Yosemite Part II

Besides seeking out some of the more remote parts of the park there are some iconic photos that need to be taken, even if that means being elbow to with 35 other photographers with their tripods and bags of equipment spread everywhere.

El Capitan (left), Half Dome (center, distant background) and Bridalveil Falls (right)

After staying in this spot for several hours, all the others had cleared out and now there were just the four of us for for some night photography.  We (my dad and I) made our first attempts at star trails with relative success.  It takes a lot of patience and considerable Photoshop skills to get great images, that’s why you’ll only see a couple mediocre images here…

A starry night above the Yosemite Valley. The small streak, top center, is the skip of a shooting star on the atmosphere.

With a 10 minute exposure you’ll start to get some star trails in the sky, streaks from satellites, airplanes and the occasional shooting star.

This is basically the same view as the first photo in this post, only about 4 hours later.

Half Dome sitting among the clouds around sunset

The last bit of color around Half Dome before the sun disappears

Yosemite Part I

My dad and I shooting in Yosemite (Thanks for the photo Phil)

When Laura and I arrived in San Francisco we spent that day and night at some of our favorite spots.  The next morning Laura’s friends and my dad arrived from Seattle.  Our vacation become two separate trips.  Laura and her girls would spend the next few days shopping the streets and San Francisco while my dad and I would hike and photograph Yosemite.

Rapidly changing weather around Mono Lake

We signed up for a 3-day photography workshop that would take us to some of the most beautiful parts of the park.  Early mornings, late nights, high altitude hikes, rain, snow, lightning and thunder were all on the menu.  The weather was a perfect backdrop for some of the photography.  Blue skies are great, but thunderous clouds add a lot more drama to a photograph.

Ready to shoot in any weather

Rainshowers moving across the plains

Snow moving across Tioga Pass

San Francisco Part II

San Francisco’s tasty treats were a fun part of each day.

Yes!

In the last post I was talking about how much we missed Mexican food, and how it’s really the only kind of food that’s missing overseas.  There is the occasional Mexican cuisine, but nothing like we get in the States.  This place, I think it’s called Del Sol, has been our favorite spot for many years.  It probably seats 6 people, but those six people are lucky to be here, it’s delicious.

These two fed us well on more than one occasion, thanks!

Blood orange gelato with heirloom tomatoes in the background

Our hotel, Fairmont Heritage Place, Ghirardelli Square, had a wonderful kitchen and we took full advantage of it.  It was fully stocked with appliances and cooking supplies, we just needed to bring home the food.  We started shopping at the Ferry Building on Pier One and brought home some fresh heirloom tomatoes, basil, pasta, buffalo mozzarella, oil and balsamic vinegar (thanks Dad) for some pasta Caprese.

Pasta caprese in our room

Fried rice and fried noodles at Sam Wo's

A fine dining experience at Mr. Wo's

Some dried meats, smelly cheese and Kara's cupcakes

We took full advantage of our kitchen at the Fairmont.

Our version of the Manager's Favorite, mizithra and marinara sauce

Fresh, red, ripe, strawberries from the Farmer's Market

One of the highlights was shopping in and around the Ferry Building and Farmer’s Market.  We made several trips throughout the week.

Lindsay, this one's for you. Yes, I had some of my favorite wine and loved it.

San Francisco Part I

On the move in San Francisco

On June 10 we headed to San Francisco for about two weeks of fun with family and friends. Laura and I arrived in SF a day before her friends and my dad arrived from Seattle. I met my dad at the airport and we headed up to Yosemite for a photography workshop while Laura waited for her friends to arrive.

Must be my lucky day!

The next three nights were very different for both of us. Laura spent her days shopping, drinking coffee and walking the streets of SF while my dad and I hiked around 8000 foot mountains taking hundreds (693 to be exact) of photos around Yosemite.

Dad enjoying the best in fine dining at Sam Wo's

On the fourth day, all 6 of us met in Ghirardelli Square for some ice cream, more photos and an early Father’s Day dinner.

The whole gang in our room

Laura and I saw everyone off to the airport and then had 8 more days to relax, shop and get our fill of Mexican food, the one food group we miss most since moving overseas.

Tonight in Taipei

Here’s a short video I put together from Shi Men Ding. This area is also known as the “Theater District” and isn’t too far from the Taipei Main Station. Music: Secret World by Peter Gabriel. Turn up the volume, sit back and enjoy a little bit of Taipei.

**This video can be found HERE now.