Anniversary walk in South Lake Tahoe

Debbie and I celebrated the 30th anniversary of our wedding on Sunday. We marked the occasion by spending the afternoon in South Lake Tahoe. After an enjoyable lunch at The Getaway Cafe in Meyers, we did some window shopping in Stateline.

Later, we drove up Highway 89 to visit one of our favorite Tahoe haunts. The area surrounding Taylor Creek features a fascinating array of forest trails, beaches and historic venues. With many spring flowers still in bloom, we idled away the afternoon. It was the perfect spot to relax and soak in the scenery.

Large fields of lupines caught my eye on our drive to Taylor Creek. Soft purple flowers on tall racemes seemed to blanket both sides of the highway. I thought the flowers would grow closer to the lake.

When we turned onto the beach access road, I expected to find lupines within easy reach of the parking lot. Instead, mountain mules ears -- past their prime in the beaming Lake Tahoe sun -- and Indian paintbrush flourished under the tall stands of Jeffery Pine.

Possibly crowded out by sage and tall grasses, I figured that this wasn't a prime lupine growing area. Debbie and I strolled along the wide path to Kiva Beach. Debbie massaged her toes in the warm Lake Tahoe sand while I snapped several pictures of the lagoon.

She was content to bask in the soothing rays in the late afternoon sun. I walked through the forest on my hunt for photographic subjects.

After a respite, Debbie and I walked along the trail to the amphitheater. The cool evening air refreshed us as much as the slow pace of our stroll through the forest. We admired the majestic Jeffery Pines in quiet solitude.

I had hoped that our walk away from the lake would bring us closer to the elusive lupine wildflowers. As we came near the picnic area next to the amphitheater, I we turned off the main trail. This one would take us back to the parking lot.

Then I saw something that told me I should soon locate beautiful lupine bushes. The soil changed as we hiked. The rocky soil became more evident as the trail led us away from Taylor Creek and the lake.

Then I found a large patch of bush lupine. Set among a grove of young pine trees, the flowers enjoyed the last rays of sunlight of the day. While I last studied biology some 30 years ago, the lupines seemed to thrive under the thick layer of dead pine leaves.

I was soon on the ground taking pictures of my beloved lupine. While Debbie walked ahead, took a dozen photographs like the one below. We enjoyed a wonderful day. Lunch, a couple hikes and a chance to photograph my favorite part of South Lake Tahoe.

The best part of the day: I was able to enjoy it with my wife of 30 years.

Calflora.org lists some 142 species within the Lupinus genus. According to Sierra Nevada Natural History, bush lupines are likely Lupinus albifrons and its many subspecies.

Afternoon storm

Afternoon storm
Originally uploaded by SeabeeCook

I love Sierra Nevada summer thunder storms. They're a refreshing change from the dust and boredom of the dry summer heat. And it's an exhilarating experience to stand under a tarp in camp and watch large drops of water mixed with hail descend to the ground. Most storms don't drop enough moisture to cause much concern for the camper.

We watched clouds move in from the east all afternoon Friday. The storm built as warm air moved in from the east and rose up to meet cooler air near the crest of the Sierra. The clouds released their moisture just after 5 p.m. on the area surrounding the "Y" in South Lake Tahoe.

We drove into a wall of water on U.S. 50 on our way to eat. My only regret was that we were on the road at the time of the storm. I would've loved to have been in camp for the storm.

Day off ...

As at most summer camps across the United States, staff get one 24-hour period off each week. The day off at Deer Crossing runs from 7 a.m. to 7 a.m. the next day.

We have chosen to leave camp on each of our days off. It lets us "get aways from it all" and enjoy a relaxing day out of the kitchen. After a five-minute boat ride across Loon Lake, we're free to relax, catch up on laundry and take care of business (banking, for instance) that can't be done at camp.

Debbie and I left the camp at 8:30 this morning and arrived in South Lake Tahoe in time for a late breakfast at Ernie's Coffee Shop. Laundry was next on the agenda, then a visit to an art and craft fair at the "Y" and coffee and Internet at Alpina Coffee Cafe.

Coffee gave us a chance to dodge the rain and catch up on the whereabouts of our 17-year-old son, who's staying with his sister. The rain was a pleasant relief from the heat and dry conditions at camp.

