Dusky Shutterflies

Family Portraits

2011-03-10T00:58:00.000-08:00

My first paying clients! Even though I told them they really shouldn't. Thanks, you guys for your patience and great smiles!

Tilden Botanical Gardens

2011-02-06T21:27:00.000-08:00

We went on a family outing to the Tilden Botanical Gardens and it was a beautiful day for succulents since there was not much in the way of flowers in bloom at the time.

Also, some manzanita peeling its lovely bark.

This soft plant that looked almost cuddly.

I'll throw in a bonus picture of my adorable children looking at the stream to finish this off.

Ladybug Party!

2010-06-05T23:39:00.000-07:00

It may seem a bit strange, but this ladybug party was for a little boy - because he is interested in all the ladybugs around his yard! His mom is a party-thrower extraordinaire, so all the details were beautiful and kept the kids interested and entertained for over 2 and a half hours!!!! Wow!

Can you believe all the fun ladybug games and activities they had planned? It was amazing.

Much Anticipated Baby Shower!

2010-05-24T19:20:00.000-07:00

My good friend has been wanting a baby for a very long time, and she's getting her wish! Her sister and another friend threw her a baby shower. There was good fun, good food, and good friends!

Thanks for inviting me, it was wonderful! =)

An evening at Walnut and Vine in Berkeley

2010-05-18T14:32:00.000-07:00

I had a while to walk around at this intersection for a peaceful half an hour.

More around the kitchen

2010-05-17T22:36:00.000-07:00

These pictures didn't fit the bread-making narrative, but I still like them.

Happy 168th Birthday!

2010-05-15T21:50:00.000-07:00

Our women's group at church celebrated its 168th year, and we get together for some tasty treats and some service.

My friend designed all the signs you see and she made (with her husband) the awesome circles-on-a-string!

Bread Making (NO Kneading!)

2010-05-14T11:21:00.000-07:00

So we had another type of bread demonstrated - which is great for those of us that don't have much time or are extremely intimidated by the resting and kneading parts. And you can see, it really is quite simple to do!

Voila! Tasty bread!

Bread Making (Kneading)

2010-05-14T11:11:00.000-07:00

We had a lovely time learning to make bread from some lovely bread experts! (They're so good that they don't buy bread). And it is so economical! 50 cents a loaf (plus your time). Here are some of the steps:

And I can't believe I didn't get a picture of them once they were out of the oven! But they were beautiful. And very, very tasty.

a SoCal Wedding

2010-04-29T14:07:00.000-07:00

So this time, I had 3 small children to chase and a husband that was catching up on 10 years of news with various old friends, so I didn't get too many pictures, but I did get a few. (Especially of that darling Ring Bearer!)

the flower girl

very cool hanging flowers

isn't he cute?

showing me his jewelry

the bride's shoes

Around a SoCal yard

2010-04-28T23:25:00.000-07:00

We were in Southern California and I got a chance to get some pictures around my grandparents' yard.

they love their kumquat bush

and their old camper

they keep beautiful roses

and dangly butterflies

can't forget the succulents(!)

and the hose.

On Temple Grounds

2010-03-17T00:14:00.000-07:00

I knew I would have a few minutes between meetings, so I thought to bring my camera along for some pictures of the Oakland Temple.

The sun was setting, so I had to get a picture of the view:

The gates of the temple are pretty in an of themselves:

The tulips and the palm trees are famous:

So serene. So beautiful. I need to go back again!

Family Portraits

2010-03-08T22:06:00.000-08:00

Not my family, because we haven't done that since we had only one kid. (And yes, it is on our to do list), but another adorable family that we know and love wanted pictures and let me take them. Aren't they adorable?

Isn't that just so sweet?

Baby G, we love you! Get better and keep breathing!

Tea Party at the Camellia Tea Room

2010-02-05T22:56:00.000-08:00

With Grandma. I think this is becoming a yearly tradition! One I will gladly follow!

I love how we each get our unique teapot.

