nature rocks

Chasing the sky

Last week, it was overcast, then cloudy, then more clouds, then sun and more sun. During the week I tried to chase the clouds. On April 21, I ended up at the Yolo Causeway. I think I was facing North when I snapped this shot of the rice paddies.

Esther's cupcakes

One of the fun things about working at Sacramento magazine is trying new things. One of the editors wrote a blog about a new place in town called Esther's cupcakes. It is located on Fair Oaks and Munroe. They have 16 varieties. They cost $2.75 each. This strawberry cupcake was topped with a scalloped cookie and half of a strawberry.

Masullo Pizza

One of the nice things about living in Land Park, it has some great places to eat. Masullo has great thin crust pizzas. They also have wonderful salads. This is their Arugula Salad that has fennel, shaved Parmesan, Kumquats with Meyer Lemon Vinaigrette. It was very tasty with a sweet and tangy dressing. The kumquats added a burst of flavor.

McKinley Park

Weekdays, I pass by McKinley Park on my way to work. I like the way the light invades the rose garden in the morning by shining a glow through the trees and lighting up the grass.

by air

On April 14, I was fortunate enough (thanks to Sacramento magazine) to get to go on a Zeppelin called Eureka. It left McClellan at 10 am, flew past downtown, headed to Folsom Lake and looped back to McClellan. We were about 1,000 feet in the air going around 40 mph. The views were great. There were two windows that opened. You could even stick your head out the window. I did. There were 12 passengers plus the pilot and co-pilot. It will return to Sacramento in July. Prices start at $199 for a half-hour journey.

XY freeway

The night provides different kind of landscapes. I am drawn to light and shapes and forms.

During weekdays, this space is a parking lot. On sunday mornings, it becomes a Farmers Market filled with produce and flowers. At night, it is a empty oasis.

from the East

I like to take photos of Sacramento landmarks and landscapes from different vantage points. This is a photo of the capitol taken from the East.

WE garden in Capitol Park

I went to Capitol Park and walked around looking for interesting things to photograph. This is a photo of a cabbage plant.

Lady Maria Shriver leads the effort to promote the creation of school and community gardens across California. Shriver has spearheaded the movement to plant a garden on the grounds of California’s State Capitol Park in Sacramento. The purpose of this demonstration garden is to educate and inspire Californians about the important lessons gardens teach to students, children and people of all ages—lessons rooted in nutrition, healthy living, agriculture, science, history and service. "WE Garden in Capitol Park" is a pilot program made possible through public and private partnerships with organizations dedicated to the value gardens have in communities. It was created in June 2009.

Orphan Breakfast

On March 26, it was Laura's birthday and I was lucky to have breakfast with her and Phil at Orphan Restaurant in East Sacramento (where Moxie Jr. used to be on C Street and 35th near McKinley Park). She told me about their $4 breakfast. It's 2 blueberry pancakes, two strips of bacon, and two eggs for $4.00. It's their 2+2+2=4. The restaurant is owned by Chris Pendarvis who also owns The Naked Lounge, downtown and Tupelo coffee in East Sac. It's a good thing I went when I did, because they were discontinuing the "Orphan Breakfast" at the end of March. I think they used it as a way to bring in new customers and now they figure that they are established. The food was delicious. They served the maple syrup in a Coke bottle. They also brew every cup of coffee one at a time; excellent, rich and smooth coffee. Thumbs up in my book.

Crocker Art Museum

The Crocker Art Museum is celebrating its 125th anniversary on May 8. The building to the right is the new addition that is scheduled to open on 10/10/10. I chose to shoot at night because the museum faces north and it's hard to get good lighting on it. I also think the twilight blue sky adds some nice color to the background.