California pictures

Sand art on the beach in dark and light sand

And the answer is… Mother Nature does sand art!

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Remember the guessing game from yesterday? You had to guess what this picture is. You can click on each picture below for a larger view.

Two people guessed it right: Annette at The Beauty Along The Road, and Cee at Cee’s Photography.

This is… drum roll, please… wet sand! And I have a picture of a larger area to show you what it really looked like. The darker gray is wet sand in the shade. The whiter part is wet sand in the bright sun. The yellow at the bottom is part of a rock. I took this picture at low tide. As the ocean water disappeared, the waves left this pattern of bare trees in the sand. Since the sand here is a mix of very dark and very light colors, the waves can create interesting patterns, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen one as intricate as this one.

Mother Nature makes sand art: tree drawing in the wet sand

Usually, the sand patterns at Coronado Beach look more like this:

Patterns in wet sand: dark and light sand

I thought I got lucky when I stumbled upon this interesting pattern. Lots of little trees…

Well, that was until I saw the really cool bare trees above. Next time I go back to the beach, I’ll make sure it’s when it’s getting close to low tide so I can look for more patterns like these. I’ve always spent more time photographing the waves but now I realize there is a lot to discover right under my feet.

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March 3, 2014February 6, 2020 by Milka Pejovic Categories: California Photos, Ocean photos, Photos of San Diego, Rock photos, Water photosTags: bare trees drawing in wet sand, California pictures, color changes in sand, Coronado, dark sand light sand pattern, Mother Nature art, patterns in wet sand, photos of sand, sand art, wave patterns in sand, wet sand art 17 Comments

A Word A Week Photo Challenge – Frame

Today I’m participating in the A Word A Week Challenge. This week’s theme is “frame”. I encourage you to click on each photo to see a larger view. If you like what you see, please subscribe to this blog to receive updates of the new photos I post, usually 3 to 5 times a week.

I recently took these two pictures while walking in a San Diego County park. They show the same tree branches arching over the path, but I took each picture from one side of the path. I think I like the first one better but I’ll let you chime in.

A Word A Week Photo Challenge – Frame - tree branches curling over walking path — A Word A Week Photo Challenge – Frame – tree branches curling over walking path

Tree branches create opening over walking path

This is another walking trail in a different county park. I love how the leaning tree branches and tree trunks frame the downhill path.

Tree branches leaning over the walking path

I like the framing created by this wooden fence right on the edge on the walking path, especially when it’s lined with wildflowers.

Wooden fence and spring wildflowers in San Diego

Wisteria behaves like an invasive tree if you give the vine the space and the structure it needs to grow on. I loved photographing these beautiful wisteria blooms hanging from the wooden frame. Here are a few photos of wisteria flowers from further to closer.

Finally, here’s a mama panda bear who doesn’t mind being framed to pose for a picture.

February 28, 2014February 6, 2020 by Milka Pejovic Categories: Animal Photos, Bloom Photos, California Photos, Flower Photos, Forest Photos, Landscape Photos, Plant Photos, Tree Photos, Woods PhotosTags: A Word A Week Photo Challenge – Frame, blooms, California pictures, California spring wild flowers, California spring wildflowers, giant panda bear, nature photography, photos of blooms, tree branches create opening over path, tree branches over walking path, tree branches over walking trail, wisteria blooms, wisteria flowers, wisteria vine 8 Comments

A Word A Week Challenge – Atmospheric

Today I’m participating in the A Word A Week Challenge. This week’s theme is “atmospheric”. I encourage you to click on each photo to see a larger view. If you like what you see, please subscribe to this blog to receive updates of the new photos I post, usually 3 to 5 times a week.

Here are a few photos to illustrate my take on this atmospheric photo theme. Clouds have the ability to create a very distinctive mood, as they affect the natural lighting, both during the day and at night. I like how they can affect the light reflecting from the moon.

A word a week challenge: atmospheric - moon behind the clouds — A word a week challenge: atmospheric – moon behind the clouds

On a winter morning, the fog can create a strange atmosphere as it softens the light from the rising sun.

When rain clouds crawl over the hills, they can create a creepy atmosphere. They’re fascinating to watch, especially because they can crawl quite fast.

Rain clouds crawling over the hills in San Diego

At the time I photographed these crawling clouds, I also noticed the eerie atmosphere created by the winter scene in the foreground. When I saw the “atmospheric” theme, this is the first photo that came to mind, and so I’m showcasing it last.

Winter cloudy, raindy day with an eerie atmosphere

February 26, 2014February 6, 2020 by Milka Pejovic Categories: California Photos, Cloud photos, Forest Photos, Landscape Photos, Sky Photos, Tree PhotosTags: A Word A Week Challenge – Atmospheric, A word a week photo challenge, California pictures, crawling rain clouds, crawling rainclouds, eerie cloudy scene, eerie foggy atmosphere, eerie rainy scene, full moon with clouds, moon hiding behind clouds, nature photography, rain clouds creep over hills, winter fog in trees, winter fog san diego 2 Comments

Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge: the color orange

Today I’m participating in Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge and her theme is “the color orange”. I encourage you to click on each photo to see a larger view. If you like what you see, please subscribe to this blog to receive updates of the new photos I post, usually 3 to 5 times a week.

I photographed these bright orange California poppies yesterday and I thought they would be a great match for this week’s colorful theme.

Orange poppies are the official state flower of California. You can see them on the side of many freeways as you drive. The ones I saw yesterday are a cultivated type of orange poppy, and a little different from the native state flower. They bloom in the late winter and don’t last long so it’s a great idea to snap a few photos while you can.

I hope you enjoy this burst of orange today.

February 19, 2014February 6, 2020 by Milka Pejovic Categories: Bloom Photos, California Photos, Flower Photos, Plant PhotosTags: blooms, California orange poppy, California pictures, California poppies, California poppy, Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge, Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge: the color orange, close-up of an orange poppy, Macro Monday, nature photography, orange poppy blooms, orange poppy flowers, photos of blooms, photos of flowers 11 Comments

White egret with water ripples and reflections in the water

A Word A Week Challenge – Undulate

Today I’m participating in the A Word A Week Challenge. This week’s theme is “undulate (wavey/ripple)”. I encourage you to click on each photo to see a larger view. If you like what you see, please subscribe to this blog to receive updates of the new photos I post, usually 3 to 5 times a week.

Of course water ripples are the first thing that came to mind when I saw the word undulate. But I wanted to share this photo of pine tree bark first, because it undulates in its own special way.

A Word A Week Challenge – Undulate - pine tree bark — A Word A Week Challenge – Undulate – pine tree bark

Most of my photos showing water ripples happen to have another subject in the frame, like this great egret.

The water ripples around this duck, along with the shadows on the lily pads, are very interesting too.

Brown mallard female duck swimming in a pond

Some ripples can be small and others can actually be big waves about to break in the Pacific ocean.

On this last picture, I photographed the water because I love the reflections and the ripples in the water. The four ducks and the light breeze happen to be the creators of those ripples.