Had a short trip to Colorado last month, and was lucky to spend a day up on Grand Mesa looking at the fall colors. There’s something about the aspen groves that I find very satisfying, and I was very fortunate to have been able to be there on the right day.
The details: FujiFilm X-E2 / XF55-200 @ 58mm. iso 200 – 1/1000th @f/4.5
A little backyard safari action again this month, this time a little more fauna than flora. Of the many things I learned this month, apparently, not all ladybugs have spots. Also, they’re not true “bugs” but beetles. Called “ladybirds” or “lady beetles” in other parts of the world… Either way, I think its amazing the things you can see if you just look.
The details: Fujifilm X-E2 with Nikon Micro-NIKKOR 55mm, 1/60th @f2.8, ISO 200
Made a trip to a reptile zoo this month, but the photos I ended up with were rather uninspiring. I was hoping for a photo of the lunar eclipse, but despite being able to see the moon before going to bed last night, the skies were thoroughly clouded over this morning.
So… what do I have in the yard I can make a picture of? The spruce tree in the front dropped these cones which kinda looks like a reptile and I found a couple boughs out of the Douglas Fir on the back yard to rest them on, let’s see how this looks…
The details: Fujifilm X-E2 with Nikkor 55mm. 1/10th @f2.8 ISO 200
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We visited the Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge last week, taking the afternoon to walk the trails and enjoy the high tide along the boardwalk. On the way back from the viewing platform at the end of the boardwalk, we stopped and talked with a group of four birdwatchers (seen on the left side of the photo).
They were keenly focused on a flock of small shorebirds we could barely see with the naked eye, and apparently there was one teeny bird the multitude of teeny birds that was the source of many “well I think it’s…” and “maybe it’s a…” and “well if you look at this it’s probably a…” and was all very interesting and amusing at the same time. It was really very cool that they let us in on their conversation.
The details: Fujifilm X-E2, 18-55mm lens @50mm. ISO 200, 1/900th @f4.
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November was quite the change of pace for us. We traveled to southern California for a birthday party, then out to the Phoenix, Arizona (nearer Surprise, actually) to visit a couple friends. Then back to Ventura County for Thanksgiving, then back home.
I have always had a deep affection for the American Southwest. Wide open spaces, cactus and sagebrush make me a happy man. The saguaro cactus in particular reminds me of Sergio Leone movies (even though there aren’t any saguaro cactus in Italy), and in my imagination I can totally see a lone gunslinger on horseback, making his way to the next trading post. I guess that’s one of the reasons I really like this region – it is easy to imagine what it was like 150 years ago.
Nikon D90, Nikon Micro-NIKKOR 55mm 1/4000th @f22, ISO 200
On the drive back home, we ran into an unexpected snow storm just before we got home. After three weeks of comparatively warm weather, surprise, indeed.
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The View From Here 
