California pictures

WordPress weekly photo challenge: Escape to Coronado Beach

Enjoying the Pacific Ocean at Coronado Beach

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I apologize if you’ve seen some of these photos in a previous post, but I want to add one to the lot and keep them all together in one post about our San Diego beaches. My next post will probably feature more frost photos so I need images of the beach to keep my bones warm a little longer.

Last weekend, I did something I haven’t done in a very long time: go to the beach with my kids. I live less than 30 minutes away from it and I don’t go very often. Why? Mostly because of the sand. It gets everywhere, especially with kids! Between your toes, in your clothes, your hair, your mouth, argh… But we’ve been talking of going to look at tide pools for months, and the winter’s low tides occur more often at times when we’re awake. Coronado Beach, just across from downtown San Diego is my favorite beach in town and it deserves its “best beach in the USA” status.

Unfortunately, we didn’t see many tide pools there but I’m planning to go to another beach soon for that. Instead, we spent the morning enjoying the ocean breeze (I love that iodine smell!), looking for shells and writing in the sand. The weather was beautiful and Coronado beach looked like this (remember to click on each image for a larger view):

The waves were a decent size and quite noisy. The boys loved to look at them and I enjoyed taking pictures of the big rolls coming in. Look how pretty!

Beautiful waves at Coronado Beach, San Diego, California

The day was perfect to take the sailboats out and they were lined up coming out of the San Diego Bay by Point Loma.

After our walk on the beach, we went back to the sidewalk to walk to the Hotel Del Coronado (I love that place!). On our way, I snapped this picture showing the mild weather you can find by the beach in San Diego. A perfect January day!

Pacific ocean in the background, Coronado, California

January 9, 2013February 7, 2020 by Milka Pejovic Categories: California Photos, Ocean photos, Photography, Photos of San Diego, Water photosTags: California pictures, Coronado Beach photos, Coronado California, Pacific ocean photos, photography, photos, photos of Coronado beach, rolling waves photos, San Diego, San Diego Bay, San Diego beach photos, San Diego photos, San Diego sailboats 5 Comments

Capture The Colour 2013 photo contest - blue dragonfly

Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge: Your 2012 Outdoors and Nature

One of my goals for 2013 when it comes to my photography activities is to participate in more photo challenges. I hope to mingle with other photographers of all levels, get more people to see my photos and gather feedback.

This past week, I joined the Project 365 – 2013, where I will attempt to post a photo almost every day, both on my Facebook page, as well as the Project 365 2013 Facebook page. I love to see the other photos people submit on a daily basis!

I’ve also decided to join Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge, which takes place weekly. This week’s theme is “Your 2012 Outdoors and Nature”, with a focus on people and animals. If you visit my site regularly, you’ve probably seen all of the photos below already, and I apologize. If you’re new here, I hope you enjoy my photos of outdoors and nature animals. You can click on each image to see a larger view in a slideshow format. You can also access much larger photos directly from each post, available from my Animals page, which needs some serious updating. Another of my 2013 goals!

Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge: Lines on a tiger swallowtail butterfly

Mourning dove sitting on its nest and eggs

Capture The Colour 2013 photo contest – blue dragonfly

Bee on a wild rose

Stellar jay bird

Travel theme: Contrast – Sea jellies

Stellar Jay bird sitting on a branch

squirrel relaxing in the sun

Delicate dew drops on spider web

January 7, 2013February 7, 2020 by Milka Pejovic Categories: Animal Photos, Bird photos, California Photos, Photography, Photos of San DiegoTags: California pictures, Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge, jelly fish photos, mourning dove photo, photo challenges, photography, photos, Project 365 - 2013, sea jellies photos, sea jelly photo, squirrel photo, stellar jay bird photo, tiger swallowtail butterfly photo 6 Comments

WordPress weekly photo challenge: Sea - the waves at Coronado Beach

Sunday Post: Goals

Today I’m participating in Jakesprinter’s Sunday Post photo challenge. This week’s theme is Goals. I’m purposely not having new year’s resolutions for 2013, but rather “intentions” and a to-do list to make these intentions happen.

Earlier today, I hosted a “vision board” party for about 20 friends at my house. We all got together and organized our thoughts, intentions and goals for 2013 to create our individual vision boards. I have to say it was a very cleansing process and I’m very glad to have completed my 2013 board, which will now be a daily reminder of what is important for me to accomplish this year.

