Monday, August 8, 2011

the Wharf (again!)

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We've been so busy that I haven't had time to post. We had friends in from out of town. Then, we had a very busy weekend, preparing for and selling at a local flea market. And finally, transferring our sweet goats to their new home

I have pictures of the goats I'll be sharing later on. But first, I wanted to remember what a lovely time we had with our out of town friends.

Like always, we took them out to the wharf, where we had a wonderful seafood dinner. Then we took a nice walk along the pier. I always say I wont take any more pictures of the seagulls and sea lions, but once I get out there, the sun and the sea breeze take over. I just can't help myself.

Something about this shot appeals to me.
I think it might be the way the boards
stretch across the image.


I love the pelicans.
If you enlarge this shot,
you can see his reflection.
The water was incredibly smooth.


We spent a long time watching the sea lions.
Unfortunately,
this was the only shot that turned out.
Again, it was the water
that got my interest.


I was trying to do a little bokeh effect here.
I wasn't entirely successful,
but I keep trying.



As the sun started lowering into the west,
I saw this pelican who was beautifully back lit.


By the time I brightened the bird itself,
I lost most of the back lighting,
but if you enlarge it, you can get the idea.


One more shot of the pelican.
I dearly love these birds,
even if this one was a bit scruffy.


The back lighting came out a bit better
with this gull.


And finally,
we saw this on the wharf.


You gotta love Santa Cruz!

10 comments:

Jerry and Suzy said...

Absolutely fabulous pictures, Kate!! Don't stop taking those great shots. Don't know if you ever read Bad Nick's Blog. If you did, you'd know that Spidey would have been run out of town in Idaho Falls!

Russ Krecklow said...

Scruffy pelicans.....my favorite.
Nice shots, Kate. Glad the sweet goats have found a nice new home.

Merikay said...

I've seen him down by the Post Office. I guess singing in costume gets you more tips.

Donna K said...

Spidey with a guitar LOL!!

Love your shots on the wharf and the backlighting is a great touch.

Sad to say good bye to your goatie goats but you know they are going to a great home.

Barb said...

Wow, every photo on the wharf is amazing. The water and the sun back lighting the birds. I've got to start noticing things like that when I'm out walking. I don't ever get tired of this kind of photo.
Spidey is looking good!

Sue Malone said...

I really enjoyed your photos today, Kate. We have white pelicans in Klamath Falls and I never tire of taking photos of them, and of reflections on water.

Erik's RV Blog said...

Great pictures! How do you get them to post in such a large size? I have tried all settings and Live Write cuts them off.


Erik

Kate said...

Eric,

For starters, I use Blogger, I'm not familiar with Live Write, so maybe that's the problem? When I post my pictures, I host them on my own website, so maybe that's why I can control the size. I know if I host them with Blogger, the size is different. I have had people comment that the sizes are too large, making them slow to load, but I look on the blog as my own personal photo album, so I pick the size I like. It's usually 1,000 pixels high horizontal, adjusted differntly for potrait orientation.

Linda said...

Kate & Terry:

We really enjoyed visiting with both of you and having a delicious dinner! We loved the Santa Cruz area and will be planning another trip your way again except next time we plan to stay longer to explore the area. We only had the one day since we were on our way home from No. California. Our granddaughters loved the pictures of the seals so we promised we would take them next time! If you happen to travel our way let me know so we can show you around our area.

Talk to you soon,
Linda & Mando

Linda said...

Kate & Terry:

We really enjoyed visiting with both of you and having a delicious dinner! We loved the Santa Cruz area and will be planning another trip your way again except next time we plan to stay longer to explore the area. We only had the one day since we were on our way home from No. California. Our granddaughters loved the pictures of the seals so we promised we would take them next time! If you happen to travel our way let me know so we can show you around our area.

Talk to you soon,
Linda & Mando