Even the Sita's lemonade got a teapot.

The tea sandwiches and the treats are all so tasty. (My favorite sandwich was the hummus tomato cucumber one!)

And so beautiful.

Definitely a place we want to come back to!

Thank you, Camellia!

Baby Doll Birthday Party

2010-01-17T16:20:00.000-08:00

So of course, you have the baby doll cake:

(virulent pink optional)

and lots of strollers:

lots of babies:

babies in the strollers:

A pinata (not sure how that fits in with the baby theme):

presents to open:

babies getting bathed after the party is over:

add lots of adorable girls:

pizza:

and fun games:

you've got a great party!

A Wedding!

2010-01-07T21:20:00.000-08:00

I got to be a secondary photographer at a wedding and it was so fun! A little scary, but nice because the pressure to get wonderful pictures wasn't so much because the real photographer was there. Some of my favorite pictures:

The Bridal Bouquet

The Groom's Boutonniere

Getting Married!

The Groom's Mother

The Amazing Lady (and her daughter) who made the party happen (and invited me along for the ride)!

The Bride and her Grandmother

Thanks for letting me be there!

Happy Birthday Dude!

2009-12-18T22:34:00.000-08:00

The only problem was that the "H" was completely melted before we got to the "D" - but the cake still tasted wonderful!
~

A Fairy Garden Birthday Party

2009-09-09T14:28:00.000-07:00

~

~

A Fairy Princess Scientist Party

2009-09-09T13:23:00.000-07:00

A stroll through Columbia, CA

2009-08-04T20:09:00.000-07:00

We were there right before Independence Day and they had decorated for it! Although it is supposed to be a restoration of how the town was in the gold-mining days, you can tell they have decided that lightbulbs are simply a must.

Ladybug Girl Party!

2009-07-09T15:38:00.000-07:00

Berkeley Neighborhood Walk, Part 5

2009-02-13T20:33:00.000-08:00

~

I know it's been a long time - these are way overdue! We aren't taking neighborhood walks anymore, which I miss, because now I don't have an established picture taking time anymore, but I have plenty of pictures from the Holidays I need to get up here. Soon.
~

Berkeley Neighborhood Walk, Part 4

2008-12-19T21:24:00.000-08:00

A 4th Birthday Party

2008-11-30T20:29:00.000-08:00

Berkeley Neighborhood Walk, Part 3

2008-11-26T13:56:00.000-08:00

Berkeley Neighborhood Walk, Part 2

2008-11-23T20:06:00.000-08:00

The Sita and I have been walking from UC Berkeley campus to our chapel on Fridays so the Dude and Spozo can take a science class together. We've been trying to take a different route every time, but since I am steep-hill adverse, there are only so many ways available.

Berkeley Neighborhood Walk, Part 1

2008-11-09T17:50:00.000-08:00

UC Berkeley Botanical Gardens

2008-09-29T13:23:00.000-07:00

We love going on their free day! We also love that there's something different blooming every time we go! I'm afraid I don't have the official names for any of these - but notice that there is a succulent - they are just so gorgeous!

At the Beach

2008-09-26T15:32:00.000-07:00

At the Zoo

2008-09-25T17:46:00.000-07:00

A First Birthday Party

2008-09-25T17:11:00.000-07:00

Family Reunion

2008-09-08T21:49:00.001-07:00

Around Our Backyard

2008-09-07T21:30:00.001-07:00

At the Park (with Dad)

2008-06-29T21:30:00.000-07:00

Walking to Lunch

2008-06-28T16:50:00.000-07:00

At the Park

2008-06-21T07:42:00.001-07:00

Daddy Love

2008-06-19T15:28:00.000-07:00

I know this is blurry, but I love how everyone is smiling and enjoying their Daddy Time!

This Daddy love his little girl!

Hanging with the Thteeds

2008-06-18T15:04:00.000-07:00

Today we went to play with friends - a double birthday picture taking extravaganza!

