BeechTree Photography

San Francisco Conservatory of Flowers Leave a comment

Seems like I always have my camera handy, and while I like to explore a variety of subjects, I always find myself coming back to flowers and botanicals. I was in the bay area for a wedding shoot (more on that in another post), and was itching to try out my new 85mm prime lens. So what better place than the botanical gardens in Golden Gate Park.
Mother Nature was quite cooperative that morning, and gave me some overcast skies to play under. I had been to the Conservatory before, and it seemed not much had changed. The orchids and tropicals were all there – but what I’d never seen before was the dahlia garden outside. So many varieties I’d never seen before. Visitors aren’t allowed to walk through (darn!), but I was able to capture some from outside the waist-high fence. I was limited on time that morning, so caught a few in my new lens. Enjoy.

Posted July 12, 2012 by nettskee11 in Uncategorized

Tagged with botanicals, conservatory of flowers, dahlias, flowers, golden gate park, san francisco

18 Months ~ Baby M Leave a comment

My how time flies! Seems like this little one was just born yesterday. I had the chance to spend some time with her and her mom recently. From around the house to the park, we had a fun photoshoot, even with her non-stop movement!

Posted February 15, 2012 by nettskee11 in kids

Heading South: Charleston, SC Leave a comment

Two free tickets….where shall we go? We can go anywhere they fly! North, south, east? Don’t want snow, don’t want rain. Let’s head to the south! Someplace we’ve never been. Flip a coin and Charleston, South Carolina was it! And it turned out to be an excellent choice as well! My daughter and I had three full days to explore, so we rented a car and off we went. And while the weather was still on the chilly side, it was sunny and dry, and we got a taste of the south: in the scrumptious food, the friendly folks, the classic architecture, and in the incredible history.

Drayton Hall

Angel Oak - oldest live oak tree in the states, 1400 years old.

Walking the streets of downtown Charleston, was like walking through time. Many of these homes have been here since before the Revolutionary War, and heard the first shots of the Civil War at nearby Fort Sumter.

Fires were common in the early days, especially for those houses that had no space between them. Homeowners paid individual fire companies for protection. To show that you’d paid your insurance you displayed the company’s plaque on the front of your house.

Ironwork is prized in Charleston. The tighter the curl on decorative iron, the better the quality. Much of the original decorative iron is gone now, given to the Confederate cause during the Civil War to make cannon balls.

One of the things I enjoyed about this stroll through time, were the details.

The Aiken-Rhett House

Slave Quarters

Posted January 23, 2012 by nettskee11 in Travel

From Barns to Bridges Leave a comment

Much of the area north of Santa Rosa is rural and semi-rural. Many small dairy farms can be found along the way. Heading south, back toward San Francisco, we pulled off the highway to explore farm roads and little towns. Back in the City, we ventured to Treasure Island to capture a rare, clear night in San Francisco.

Posted January 3, 2012 by nettskee11 in Travel

Northern Coast Leave a comment

As the highway snakes in and out of the Redwood groves, you happen upon a multitude of coastal views. Here are just a few…

The summer crowds gone, the beach was empty for miles in either direction.

Cliffs near Wedding Rock, Patrick’s Point State Park.

Trinidad Beach

Posted January 3, 2012 by nettskee11 in Nature/Landscape, Travel

The Little Things Leave a comment

For all the grandeur of the Redwood Forest, look a little closer and you will see beauty in the least expected places! Here is a collect of some of the smaller things we found during our visit.

The moist coastal enviornment allows for mosses and ferns to grow everywhere.

Above, these mosses were grown on a stump. Each stalk is about an inch long. This particular variety was blooming. How did they know it was Christmas?! Below is a close-up of one of the flower buds.

We happened upon many varieties of mushroms and toadstools. But alas, we never found the fairies.

Redwood Sorrel carpets many of the groves. It’s reminiscent of Irish Shamrocks.

The master architect was nowhere to be seen, but we had a lovely view of it’s latest creation.

Posted January 3, 2012 by nettskee11 in Nature/Landscape, Travel

Coast Redwoods Leave a comment

Of all the places on the planet that I have had the privilege to see, the Coast Redwoods, on California’s northern coast is one of my top favorites. The hushed and muffled sounds of the forest, so quiet and serene, rivals the most beautiful of cathedrals. The cushioned trails of forest duff, and the way the light filters through the canopy, captures something in my soul like no other type of forest. The primeval groves have witnessed milleniums with species little-changed since pre-historic times. The scale and height of some of these trees remind us of what a small part of this Earth we really are. I have visited this place many times, but it has been almost 13 years since the last – I was very glad to return.

Driving through the Avenue of the Giants – a side road from Hwy 101, is well worth the extra time. Beautiful groves surround you for much of the drive, and we stopped many times along the way to get out and walk.

Some of these trees are so tall, that you can’t see the tops. Even the slightest breeze causes occasional popping or creaking sounds as the the straight trunks sway in the wind.

Having always been here in summers in the past, we didn’t realize how many deciduous trees there were interspersed with the evergreens along the coast. While most areas were far past their prime color days for this year, we happened upon this only area where we got a glimpse of what must be a glorious riot of color in the fall. Next time – we visit in fall!

Some areas of forest are so thick, little light reaches the forest floor.

This was a trail through the Ladybird Johnson Grove. A one-mile loop after driving up the side of a hill. Well worth spending some time walking through.

The groves along Avenue of the Giants are among my favorites. Less undergrowth means carpets of sorrel and ferns. Here is where the hush really stands out.

This giant fell decades ago. The scale is hard to imagine from this photo, but the small tree growing on top of it (just to the left of the larger tree in the background) is about 10 feet tall. This tree, now referred to as a “nurse log”, is home to much new growth as it slowly decomposes. I would estimate the entire tree to have been over 300 feet tall before it fell.