My milk has a longer shelf life than my job.

It's true!  The milk I bought today has a Jan 5 [2015] expiration date and that Monday will be my second day of non-employment. Because January 1 is a holiday and at least some folks, including the good people at my current employer, will go back to work on January 2.

I am not sure how to describe my employment status.  Semi-retirement...career hiatus...it's definitely time-off.  I am eager to go to bed and drift off thinking of photography in the Red Desert instead of budgeting on Bunker Hill.

Winter Solstice

On the shortest day of the year, you have to make the most of your time. A tidepool trip is a great way to spend the afternoon. 
Find a few more photos in this album

Forest Litter

On the banks of Big Pine Creek near Big Trees Campground.

Nearby, on the edge of the creek. This would be a nice place to work on a hot day if you had a basket full of grain that needed grinding. You could dips your hands and feet in the icy cold water.

Morning Moon

This wisp of a moon met Janet and me on our walk this morning.

Out There - Bishop Volcanic Tablelands

This weekend I joined a group of photographers on an outing in the Bishop Volcanic Tablelands, where longtime Camera Committee member Allan Der guided us to several sites of ancient rock art. These sites are under the management and protection of the Bureau of Land Management. They are very delicate and represent a slice of our human story that scientists, historians, and lay-visitors alike can speculate over. The scholars may have more data to work with than we do, but just being there makes a visitor imagine life in the rock-art age.

What were the motivations and messages of the ancient ones?

Chalfant Site

These photos represent just a few examples of the imagery found in the BVT. Click to enlarge any image, but especially this wide shot.  It's a bit of detail from a long wall full of petroglyths.

Chidago Site

This figure is found on the same wall, but it is several yards away. It probably represents a shaman or other important persona, but our group thinks it looks like a girl.  Sorry to trivialize this surely important image, but ancient Girl-POWER!

The "curling" rock formations below are unusual even for this striking volcanic landscape.

Fish Slough Site

I hope I find more, better photos in my camera.  Pulling good photos out of these files will be a Lightroom challenge - a spur to motivate my skill-enhancement.

Budget time

I am working on the budget here and thinking about 1,000,000,000,000 other things I'd rather be doing. So I took a moment to look at pictures on my computer here in the office. 

That was a beautiful sky above Panamint Valley, January 1, 2013.

Okay now. Back to my last budget.

99 Miles From LA

The heat of an August Sunday in Hungry Valley Oak Woodland Preserve, half a mile walk from the Hungry Valley State Vehicle Recreation Area.