I don’t remember when I fell in love with wildflowers
Maybe it was when
I danced to the music of wild mustard
forehead to forehead
with great blue heron clapping the beat
Maybe it was when
the chorale of poppies
sang out the orange
a song I can’t help
but sing along
Maybe it was when she told me
I’d find globe lilies
at the second bench
and they bounced in the breezes
of Mt Diablo valley
I don’t remember when I fell in love with wildflowers
but today
I fell in love
all over again
I’m reaching that point in this month-long blogging challenge where it feels like I have already written about the things that are interesting in my day. No one wants to read more about the rainy days we’ve been experiencing, the state of the streets in my neighborhood, or the outdoor public art at UCSD. So what to do? Weirdly, one of my posts is today’s inspiration for others…so maybe, just maybe, it can inspire me too.
I love to take photos and have an unimaginable number of photos on my phone (some taken with the phone, others taken with my Sony mirrorless camera and transferred to the phone). So today I decided to give myself a prompt and explore my camera roll.
I decided to search for blue, and with that single word as a prompt, so many photos came up for me to examine and think about.
Instead of going down a blue rabbit hole, I picked just a few for a short photo essay…an exploration of some of the blues that caught my eye.
I love to take photos of trees. Sometimes when the light and the background is just right, the photo offers a sense of the majesty and wonder of a tree. I love the blue of the mountains in the distance and the varied blues of the skies in the distance. There’s a moodiness that feels reflective, quiet…like a deep breath.
This Joshua Tree National Park sunset offers the deeper, more intense blues of the desert as dark chases the light across the sky. Once the sun dips, the stars will make their entrance crafting vivid pictures in the indigo as nighttime creeps across the desert.
But as much as I love trees, I am more likely to find myself walking along the shoreline. While it’s common to think about the ocean as blue, in this case it is the blue plastic bucket that stands out in the transparency of the water. I love the way the light and shadow also captures the subtle movement of the water.
I’m always a sucker for a shore bird, and this great blue heron was a wonderful surprise. Blue when it comes to herons is of the blue-gray variety and these tall, stately birds are a study in patience. They embody stillness–unless they are startled and then they spread and flap their enormous wings and somehow those large bodies take flight.
The ocean is never a single color–and that’s true of the sky too. Light and shadow shift the spectrum of blues and greens, purples and grays, pinks and oranges, offering a magnificent palette of colorful waves for surfers to explore (rightside up and upside down).
What will you find if you take time to explore your camera roll?
When you live in America’s Finest City, sometimes you need to spend some time re-seeing your place with fresh eyes. Today, since we were meeting a friend for lunch downtown, we decided to make a day of it and headed off to Cabrillo National Monument. Located way up a hill, off the tip of Point Loma, this jewel offers breathtaking views on a clear day. And today we got just that.
After much needed rain earlier this week, this morning came in bright and clear…with the promise of sunshine and hints of spring. After parking, we headed to use the restrooms…and caught a glimpse of a large military ship passing out of the harbor. North Island Military Base is right across the bay on Coronado. Docents pointed out features of the ship as it passed by on its way out to sea.
We headed off to a favorite hiking trail that wanders along the bay. Native plants are just beginning to bud, lizards basked in the pools of sun along the trail, and we could hear the “orts” of the sea lions in the distance.
It wasn’t long before sailboats seemed to come out of nowhere, dancing along the surface of cerulean blue water. Military jets roared overhead as they rose into the sky and red shouldered hawks seemed to float effortlessly in midair.
The second half of the hike is all uphill, adding breathiness to our conversation as our hearts pounded in rhythm with our feet. We added an extra loop around the historic Point Loma Lighthouse and headed out to the overlook on the ocean side of the area.
This place is perfect for watching for gray whales as they migrate–although we have passed the end of the migration season. Looking down you can see the kelp beds and tide pools below, a reminder of another hike for another day.
What a perfect beginning to a very full day! After leaving Cabrillo we managed to get stuck in a protest parade (supportive of the cause–didn’t love the traffic jam), had a lovely lunch with an out-of-town friend that I haven’t seen for a while, pulled over on the freeway onramp while an ambulance sped by slowing traffic to a crawl (again), made our way to IKEA (because–why not if you’re within 10 miles or so) and then headed off to drop homemade sticky buns to my mom and sister before heading home in the dark.
The day was long and so satisfying. A perfect way to spend the day in America’s Finest City!
Math is everywhere. That’s what I’m always telling my students. But at 6 and 7 years old, my students mostly think math is either counting things one by one or solving equations someone else puts on a page for them.
