Rainbow & Santa Cruz Island

**click on each photo for a better view**

I heard on the radio last Thursday that Ventura County was suppose to have flash flooding due to intense down pour between 3-4p.m., so I decided to grab my camera on my way out the door to pick up Kayla from school since we leave her school at 3p.m. My hopes were to see a rainbow. Kayla was still quite energetic, and was enjoying the time in the car, so she was in no hurry to get home.  On our way home I saw a dense rainbow, so I decided to get off the freeway and do a little side driving (head the back way home) to see what we see. 

The rainbow only lasted a minute, and never could find a better angle, view of it, so I decided to go home and grab K's medications before we headed back out. It looked like it was raining inland and I just knew there had to be more rainbows popping up, plus the lighting was what I call "rainbow lighting". When we got home, there was another dense rainbow over the school by our house, but not much of one to take a photo of. 

I needed open space for our next rainbow as I was wanting to see a "great" rainbow. Ya know, those double rainbows. We found a spot that looked like it was raining in the distance with nice "rainbow lighting" in foreground, so I decided to park and wait. I had Kayla entertaining me playing her music as I watched for the rainbow to appear. 45 minutes later still nothing, so I decided to turn around and head home. Well, just then a rainbow appeared; not a big one, but just a piece of one. Still good enough for us, plus the lighting was gorgeous. I took a few photos and then we went home. 

I decided to take the day off on Friday from life and head out to the islands with a friend, and take a nice long hike out to Smugglers Cove on Santa Cruz Island. Intense hike to say the least (still sore three days later), but it felt good to get out and do some hiking. I hadn't been on the islands since the beginning of the year, and I hadn't done any hiking since early summer, so I was over due. 

It was an 8 mile round trip hike due to the way we came back - took an additional hike. It sure was a gorgeous day out. 

I have the hardest time getting my horizon straight, even in the editing phase. A few still seem off to me. 

We came across two Island Foxes; one along the trail to El Montanon Ridge, and one in the typical spot; picnic tables by the Visitor Center.  

Hope everyone is doing good. 

I posted this once already, but the colors were stripped when converting images for web viewing. I figured out how to fix this, so am posting this post again.

This year I decided to participate in a project that JMG-Galleries blog has been running every year since 2007. I wanted to do this last year, but just never made the time to. I don't blog as much as I would like to. Maybe I can try again this year (2012). :) We shall see how life rolls. But as for now, here are my favorite 10 photos that I took throughout 2011. The list started at 21 which was tough getting it down to 10, but Jim said 10, so 10 it is. :)

I realized one notable thing when I went through my photos, is that I didn't shoot a lot of landscap

e - serious landscape photography. I want to change that this year and shoot more! I miss getting wrapped up into a scene where everything else in life disappears and your just focused on what your photographing. That actually happened on a recent trip to Yosemite. I hiked up to Vernal Falls past the viewing bridge. As I was hiking to the top, I spent 3 hours photographing the falls. I tore it apart in pieces photographically.

Anyway, here are my favorite 2011 photos (no specific order):

Grizzlies of British Columbia

CA - 199 on the backside of Anacapa Island

Pt Mugu

Yosemite

Bottom of Vernal Falls, Yosemite

Yosemite

Mom and her baby. Orangutans

Gorilla

Tunnel View in Yosemite

Orcas traveling along the southern part of the island

Runner up: Humpback Whale off the California coast

Thank you Jim for the motivation and deadline as that helped me make sure I got this done this year. :)

I hope every-ones year is starting off grand!

Michele

Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas

2011 British Columbia Kayak Trip

It starts at 11 seconds...

For more information on kayak trips, go to: Sea Kayak Adventures

Thank you..

Have a great day! :)

Our Farewell...

The morning we needed to catch the ferry to leave, we got word that all 88 Orcas were almost to Friday Harbor heading towards Cattlepoint, so we went down to see them pass by. I have never seen them in Middle Channel from shore before. It was a gorgeous morning, not windy as it typically is there. Small groups came down with a few spy-hops, including one double spy-hop making my day. One came inside Goose Island (between Goose Island and shore) to where all the others went on the outside of Goose Island..