Butterfly Birthday Cake!

2008-06-15T23:38:00.000-07:00

My daughter was very excited about her Pink! Butterfly! Cake!

Play and Dine

2008-06-12T13:54:00.000-07:00

All in all, a great day.

Enter the Nikon D80 Era

2008-06-08T22:59:00.000-07:00

The first batch of Nikon pictures! I love this camera!

At the Oakland Zoo

2008-06-01T20:18:00.000-07:00

(with the trusty old Olympus for the last time!)

Tulips!

2008-03-27T12:56:00.000-07:00

I love red and yellow tulips! They're so warm-friendly and warm-passionate at the same time. Tulips are just beautiful all over - even the stems and the leaves!

If this isn't love...

2008-02-28T08:00:00.001-08:00

Letting your nose get pinched is definitely as loving as you get!

Girl with Curl(s)

2008-02-17T19:42:00.000-08:00

Outside the DeYoung Museum

2008-02-10T16:18:00.000-08:00

This was one of the outside sculptures and very echo-y.

Bristlecone Pine

2008-02-07T16:09:00.000-08:00

Thousands of years old and still standing.

The Pixie Poof

2008-02-05T21:48:00.000-08:00

Traditional hairstyle of the Cita Bonita

Ghostly Redwood

2008-02-03T20:54:00.000-08:00

We found this redwood "ghost" in the San Francisco Botanical Gardens in Golden Gate Park.

What Tiling!

2008-02-02T08:55:00.000-08:00

Our laundry room floor when it's not flooded.

After the rain has fallen

2008-01-30T17:00:00.000-08:00

(to quote one of my favorite Sting songs)

Laundry Room Door

2008-01-28T21:34:00.000-08:00

Our laundry room is quite its own little place, but I especially love the door with its weary curtain in the window.

Glass Bubble Bowls

2008-01-25T10:37:00.000-08:00

My Aunt sent us these bowls awhile ago, and seeing something very similar in Pier 1 the other day made me remember how pretty they are.

Parking Garage

2008-01-22T22:04:00.001-08:00

Autumn Leaves Still Fall

2008-01-18T14:13:00.000-08:00

Around the garage with the tennis courts on top.

Winter Flowers

2008-01-15T14:52:00.000-08:00

Found on UC Berkeley Campus around Cory Hall

Around the Bell Tower

2008-01-10T22:01:00.000-08:00

Bear guarding the bench by the entrance.

Star of David

2008-01-09T14:59:00.000-08:00

Sighted over a walking-path bridge UC Berkeley Campus.

Near the Chinese Herb Garden

2007-11-22T19:00:00.000-08:00

These delicate little orchid-looking flowers captivated me as we roamed about the UC Berkeley Botanical Gardens. The spindly-ness of the stems and the elegance of the blossoms seemed excellent foils for each other.

You've Got a Friend in Me

2007-09-28T22:05:00.000-07:00

Having a friend to hold hands with is one of the best things in life. Especially when you're about to feed hungry goats. Photo taken at Tilden Park's Little Farm.

Biker Chick

2007-09-24T11:43:00.000-07:00

Okay, so she's not on a bike, it's some plane scooty thing, but I just loved the poise of her foot. And that shoe!

Tentacular

2007-09-19T21:50:00.000-07:00

We met this flower walking home from the park. We're just sad it didn't last much longer.

Another Cool South African Flower

2007-09-16T12:25:00.000-07:00

The Red-hot Poker (Kniphofia x, "Christmas Cheer"). I have decided that I love the San Francisco Zoo. Every time I go, something else is in bloom! I also like that they have so many drought-resistant plants that are still beautiful. Inspiration for California front yards everywhere!

Spiral Aloe

2007-08-25T16:46:00.000-07:00

This is just mesmerizing - another succulent to go on the list of really-cool-plants-we-must-have-in-the-yard-when-we-actually-get-a-yard. Found at the Berkeley Botanical Garden (when we were there to see Titania the Titan Arum).