So I’m trying to get in the habit of finding math in my own daily life. And somedays I’m pretty good at it. On a walk in a local downtown I saw these boxes of books at the local used book store. What perfect math for students (or just ordinary people) to think about. What question(s) might you ask to evoke a mathematical response?
When I see these local trashcans I want to challenge my first graders to figure out how many tiles there are without counting each individually. How might you figure it out? Is there more than one strategy to help figure it out?
There’s the holes in this drain. Is there an easy way to count them? How might you keep track?
Today we headed out on our playground in search of math. But I’m not so sure that I managed to convey how to look for math. Some students noticed the squares of the climbing ladder on the play structure and were figuring out how many were outlined by the ropes. The inaccuracy of their sketches were definitely not helping them find the solution.
When I prompted, “Do you see any fractions?” a few students were able to see the eight “slices” outlined on the floor of the spinning merry go round thing–and could even articulate that each was an eighth.
But I see that more practice and maybe a bit more direction are still in order. I think I may practice by showing my students one of these photos and then asking some questions to provoke a mathematical response.
So, let me practice on you. What mathematical situations might come from the close up of these balls on the cart in the playground?
Where do you find math in your daily life?
I didn’t grow up going to National Parks–and to be honest, I didn’t take my sons to National Parks either. But somehow, weirdly enough, I became a hiker after my kids left home.
I think it’s photography that turned me on to hiking. When I decided to take a photo every day, I needed to actively seek out interesting things to photograph. That led me to spend lots of time at our local beaches…and to somehow become interested in exploring other natural spaces…including National Parks.
At this point I have been to a number of National Parks–in my state and far beyond. I’ve been to some once and to others multiple times. So when I had the opportunity to visit Joshua Tree on Saturday, I was all in!
It’s a good 3+ hour drive from home, so making the trip from Palm Springs shortened the commute by more than 2 hours–making a day trip reasonable.
I was somewhat optimistically hoping for a super bloom (I did visit during a super bloom a few years back), but it’s a bit early and a bit chilly for the blooms yet. Instead we found some short hikes and headed off to enjoy the local flora and fauna.
Joshua Tree is a place where rock climbers gather, testing their skills on nature’s beautiful rock formations. I was mesmerized as I watched climbers with ropes navigate up the sides of giant boulders. They worked in teams, searching for toe holds and crevices as they pulled their bodies up inch by inch. And of course, I had to take photos along the way.
Thank goodness for the little girl who noticed the snake I almost stepped on! Look at the snake she called, and a I turned around to see a snake just a short distance from me. Luckily it was a desert rosy boa on a slow (it was still chilly out) meander across the trail. We all enjoyed the sight and the photo op before continuing on our way.
But when in Joshua Tree, the highlight is always the Joshua trees. The rain this year and last has been good for them. They are looking green and happy–especially compared to the visit during the extreme drought when they were not looking so good. These trees are interesting, somehow a cross between cactus and tree. The park looked almost like a forest, with Joshua’s spotting the high desert environment.
Do you have a favorite National Park? Maybe some other beautiful natural space I really shouldn’t miss? I appreciate any recommendations.
If you get a chance, take a trip to Joshua Tree. It’s totally worth it!
On this day that celebrates all things green, my backyard beckoned. I headed out with my camera, zoomed in close, taking delight in evidence of spring as the days lengthen and temperatures warm.
Nature’s mathematical miracles spiraling toward spring
After a week of parent-teacher conferences and too many meetings (you can get a feel for it here), I was ready for a low-key weekend. I started my morning by sleeping in. There is simply nothing like waking up, realizing I don’t need to get up, and then turning over, snuggling back under the covers and sleeping for another hour.
Staying in my PJs, I headed downstairs where my husband made a delicious french toast breakfast that we enjoyed together while we chatted over coffee and made a plan for the day. After reading a few chapters of my I-don’t-have-to-think-too-hard escapist crime novel, I made my way back up the stairs to shower and dress.
First on our list of things to do today was a low-tide walk on the beach. Even with our somewhat slow motion pace, we made it to the beach with plenty of beach for walking. It was sunny, not too chilly (moving into the low 60’s), with just a slight sea breeze. The blues were hypnotic. The combination of sea and sky are the perfect antidote to work overload.
We decided after our walk to head over to another local beach to check on the status of the sand restoration project there. (More about our local sand restoration projects here.) We had seen the giant boat heading to the river mouth to load up on sand when we were walking.
Moonlight beach (my favorite walking beach when it is not covered in mounds of rocks–hence the sand restoration project) is a popular spot–both for locals and tourists. It sports a good sized parking lot with free parking, somewhat nice bathrooms (as beaches go), a playground, beach volleyball courts, and more. I had heard that things were a mess in the area–and sure enough, our usual access route was redirected to a detour as a section of the road was closed. We made our way through the detour and found a parking place in a nearby neighborhood and headed to the beach.
