16 January:
(Meet Ganymede, super-camh0r! :O)
- Camh0ring in the bathroom - take no notice of the poster. XD
- See the dirt on my chin? That represents nine days of TRYING TO GROW FACIAL HAIR. :O
14 February:
(To celebrate Valentine's Day as a single guy, I treated myself to a trip to Año Nuevo State Reserve! This reserve sits mid-way between Half Moon Bay and Santa Cruz on the California coast, and my parents and I used to visit it all the time to hike, fish, and have a picnic by the waves. In fact, we relaxed in the H.M.B. area at least twice a month when I was growing up - it was barely twenty minutes from our house on a good traffic day! - and most of the time we drove the extra twenty-five minutes down to Año Nuevo's northern border because it was more remote and less touristy. I'd gone to H.M.B. occasionally since growing up and moving out, but I hadn't been to Año Nuevo in at least a decade, so this trip was a "rediscovery" and a step back in time for me. Add to that a great seafood lunch in H.M.B., a gorgeous California winter day, achingly strong winds and crashing waves, and what could be better for a day devoted to myself?)
  
- The hike to the ocean from this four-car parking lot off the highway takes little more than five minutes.
- A flower blooming alongside the trail.
- Here we are at the water! :D Note that the coast is more rocky and rugged than sandy. *_*
  
  
- The midday sun was so bright that it washed out this pic, but the texture on the rocks is still gorgeous.
- A study in texture/color: wet rubble and bright seawater.
- Looking westward across the ocean, with the horizon in the far distance.
- A close-up shot taken from the same spot as the previous pic, as waves come in to cover the rocks.
- Another close-up of the ocean's surface as waves cause it to swell and churn.
- My favorite thing to do (besides your mom XD) is to walk as far out on these rocks as I can at high tide and just let the water crash around me.
  
- The coastline is so rugged/complex: facing northward here you can see a small cave in the foreground.
- Water sprays as an incoming wave breaks on nearby rocks.
- The rocks are mainly sandstone; seawater erodes them in such a way that they look like lumpy dough.
- See? LUMPY DOUGH! XD Note the Majestical Guano™. XD XD
- I love the lines on the rock, the line of hills, the lines of perspective the coastline/seastacks make... Sexy! XD
- In the background a wave hits some rocks and sprays water in a ring shape - very cool!
- A series of waves recede, lowering the water line and revealing some wet, pretty rocks. :D
- Strong waves turning the ocean into One Big Churning Foamy Mass of Salty Love. *_*
- This photo didn't turn out how I'd hoped but it shows the striped erosion pattern common to rocks here.
- Frenetic wave activity at high tide makes the sea's surface foamy and rouched. *_*
- There was a great view from where two large boulders formed a "V" when facing southward down the coastline.
- Pic #2 from the "V."
- A sweet contrast of sandstone and clear sky.
- Another study in lines: the rock texture, the hills, and the perspective created by the coastline and seastacks.
- Okay, so here's pic #3 from the "V!" *cough* The water looked too pretty to exclude this picture! XD;
- Note the stone's colors as you go from clifftop to ocean: from beige, to tawny, to brown, and to grey.
  
- Four distinct boulders at the water's edge, caught in the sun's glare.
- A scaly-looking patch of sandstone that reminds me of a dragon's back. :D
- When seawater moistens the rocks and sunlight hits them just right, some surfaces look gilded. *_*;
- More gilding! I love the way the water darkens the stone and creates bright highlights. *___*
- And here's further proof that wet stones look better under the sun than dry ones do! XD
- This puddle was empty, but some of the pools that form on the rocks sustain fascinating mini-ecosystems. ^^v
- A shabby photo - the camera was adjusting for the sun. Still, I love it for the moist colors. :D
- A great look at the coastal cliffs as a wave comes in. Note the smallish cave. XD
- High tide at full strength - crazy-strong waves are whipping the water into froth. :O!!!
- The Most Freudian Puddle EVAR. And speaking of which, I could fit my whole fist in there! XD
- Ribbed and wet. >:9
- Strong winds blowing over a large pond that formed on a boulder is what created this effect.
  
