MM.Rogers Photographs: 2013

Showing posts with label 2013. Show all posts

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 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)

May 28, 2013

San Diego Beluga Whale

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

As much as I would like to say this was taken somewhere in the Arctic Ocean where these whales are commonly found, no, I didn't get that far. Yet. These belugas or white whales are the well-cared for crowd-pleasers of San Diego SeaWorld. Along with the white bear and king penguins.

Despite what seem like huge creatures, the beluga whales are smallish, ranging from 13 to 20 feet in length easily distinguishable from other whales with their white outer color, rounded forehead, no dorsal fins, no sharp teeth. They whistle and make various sounds, feed on fish and crustaceans. Contrary to what many people instantly assume, the belugas are not the source of beluga roe or caviar.