Lassen Volcanic National Park

My buddy and I went backpacking this past week in Lassen Volcanic National Park.  I’ve been camping many times and been off the beaten track some of thos,e but I have never packed in before.  What a workout, but what and experience to be the only person out there!  Really, there was no one we saw from the time we left the car to the time we got back to it.  We hiked in about 5.5 miles to snag lake.  The water level was really low so this was a perfect spot for migratory birds.  Thousands of them!

In the distance from our campsite we were struck by the ancient lava flows and the dormant volcanoes.  Would have even hiked into the conder cone if my leg hadn’t cramped up on me!  Oh well, the bald eagles made up for it!

VHI Save the Music with Leann Rimes

I was lucky enough to be invited to attend this concert (for only 150 people!) at William Hill Estates in Napa Valley.  The setting was amazing as was Leann.  My access was limited in that I was invited by the winemaker and couldn’t be too nosy and also pictures of Leann were limited.  Anyway, I thought a few came out OK (yes, I know the one with the barrels could have been better without the bottle).

Enjoy and please feel free to comment!

The Setting

The Winemaker Ralf Holdenreid and his wife Rachel Witmer

One of the many bars

Not an Image…those are the actual winery barrels as seen through an upper window.

Wine and Cheese

The Party

Leann Rimes

Trombonga at the Arlington

Trombogna is an all trombone band that played at the Arlington restaurant in Kensington on Friday the 31st.  The owners of the restaurant (Trish and Marc) are good friends so access was pretty easy.  The restaurant itself is a hangout for locals.  I guess because they are parents and are active at the school and in the community, many of the patrons seem to hail from the school as well.

This night’s band was a little unusual in that it was quieter than most.  Which was unexpected since their instruments are all large and brass which, at least to me, speaks of loud-ness.  I tried to capture the setting up, the performing and the closing down of the event throughout the afternoon-into-evening.

Cinque Terra

As we were walking through the balmy beach town on the coast of Italy, we passed by this church having services in the evening in the middle of the week.

On the Road in Italy

Driving from Rome into the heart of Italy, we stopped at this little…I don’t know…I guess you could call it a village.  There was a church and some other buildings, but I don’t really remember seeing any people there.

Anyway, I found a great spot to take photos of my two beautiful girls with a nice backdrop.

Ambergris Kaye

My brother was married in Belize.  This place is his sanctuary and his escape.  We found that it was ours too.  Spending 2 weeks on a beach can do wonders for your state of mind and those around you.

Here we are waiting for the water taxi to take us who-knows-where.

Street Fair

In 2006, the family went to a street fair in the City.  For the life of me I can never remember which one.  I do remember that Angelo and Iris were there with us for a while and that we bought some great artwork.  But the most memorable part of the day was the end.

With just the family, we walked into a pub to have a small bite and a beer.  I pulled out the camera and took a series of Haven and Kelly (1 year old Olivia was asleep in the stroller).  The pictures ranged from smiles to goofs.  This one was my favorite.

Welcome

Most of my best work is of my family…specifically my daughters.  Although I’ve got a fair bit of photos of everything from geysers to boat hooks.  The next posts will highlight some of this work.