AmGen Tour Stage 1 2010
Motorcade Escort
Quite a bit of escort and fanfare before racers appeared.
On Their Way!
Not certain how many people are behind the scenes to pull off an event of this magnitude…just a glimpse!
In the Lead
Leaders were ahead of the pack!
On Camera!
There was very little time that passed between the leaders and the pack!
The Pack!
There actually were more support vehicles and escorts than team riders.
Support bringing up the rear
Having never observed or photographed a bike race before today…just can’t believe how quick they were gone! Have photographed local CIF Marathon and thought the AmGen Race would be much longer.
Next year, longer lens and binoculars to isolate who I really want to capture.
Was an amazing moment to try to capture speeding athletes!
Please feel free to identify the fabulous folks I did capture. No Lance or Levi as far as I could tell. But–amazing just the same! Do it again in a heart beat:)
Fun at the Fair
What's behind the fence?
This was my first visit to the Auburn Fairgrounds. It is a quaint and small fairgound housed in a town rich with Gold Rush history. Which today will not only be housing the Home and Garden Show, but the AmGen Bike Race will speed through the streets as well!
Nice bike for a realxing ride
There were “Country Cute” displays throughout the fairgrounds, so of course I captured them!
A bit of country charm
It still works!
There were numerous vendors with every house and garden product or remodel project you could ever hope for. Didn’t capture the various products, as I figured they wouldn’t appreciate me doing so. Couldn’t resist this nice display. The vendor was selling doors–vintage almost “barn like”. Very rustic.
A bit of color
And everyone just seemed so happy, even the Bartender with his mobile cart was happy to pose!
Who came up with a bar on wheels?
All in all, a fun visit to a cute little fairground.
I managed to acquire a new mop, Scum Off, and couldn’t resist the garlic fries. Smelled better than they tasted, but I managed to eat them anyway!
Black Phoebe
Just "Me and my Shadow"
For the past 5 weeks or so, I had constant entertainment and company when sitting at my desk.
Black Phoebe’s chose to build a mud nest on my deck on top of the light, just outside my sliding glass door.
Checking me out!
My biggest challenge was making sure the indoor/outdoor cat never knew there was an easy snack near by. He normally hangs outside my sliding glass door to be let in–I have “let the cat in…let the cat out” continually downstairs. Worth it.
Soon could hear chirping and watch the parents swoop back and forth with insects. Never saw a bird with a dragonfly before!
So, last Sunday I decided it was “time” to get pics from outside. What I didn’t realize was I still had on my “Shape Up” shoes from my earlier dog walk. For those who don’t know, the new fad for ‘easy get in shape’ is to just wear these shoes and they cause you to work harder–because you have to “balance” while walking. Good to firm up the areas us aging gals are dealing with. The first time I wore them, met a friend for lunch. She looked at me and said, “Are you limping?” “No, just wearing new shoes and I haven’t learned to walk in them yet!” Honestly, never had a pair of shoes that came with an instructional DVD before…why are we on shoes instead of Black Phoebe?
I finally saw one with food to feed the babies…and couldn’t understand why I was having such a problem with “camera shake”…took many pictures and they were a mess. This is the best of the mess.
Are you ready for lunch?
I figured out the “shoe problem” when I started vacuuming a bit later. Thought, oh I’ll have to change shoes and go back again…should have done it right then.
Was home sick on Tuesday, at my computer and realized, my Black Phoebes were gone. No note, no goodbyes, just gone.
Lesson learned…do not plan to take a picture later–the opportunity may be gone! I will be ready for them next year! A special thanks to @Bosque_Bill (via twitter) who correctly identified my feathered friends…post previously incorrectly titled “Barn Swallows” now Black Phoebe! So thankful for connections and learning from others:)
Spring Day at the American River
Some days just don’t turn out the way that you intended them to be…today MUCH better than imagined. Any time I can enjoy my camera and beautiful surroundings–perfect! Today was one of those moments in time!
Rich Colors along the RiverField of FlowersPoppies
It is amazing how much change came come into a single area within a few weeks. Five weeks ago…all that was here was river rock and a few Poppies. Today, I was dodging people coming off of rafts and more Fox Tails than I ever knew could be in one place. (Didn’t know you could get a “Fox Tail Splinter”! Is possible, will have to soak my hand tonight!)
Fox Tail with Poppy Friends
I will enjoy pulling the Fox Tails out of my socks, shoes, pants, shirt, and pads–previously used for backpacking, now perfect for being on top of river rock! Well worth the images!
Poppies in the sun
May all of your wishes come true, every day!
Coastal Views
Amazing to watch the birds zipping along the very windy rocky cliffs.
Fun with wind and updrafts!
Gorgeous day with blustery winds and pounding surf.
Wonder how old these formations are?
- A long way down to the lighthouse
These are some of the images from a fabulous trip to the coast.
A Trip to Pt. Reyes
Beautiful coast views!
In Love with D700!
Storm Brewing
Something magical about watching a storm come in.
I rented the D700 for the weekend and found myself in the right spot at the right time with an amazing camera! Have since then upgraded from my D60 to the D300s, still drooling for Nikon’s next fullframe camera. Currently, enjoying my camera and learning more and more every day!
New at this!
Hmm…this is pretty exciting! Clearly, I will be working on 
this and learning as I go!
First challenge met, certainly not mastered. However, did get an image onto blog with semblance of watermark. will learn as I go!
Sizing of photo to blogspace, also something I look forward to learning:)
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