MM.Rogers Photographs: July 2013

July 25, 2013

Napa Valley: Castello di Amorosa

A photograph can be an instant of life captured for eternity that will never cease looking back at you. - Brigitte Bardot

Less than 30-minute drive will take you from Downtown Napa to Calistoga where numerous wineries doors are open for wine tasting and tours. St.Helena is also a favorite when it comes to winery tours. To spend a day going in and out of these wineries is enough to tipsy you out so I suggest choose 2 or 3 popular ones, spend some bucks on each tour (about $25-$75 depending on the winery) and come out sober (remember it is 'tasting' not gulping) with several bottle purchases to take home. This is our second trip to Napa and I suggest buy the Castello di Amorosa wines because they are perfect! Napa County is located north of San Pablo Bay, about an hour away from San Francisco, CA.

During our February trip to Napa. The grape trees have been planted. It was still cold and there wasn't much to see around just as yet but it was awesome to just drive around and see what Napa is all about.

Castello di Amorosa is very interesting, modern-day castle.
Read about how it started.

View from the castle tower

During our recent June trip. It's summer and the grape trees have grown. The weather was warm and it was perfect timing to walk around the castle.

I call them 'baby grapes' - this early June 2013

July 21, 2013

National Geographics Museum (Washington DC)

A photograph can be an instant of life captured for eternity that will never cease looking back at you. - Brigitte Bardot

A visit to a museum is always an awesome, mild learning experience for everyone. For kids though, it's quite challenging to keep them cool and collected. Took my daughter to her first ever museum this summer, we chose to go to National Geographics Museum in DC. I wish for her to be a microbiologist (I know it's very specific) someday and I think of no better place to influence her to love animals, the wild and the outdoors than here. Photography too, of course. My daughter, however, is just 7 months old. Although everything inside the museum shouts awesomeness, my baby turned out to be fixated on and fascinated with the lights. Meanwhile, my husband and I were taken back to 1800s to a world of ships, whiskey and yes, pirates. Real pirates who carried real treasures in their ships. Sunken, treasures were later discovered, currently displayed at the Nat Geo Museum. I'm posting photos of some cover displays at the museum, how the prestigious magazine has evolved over the years - celebrating 125 years.

Being a Filipina, this struck me. Somehow in 1966, Philippines was interesting country enough to have made it to cover.

An early magazine cover (no photo) that dates back to 1900

This room is full of wall to wall Nat Geo mag covers spanning 125 years

The early magazine covers

NEXT: Napa Valley: Castello di Amorosa

July 20, 2013

Sonoma County Hot Air Balloon Festival 2013

A photograph can be an instant of life captured for eternity that will never cease looking back at you. - Brigitte Bardot

To photograph hot air balloons at the break of dawn has been on the top five of my photography list ever since that day I picked up a camera thinking I finally found a lifetime hobby. Now in California, I know hot air fest is just within reach, possibly road trips away because of its ideal climate and geography. And I was right. I googled events happening in this state and I was able to pull up several hot air events happening this year. However, I didn't want to travel miles and photograph 2 or 4 balloons while they silently float away. I wanted dozens at a time and I wanted to get confused by the splash of colors and quantity. It wasn't hard to come across Sonoma County Hot Air Balloon Festival 2013. Decided, I google mapped it, bought pre-sale tickets for six bucks (instead of $10) and drove 3 hours two days before the event. To make it a weekend-long fun escape, I also visited the nearby towns of Petaluma and Napa Valley. Waking up at 4am for the festival-it was all worth it!

NEXT: National Geographics Museum (Washington DC)