Youth springs eternal

2007-07-28T17:05:00.000-07:00

One of the things I think is most beautiful about redwoods is how the new growth is so green - that it seems like the tips are glowing with some inner light.

Long, long ago in a galaxy far, far away

2007-07-27T12:33:00.000-07:00

This picture was taken in THE redwood grove that much of the Endor Moon (Return of the Jedi) was shot. Although the redwoods are inspiring, my favorite feature is the carpet of clover.

Prickly Pear

2007-07-08T22:30:00.000-07:00

So, this, I'm pretty sure, is a prickly pear. I know some people claim they're really good eatin' but I have yet to be convinced. I know they are also used as security bushes. They seem very effective.

Pink Prickly

2007-05-30T15:45:00.000-07:00

I've always liked cacti, and we found a lot of pretty ones in the botanical garden at Tilden Park. The nearest label to it was the Engelmann cactus, but I doubt this is it. It is still very pretty with it's pink spikes. There's something alluring about dangerous beauty.

Another bridal bouquet

2007-04-24T22:04:00.000-07:00

I got to know this bouquet rather well because I got to refresh it for the party. I was skeptical when I heard that daisies and roses would be together, but I think it turned out spectacular.

Hideaway

2007-03-26T09:41:00.000-07:00

Another flower from the SF zoo, but this time with an added bonus (speaking as a photographer, not a flower or gardener) - a snail!

At Long Last

2007-03-17T09:13:00.000-07:00

We finally went back to the SF zoo! It was beautiful because others of the protea family were in bloom this time and they are spectacular! This one is not a protea, but it is also from South Africa. Luecospermum cordifolium, "Pincushion" or "Veldt Fire" I love how other-worldly this looks - like something you would see on Star Trek while they encounter a new world (it could possibly even be a vicious plantoid creature waiting to suck your guts out).

Biker Dude

2007-02-19T22:54:00.000-08:00

My son actually requested a photo shoot with his tricycle. So, he didn't use those words, but it was what he wanted. I hope this doesn't mean he's going to be obsessive about his transportation vehicles when he grows up.

To Infinity and Beyond

2007-02-09T22:28:00.000-08:00

Since Valentine's Day is coming up, I thought I'd post something sweet. I hope that someday, when my grandchildren are getting married, I'll still being holding my husband's arm and be grateful he's still by my side.

A Bit of Sunshine

2007-01-30T20:45:00.000-08:00

Today was a bit on the cloudy, cold side, so I prescribed a little fake sunshine to chase the greys away.

Train Birthday Cake!

2006-12-16T09:31:00.000-08:00

My son requested a "Train Cake" this year, so we obliged. Chocolate the preferred flavor with chocolate mint frosting to top it off. He also wanted it to say Happy Birthday, Dude AND 3, but my limited cake decoration skills (and limited time) did not permit that.

A Dozen Red Roses

2006-12-09T23:36:00.000-08:00

I got my first dozen red roses for my anniversary this year. And they were beautiful. I thought it might be overrated, because everyone does it. It's not.

tasty toes

2006-12-06T21:37:00.000-08:00

My daughter has figured out that she has other digits to suck on besides her fingers. I say, enjoy them while you can. Soon enough, she won't be limber enough to reach them any more. And when she starts walking, they probably won't taste as good, either.

Proudfoots

2006-12-03T19:32:00.000-08:00

Or feet. Sometimes active boys can't stay still long enough for their faces to stay still for a picture. But sneak up while they're playing with something, and you can at least catch their feet.

Chasing Cousins

2006-12-02T17:58:00.001-08:00

Trying to catch these two is like capturing an electron in its probability cloud around an atom. (In other words, good luck!) So, just like them, what we get is an approximation of where they might be at any given time. And it's kinda blurry.

Lacy Fern

2006-12-01T22:32:00.000-08:00

I really wanted to post a picture of some beautiful Maidenhair Fern I saw, but I couldn't get the lighting right (it was too backlit). So instead, here's another delicate southeast asian fern. And this concludes the UCB Botanical Garden shots.

