Hello Gorgeous! Sarah Brown – Actor/Director/Writer/Martial artists/Stunt woman and extraordinary Renaissance woman. Check her out at Sarah-Be.

Go to Modern Hiker for a great overview of many hikes in LA.

Go to Modern Hiker for a great overview of many hikes in LA. Best hiking blog out there.

My new friend Eric Zimmerman is a naturalist and photographer up in Santa Barbara. He enjoys spending as much time as he can with his marine friends. I’ve never had the chance to photograph marine mammals, so when Eric invited me as a guest on the Condor Express, I jumped at the chance.  We lucked out and had a beautiful, sunny day with semi calm waters and lots of animal activity.  We saw many large groups of Common Dolphins, Dall’s Porpoises, Harbor Seals, and Sea Lions along the coast of Santa Cruz island. We also followed 3 groups of magnificent Gray whales.

Gray whales are at the tale end of their migration season. They leave Alaskan waters starting in November having built up fat reserves for the 5,000+ mile journey down to Baja California where they mate and bear their young. Their migration route stays within 50 miles of the coast and they normally pass right through the Channel Islands. At one point, the species was hunted to near extinction, but a ban on whale hunting in 1946 and an agreement from the Mexican government to protect the lagoons where they mate, numbers have risen up to approx 26,000. However, intense industrialization along their migration route, military sonar testing, and climate change continue to threaten their survival.

Gray Whale

3 Gray Whales

Gray Whale, Common Dolphins and Western Gulls

Gray Whale Tail

Gray Whale and Common Dolphin

Common Dolphins

Common Dolphins

Gray Whale with Heart Shaped breath

Dall's Porpoise

Common Dolphin

California Sea Lions

Western Gull

Santa Cruz Island

Painted Cave on Santa Cruz Island

Eric and Barbara

Captain Bob and Captain Matt

You know you love your job when the time passes and all you remember doing was laughing and having fun. My shoot with this gorgeous family felt like one of those work days. We flowed together walking and playing down the beach, stopping to shoot when it felt right, and then strolled back again. Little Jack, who was mostly interested in using the new appendages he had just figured out, had only a few minor melt downs. What an adorable little guy.  Look at that smile! Thanks Amy, Mark and Jack for a memorable afternoon.

Beautiful family, gorgeous day, fun with photography. Ben was such a sweetheart with lots of energy. We managed to get him to settle down for a few good ones. Luckily I had my niece there with me to make him laugh.

Since I had to be up in Oregon for a photo workshop and I hadn’t visited my sister and Lars in a long time, I decided to drive the journey and turn it into a road trip. I took my time, stopping when I wanted to get out and take pics. Once you get past Sacramento, the 5 fwy turns into some of the most scenic and graceful landscapes. Rolling yellow hills, snowy mountain peaks, oak forests, rivers galore, lakes and bridges, it’s got all the eye candy for the person who’s visually oriented like I am.

Mount Shasta. Something about this place is magical.

I stopped to take a much needed soak at the Stewart Mineral Hot Springs in Shasta. The system goes like this. For $25, you get a tub in your own little room that spews out 180 degree silica mineral water which you mix with cold water. Soak there for about 10min but don’t rub your skin because the silica is like little shards of glass. Get out and wrap your sheet around your body and shuffle down to the wood burning sauna for as long as you can take it. When you’re done there walk outside to the deck, down the stairs, and jump into the freezing cold river water to complete the process and close your pours. Repeat 3 times. The area is said to contain sacred healing energy.

This is the pool you are supposed to jump into.

And this is a guy getting out.

And this was on my way back. I stopped at sunset right after my hot spring soak at one of the Shasta Lake bridges. This is a composite of 4 pictures.

And here are some houseboats docked in the lake.