- The light reflecting off the wet rocks became so intense that it washed out almost all the color here.
- Here's a close-up of the intense gilding - it was almost a chiaroscuro effect.
- A beautiful look over the ocean towards the horizon, with some interesting shadows in the foreground.
- A mini-ecosystem! This crevice contains barnacles, snails, algae, and coralline algae in a pint of seawater. *_*
- And here's more of that gilded rubble and rouched seawater I can't seem to get enough of! >:p
- A fantastic shot of waves slamming against the gilded, rocky slopes.
- This photo gives you variety: waves, sun, coastline, textures, and the contrast of blue sea/dark rock.
- A photo that was shot where the rocks kind of lined up to form a small channel for water to rush through.
- A view towards the horizon of seastacks in the water, taken at a slant.
- Erosion caused by fresh water trickling down the cliff to the ocean below helped to form this spectacular gash.
- Another view of The Gash. And please, leave the innuendoes at home! XD
- A close-up into the depths of a large pool on one of the high boulders jutting out into the ocean.
- This photo wasn't shot from the wave-soaked rocks, but from the clifftops, where the designated trails are.
- The sun's glare screwed with this picture too, but I still enjoy it for the textures and the puddles.
- A northward look at the trail hugging the coastline. Gotta love that freezing California winter! XD
- A great shot of bright water lapping up against a rocky beach.
- Another gorgeous shot of the rocky beach, with part of the cliffs in the foreground.
- Here we see part of Whitehouse Creek lighting up the rock as it trickles down the cliff face. *_*
- A cool look at a portion of the cliffs jutting out toward the ocean.
- A view of a very small, square-shaped rock beach. Would that be a "beachlet?"
XD;;;
- These trees were landmarks for my family. We'd always walk past them just before climbing down to the water.
- Here's a cool side view of that "jutting-out-toward-the-ocean" piece of cliff. XD
- When the coastline's shape dissipates wave energy, erosion is less drastic and sandy beaches are more likely.
- Bright sunlight + rippling water = yet another photo with a gorgeous, chiaroscuro-like effect. *_*
- Coastal shrubbery, YAY! XD
- Another look at Teh Shrubbery. XD;
- I just love the way the cliff face just absolutely DROPS here - eek! :O
- A rare sandy beach, pictured with most of its colors lost in the glare of the bright midday sun.
- A study in erosion. Yeah. XD;;; What, you want longer captions? :p
- Another look at the calmer portion of the coastline where wave energy is dissipated.
- A wild strawberry in bloom! :D So fragile, so delicate... so EMO! Y_Y *weep weep bawl etc.* XD
- I just love the purple/grey tint the coastal scrub acquires during the winter. *_*
- A look at the seastack-in-progress from the "study in erosion" photo.
- A wide-angle shot with the three trees my family used as a landmark in the far corner. :D
- So, after taking all these photos from the clifftops, I simply had to climb back down to the water's edge! XD;;;
- Water flooding some tidepools - keep in mind it's still high tide!
- The rocks here remind me of a road - a bumpy and muddy road perhaps, but a road nonetheless! XD
- A close-up look at part of the "road."
- It's amazing how wave action/erosion can sculpt sandstone into absolute works of art. *_*
- More gorgeous art. It was at a spot like this where my parents would set up camp whenever we came down here.
- A southward look at a batch of ferocious waves roughing up the coastline.
- Happy mussels in a tidepool, with barnacles and snails to keep them company. :D
- A close-up of algae on the rocks and foam on the water.
- A photo of a quiet channel formed by the various rocks and seastacks at this spot.
- Can you spot the crab? :D (Hint: Tilt your head a bit to the right. XD)
- At gorgeous places like this my dad would fish at the water's edge; Mom would be further back preparing food.
  
- The algae on these rocks are moist and slick, causing the rocks to look gilded when struck by sunlight.
- A tidepool containing a happy family of anemones, mussels, sea urchins, snails, barnacles, and coralline algae. :D
- Here's a close-up look at the same tidepool as in the previous photo.
- Another absolutely breathtaking sculpture of sandstone... All hail erosion! *_*;
- And STILL more sandstone art! XD;;; (I know, I know, but it's all so pretty! Y_Y)
- A photo of a gentle incoming wave, taken from the water's edge.
- A view of a fairly low cliff, also shot from the water's edge.
- Hint: If you look at the horizon closely, you can see Año Nuevo Island just off the jutting coastline! *_*
- Here it's easier to see how the coastline juts out to the west when you're facing southward.
- Now, this picture could and should be on a postcard. *_*;;; Guh!
- A study in grey and blue... I love the contrasting colors here!
- I love the textures here: a sandy clifftop in the foreground, frothy waves in the back, and still waters in between.
- Another great study in diverse textures, shot from the same spot as the previous photo.
- To me this picture is completely "perfect" in the aesthetic sense. I absolutely love it to pieces. XD
- This photo's similar to the previous one, except the focus this time is on the bird... and I love this one too!
- This photo is also like the "perfect" picture, except the focus here is on some fierce waves in the distance.
- More textures: Algae-covered rocks separate reflective water in the foreground from foaming waves in the back.
  
- Here I am, proving how badly I was in need of a haircut and a sunglasses alignment! XD
- Me again, looking bloody rough. It won't surprise you to learn that I was getting over a major flu at the time. -_-;
- A trio of seabirds picking their way along the water's edge in search of food.
- A vibrant shot of a wide swath of algae-covered rocks, with the horizon lost in a glare of sunlight.
- Another southward look at the coastline jutting west, with an Interesting Gash™ in the foreground. XD XD
- Rubble gives an otherwise sandy beach a rather "gritty" look, with gentle waves in the background.
- A final look at some wildflowers blooming by the trail, on the way out of Año Nuevo. *sigh*
- SPECIAL: A short movie clip of waves at high tide! Part 1 of 2. (.avi format, 3.7 MB)
- SPECIAL: A short movie clip of waves at high tide! Part 2 of 2. (.avi format, 3.7 MB)
15 February:
(I went to see my favorite tennis player, Tommy Robredo, play at a tournament in San Jose, California - right here in the Bay Area! Tommy is a Catalan tennis player from Spain and a real sweetie pie. :D At the time Tommy was one of the top fifteen tennis players in the world, ranked at #14; he's since entered the top ten and even reached a career-high rank of #5 at one point. Anyway, he unfortunately lost this match to Mark Philippoussis, 6-3 5-7 5-7. The pictures here are fairly poor in quality since my camera produces awful shots when I use the zoom function, and I had to use it since I wasn't sitting right up front. Also, I suspected that my pointing the camera at Tommy was distracting him when he was facing in my direction, so I ended up just taking a lot of pictures of his back while he was serving on my side of the court. -_- Still, I got a great view of his butt - I could even see his blue underwear through his shorts - so even though he lost, it was still a win for me! XD *cough* Anyway, enjoy the photos - next time I go see some matches I'll have to make sure to bring a better camera!)
  
  
  
  
  
 
- SPECIAL: A short movie clip of Robredo preparing to return a serve! Part 1 of 2. (.avi format, 3.7 MB)
- SPECIAL: A short movie clip of Robredo preparing to return a serve! Part 2 of 2. (.avi format, 3.6 MB) |