We chuckled as we watched a gaggle of teenaged girls tucked in a corner between a closed lifeguard tower and a construction fence laying shoulder to shoulder sunbathing to the “music” of heavy construction equipment. A family had established an area for a birthday party tucked up next to green construction fencing blocking all view of the beach. Apparently, construction or not, the beach is a desirable destination!
We watched large equipment crawl over mounds of sand, push piles of rocks, reestablishing a sandy beach. I’m looking forward to the beach that will be in a few weeks time.
After running a few errands, we headed home. To be honest, my motivation has not yet returned. All I really want to do is to pick up that escapist crime novel and lose myself in a story… Which is my plan once I post today’s slice. I’m hopeful that tomorrow will bring a bit more energy and inspiration.
Who decided that parent conference week should follow springing ahead to Daylight Saving Time? I’m feeling the loss of the hour, the compressed teaching day, and hours spent talking…
So today’s slice is a 6 word photo essay…a portion of my teaching day.
Under Goodall’s influence: noticing, wondering, writing
A few years back I got annoyed at the way that Instagram selected my “best 9” photos of the year and created a practice for myself of selecting my own “best” photos of the year. This year I have continued this tradition of taking time to look through my daily photos (it’s a rare day when I don’t take a photo) in order to find a subset that I will call the “Best of 2023.” The forced choice of picking a best for each month pushes me to think about what makes a photo best. Is it the subject matter? The experience that accompanied the photo? The actual photo itself? Other’s reactions to the photo? I think the answer may be a combination of all of the above!
My January 2023 photo captures my wonder when watching pelicans. I marvel at how they get low and skim the waves, seemingly almost running their wings along the edge of the swell. In this photo I love the way the squadron of pelicans in formation demonstrates this “surfing” behavior while also capturing the energy and movement of the waves and the range of colors of the water as the sun does its magical work. If I could change anything about this photo I would want to get closer (that would require a stronger zoom lens)…and I think a sunset version would be magnificent.
There is something so compelling about this tiny lifeguard tower in Solana Beach that perches on the cliff, jutting out into the sea. I’ve taken many version of this photo–and this is my favorite direction to shoot from. I love the low tide exposure, showing the rocks that are oftentimes covered with the sea. This unfiltered photo shows the February light on an afterwork walk, capturing the ordinary beauty of this less-than-ordinary, but functional building. I’d love to know more about the history of the building, who decided it needed to be here, why this design…and even when the decision was made to make lifeguard towers less permanent and more portable.
March shows off the playful aspects of daily photos. I’m constantly trying to capture movement in still photos. This was a windy day and the palms were showing their flexibility. To make the photo more dramatic and interesting, I did some filter play, enhancing the colors and showing the interplay of sun, sky, clouds, and wind (through the movement of the trees). I go with the adage that the best camera is the one that you have with you…and you’ll notice that many of my photos are taken with my phone.
April meant Spring Break, and in 2023 our break included a road trip to Zion National Park in Utah. In spite of that fact that it was “Spring” break, the weather was unseasonably cold…and while you’ll notice bright sun in this photo, we experienced snow, ice, wind, and rain on this trip. None of that kept us from hiking and taking photos. I love the contrast in this image of the white of the cliffs and the blue of the sky along with the long, sharp icicles hanging down. Angles and light and shadow keep drawing me back to this image…along with the brilliant blue of the April sky.
Lucky for me, I don’t have to go far from home to find interesting subjects to photograph. In May, a trip to the local lagoon brought me up close to this teeny tiny hummingbird. A colder than usual spring meant that the trees were still relatively bare, allowing a good view of this tiny gem against the steel gray sky.
But in June, I did travel a long way to find some different, interesting subjects to photograph. And inclement weather was a theme all year. With our school year ending earlier than usual (on June 2nd!), we hopped on a plane and headed to Maine to explore Acadia National Park. While it rained almost every day we were there, we didn’t let it dampen our adventurous spirits. We were lucky to get a short reprieve from stormy seas to head off on a boat to see puffins (which we did) and also get some spectacular views of lighthouses like this one. This composition reminds me of a postcard, filling the space both side to side and up and down. If only the light were illuminated! (Unfortunately, this was not a working lighthouse.)
Back in California, in July we took another roadtrip to explore the mountains in the middle of the state. Mammoth Mountain includes snowy peaks, gorgeous lakes and geologic phenomenon as well as interesting flora and fauna. While exploring Convict Lake I found myself mesmerized by the swallowtail butterflies fluttering, flitting, and feeding on the local flowers. They were everywhere and in constant motion. This time I was trying to capture the stillness of these pollinators rather than action!
