SAN DIEGO OR FLORENCE?

This is also from Seaport Village; it's an alleyway beside a courtyard in the middle of the mall. It almost looks like a throwback--a retro picture of some European alleyway from another decade.

SAN DIEGO CALENDAR

This was also from Seaport Village. This is a view from the Embarcardero Park looking back at Seaport Village. It seemed like something you would see on a postcard or calendar about San Diego. And that's what I liked about it.

POWER AND ROMANCE

This sculpture was sitting in the display window of an art store in Seaport Village, a tourist-y mall, down by the ocean in San Diego. I was moved by the power and romance in it. Plus, I also liked the icy coolness of the piece.

FOUR FROM BIG BEAR (2005)

These four pictures were taken during our annual family vacation--this time to Big Bear Lake, California. This particular shot was in front of the Discovery Center at Big Bear Lake. There were three thunder/lightning storms while we were there, but we managed to outrun this one, even though we were looking for a place to take a hike. I thought the clouds were dramatic and powerful, though.



This was during our hike, by the Discovery Center, and near the lake. I think I was working on composition.



This was also during the hike.



This was near something called the Alpine Slides. There are concrete slides (kind of like an Olympic luge ride) that uses small carts to race the riders down the slide. A chair lift takes you to the top of the hill and then you cart down a winding luge-style slide. We took our daughters on them. It was fun. While we were waiting for our turn, I snapped this of the skyline. I had to tilt it kind of high to avoid buildings, telephone wires, etc. It turned out okay, but I still managed to get a bit of a roof eave in the corner. Oh well.

SUNSET IN POWAY

One night there was an amazing sunset over the houses on our block. Since moving to our new house, we've been blessed with a number of beautiful sunsets, but this one was so dramatic that when I saw it, I rushed into the house and grabbed the camera. I really like the red in this picture. I snapped this shot from the street in the middle of our cul-de-sac. Once again, I just feel really fortunate that views like this are possible really from just the front of our house.

STILL LIFE IN LITTLE ITALY

This is my sad little attempt at a still life. It really is what was left of my lunch at an Italian restaurant I ate at in Little Italy that weekend. You can see the remnants of my Miller Genuine Draft, a basket of bread and little wrinkled olives (that while pictureque, didn't taste very good). In the foreground, you can also see just a bit of my salad. At least it's colorful and approaches an "old world" feel. . .at least as well I can muster in my first attempt.

COFFEE IN LITTLE ITALY

All my life I'd heard of Little Italy and, being of Italian descent, it was a very interesting idea to me. And yet, even though I was born and raised in San Diego, I'd never visited Little Italy until the Spring of my Forty-first year. I sat on the patio of the coffeehouse you see here ("It's a Grind") and thought the building was interesting--artsy, bohemian, etc. I liked the angle I caught it from, and it's a nice souvenir from my trip. I had a very relaxing time sipping a White Mocha on the patio and reading.

OLD BANK IN OLD TOWN

This building is in Old Town. If I'm seeing things right, it says it's an old Wells Fargo Bank Building, but I think most of the buildingsin Old Town are "re-creations." When I was young and naive (last week, basically), I thought they were all REALLY from the 1800s. Silly me. It seems like I was practicing composition here and working with colors and placement. While not completely successful, I like this picture and how it looks.

STAINED GLASS WINDOW IN OLD TOWN

I was on a trip to Old Town in San Diego and shot some pictures of this historic village. This is a stained glass window on the old-fashioned Catholic Church (when I find the name I'll edit this post). I liked the heavy feeling the door gave, plus the ornate decoration in it. I went inside the church that afternoon and it was very peaceful. The whole weekend I spent in Seaport Village, Little Italy, and Old Town, was an attempt to mellow out and find some peace.
It seemed, too, like there would be nice contrast in the picture if I wanted it to be a black and white photo. There also was the extra gravity the spiritual nature of the building gave, although I'm not sure from this photo if you can tell it was a church.

SEAPORT VILLAGE, SAN DIEGO

This was during a Saturday morning in Seaport Village near Downtown San Diego. I think I liked the composition I saw over the bridge, and I was able to frame it nicely. It gives me a real sense of serenity and was a nice reminder of the time I spent sitting on a bench near the bridge, just enjoying the day.

RAINBOW IN POWAY

After a Spring shower, I stepped into my front yard and snapped this shot. Mainly, I wanted to capture a picture of a rainbow for my eldest daughter, who wasn't home at the time. It turned out pretty well. It reminds me how blessed I am to have the life I have that this picture is possible from my front yard.

SHELTER ISLAND, FEBRUARY 2005

This shot was taken last February on Shelter Island in San Diego while I was attending a writers conference in a local hotel. I've always loved living in San Diego, and sometimes forget how beautiful our coastline is and what great opportunities there are for expressing our creative side.