Skywatch-Marina Del Rey

Skywatch-Marina Del Rey

Since I haven’t done a Skywatch Friday in a long time I thought I would show these two shots from Marina Del Rey. When in Los Angeles this is the area we usually stay in. All the boats are fascinating and it is easy to get to other places around town or the airport.

While in California this last time I was experimenting with a cheap neutral density filter that was purchased a long time ago but never used. Part of the reason it was brought along on this trip was for lens protection although with the 60mm/2.8 Nikon lens it isn’t really necessary since the front elements are recessed quite a bit from the outside edge of the front of the lens. The filter worked really well giving great color with just a hint of lost sharpness. The only problem was it was more apt to underexposure, which is kind of my Achilles heel of photography. I will be looking into purchasing a higher quality model.


The first photo was taken from our tenth floor balcony right after sunset and the second one was shot at dock level along the walkway.

Marina Del Rey, California from Wikipedia

Skywatch Friday

Neutral Density Filter from Michigan Tech

Ruby Red Spikemoss

Ruby Red Spikemoss
Selaginella erythropus 'Sanguinea'
(sell-lah-gi-NEL-uh) (er-ee-THROW-pus)


This cool looking groundcover was planted on the steep (sheer, actually) hillsides that are at the entrance to the Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden in Papaikou on the Big Island. The red feathery stems and green leaves made for a dramatic sight. We saw other types Selaginella growing at the HTBG and other places on the islands. It usually appeared to be a neat and fun groundcover. It kept reminding me off some of our evergreen trees shrunk down to miniature size. Mostly it looked like some sort of Arborvitae or Cypress.

Red Spikemoss grows to be 4-6 inches tall and likes a shady, moist soil. It spreads under the right conditions but not rampantly. It is hardy to USDA Zone 7 but can be grown in a container and over wintered indoors in colder climes.

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Here is a photo of a San Diego sunset from early 2009. We were treated to this just hanging around the Tourmaline Surfing Park in the late afternoon. An unexpected beauty.

Blue Cape Plumbago

Blue Cape Plumbago
Plumbago auriculata
(plum-BAY-go) (aw-rik-yoo-LAY-tuh)
Synonym: Cape Leadwort

It seems once a year Plumbago shows up on this blog. I will say again I think Plumbago is a beautiful flower. It adds a beautiful touch of blue to your garden and is easy to cultivate. There are some variations in the blueness of some varieties but they are all pretty. It is considered a tender perennial and must be taken inside for winter here. Plumbago seems to tolerate heavy shearing and will often explode in a cloud of color afterwards. It is a native of South Africa but is adaptable to many areas.

Since Plumbago is often called Skyflower I thought it would be a good flower for Skywatch. Here is a photo of a rainstorm of the coast off La Jolla, California. There was a rainbow, too. After a little while watching these clouds the rain came to us. This picture is a rarity here since it was shot with Karen's Nikon D80 with a 18-135mm Nikon lens.


“The sky is the daily bread of the eyes.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson, Emerson's Journals, 1843

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Sedona Skies

Sedona Skies
Skywatch Friday

The scenery in Sedona was amazing. This first photo was taken on Schnebly Hill Road on our drive from Flagstaff to Sedona. We just happened to stumble on to the road and later found out it is considered one of the top scenic drives in Arizona. For the first few miles it is relatively flat and meanders through a Ponderosa Pine (Pinus ponderosa) forest with grass under the trees. Later the grade and the road surface get rough. Each switchback turn reveals views of the dramatic red rocks and Oak Creek Canyon. There are not any guardrails and my stomach was getting a little queasy with the 1,000-foot drop offs that were right next to the edge. Lucky we were in a Jeep, as a car probably wouldn’t have made it. This photo was taken outside of the truck with the D700 and the Nikon 50mm/1.8 lens.

Karen wanted to visit a couple of the energy vortexes while we were in town. Reluctantly and a bit skeptical I decided to accompany her. We went to the Boynton Canyon and Long Canyon Mesa Vortex, which is considered to be one of the strongest. Since it was early in the morning we were alone on the ¾’s of a mile trail. Without knowing how close we were to the Vortex I was having a lot of trouble catching my breath. It was a moderate climb to the top of the knoll and I was thinking that I shouldn’t be that out of breath. Right before stepping on the flat area (of the vortex) I literally couldn’t breathe but once on top of the knoll everything returned to normal and I was wasn’t even winded. It was quite an experience and you will not find me doubting the energy at these types of places anymore. This picture was taken a few minutes after arriving at the Vortex. The sun was poking through the clouds with shafts of light landing here and there in the valley.



