The Winter Is Coming & I like it

It's been nearly a year I think, since I last posted that is. I'm not sure exactly why I took such an extended hiatus... but today something sparked and I re-connected with my love of photography with a vengeance. From today on, I'm shooting on a brand new baby, a shiny Canon 5D Mark III. But, before I pass the baton, I wanted to post some of these pics I took a little while ago but didn't get round to getting off the memory card. 

When my beautiful sister was in town a couple of months ago, we took the day to do a road trip up a bit north of San Francisco to Point Reyes.

Even though it was technically summer here in California, those who know San Francisco know that means nothing when it comes to sun and warmth. In fact, those summer days are more like the fall for everyone else. And now that we are truly into our Indian Summer here in SF, I can at least look back on these pics to imagine how others around the northern hemisphere must be feeling!

One of my favorite things about SF is that you can jump in a car and an hour later you have TOTAL change of scenery. This region in Marin County is just stunning. And the place feels like the sleepy countryside, even if the hustle and bustle of the greatest tech city on earth is just around the corner.

Needless to say, Daisy the cow down there was perplexed by all the paparazzi like attention she was getting from me!

Oh, and don't you just love how Karl the Fog wraps his arms around the hillside like a big snuggly hug? 

In my book, NoCal beats SoCal any day... Is it wrong to say that?

The last time I did a post about California, it was all about Venice Beach. And while I still love that crazy urban beachside jungle, the SoCal coastline just doesn't have a thing on the Northern headlands. Yes, it's less fun in the sun, less summer vacation, less 5 star resorts & less skate parks... But the amount of natural drama that exudes from the cliffs & shoreline of Big Sur, Half Moon Bay and Monterey are kind of jaw dropping in their beauty.

I took a drive. A fairly long drive. From LA up the coastline. And I got a car upgrade- to a convertible mustang. How much fun can you have on four wheels??? A lot. Santa Monica? Santa Barbara? Santa Cruz? Check. Check. Check. My itinerary sounds sort of like a hispanic religious experience :)

So I've been on the northern Californian coast for a while, but have up until recently only enjoyed the pacific through the lens of my sunglasses or my Canon. Until last weekend. I ended up on a hiking trip where I accidentally got caught by a freak wave and went for a swim. Fully dressed. In the middle of winter. And I don't mean ankle deep. I mean, I'm swimming to the shore kind of deep. The water was WRONG cold. Of course my brand new iPhone 5 was in my pocket. Ouch.

Maybe I should reconsider the merits of SoCal beaches afterall...