One of the sections I included on my board is titled “Be more creative and artistic”. I have been putting this goal on the back burner for way too long, only for it to itch constantly. I addressed part of it last year by creating this new photography website, but there’s still a lot more to do, like the items on this list:

Sunday post: Goals - 2013 vision board - be more creative — Sunday post: Goals – 2013 vision board – be more creative

Besides taking pictures on a regular basis, I want to spend more time drawing. I got a Bamboo Create graphics tablet for Christmas and I want to make sure to dedicate time every day to draw with it, or even just on paper.

Of course, when it comes to photos, I want to capture new sights several times a week but also update my Facebook page and my Pinterest page, which is pretty much blank right now, and add new photo products to my Zazzle store.

My goal is to take more beautiful photos like the ones I took this first weekend of January at Coronado Beach, in San Diego, California, for everyone to enjoy. I find the Pacific ocean very inspiring new it comes to making new goals for the year.

Here are a few photos of Coronado Beach, named the #1 beach in the USA for a lot of very good reasons. You can click on each photo to see a larger view.

Sunday Post: Goals - Beautiful waves at Coronado Beach, San Diego, California — Beautiful waves at Coronado Beach,Sunday Post: Goals – Beautiful waves at Coronado Beach, San Diego, CaliforniaSan Diego, California

Sunday Post: Goals - Pacific ocean in the background, Coronado, California — Sunday Post: Goals – Pacific ocean in the background, Coronado, California, California

January 6, 2013February 7, 2020 by Milka Pejovic Categories: California Photos, Photography, Photos of San Diego, Water photosTags: California pictures, Coronado Beach photos, Coronado California, Jakesprinter’s Sunday Post photo challenge, ocean photos, ocean waves photos, Pacific ocean, photography, photos, photos of Coronado beach, photos of ocean waves, San Diego, San Diego california, Sunday Post: Goals 8 Comments

WordPress weekly photo challenge: Resolved

Before I forget, my 2013 12-month photo calendar is available at 50% off on my Zazzle online store. Use coupon code CALSLASTDEAL at checkout.

This week’s WordPress photo challenge is resolved, as in New Year’s resolutions. This year I’ve decided to make new year’s intentions. not resolutions (sorry, WordPress people). I’m still working on my list but I love the way my list of challenges is going so far, especially when it comes to my photography. My projects will include this website, my Facebook page, and my Zazzle store. The good thing is, there’s plenty of room for growth and improvement.

This year, I’m also resolved to understand the full features of my new camera, the Canon Powershot G1X. I’ve mostly figured out how to use the manual settings on my Canon Powershot SX130, and the two cameras work in a similar way, so it shouldn’t be too hard.

Yesterday, I tried to photograph something new. A waterfall. This has to be the smallest waterfall you’ve ever seen but it was great for practicing taking pictures of running water. It’s part of the San Diego River at Mission Trails regional park, in San Diego, California.

Make sure you click on each image for a larger view.

San Diego River at Mission Trails park, San Diego, California

I love the soft winter light that gives a bluish tint to the water in the shade.

Small waterfall at Mission Trails park, San Diego, California

Considering the small size of my subject, I think I did a pretty good job. What do you think?

Of course, the key will be to find a bigger waterfall in the future. This is quite a challenge in Southern California, where water is so scarce. It’s all about timing here, because after the spring, everything dries up. There’s a nice waterfall in Cuyamaca Rancho State Park but I believe the park entrance closest to it is has been closed for lack of funding every time I’ve driven by it. How convenient is that for me? I’ll give it another try in the spring, just in case.

Are you resolved to making small and big changes for 2013?

January 4, 2013February 7, 2020 by Milka Pejovic Categories: California Photos, Photography, Photos of San Diego, Rock photos, Water photosTags: 2013 photo calendar, California pictures, Mission Trails park, Mission Trails regional park, Mission Trails San Diego, photography, photos, photos of waterfalls, San Diego, San Diego River, San Diego river rocks, San Diego river waterfall, waterfall photos, Wordpress weekly photo challenge, Wordpress weekly photo challenge: Resolved 25 Comments

A closer look at the Baccharis Sarothroides bush

A few weeks ago, I gave you a glimpse of the Baccharis Sarothroides bush when I took part in a photo challenge on texture. Today, I wanted to share a few more of the photos I took that day in November while walking through Mission Trails regional park in San Diego County.

The Baccharis bush is very large and tall (probably 7 to 8 feet both ways). Besides its significant size, it doesn’t really stand out, except when it blooms, apparently in late fall. Even though the blooms of the Baccharis Sarothroides bush are not specifically colorful, they’re very numerous and fluffy, and that’s what got my attention.

Click on any image to view the slideshow. To see a larger view of my Baccharis bush photos, scroll down while in slideshow mode and click on “view full size”.

I hope these blooms don’t make you sneeze!