Here are some more of the rocks. This picture was shot with the Coolpix P6000 right from the Main Street of Sedona while Karen was shopping. The lens was set at 26mm.


This was the view one morning right from the deck of our room at the Southwest Inn. It wasn’t a fancy place but it was clean and well kept up and we got a nice deal on our stay there. This dawn was worth it alone. It went on for about 45 minutes and I was watching it right from bed.


Tomorrow I want to post some snapshots from around Sedona. I saw a funny expression when I was in town. It may be true!

'God made the Grand Canyon but He lives in Sedona.'

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San Diego and the Bronx - Skywatch Friday

San Diego and the Bronx
Skywatch Friday

Last Christmas Karen got a Nikon P6000 point and shoot camera . It has pretty much been sitting around since then. I borrowed the camera three times and shot a total of 126 pictures. It is a little annoying to use but if you put up with its haughtiness it can take a good picture. Since it is 13.5 megapixels the files are huge, a 14 x 11 inch photo. These photos have been cropped and they are still big.

This was picture #53 and it is the Crystal Pier in Pacific Beach, California. The little houses on the right side of the picture are actually hotel rooms. The hotel uses the slogan “come sleep over the ocean” and it is true. It was in easy walking distance of the house we rented in February.

Crystal Pier Hotel

The other pictures are from Wave Hill in the Bronx last weekend. The Conservatory is small but sweet and there are always some interesting botanical delights inside. One part has the Cactus collection and one wing has the tropical more humid stuff. The middle room has an Acacia tree and a lot of seasonal plants.


The second shot is looking off the main lawn, westward, towards the Hudson River and the Palisades of New Jersey. I am going to try and give a little mini-review of the P6000 tomorrow. In the meantime visit more skies from around the world:
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Maui Sunsets

Maui Sunsets
Sky Watch Friday

This Skywatch was taken right off the back deck of the house in Kihei, Hawaii. I had only been in Hawaii a couple of hours when this photo op presented itself.

This next sunset was also taken in Kihei (I think it is pronounced key-hey) but down by the beach. This sunset went on for hours or so it seemed. That is the southeast shore of the island of Lanai in the distance. It was a very mysterious island that always seemed to lurking in the background. This was taken with the D70s and 105mm Nikon lens. One area that the D700 performs better than the D70 is with digital noise. This photo has a lot of noise and I tried running a noise reduction program on it but it didn’t help much. It is not often that I wish I had the D700 but this shot was one of them.


This one won’t make into the travel brochure :lol:


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Maui Skywatch

Maui Skywatch

This Skywatch Friday is a little early but Thursday seems to be the best day to post. The skies over Maui were an ever changing tapestry of clouds and colors. Since we spent a lot of time upcountry there were a lot of drop dead gorgeous views of the island and the sea. This first photo is an abstract of some windy Palm Trees.

We have now visited Maui three times and each time I still walk away feeling like there was something new and enchanting each time. It is not unusual for me to have a mystical experience when visiting the island. This time it was this moment.


That is the sun poking through the Iwo Valley. We were walking across a parking lot it really felt like the eye from the Lord Rings was looking out over the valley. Except this was a very benevolent light. Where it got a little weird was looking down everything seemed bathed not in the golden rays of sunset but a very white light. It was about as bright it gets without being harsh. Things seemed to slow down and get quiet when I snapped the picture and after that everything started up again. Later I realized that I become transfixed for several seconds. Unfortunately I didn’t even check the settings and ended up with a picture that doesn’t quite measure up to when the scene played out before us.

This table had a mighty view and it was free, too. This is at the upcountry AKL Lavender Farm . If you want to go on a tour it costs something but we just walked around the garden on our own. It was a very impressive garden and it beat the lavender fields by a mile, in my opinion. That is the island of Lanai in the background.


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Scarlet Firethorn

Scarlet Firethorn
Pyracantha coccinea
(py-ra-KAN-tha) (kok-SIN-ee-uh)
Skywatch Friday

This shot is from the archives and was found while being copied onto a new hard drive. It was taken in the Somerset area of England in November of 2005. I was still a relatively new owner of a DSLR at the time. We had great fun on the trip and this photo brought back some memories. There is a little sky poking in and it provided a nice light. I am always amazed how low the sun angle seems in England in the autumn and winter.

