Fencetop Conversation

Linking with  and Skywatch Friday. Thanks for stopping by, and have a great weekend!

Ralph B. Clark Regional Park

Ralph B. Clark Park straddles the Fullerton / La Habra border in Orange County, CA. If you are driving into the park, there's a fee. Walking in is free, and street parking is usually available except during peak hours. I walked in yesterday late in the afternoon, camera bag with various lenses and tripod in hand. My goal was to photograph some of the thunderhead cloud formations I had seen earlier in the day, but by about 7 PM, they had really started to dissipate.

I like the way the shot above was framed by trees on either side!

A few heavy clouds late in the day, but not nearly as spectacular as they had been a few hours earlier.

There were a few hardy souls running around enjoying the park in the triple digit temps, but for the most part, it was pretty empty. At the far east end of the park, there are some steep hiking trails bordered by split-rail fence. At the very top of the trail, there are some benches to sit and enjoy the view. I used this as my base camp to set up my tripod and watch the sun set!

As the sun was setting, I came across this gentleman very focused on doing squat exercises at the top of the hill behind the bench. He didn't even notice me standing behind him taking his picture! I positioned the sun directly behind his head, so it gave his silhouette a nice glow.

Even this little dog was enjoying the golden glow!

And it's an excellent vantage point to watch the sun sink on the horizon...

Lugging my camera with telephoto lens attached, tripod, and backpack with extra lenses back to my car, I noticed this young lady walking in front of me. A perfect opportunity to put my camera on the tripod for a long exposure shot to get some motion blur.

400mm lens, f/11, 0.8seconds, ISO 250

Oh, and finally, a decent opportunity for a fence shot! Seems like most of the fences I see around here are chain link!

Linking with Skywatch Friday and Good Fences. Thanks for stopping by!

Old Cars of Joshua Tree National Park

In my opinion, the National Park Service should be applauded for leaving things "as is". Case in point: The old cars you can find throughout Joshua Tree National Park. They could have elected to haul them off, but instead they've left them intact as part of the Park's history.

One can only marvel at why someone was driving a car in a totally remote and unforgiving area back at a time when the nearest paved roads were probably at least 50 miles away?

Not to mention that cars of yesteryear were much more likely to overheat or blow a tire than cars of today.

These cars were all seen on the relatively short hike to the "Wall Street Mill", an old mining operation in the Park near Barker Dam.

Given the large size of Joshua Tree National Park, it makes me wonder what to total abandoned car count is? I'm guessing it's a large number!

This last one is, I think, my favorite. I like all the Joshua Trees, boulders, and beautiful sky in the background!

Joshua Tree is a magical place from a photography point of view! Linking with Skywatch Friday. Click on the link to check out great skies from around the world.

Blue Moon...

... You saw me standing alone. A popular classic written by Rodgers and Hart in 1934. It's been sung by just about everyone, from Billie Holiday to Elvis to Sinatra. Here's Ella's version for your listening pleasure!

Wednesday's moon (9/3/2014), taken in the early evening prior to sunset (hence the blue sky and blue tinted moon). Hope your week is going well. Click on the Skywatch Friday link to check out great skies from around the world!