“A good snapshot keeps a moment from running away.” ― Eudora Welty
Hold On!, originally uploaded by dmzajac2004-.
Via Flickr:
Copyright © Deborah M. Zajac. All Rights Reserved.
Some days this is all you can do.
Nikon D300s| Nikkor 70-300mm@ 70mm| f4.5| 1/80 sec| ISO 160| Manual Mode| Tripod| Canon 500D close up filter
Copyright © 2011 Deborah M. Zajac. All Rights Reserved.
The Dogwoods are blooming in the mountains so a friend and I went on a day trip up to see and photograph them.
Our journey took us to Calaveras Big Trees California State Park. The ranger told us the North Grove was probably at peak bloom, and the South Grove was already showing signs it was past peak, so we went straight to the North Grove.
I hadn’t been to this park in many years. It’s a beautiful park with a lovely ancient Redwood forest with Giant Sequoia, and Coast Redwoods. There is a very famous tree stump here it’s as big a room. These colossal trees can reach up to 325ft tall, and have a diameter of 33ft! Some of these trees are thought to be 2,000 years old.
Growing all around these beautiful trees are Dogwoods. The forest floor is full of new Dogwoods with their slender trunks and delicate branches.
We didn’t find many low blossoms on the day we went. The blossoms were high in the canopy where the sunshine hits the trees first.
Our explorations took us up to the North Grove Overlook trail. We hiked up about a mile, and it was here we found some new blossoms which were low enough to photograph some close-ups.
There is a Christian legend about the Dogwood tree, author unknown, is as follows:
In Jesus’ time, the dogwood grew
To a stately size and a lovely hue.
‘Twas strong and firm it’s branches interwoven
For the cross of Christ its timbers were chosen.
Seeing the distress at this use of their wood
Christ made a promise which still holds good:
“Never again shall the dogwood grow
Large enough to be used so.
Slender and twisted, it shall be
With blossoms like the cross for all to see.
As blood stains the petals marked in brown
The blossom’s center wears a thorny crown.
All who see it will remember Me
Crucified on a cross from the dogwood tree.
Cherished and protected, this tree shall be
A reminder to all of my agony.
Additional Tree Facts:
The species of dogwood tree that is native to California is the Pacific or Western dogwood (C. nuttallii). It is one of the tallest of the dogwoods and one that produces the most blooms. Its natural habitat ranges from southern British Columbia in Canada to the southernmost parts of California and as far as 200 miles inland.
Features
The branches of the Western dogwood, which can grow horizontally as well and vertically, form a thick crown that can be round or cone-shaped. The tree can grow from 15 to 40 feet tall, or be trimmed to grow as a hedge. It produces white flowers that can have a touch of pink and are larger than the flowers of other dogwood species, and orange-red berries. The green leaves turn yellow/orange in the fall and then fall off.
The California dogwood will attract birds and wildlife. It can be used as a standalone lawn plant, grown as a hedge or as part of a wind break.
Tree facts obtained from Sunset Garden Books
Did you know that Nikon Professional Services has supported every launch for the last 30 years? Last week as Space Shuttle Endeavor made its last launch into space Nikon Professional Services Photographers Ron Taniwaki, William Pekala, and Mark Suban set up to take photographs of the event, and take us behind the scenes.
http://blog.iamnikon.com/en_GB/d-slr/shuttle-photography-with-the-pros/
For a limited time only ( valid through May 28, 2011) purchase a Nikon D5100 with a 55-300mmVR or 55-200mmVR and save $100.
Discount codes are on the page. Link is here:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?ie=UTF8&ref_=amb_link_356387742_3&docId=1000691591#
H/T Nikon Rumors
“This is the Nikon my Picturetown iPhone application. my Picturetown is an online photo sharing/storage service brought to you by Nikon.
This application makes it easy to create albums and organize photos taken with your iPhone. With this handy application, you can view and share photos stored on my Picturetown anytime, anywhere.’~Nikon Inc
Link is here:
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/my-picturetown/id299293367?mt=8#
H/T Nikon Rumors
Nikon announces its plans to keep its original schedule for new products.
http://nikonrumors.com/2011/05/25/nikon-currently-plans-to-release-new-products-as-scheduled.aspx/
H/T Nikon Rumors
Canon USA Provided updates On Highly Anticipated EF Lens Availability For 2011
Copyright © 2011 Deborah M. Zajac. All Rights Reserved.
I met two fellow hikers this morning who are also training for some upcoming summer hiking and backpacking trips. Our goal this morning was to start the hike at 5:30AM, summit and be down by 8:30AM.
I fell behind rapidly, and at one point was at least a 1/2 mile behind my 2 hiking companions. They were wonderful and marked or pointed me in the right direction when I reached a fork in the trail. We hiked up a new to me trail this morning called the Horse Heaven trail which takes you up the back side of the mountain.
The trail is pretty steep in a few places, and then meanders around the ridge, and then you drop down into a valley lush with a little creek, oak trees, and native shrubs. A large part of the trail is single track and very rutted from cows, and rain, but it winds its way gently up the slope then under the Peak 100ft or so it gets steep again.
I was surprised to find myself at the Pole once I reached the summit. I was there before I expected to be. The hike itself was work, and quite strenuous in those really steep places, but not as hard as it’s been before. I do believe I’m getting stronger. Rather than another shot of me at the Pole here is the view of the Pole, and distant Downtown San Jose gleaming in the morning sun light.
I improved my Summit time by 10 minutes and overall up and down time by an hour!
(see my hike stats at the bottom of the page)
More views from the trail-
View of Mission Peak Trail winding up the mountain w/ construction trucks. Mission Peak is getting a new bathroom up at the sub Peak. It’s much better than an Out-house!
Steven and Nick climbing a really steep bit of Horse Heaven Trail
Lichen covered boulders and rocks with a view of the bay and Fremont, CA.
A view of the single track part of the trail, and ridge line with the morning sunlight shining on the hilltop.
Very near the summit a Meadow Lark was greeting the morning with song.
On the way down taking the Mission Peak Trail we saw the new bathroom’s upper half and roof being put into place.
Hike details:
Total miles hiked- 6.2
Total elevation gain- 2,197ft
Time to summit 1:50
Total Hike time: 3:06
Nikon D300s|Nikkor 18-200mm VR
Circadianreflections Blog 
You must be logged in to post a comment.