00.000-08:00

On the Wednesday before the Rose Parade we braved the rain in Pasadena and saw the floats still being assembled.

Around Long Beach

2010-12-26T18:29:00.000-08:00

Back in November I took a walk around southern Long Beach with the little camera. All these shots were from that stroll, and all feature subjects found in the front yards of houses I passed.

10 Nov 2010

On a branch

2010-12-19T21:36:00.000-08:00

25 Nov 2010

Sweetgum, the finale

2010-11-20T22:22:00.000-08:00

Back in the spring I documented the growth progress of these Sweetgum trees in my building's courtyard, as the leaves sprung from buds and grew to their full size. Then in mid-September, with many leaves changing to their autumn colors, I took some more shots of the trees--which proved to be the last I'd get, as in October the trees were cut down. Here are the best from that final shooting.

This one continues a sequence seen in the spring photos.

12 Sept 2010

Leave the hole

2010-11-11T10:33:00.000-08:00

And a rose.

Fallen

2010-11-09T17:39:00.000-08:00

Sweetgum pod and pine cone, having fallen from their respective trees.

10 Oct 10

Tomato, tomato

2010-11-07T16:13:00.000-08:00

Tomato plant

10 Oct 10

Around Portland

2010-10-24T20:15:00.000-07:00

Closing out the Oregon trip (only two months after it ended), here's some general shots around Portland.

Made in Oregon sign

Yes, Matt Groening got names for Simpsons characters from Portland streets. This is in Chinatown.

Flower from someone's front yard.

Art on side of buiding: Sunspot, by Brian Borrello.

Art on side of buiding on Belmont St.

Fliers on power pole, Belmont St.

Wall of old rail tracks at Tanner Springs Park.

Closeup of insect etching on glass between the rusty rails.

Wetland in Tanner Springs Park.

Cover for bus stop next to the park.

Steel Bridge (not merely what it is, but its name)

22 Aug 2010

Housework

2010-10-18T15:30:00.000-07:00

A few shots from around the house of the friend we visited in Portland. (Who says one needs to visit tourist attractions to find subjects?)

22 Aug 2010

Pittock Mansion

2010-10-16T14:08:00.000-07:00

In the hills above Portland sits Pittock Mansion, former home of newspaper owner Henry Pittock.

The grounds are open to the public and showcase many flowers in a garden originally started by his wife, Georgiana.

Rosa 'Beebop' (according to the sign)

View of downtown Portland

One of Portland's many bridges over the Willamette River--the Ross Island Bridge (I believe)

Black-eyed Susan

Coral Drift

Cardinal Flower

Hydrangea

22 Aug 2010

Lan Su Chinese Garden

2010-09-18T20:26:00.000-07:00

Portland's Chinatown features the Lan Su Chinese Garden. So do the shots in this post.

International Rose Test Garden

2010-09-14T21:57:00.000-07:00

Strolling the International Rose Test Garden, Washington Park, Portland

The Dark Lady

Funkuhr Hybrid Tea

Betty Prior

Jacob's Robe

Wild Blue Yonder

Easy Going

Crimson Bouquet

Melody Parfumee

Cherry Parfait

21 Aug 2010

Portland Japanese Garden

2010-09-12T21:48:00.000-07:00

Scenes from a late afternoon in the Portland Japanese Garden:

Sand and Stone Garden

Waterfall at Strolling Pond Garden

Moon Bridge

21 Aug 2010

Smuggler's Cove (Oswald West State Park)

2010-09-05T18:33:00.000-07:00

On the northwest coast of Oregon, in Oswald West State Park, a stream winds down to a hidden beach called Smuggler's Cove.

20 Aug 2010

Columbia River Gorge / Multnomah Falls

2010-09-02T23:11:00.000-07:00

East of Portland, heading into the Columbia River Gorge.

Vista House

(Yes, those are our shadows.)

Multnomah Falls

Horsetail Falls

Rooster Rock

Columbia River at dusk

19 Aug 2010

McMenamins Edgefield

2010-08-30T22:11:00.000-07:00

East of Portland, in Troutdale, Oregon, these shots are from the grounds of McMenamins Edgefield.

Yes, there was a bunny roaming the garden.

19 Aug 2010

Gerber Daisies

2010-08-11T22:39:00.000-07:00

These are the red, orange, and pink gerber daisies I got my wife for our anniversary.

27 June 2010

Downtown L.A.

2010-08-04T11:16:00.000-07:00

The skyline of downtown Los Angeles from miles away in Baldwin Hills.

16 July 2010

Orange flowers

2010-08-02T11:03:00.000-07:00

Orangish flowers, leaves with holes, and a shadow on the wall.

16 July 2010

Ludo's bites

2010-07-31T20:50:00.000-07:00

Scene's from Ludo Bites 5.0, a "guerrilla restaurant" from chef Ludo Lefebvre. (This was the menu.) (Taken with the little camera.)