In the photo, I was about to stuff my special peanut butter, dill pickle and mayonnaise sandwich into my mouth at camp. I plan to demonstrate the sandwich to each new group of campers, every two weeks. Four staff and about eight campers accepted my challenge to try the sandwich last week.

I've been eating the sandwich, named "The Jonathon" after a Florida College employee who ate them by the dozen after camp in 2003, since childhood.

A Mt. Tallac Sunrise on Fallen Leaf Lake

No one talked on the trail. Each photographer focused on the path ahead in the pre-dawn light. With only the pair of boots ahead to guide us, each hiker artfully dodged rocks on the groomed trail.

The sunrise came early last Friday. The last photographer arrived at the trailhead along Fallen Leaf Lake Road shortly after 5 a.m. The group hit the trail at half past the hour.

As photographer Tim Rains led the hike, I'm sure the last point during Thursday's workshop resonated in each mind.

"Famous photographers became famous because they were out there," said Rains. Great photographers like Ansel Adams captured breath taking photographs by taking the take the time to "get off the beaten track."

The brilliant red and blue hues of a Sierra Nevada sunrise waited each photographer. The 10-minute trek would soon bring the group to photographic treasure. The trail led us through a dry meadow and over a narrow rocky hill to the our photographic vantage point.

"Spread out and pick a spot along the beach," said Rains, as we approached the eastern shoreline of Fallen Leaf Lake.

As each photographer selected his shooting location, Rains encouraged us to pick a vantage point on the beach that incorporated objects in the foreground. Objects like a weathered tree stump, for instance, add depth to the photograph, said Rains.

As I set my tripod up on the rocky beach, Rains suggested that a polarizing filter would enhance color saturation and darken the sky to a rich, blue color.

The class quickly swung into action. We only had 15 minutes until the sunrise would illuminate the rocky face of Mt. Tallac. Hardly anyone talked as we focused on the coming sunrise.

I snapped several shops of the mountain in the pre-dawn light. Satisfied with my exposure settings, I turned the camera southward to the photograph the shoreline.

"Take your time, sit and look the area over," said Rains during the workshop. "You might discover something."

This technique has allowed Rains to discover geographic faces -- often set rock formations -- in his outdoor photographs. I found an old tree stump a fascinating subject.

The sun started to inch down the face of Mt. Tallac after I shot several quick pictures of the shoreline. I bracketed each series of pictures of the sunrise in increments of 1/3-stop. (Although Rains recommends 1/2-stop increments, I've my camera set for 1/3-stop increments.)

The peaceful morning was only interrupted by a water skier on the lake. A light breeze and wave action from the boat limited the quality of the reflection in our pictures.

At about 20 minutes past the six o'clock, I knew I had captured my sunrise when the image on the LCD monitor jumped out of the camera. I was rewarded with a fiery red reflection as the waves rippled toward the shore.

As we packed our cameras and tripods around 7 o'clock, Rains announced that he had one good shot. It may not have been a spectacular sunrise in photographic terms. But it was my first in recent years. (I took scores of Pacific Ocean sunrises with a Petre SLR as a sailor in the 1970s.)

A lively hike back to the truck punctured the cool morning. We talked about our photographs as red hues of the sunrise gave way to the bright morning sun over Fallen Leaf Lake.

A Quiet Garden

I found this rustic chair in the restored garden at the Baldwin Estate in South Lake Tahoe. I love the quite solitude that comes from a colorful garden. Somehow, the lush vegetation with the yellow accent from the daisies in the foreground gives me a sence of peace. It's relaxing to read the afternoon away.

Lake Tahoe Blue

The grandeur of Lake Tahoe has always amazed me. Its beep blue color makes it the jewel of the Sierra Nevada. The waters of Fallen Leaf Lake in the foreground are blue. This picture was shot from Angora Ridge, near the old lookout.

Eldorado National Forest rangers placed the Angora Lookout on the narrow Angora Ridge in 1924. Lookouts had an almost unobstructed 360-degree view of the forest in the South lake Tahoe area. This structure was built in 1935 by the Civilian Conservation Corps. The original lookout cab was converted to a residence after this one was completed.

The Angora Fire scorched the trees to the left of the lookout. The ridge formed the eastern flank of the fire. Firefighters used the ridge road as a natural fire break. Fortunately, the lookout was spared.