Pyracantha is a nice plant as long as you can keep your distance. The berries look great and the foliage is often semi-evergreen here in Connecticut. It can grow in almost any soil and doesn’t need a lot of care. There are several types available for the garden including the dwarf ‘Gnome’. It seem people often plant this a little out of place. It needs room to grow and not interact with sidewalks, doors, parking areas, etc. I have read several references where they say Pyracantha gets to 10 feet tall. I have had it grow almost twice that size when it is happy. I would definitely consider it a large-scale shrub.

Today is a grim anniversary for the United States and the world. We are playing a gig tonight at the local coffee house. At first we almost refused the date but thought it was okay. I am sure everyone is remembering the day in his or her own way. We have decided to make some music. This blog has commemorated this anniversary before.

Since this is a flower picture blog here is a picture I took yesterday of an Ivy leaf Geranium. The flower color almost matches the berries.


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Striped Purple Petunias and Skywatch

Striped Purple Petunias
Petunia 'Ultra Blue Star'
(peh-TEWN-ya)

These striped Petunias really stood out across the garden I visited yesterday. Purple has been a difficult color for me to capture with the camera lately. This shot is getting a little better and at least the purple didn’t turn into a mushy blue. My plan was to underexpose a little and bring up the levels in Photoshop. One thing here was I didn’t account for the whites being so bright. Hopefully some purple flowers will present themselves this weekend so I can further test my ‘purple’ system.

The ‘Ultra’ series of Petunias has been around awhile. I love the colors that they come in (18 different). They are graceful and perform well enough to survive the onslaught of new breeding and introductions. They belong to the Grandiflora group of Petunias, which is the group with the largest flowers. I am not sure why 'Ultra Blue Star’ is actually purple.

Since it is Friday here is a Skywatch picture. Like several of this week’s photos it was taken at the Huntington Library in California.

Mexican Blue Palm
Brahea armata
(BRAH-yuh) (arm-AH-tuh)
Synonyms: Blue Hesper Palm, Gray Goddess


This was one cool looking palm tree. The variations of silver and gray on the leaves were interesting. It is a native of Baja California.

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Great Rudbeckia

Great Rudbeckia
Rudbeckia maxima
(rud-BEK-ee-uh) (MAKS-ih-muh)
Synonyms: Great Coneflower, Dumbo's Ears
Skywatch Friday

It has been a while since I participated in Skywatch Friday. These shots were taken with Skywatch in mind. They are from the Perennial Garden at the NYBG. I took three pictures of the scene and decided to post all of them here. All three and especially the last could have had benefited from a larger Depth of Field. The last one is kind of a blooper but it is posted just to show the background. The building is the Enid Haupt Conservatory (click the About link for the history).


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Skywatch Friday - Yellow Balloon

Skywatch Friday - Yellow Balloon

This balloon is actually tethered to the ground and you pay to float up over the San Diego Wild Animal Park. At first I thought of going up but it was a little pricey and I just wanted to keep my feet on the ground that day.


We upgraded are business computer to a new Imac yesterday so there was a lot of networking to do with the other machines. We got a Maxtor Central Axis one TB (1,000 gigabyte) Network Storage Server also. It isn’t really a time to be upgrading but some of our computers were still on System 8 if you can believe that (released 1998). Things just keep getting more and more incompatible so it was time. The Maxtor can back up the Macbook Pro from my office so it has a dual role. It is a little difficult getting Karen up to speed on the Mac and setting everything up. I got a little headache and had to stop for a while but everything will run a lot smoother in the long run.

Here is another San Diego sunset picture. * sigh *


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Skywatch - Golden Dawn Redwood

Golden Dawn Redwood
Metasequoia glyptostroboides 'Goldrush'
(met-uh-see-KWOY-uh) (glip-toh-stroh-BOY-deez)
Synonym: M. gly. ‘Ogon’
Skywatch Friday

A while back I posted that I had bought this tree and didn’t know if the marketing hype had got me or it was good decision. It has worked out nicely as the tree has already grown a couple of feet and is starting to shed it’s ‘nursery' shape with a nice branching structure. Its color is stunning and even in the fall the needles turn a nice rusty brown before falling off. It is a Deciduous Conifer. There aren’t too many of those around and I can only think of Larches (Larix), Dawn Redwood (Metasequoia), Bald Cypress (Taxodium) and Golden Larch (Pseudolarix). I am sure that is not a complete list.

If you click the Dawn Redwood label you can see the original picture I took of the foliage. It seems to be a very photogenic tree. I took this and the next picture with Skywatch Friday in mind. Yellow and blue is a nice combination in the garden.

