Welcome to October’s Wandering Camera!  I love October for many reasons, but this particular one is very special to me.  Twenty years ago, this east coast girl packed up on the last week of October and left for the west coast in pursuit of something she had read in a science fiction book.  I fell in love with the author’s description of California, and sight unseen I moved here.  I fall in love with her more with every passing day.

Last weekend we were without power for a very long time due to major Santa Ana winds.  The trees were swaying as if the ground itself was shaking them.  Colourful autumn leaves were swirling everywhere. Despite the drama, it was a tragic event, really.  I was wondering what keeps me here.

As you know, I love camping in the high sierras at 10,000 ft. for the cold weather it brings in September.  It is a respite for me from the summer heat.  Despite my wish of seeing the sun colouring the rolling clouds over the high mountains at sunrise and sunset, the day started out quite mundane.

Nonetheless, we got up before sunrise at 5:30 AM and drove up to one of the many glacial lakes to see the sun blazing on the mountains.  We were not disappointed.

As if mother Nature heard me, she started rolling in a few clouds later in the day.

I was trying hard not obsess about photography this time, and busied myself the next day with a bit of sketching of my new tent at the campground.

However, when the clouds continued to billow overhead, it was very hard not to heed that call.  My husband, who knows me very well, smiled and we drove to one of our favourite spots on Tioga Pass a little before sunset.

The 360-degree amphitheatre play of light, shadow, and colour unfolded around us slowly over the next hour.

The clouds turned from white to orange to purple and pink.

Then back to orange again on the other side of the mountain.

It was getting really dark around us and we were the only living beings there apart from the trees to witness the drama that only Mother Nature can create.

We finally left when the last light of the day had truly started fading away into night.  There was an intense pink glow around us still, and it was very hard to part myself from it.  Mesmerized and hypnotized, I wanted to stay there forever and become part of the mountains and the trees.

That’s why stay here in California.  I wanted to write something summarising my life here, but how do you capture twenty years of photographic journey in just one single article!  So I decided to share just one intense hour with you. 

Celebratory Giveaway

Today is my favourite holiday, plus as a celebration of life here in California, I am doing a giveaway.   This giveaway is for those who subscribe to my blog via email.  This is where I share my photos and work in context and I get to communicate with you directly and the most. Thank you for reading and for all the wonderful comments!

Please make sure you follow me and leave a comment.  If you spread the word about the giveaway online, leave another comment mentioning that.  To make things fun, tell me at least one thing that you love about where you live in the comments, I would love to know. 

Giveaway has now ended.

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