Flowers, Sunflowers, and More Flowers! Davis, California & Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area

In my previous post, I showed you some of the amazing birds to be found in the fields and rice paddies in Yolo County near Davis, California.  And, even though it is full on, hot summer here, there are flowers growing both wild and cultivated. 

And we'll start with the sunflowers! During the summer months there are many, many cultivated sunflower fields in Yolo County.  Farms with sunflowers and big, red barns!  

This moth was having fun in the pollen too!

And there were many, many bees buzzing about as well!

I confess I did spend a bit too long driving around and visiting this sunflower farm.  That's why I ended up getting the car locked in Vic Fazio at sunset!  But it's so beautiful and peaceful among the tall flowers. 

But when I got to Vic Fazio Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area, I was very happy to see many wildflowers were blooming there as well!

I love the top edit but wanted to show what it actually looked like.  These flowers were TALL!  They actually towered over the car by about a foot. The bottom is a slightly different photo. 

The sun was starting (STARTING!) to set at this point, turning banks of flowers golden and bright.  

The play of light on different areas was so captivating.  And created some gorgeous bokeh too. 

This is one of my most favorite shots.  Possibly in my top 10(0) of all time.  A single daisy (?) in front of a gray, plowed field.  But the light turned the gray to soft purple. 

And I'm kind of particular about this lone flower peaking out of tall reeds too. 

Another one that I love love love.  

And another one!  What a magical sunset!

Such a beautiful ending to a wonderful day.  Except for getting locked in!!  hahaha  Well, all's well that ends well, and (spoiler alert)  I didn't end up sleeping in the car.  The Davis police were quite helpful in tracking down a maintenance man who came back back to let me (and the other car that came up after me) out.  

Thank you!!! 

xoxo

Sony A350

Model Cowgirl - Tricia @ Multi-Artist Retreat Shoot

Last year I had the privilege of attending a shoot at one of the most awesome locations I've seen yet.  It was a private artist-owned residence and property that used to be an organic farm.  There were SO many spots to shoot on this property as the owners had spent so much time and resources making every inch a work of art.  

Today we'll focus on the beautiful Tricia, who in this first set of shots was rocking a cowgirl vibe.  

This is one of my favorites from this shoot.  

Another absolute favorite. 

xoxo

Nikon D

Autumn - Where Every Leaf is a Flower - Apple Hill 2017

I just love Autumn!  While it's not true that the seasons never change in California, and also not true that we don't get a lot of Fall color, it can be a blink and you miss it moment some years.  

This year we had an Indian Summer that was hotter than most of the regular Summer.  So Autumn came and went pretty fast at the higher elevations.  There is still some gorgeous foliage here in Sacramento, but who wants photos of gorgeous trees with urban sprawl?  Not me!

So last weekend I headed up Highway 50 to Apple Hill.  I went on the spur of the moment, just before sunset and basically just drove around until I spotted red or yellow.  I got really lucky because it was mostly brown and green!  

It was kind of chilly and a lot of folks had burn piles going.  Which made for some beautiful sun rays peaking through the evergreens.

But luckily, I found a few spots where color was lingering.  Including one farm that had this cool, old truck! 

This place was really beautiful.  There were several bright spots of color along with some very cool stuff to take pictures of.  

Obviously I just loved this huge waterwheel!  

I found some more color at a farm down the road.  

I'm not really sure what these reddish bushes were, but it was obviously a crop of some kind as it was planted in rows and covered a huge field. 

This is a close up of the leaves with the sun just about setting in the background. 

Across from the field was a lovely picnic area shared by some couples and a few kids running around.  

And beside the field, there were trees with apples!  

This is a shot of the neighboring farm which had one absolutely brilliant red tree.

The sun went behind the pines, so I got back in my car and headed down the road.  

I actually turned the wrong way and was just about thinking that I wouldn't see any more color when I rounded a corner and, voila!  The sun was perfectly highlighting a red tree through the dark forest!

Luckily there was a perfect spot on the shoulder to pull safely off the road to get this picture. 

And then I hit the jackpot!!

There was a lovely road with white fences and fir trees, when suddenly I came upon a beautiful field with lavender bushes, red trees, and a cool red barn! It was surrounded on three sides with bursts of bright color - all highlighted by the sunset!

And it had a big gravel area in front where I could pull of the road and walk around, so it was just perfect. 

I couldn't have been there at a better time if I had actually planned it!  The sun was casting an orange glow and perfectly highlighting the foliage. 

The lavender smelled scrumptious with nary a bee so close to sunset!

It was the perfect ending to my drive!

I worked my way back to Highway 50, past the hordes leaving the most popular farms.  And just as I made it through the heavy Placerville traffic, the sun set into total darkness.

I need to go back to pick some chestnuts for my Thanksgiving dressing and get some photos of some adorable sheep and burros I saw!  Hmmm...guess I'm heading back this weekend!  lol

xoxo

Nikon D3300