I am not sure if anyone really knows how tall this tree gets. I did read 2/3’s of the size of a regular Dawn Redwood, which is still really big. Luckily I envisioned it getting real big and gave it enough space. It is growing on very wet soil and seemingly loves it.


Golden-leaved Boxelder
Acer negundo 'Kelly's Gold'
(AY-ser) (neg-UN-doh)
Synonym: Ash-leaved Maple, Cutleaf Maple, Stinking Ash

This is another golden tree growing at work. It has turned out okay and does add a chartreuse element to the partly shady area it is located in. I have seen it growing out in the open and it really does turn gold. It is nice since the inside leaves are a bright green so the contrast between the two is beautiful. Box Elder isn’t my favorite tree but some of the specialty ones are nice. There are two different variegated ones at work and both are handsome and almost dainty trees. One is 'Aureomarginatum' and the other is 'Variegatum'.

‘Kelly’s Gold’ gets up to 35 to 40 feet tall but mine is going to be shorter then that. Boxelder is native to a wide geographical area (it is the most widely distributed of the North American maples) and is considered an invasive species in some areas. It can grow on almost any soil type. It is extremely cold hardy.

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Autumn Cherry

Autumn Cherry
Prunus subhirtella 'Autumnalis'
(PROO-nus) (sub-HIR-tel-uh)

This tree was blooming at work and for once the sun was out and there was some blue sky. The Cherry has turned into quite a handsome specimen. The people planted a tree for each of their children and the Cherry was for the first born. He has to be about fifteen now. We were all standing there looking at the tree saying that we hadn’t seen it have a more beautiful year.

Autumn Cherry can grow to 35 feet tall and have an equal spread. It is hardy to Zone 4, which makes it the most cold hardy of the Cherry Trees. It is also considered to be the most stress tolerant and heat resistant Cherry. It does flower sporadically during the fall, which is where it gets its name.

Happy Skywatching.
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Star Magnolia - Skywatch Friday

Star Magnolia
Magnolia stellata
(mag-NO-lee-uh) (stell-AY-tuh)
Skywatch Friday

The sky sure was gorgeous yesterday and there were a few minutes to snap a some pictures of the Star Magnolia. There also was time enough to take a few deep breaths of the scent. This Star has been planted for about 12 years and it has grown fairly slowly to a nice shrubby specimen. A detailed look at some of the flowers revealed that a frost had nipped at the buds. There was a little discoloration on some the now open petals. It must have been that night in the 20’s a couple of nights ago. Most Magnolias can be hit by frost around here in Connecticut. It is rare and hasn’t happened in recent memory.


Growing this Japanese native is easy. It likes moist sun but can grow in part shade also. I like to site them in a warmer area of the garden just to be safe even though they are hardy to USDA Zone 4. They are really showy in flower and look good during the summer with handsome foliage.


There are a few cultivars of Star Magnolia. I have seen 'Centennial' which was introduced to celebrate the Arnold Arboretum’s 100th Anniversary in 1972. There is also a variety called 'Royal Star' which has pink buds. I saw one of those blooming on the street we have been working on in Greenwich. It was quite beautiful but much taller than the advertised height of 10 feet.

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Yellow Daffodils – Blue Sky

Yellow Daffodils – Blue Sky
Trumpet Daffodil ‘King Alfred’
Skywatch Friday

Since the King Alfred Daffs were blooming and the sky was a really nice shade of blue combining them for a Skywatch was easy. I am actually holding this flower up to the sky since lying on the wet ground wasn’t an option. These were shot with my ‘old’ camera, the Nikon D70s. Since it has been repaired it seems to working just great. The warranty is 6 months so I figured that testing it now instead of later was smart.

It is a lot like spending some time with an old friend. Compared to the D700 it is a simple and straightforward camera and that is its beauty. I had to remember why I had upgraded to the D700 and it was for more megapixels. People keep asking me for really large prints and that is tough with the D70’s 6.1 MP files. Of course the low light performance and the super clear viewfinder helped the decision to get the D700, too.


The season is really heating up and business is good. It has already exceeded my expectations.

“I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd, A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees, Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance, Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.”

William Wordsworth

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Pink Tecoma Flowers

Pink Tecoma
Tabebuia heterophylla
(ta-bee-BEW-ee-uh) (het-er-oh-FIL-uh)
Synonyms: Pink Trumpet Tree, Pink Poui-Rosea
Skywatch Friday

This was taken in the Japanese Friendship Garden in Balboa Park.
The garden has it’s own website here.

