January 2026 An Anniversary with photographic locations.

Ray and I celebrated our 53rd anniversary by heading north. Our first stop was The Spyglass Inn, a cliffside hotel that overlooks the beautiful town of Pismo Beach which happened to be hosting a surf tournament. We then continued on to Sausalito, venturing into San Francisco to celebrate our daughter’s birthday. We headed home by taking Highway 1, a road that snakes along spectacular coastal views, and is now newly reopened after 3 years of constructions due to mudslide damage. We stopped for lunch at our favorite restaurant, Nepenthe, which towers above the untamed ocean below. Our last stop was the Madonna Inn in San Luis Obispo, which is where we spent our honeymoon.

A little Day Trip to Long Beach, Part 1.

Ray and I took a little day trip to Long Beach, part one of a two part photo-story. There is much to see in this cosmopolitan city: a mix of the new and the old, a city of allure, of character. I hope these pictures capture the joie de vivre of this interesting and beautiful city. During our visit we experienced the following: Small Cafe in Naples, Long Beach Museum of Art, the beach, Marina Green Park, The Pike, Aquarium of the Pacific, Gladstone’s, Golden Shore RV, Long Beach Convention Center, Museum of Latin American Arts, Pacific Island Ethnic Art, and Anne’s Joint. Enjoy!

A Vacation to: Zurich, Munich, and Budapest

Ray and I went on a wonderful vacation to Europe. Thought I would post a few pictures. We had a great time. We took dozens; if not hundreds of pictures. Please feel free to leave comments. Traveling in the off season is wonderful We did not encounter too many crowds. Zurich is clean and the people were so nice. The rivers and mountains are beautiful. The city is amazing. I think it’s our new favorite place to go live. Munich has old world charm and personality. So much to see. The city is beautiful. Budapest is much more old world charm. The thermal baths were amazing. Buda hill and castle are something to see. The parliament building is stunning.

A Weekend in Benbow

Ray and I had the opportunity to spend the weekend in August up in Northern California at the historic Benbow Inn, which will soon turn one hundred years old! For anyone who’s travelled the 101, three hours north of San Francisco, she stands right off the highway in glorious splendor. The Eel River meanders over and under the 101 like a shimmering snake. We were able to visit some of the local towns and do a few hikes through the majestic redwoods. Hopefully you’ll enjoy some pictures of our weekend get away.

Up north of Santa Cruz

One of our favorite places to stay is up north of Santa Cruz. It is a campground called Costenoa, located between Davenport and Pescadero. We spent a week up there in early July. The temperature didn’t get higher than 65 degrees which for us, especially my wife, was blissful. Since it was located right off the Highway 1, the views were spectacular. We went to Pigeon Point and saw the lighthouse. We also went to Ano Nuevo and saw Elephant Seals, surfers, and maybe a Great White shark. Can you see it in one of the pictures? We also went to Big Basin to see the Redwoods. We didn’t know that there had been a big fire there a few years back, but the Redwoods, those tall giants, were amazing and mostly survived the fire. There was much to see and so many hikes. The ocean, contrasted with the darker clouds is the perfect opportunity to experiment with my camera. I hope you enjoy!

Click on a picture for a larger view.

Northern California Adventure

Ray and I went to Northern California for around three weeks in May. We enjoy the weather and we have an absolute love of the Redwoods. I was able to take some pictures of the redwoods, northern beach, and a trestle. Hopefully you will enjoy them. Feel free to leave a comment. These pictures were taken with the Fuji GFX. I’m trying something new this time, so maybe the pictures will be more accessible.

A Day trip to Laguna Beach, Newport Beach, and Corona Del Mar

It is a wonderful way to start our little adventure! Ray and I had breakfast at the Urth Cafe, though I can say I previously enjoyed Greeter’s Cafe. After breakfast, we walked down to Main Street Beach and discovered the California Coastal Trail and Heisler Park; all along the trail and at the parks are incredible views of the ocean and beaches. You could walk the coastal trail, but we drove to Crescent Bay Point Park for more amazing view of the Pacific and her beaches. Then we headed off for the Newport and Balboa Piers which are both beautiful with great views.  We did see Arches at Corona Tide Pools as well as Inspiration Point. We went to the Wedge. It’s well known as a body boarder heaven, but it appears as though skim boarders have learned to make use of the wave pattern. Across from the Wedge you can see Pirate’s Cove. I believe Gilligan’s Island used that spot a few times. There are many amazing sights to see. Some that we missed included: El Moro Trail, Crystal Cove, Shake Shake. Balboa Island, and the Back Bay,

Camping in Pescadero

Ray and I took a wonderful vacation to Costenoa RV Resort, a beautiful place located near the town of Pescadero. There are many hikes to enjoy. The campground is near the ocean. There are several small towns nearby to discover. The campground is just a little north of Santa Cruz. I hope you enjoy the pictures from our stay. Please feel free to leave comments. Pictures 8, 9, and 10 were taken by Mark Sandhoff. All pictures were taken with a Fujifilm GFX 100 SII.

Camping in March

Ray and I had a wonderful little vacation in March. This vacation also gave me the opportunity to try out my GFX lens. We went to Paso Robles and visited a couple of amazing places. We went to Willow Creek Distillery, which is also a winery, sampled some whiskies, and eventually came home with a bottle. We also went to another fantastic winery named Sculpterra Winery. The place had so many amazing sculptures and great wines. We were in Petaluma a few days and were able to visit several of our regular places and take a nice little hike. Last we went to Buellton which also has many fine wineries, but we ended up going to Figuroa Brewery and played a little trivia. A great little get away.. Swipe on picture

January 31

Ray and I had a wonderful anniversary trip. I wanted to focus on some ocean pictures. These ae all pictures from Northern California. I so enjoy pictures of the ocean, especially waves hitting rocks. I find the northern coast line to be exhilarating. Hope you enjoy the pictures as much as I enjoyed taking them.