In spite of the fact that school now begins in early August, this is truly the heart of the summer. I love to watch surfing competitions and lucky for me, there are often quite a few to choose from at our local beaches. This longboard contest also included something they called a paddle out relay where surfers organized themselves into teams that raced (with long surfboards under their arms) to the water, paddled out and around a designated buoy and then returned to shore to tag a teammate and continue the race. I love the way this photo captures the action, the length of the board, and even the muscle definition of the surfer.
UCSD is the home of the San Diego Area Writing Project and the end of September was the date of our annual Fall Conference. Early Saturday mornings on a college campus are quiet, offering opportunities for photos that do not feature students. I love to take photos of the iconic Geisel library…and in this shot you can see Fallen Star (a Stuart Collection art installation) perched on the engineering building in the distance. I love the light and clouds reflected in the many windows of the library. I definitely have fonder memories of photographing this library than studying in it!
No, this isn’t night photography. This is a photo of the partial solar eclipse we experienced in October. Using an app called Solar Snap and a special sun filter to protect my eyes, I was able to enjoy this not-too-common event and capture this image of the moon passing in front of the sun giving the illusion of a crescent moon when what you are actually seeing is the sun with the moon in front of it. This is one of those images where the experience was an interesting part of the photography process.
I don’t think I could do a “best of” set of photos without at least one of my favorite bird to photograph! I take many photos of snowy egrets, some better than others. I love this one from November where the reflection is so mirror-like. One of the benefits of the early dark after daylight saving time ends is that sunsets and my daily walk often coincide. My photos show the magic of the “golden hour,” where the light is perfect and photos have that magical quality that is otherwise so hard to obtain.
Somehow in December, between holiday celebrations and visits to and from family, we managed to squeeze in a trip to Yosemite. I’m not sure there is a bad day in this very special place. This late afternoon light was perfect for capturing the reflection of El Capitan and Bridalveil Falls in the Merced river.
Even as I write about these twelve photos as my “best of,” I find myself questioning my choices. There isn’t a single sunset photo featured although I have taken many. I didn’t include any of the many selfies we use to document adventures (for good reason!). I tried to pick photos that represented a range of subjects and maybe even some photography techniques. I notice how I often use rule of thirds to my advantage and how I am drawn to natural frames and reflection. I’ve been working hard to capture action and I think that shows in some of these selection too.
Do you have a favorite of these twelve? How do you select your own “best of” photos? What makes one photo better than another?
Have you ever had a day where a routine errand turned into a mini vacation? After working all day, I knew I needed to fill my gas tank. Knowing that my husband prefers this little out of the way gas station, I headed home to pick him up before getting gas. Since the sun decided to make an appearance today after days of a pervasive, gray marine layer, I had an idea percolating in my head. So I proposed, what if instead of taking our usual neighborhood walk after we get back from the gas station, we stop by the beach near the gas station and walk there? Tides are always a deciding factor at our local beaches. If the tides are not low enough, there isn’t enough beach to actually take a walk–and you never, ever, ever want to find yourself walking too close to cliffs that are known to crumble, showering rocks–some of them quite large–and who knows what else onto the beach below.
I lucked out. The beach just a couple of blocks away from the gas station had a modest amount of beach available. We parked, walked down about a million stairs only to be greeted by a dazzling view of the ocean.
Next we noticed hundreds and hundreds of Velella velella (also known as By-the-wind sailor) washed up on the shore. These brilliant blue relatives of the Portuguese Man of War have been washing up on our shore for the last month or so, although I’ve only seen them a few at a time before today.
As we continued our walk, the sun warmed my back and the sea breeze tickled my nose. The whoosh-whisper of the surf provided a perfect back beat for my breath, letting the work day slip away with each step I took.
There is so much character along this stretch of the beach. The residents of the houses along the shore have created whimsical ladder contraptions to give them access to the beach from their homes perched on the cliffs. And since they want access to the beach, but really don’t want visitors from the beach a ladder sticking straight out over your head doesn’t even make you bat an eye! I decided to play around with my camera. What would it look like to stand under the ladder and look up?
While the beach itself was mostly empty, I did come across a solitary shore bird out for an early dinner. It was pretty unconcerned by me and my camera, at times looking straight into my lens.
So, the trip to the gas station turned into a lovely break from the work week routine, a mini-vacation where I was immersed in sun, sea life, sounds, and a fresh ocean breeze. What a way to spend Tuesday afternoon!
Thinking Through My Lens 