Saturday, February 27, 2010

San Ramon Vistas

The weather has been really erratic here lately. And since I've been busier than usual, I haven't been on any interesting or scenic photo jaunts since my visit to the lovely Suisun Valley wine country on Valentine's Day. In search of something to photograph, however, on my way home from work last Thursday, I headed up to the San Ramon Senior Center and shot these dreary, gray sky vistas. A rainstorm was moving in...




It rained heavily on and off all day Friday, but late in the afternoon the sun came out and made a brief appearance. I took advantage of that and captured a few sunny scenes from around the neighborhood...







I hung out under the big power lines in South San Ramon hoping to get some great sunset shots, but it wasn't really that spectacular...



Then today I awoke to bright sunshine and headed out again to shoot some more sunny San Ramon vistas before the next storm passed through...















It's been raining off and on since I got home, but it's quite warm out. I even managed to mow our rather soggy lawn in between another downpour. So how's the weather in your neighborhood?

Sunday, February 14, 2010

Suisun Valley, CA

How does Valentine's Day in the vineyards sound? Most wine lovers in the Bay Area flock up to the Napa Valley to indulge in winetasting; however, there are other valleys full of award winning vineyards. One is the Suisun Valley near Fairfield where small family-run wineries dot the pretty countryside...

The center point is Manka's Corner, where you can grab a bite to eat in one of the small restuarants...



Just around the corner is the Vezer Family Vineyard...











Farther up the road is the colorful Blue Victoria winery, which blends in with the beautiful blue sky...












Then as you head back toward the freeway, you come across Wooden Valley...

There are many other vineyards besides these and as the produce season gets into full swing, the roads will soon be lined with small farmer's markets selling fresh fruits and vegetables. This is how I spent my Valentine's Day. How was yours?

Sunday, February 7, 2010

Crazy Skies of San Ramon

Here's what the skies looked like over Summit View Trails in San Ramon late last Friday afternoon ...dramatic, wild, and crazy!












The rain was just getting ready to start back up again as I was leaving.