Agave Celsii

2006-11-28T15:52:00.000-08:00

The penultimate of the UC Berkeley Botanical Garden shots. This succulent appealed to me because it had smooth red trimmed petal-like leaves without too much spike-age. Every drought-friendly yard should have one. Especially because the agave is friendly (for a succulent).

Giving Thanks

2006-11-27T21:57:00.000-08:00

We celebrated Thanksgiving with my maternal grandparents. After more than 50 years of marriage, six children, lots of grandchildren, and a smattering of great-grandchildren, they have a lot to be thankful for. I thought it beautiful that they still hold hands.

Monkey Puzzle Tree

2006-11-21T21:42:00.000-08:00

Don't ask me how this Chilean tree got this name, but it has had it for over 250 years and people have found it fascinating since then. My husband is currently enamored of them, and it was to see a grove of them that he agreed to go to the UC Berkeley Botanical Garden in the first place. It is quite a strange tree. It looks more like a succlent than a tree! I still don't get where the Monkey Puzzle comes in.

Rimu Rocks!

2006-11-19T16:20:00.000-08:00

I have fallen in love with the Rimu tree (Dacrydium cupressinum). It looks like a feathery willow, but its leaves are more like pine needles. Of course it is originally from New Zealand. Everything really cool comes from New Zealand. The exquisite draping is what endears me to it most.

UC Berkeley Botanical Garden

2006-11-18T22:08:00.000-08:00

We went to the UCB Botanical Garden today and I had fun taking pictures of plants that caught my eye (or that of my husband. He has a weakness for trees in the Araucaria family). Being a botanical garden, most of them were labelled, but alas, this one was not. It was still beautiful, and maybe someday I'll find out what it is. Be ready for more interesting plants in the days to come!

Carnivorous!

2006-11-16T19:11:00.000-08:00

There is a place somewhere in the Napa Valley Wine Country called "California Carnivores." There you can see all sorts of plants that love to eat bugs. Sundews, pitcher plants, you name it. But those venus flytraps are still quick shocking, especially when you see so many of them at once (even if they are only one inch big each).

light at the end of a tunnel

2006-11-11T21:53:00.000-08:00

My husband and I discovered Corner Stone art gardens in Sonoma, CA. The 9 acres are subdivided into plots and different landscape architects get to design the garden area. This picture is through a metal tunnel one of the designers placed in their landscape. Some of the designs were more successful than others, but it is definitely worth visiting.

Here comes the Bride

2006-11-08T22:29:00.000-08:00

I really love taking pictures of hands. So I got one of my newly minted sister-in-law with her sparklers holding her bouquet. I wish now I had gotten more of the boquet.

Mystery Picture

2006-11-03T16:44:00.000-08:00

My first non-plant post! If you can figure out what this is without too much deliberation, I am quite impressed. It took me awhile to distinguish things in it, and I took the picture! The contrasting patterns and colors and distortedness of it all attracts me.

A favorite flower

2006-11-02T14:48:00.000-08:00

I took this because my husband loves grape hyacinths (Muscari armeniacum), and we no longer live where they do. I happened to be visiting family lucky enough to live where the grape hyacinths flourish (in their yard, no less!), so I took a few pictures for my beloved to reminisce over.

Silvery Succulent?

2006-10-25T14:57:00.000-07:00

This silvery soft specimen was right around the corner from the Duchess at the SF Zoo, but I couldn't find a label for it. If you know what it is, please let me know!

Welcome!

2006-10-24T16:51:00.000-07:00

Do you like weird plants up close? Children smiling? Random pretty scenes? Well, that's what this photoblog offers. Please remember: the pictures are mine, if you'd like to use them, ask nicely and you'll probably get a "yes."

This photo is of a Duchess Protea (Protea eximia) native to South Africa, but captured at the San Francisco Zoo.