Here is one photo from this morning.

You can view more on my website at: http://www.creativefreedomphotography.com/p922865577

Have a wonderful week! :)

What is this lighthouse called?

Hello...

Does anyone know what Lighthouse this is off of Victoria, BC?

Thank you.. :)

Anacapa Island...

Anacapa Island....

Bill of Rights - Tall Ship

View of Anacapa Island from the Bill of Rights.

A gorgeous summer day to be out on the water last month.

Are you sure its mid-June?

Cow/Calf pair

Cow/Calf pair

A foggy, chilly, but lovely & glassy day out on the water on the west end of the channel... You would almost think its mid-July here by the number of whales seen today... Blue Whales - at least 30 with lots blows everywhere in the distance, Humpback Whales - at least 15 with lots blows in the distance, a dozen Pacific White Sided Dolphins, and about 800-1000 Common Dolphins (total of 3 groups)...

Lots of tail flukes, surprisingly from Blue Whales, and I stopped counting at 22 flukes. The Humpbacks, as always, did tail flukes. :)

Serendipity

I had seen the rainbow occur during the winter here at the falls, but nothing like what I experienced last week... It was unbelievable.

Waves of California

Here is a photo that was taken 2-3 years ago here in California...

You can see the rest of the photos from this particular outing here:

http://www.creativefreedomphotography.com/p178636399

Mourning Dove

Saw this beautiful Mourning Dove in Malibu at the end of April

Sunday morning visitor....

Sunday morning as we were waiting for our breakfast to finish cooking, this Eagle flew into our backyard and perched on the tree... He was beautiful sitting there.

An Unusual Occurrence .

It's not too often you see one of the Southern Resident Pods circumnavigate San Juan Island, but it's even more strange they do it twice in 24 hours. A little concerning actually.

This is a small group of members whom belong to J-pod including J-2; Granny. Granny is the oldest living Southern Resident Orca (second from last fin). It is believed that she is 100 years old this year. Yep, 100.

In the background is Roche Harbor on the north end of San Juan Island. The church overlooking the harbor was built in 1892 (Methodist Church) by John S. McMillan. It was a schoolhouse during the week for his employees' children. Then in 1960, it was dedicated as a Catholic Church (Our Lady of Good Voyage), and is the only privately owned Catholic church in the United States today.

Weekend Wildlife Report

Hello,

I just returned from an amazing weekend in Washington. Here are just a few photos from the trip, and wildlife report of what all we saw. More to come including a full report of one amazing encounter with Transient Orcas.

Friday... travel day... 1 Bald Eagle.. Lots of Pelagic Cormorants, Gulls, Deer, Herons, Canadian Geese

Saturday... Lots of Bald Eagles (probably about 6-8).. Lots of Rhinocerus Aucklets, Common Loons, 2 Tufted Puffins off South Beach, J-Pod including J-L 87 Onyx circumnavigating SJI, Canadian Geese, 3 Foxes, Deer, Gulls, Pigeon Guillamonts, Harbor Seals

Sunday... Lot of miles on the water today.... Lots of Bald Eagles (12+), Foxes, Deer, Raccoon, Two separate sets of Transients (a group of 6 in Trincomali Channel off Wallace Island), lots of Harbor Seals in Active Pass (and other areas), 5 Transients (T-10s, T-26, and ?) - Amazing Encounter near Morsby Island. Saw the same 5 T's in the evening following them in Haro Strait to Kelp Reef Marker, Stellar Sea Lion, Harbor Seals

Monday.... Lots of wildlife... Mouflon sheep, Sitka Deer, Canadian Geese (family - adults & chicks), H

arbor Porpoise, Lots and lots of Bald Eagles (10-15), 3 different species of fish (Rock Cod?, Link Cod, ?), lots of Pigeon Guillamonts, Gulls, Cormorants, Rhinocerus Auklets, lots of Harbor Seals... Travel day...

Have a wonderful and safe Memorial weekend!

Michele