I wanted to frame the picture in a Japanese style and in the back of my mind was Skywatch Friday. Doing ‘sky’ pictures on Friday has helped me explore some new angles for taking pictures.


This tree is beautiful in the landscape. When we were looking at it Karen and I both guessed some sort of Catalpa tree. It was, however, a bit more refined than the average Catalpa. The buds reminded me a bit of Foxglove. Well we got the family right, Bignoniaceae. It was only later when I saw a marked specimen that the name was revealed. The tree grows 20-30 feet tall and the ones in the Japanese Garden had been pruned to about 15 feet (very well, I might add).

Happy Spring!

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San Diego Sunset

San Diego Sunset
Sky watch Friday

This was probably the best sunset we saw during our time in San Diego. We both felt as if we had walked into a volcano without all that pesky ash and heat. Everything was bathed in beautiful colors and the sunset went on for a long time. The last picture was actually when we were walking up the hill to go home. These were shot with the D700 and 105mm Nikon lens. The lens doesn’t seem to flare that much and the D700 handles the exposure quite well.


Here is a shot of Ruby and Juno on the beach. The dogs were allowed on the beach before 9 am and after 4pm. I was surprised that they liked it so much. I guess with all the other dogs, people and flotsam and jetsam that made it interesting for them.


This last picture is a Lily that was at the little flower stand in Pacific Beach. It was nice to have a place to get fresh flowers. I am not sure of the name of the place but it was right next to the La Jolla Car Wash on Turquoise Street. This flower kind of reminded of the sun so that why I included it in this post.


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Flowering Pear Tree

Flowering Pear
Pyrus calleryana 'Bradford'
(PY-russ) (kal-lee-ree-AH-nuh)
Synonyms: Callery Pear

I was surprised to see Bradford Pear so widely planted in San Diego. There is a multitude of reasons for not planting these trees and they don’t seem as popular here in Connecticut anymore. Let’s look at the Pros and Cons of this species:

Pros
Really beautiful when in flower
Can grow in most conditions
Late and Persistent Fall Color
Can be pruned to shape
Fast growing
Early Blooming

Cons
Very weak wooded and the angles of the branches make it prone to splitting in snow and ice
Short life span (25-35 years)
Inedible fruit and the flowers smell bad
Often seeds in some areas. The seedling tree is not as nice.

We don’t use Bradford Pears too often anymore although I do love them when they are flowering (from a distance). They should be blooming here in a month or so. The fall color can be amazing as it becomes multi-colored with yellow, orange and red. Sometimes the foliage is frosted off the tree green, like last year. The early flowers can be susceptible to late spring frosts.

Since the Bradford flower picture has a little blue sky showing through I thought I would do Skywatch Friday. These other pictures are from the San Jacinto Mountains in Southern California. These shots were taken overlooking the city of Palm Desert. It was quite a dramatic road to get to the vista point and as a passenger I got a little weak at a few of the huge drop offs that didn’t even have a guardrail.

That is a road with a car on it in the lower left hand corner!


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Mount Soledad Cross La Jolla, California

Mount Soledad Cross La Jolla, California
Skywatch Friday

The San Diego area has been presenting a lot of skywatch opportunities. This first shot is the Latin Cross in Mount Soledad Park. Here is a link to more information on it:
Mount Soledad

The picture was shot in Black and White (monochrome setting) with the D700 and the 50mm/1.8 Nikon lens.

The second picture is from Tourmaline Surfing Park, which is ‘our’ beach. It is about a 3-minute walk to the sand from the house. It has been fun and a little weird to be mixing with the surfer crowd. The beach is beautiful and we have been taking the dogs down every couple of days to enjoy the sunset.


The third picture is a Prickly Pear Cactus that was growing at Torrey Pines State Reserve in La Jolla. There will be another post on Torrey Pines. The trees are the rarest Pines in North America. I shot it with Skywatch in mind. It was rare to see that many clouds!


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Point Loma - Cabrillo National Monument

Point Loma - Cabrillo National Monument
Skywatch Friday

One of my favorite vistas in the San Diego area is Point Loma. Set high above the city with a lighthouse, whale watching area and endless sea views the overlook is dramatic and beautiful. We spent a few hours watching the military ships and aircraft moving in and out of the harbor (finally saw that nuclear sub!).


Today it is rainy and that is supposed to stick around for a couple of days. I have a feeling that is going to bring even more flowers to this area. We had such a great stretch of weather that a little rain is going to dampen my spirits. The plants in the small garden at the house already look refreshed.


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Point Loma