Visited the Arboretum and Botanical Garden at Cal State Fullerton, California, which is a 26-acre botanical garden with a collection of plants from around the world.
The crown jewel of the Fullerton Arboretum is the Heritage House. Originally built in 1894 and located in downtown Fullerton, the Heritage House gives visitors a glimpse into the Victorian-style of architecture popular with Orange County homes in the 19th century.
Fullerton Arboretum
Heritage House in Fullerton Arboretum
Walking the trails at Santiago Oaks Regional Park in Orange, California, one can see multiple hills, and some even have homes high on them.
Hill in the Park
Homes High on the Hill
Santiago Oaks Regional Park is a 1,269-acre secluded nature reserve in East Orange, California. It is unique for its immersive mountain vistas, meandering streams, mature woodlands, and its historic 1930s dam. The 1932 Santiago Creek Dam features a small, picturesque waterfall, depending on the season.
View of the Historic Dam
Historic Dam
A very easy, shaded trail at Santiago Oaks Regional Park, Orange, California, leads to a historic dam.
In August 1879, local landowners sought to improve the agricultural productivity of their lands. A clay dam was submerged to the bedrock floor of Santiago Creek to force more groundwater to the surface. When that early dam was destroyed by flooding a few years later, it was replaced in 1892 with one made of river rock and cement, which still stands within the present park.
Submerged Historic Dam
Historic Dam History
Historic Dam Sign
A bench to rest and enjoy the views at Santiago Oaks Trail at the park in Orange, California
Bench on the Hiking Trail
Flowers on the Santiago Oaks Trail add color to the Santiago Oaks Regional Park, Orange, California
Farewell to Spring
Elderberry
Wildlife abounds, and a series of interconnected trails at Santiago Oaks Regional Park leads through shady groves to a lookout offering an awe-inspiring view of Orange and the surrounding foothills.
Here is a view from Santiago Oaks Trails of homes on the hills.
View from Santiago Oaks Trail
Homes on the Mountains
Lying peacefully in East Orange, California, alongside the Santiago Creek, the 1,269-acre Santiago Oaks Regional Park is a nature lover’s paradise. This secluded refuge offers hikers, bikers, and equestrians the natural charm of mountain vistas, an orange grove, a meandering creek, and a mature forest with many different tree species.
Hiking Trail
Horse Trails
Horse Trail
Post Sunset sky over homes at East Lake Village, Yorba Linda, California
East Lakes Yorba Linda Post Sunset
Sunset over the homes at East Lake Village in Yorba Linda, California
East Lakes Yorba Linda Sunset over Trees
East Lakes Yorba Linda Bright Sunset over Homes
We visited California in April this year and will be posting images from there.
Yorba Regional Park in Anaheim is a forested paradise with fishing lakes. Feels like Yorba Linda, but actually in Anaheim. This thin, linear park is just over a mile long but offers casual biking opportunities, a riverside equestrian trail, beautiful water features, and amenities galore.
Pond at Yorba Linda Regional Park
After photographing the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, California, from various locations, we ventured to Baker Beach on a foggy evening.
Baker Beach, located in San Francisco’s Presidio, is a scenic, mile-long beach famous for its stunning views of the Golden Gate Bridge. While it’s a popular spot for photography, the foggy weather makes it challenging.
Foggy Day at Baker Beach
Switching our posts for the next two weeks from color to monochrome.
Monochrome photography is an artistic type of photography that uses tones of a single color to colorize a photograph. Instead of having colors from all over the spectrum, a monochrome photo has just one color scale. All black and white images are monochrome images, but not all monochrome images are black and white.
Here is an image captured from Glacier Point in Yosemite National Park in California, that is converted from color to monochrome making it balanced and visually appealing.
Cloud Formations over Yosemite in Monochrome
Cloud Formations from Glacier Point Yosemite
Not a true silhouette, but this image shot against a sunset in Santa Monica, California creates silhouettes of a bird, tree and a fence.
An elaborate wooden structure frames the water at the ocean-front at Santa Monica, California
A traditional Spanish type building houses Embassy Hotel in Santa Monica, California.
Tall palms lean right toward the ocean in Santa Monica, California. Why do palm trees lean towards the sea? Palm trees lean to get more light called “phototropism.” The ocean acts as a mirror for light, so there is much more light coming from the sea than from a single building.
A large conically-shaped planter for flowers in Santa Monica, California
The Japanese Tea Garden in San Francisco, California, is a popular feature of Golden Gate Park. Originally created as a “Japanese Village” exhibit for the 1894 California Midwinter International Exposition, the site originally spanned about one acre and showcased a Japanese style garden. When the fair closed, Japanese landscape architect Makoto Hagiwara and superintendent John McLaren reached a gentleman’s agreement, allowing Mr. Hagiwara to create and maintain a permanent Japanese style garden as a gift for posterity.
Alcatraz Island is a small island in San Francisco Bay, 1.25 miles offshore from San Francisco, California. The island was developed in the mid-19th century with facilities for a lighthouse, a military fortification, and a military prison. Here are views of Alcatraz from Pacific Heights.