Black sea bass

Honeycomb

Smore

Guacamole ice cream

30 July 2010

Sweetgum Project 2.8 - May 2

2010-07-16T07:16:00.000-07:00

One more post showing the growth of a couple American Sweetgum trees in the courtyard of my building (see this post for details), as has been documented in the last many posts. Here's how they looked on May 2.

Sweetgum Project 2.7 - April 25

2010-07-13T19:13:00.000-07:00

Continuing chronicling the growth of a couple American Sweetgum trees (see this post for details), here's how they looked on April 25.

Sweetgum Project 2.6 - April 18

2010-07-11T15:15:00.000-07:00

Continuing chronicling the growth of a couple American Sweetgum trees (see this post for details), here's how they looked on April 18.

Sweetgum Project 2.5 bonus - April 12

2010-07-07T19:07:00.000-07:00

A bonus day of chronicling the growth of a couple American Sweetgum trees (see this post for details), because it rained the night before. Here's how they looked on April 12 (one day after the previous post), with water drops on the leaves.

12 Apr 2010

Sweetgum Project 2.5 - April 11

2010-07-06T22:03:00.000-07:00

Continuing chronicling the growth of a couple American Sweetgum trees (see this post for details), here's how they looked on April 11.

11 Apr 2010

Sweetgum Project 2.4 - April 4

2010-07-04T13:40:00.000-07:00

Continuing chronicling the growth of a couple American Sweetgum trees (see the last few posts for details), here's how they looked on April 4.

4 Apr 2010

Sweetgum Project 2.3 - March 28

2010-07-01T23:03:00.000-07:00

Continuing chronicling the growth of a couple American Sweetgum trees (see the last few posts for details), here's how they looked in the late afternoon on March 28.

Continued in the next post.

28 Mar 2010

Sweetgum Project 2.2 - March 21

2010-06-25T22:53:00.000-07:00

Continuing chronicling the growth of a couple American Sweetgum trees (see the last few posts for details), here's how they looked as of March 21 (a bit of a cloudy day).

Continued in the next post.

21 Mar 2010

Sweetgum Project 2.1 - March 14

2010-06-21T22:27:00.000-07:00

The last three posts featured an American Sweetgum tree that was near my front door in my condo complex, showing the growth of a particular branch over the course of three consecutive Sundays, starting what I'd called the Sweetgum Project. The intent was to chronicle that branch as it developed over the next months.

That was the plan. However, between March 7 and 14 the tree I'd been shooting got removed. (The story of that can be read here.) I could have just given up after the original idea got cut down (literally), but after getting over some initial disappointment I looked around, saw there were still two other Sweetgum trees in the courtyard, and decided to carry on with those. So these shots commence the Sweetgum Project 2.0.

These trees may not have been at exactly the same state of development as the one from the Project 1.0, but we'll assume they were. So we'll start this post with some shots of similar branches, how they looked on March 14.

Continued in the next post.

14 Mar 2010

Sweetgum Project 1.3 - March 7

2010-06-17T22:34:00.000-07:00

Continuing the chronicle of this American Sweetgum tree in my condo complex courtyard. This project was explained in this post that started the series.

This is the next in the series of how the tree looked on March 7, a week after the second post. Again, it kicks off with a shot of highest branch (like the previous posts), to show the growth progression (still rather subtle). Below that more shots of it, along with other branches on the tree. (Yes, I shot in the morning, when it was sunny with some clouds, and a bit in the afternoon, after the clouds brought some rain.)

Continued in the next post.
7 Mar 2010

Sweetgum Project 1.2 - February 28

2010-06-15T22:29:00.000-07:00

Continuing the chronicle of this American Sweetgum tree in my condo complex courtyard. This project was explained in the previous post.

This is the next in the series of how the tree looked a week later, on February 28, starting with a shot of highest branch (the same subject as the first shot in the previous post, to show the subtle progression), followed by more of that and other branches.

Continued with the following week's shots in the next post.

28 Feb 2010

Sweetgum Project 1.1 - February 21

2010-06-13T13:11:00.000-07:00

Back in mid-February I got the idea to chronicle in photographs the growth of the leaves on a tree in the courtyard of the complex where I live. There's a number of trees, but for simple reasons of proximity I chose the American Sweetgum closest to my front door.

I'd captured the tree in the past (as seen in these posts), but that was showing the changing of leaves in the autumn. In February the tree was complete barren, without a single leave or pod on it, so this seemed like a good time to start the project. I figured that I'd make a point of getting detailed shots focusing on a specific branch (the highest one) as the one to track the progress of how the leaves and other blooms developed, along with getting general shots of other branches just as accompaniment.

Given the rate of growth I figured that shooting once a week would be sufficient; that should allow for there to be at least some modestly noticeable differences.

Here's how it looked on February 21, starting with the shot of that highest branch:

Continued with the following week's shots in the next post.
21 Feb 2010

Pink flower after the rain

2010-06-03T22:48:00.000-07:00

7 Mar 2010