Family pics!

After a visit in San Diego with family members, mourning the loss of our treasured Uncle Ron, I decided to scan and post some family pictures from the now-distant past. If any family members would like a high resolution digital file sent to them, just drop me a line and I can send a CD or email it to you, depending on the size you'd like.

This picture below is of my brother Dave and his daughter Julie fishing on the Napa River. When we were kids, we used to play around this very area, as we lived in the neighborhood at the time. Julie sure looks intent on catching "da big one". She's all grown up now and married, while Dave lives back in "Nawth Cair-lina".

Here's an action photo of brothers Dave and Ken on a camping trip near Lassen National Park. Notice how skinny they were back then (Weren't we all?!?) Hidden behind Ken is our longtime pal, Chris, who often was an accomplice in our misdeeds.

Here's a few nieces and nephews from our family camping trip to Silverfork Campground on the Eldorado National Forest. This pic of Ashley (Ashley's blog is at: http://www.ashinthecity.com/ ), Isaac and Julie marching around the campground brings back great memories of that trip. I'm still looking for the rest of those trip's photos, buried somewhere in a slide box.

Here's a group picture of all my brothers and some of the nieces and nephews. Yep, the family tree has tons more branches, these days.

And here's your's truly, back in the early 90's, tossing a rock into the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne. Notice how slim and trim I was back then, when I was working my butt off salvaging lots of bug-killed trees at work. I've used this photo in flirty chat rooms and it never failed to excite the gals. Then the picture went AWOL for many years and I just rediscovered it. I was on a backpacking trip with my longtime friend Euell, who always brings me great luck in photography. I picked up this 100 pound rock and told him, "Take the friggin' picture, already!!"

Mo' Yo Pics

Here's a long-lost gem I delved up from deep in my dusty slides boxes. That day at Glacier Point, I climbed over the wall (to keep the tourists in) and found some spots for some different photos, like this one.

Even the generic in Yosemite Valley is sublime. Except for those 4 cars I digitally erased from this picture below. The lighting and shadows in this picture remind me of Ansel Adams' work.

Illilouette Falls seems to be a shy waterfall, turned away from the John Muir Trail and tucked away. This gem is readily accessible from Glacier Point but it is an uphill hike back to your car. Some people hike past the falls, over Panorama Cliff to Nevada Falls and then back down the Mist Trail to Yosemite Valley. It's a moderate hike, mostly downhill. Three waterfalls and Half Dome, all for the same price!

Back in the early 90's, I went on a small plane flight from Placerville to northern Yosemite, including Hetchy Hetchy. This view of the rugged and remote part of northern Yosemite needed some manipulation in scanning to sharpen and adjust the colors, as this pic was taken through the planes window. Rarely do people visit this part of the park.

I could not pass up this crowded turnout at the east entrance of Wawona tunnel. The light was so good and the air so clear that I was compelled to capture this vista despite the crowd of tourists. You can also compare this picture to others on this blog which were taken in the winter time.

Enjoy!

Scan-O-Mania!

Here's a picture that I was able to "recover", using the digital photo tools I have at my disposal. This Kodachrome slide was way underexposed and was completely unusable. I adjusted the scan controls and played with all the enhancement settings and came up with this very nice photo from my snow camping trip on Glacier Point back in the 90's.

Here's another nice reflection shot that was uncropped from the original slide. This was my attempt at "fine art" but, I've found better examples in some of the other Grant Lake photos. I know that my "eye" is more tuned and more experienced now and I'm enjoying the rediscovery of my old pictures.

This next shot was from a Backcountry Ski Club trip to the Bishop Pass area of Kings Canyon National Park. This is true wilderness, where man only comes as a visitor and Mother Nature has no problem in telling you when it's time to leave. This National Park is as rugged and remote as any other in America. Not many humans have ever been to this spot!

During a drought winter, back in the early 90's, I wandered up the Yosemite Falls trail and did a little off-trail exploring in the area between the Upper and Lower Yosemite Falls. I love the browns and the textures of the rocks. Someday I'll get down into that "inner gorge".

Finally, we have yet another Grant Lake picture. I'm not completely happy with how the scan came out. The picture lost some of that great "golden hour" light that was in the original Kodachrome slide. This picture also seems to have great opportunities for cropping out some more great pics.