Kent Griswold

This old mailbox was beside the red barn I stopped and photographed the other day outside of Calistoga. I really enjoy textures but I know not everyone does, so you can take this one or leave it.

I stopped by this red barn just outside of Calistoga, California on Highway 128 on my way back from taking my son Ted back to Pacific Union College. The weather was perfect with occasional showers. I like the wine barrel fountain and the texture of the old barn wood, makes for a nice wine country photograph.

Is it the fiddleneck fern? I can’t seem to remember my fern names. The light was hitting this just right the other day and I wanted to try and capture it and share it with you.

The sky and hills were just beautiful the other day in between showers and though this photo does not do it justice it still gives you a taste of the beauty. This is on the road heading down to the barn on the way to “Boy’s Beach” on the Russian River just outside of Healdsburg, California.

One thing I love about Spring is the new growth on evergreens. I photographed this new growth on my daily walk right after a light rain and it shows the beauty of the new growth on this small tree. I really like the contrast of the new growth with the old.

A few weekends ago we took a picnic out the Dry Creek valley and along the way stopped by this winery to look around. It had this neat old Ford truck in the front and I thought it was quite photogenic so I shot a few shots. My wife does not always see eye to eye with me on my photos and couldn’t see what I saw but what do you think? We had a nice picnic above Lake Sonoma and than went and watched the Steelhead working their way up to the fish hatchery.

Last Sabbath my wife Janelle and our dog Max and I went for a leisurely walk down by the Russian River. We found this quiet little beach and enjoyed throwing sticks to the dog to retrieve and also enjoyed watching some fisherman and a kayaker float by. We also saw lots of ducks and an osprey fly overhead. A perfect day!

The other day I was on my way to Bodega Bay for a business lunch meeting and was on Highway 116 and I had a few minutes so I stopped by this historical house and shot a few pictures. I really liked the old red paint and the design and texture of the entry way. It was fun to be out and shooting something different for a change.

I came real close to leaving the camera at home today because it was so gray outside and just not very pretty, but I’m glad I through it in my pocket at the last moment as I discovered this big dandelion just down the road and also some beautiful buds on a tree down near the barn. I’ll share one of those pictures later.

I love the intricate detail of the seeds which you can really see if you click on the photo and look at it at a larger size. I hope you enjoy this first dandelion of the season here in Northern California.