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| A line of trees outside of the Kohls department store in Natomas, Sacramento. I started off shopping with the family, then after a while, when there was nothinig else interesting for me to see in the store, I excused myself and went outside to put my camera to use. Somehow the linearity of these trees, truly an obession in tree-planting here (as in a lot of other urban locales), always amazes me. You have to appreciate linear beauty whenever you get a chance, and these trees, aren't they just beautiful. They briefly follow a creek, then they stop, to mark the end of the shopping's parking lot. But still, they are trees. |
Since the beginning of the summer, and in anticipation of my upcoming trip to Zimbabwe, I have been exploring coastal Northern California with my family. While on the road, I have also rediscovered my interest in photography. Rediscovered in the right word, because I used to take a lot of photos in Zimbabwe (over sixteen years ago), especially in the rural areas. I'm always interested in landscapes and oceans, and sometimes monumental features, old building, and so on.
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| Highway 5 South (the road to Los Angeles): on this day we were just taking it as a short-cut to Monterey Peninsula. We later exited it when we reached a small town called Santa Nella. Then we took a connecting road to Highway 152, which would lead us to 156, to Highway 1 and finally to Monterey. Photo by NM (because I was the driver). |
So this is the first in a series of posts that will focus on the "power of place" (the book I'm currently reading, by Winifred Gallagher, is aptly entitled "The Power of Place: How Our Surroundings Shape Our Thoughts, Emotions, and Actions."). I love places, especially the California landscapes, where I have always seen hints of the Eastern highlands of Zimbabwe as I have driven either to the Sierras, or while crossing the coastal ranges to the west of the state. I love California valleys, mountains, and deserts; I love the Pacific Ocean's cliffs, I love Highway 1 which gives amazing views of the Pacific Ocean. Love the redwoods of Santa Cruz and Mendocino, the unending farms of Fresno and Merced. I am also moved by all cities, small and big; I love the deserts of Nevada and Arizona. I love everything about landscape; I love place.
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| Unlike my linear trees above, these tell a different, but still beautiful story. As I already said, trees are trees, and in their diversity, they are beautiful. And in this one, you get to see grass, which is telling its own (seasonal) story. |
I will be posting pictures, mostly panoramic ones, and captioning them with some detail that attempts to capture my feeling as I took the pictures. Yes, I feel a lot when I encounter landscapes.
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| Some say this highway to Los Angeles is boring. I agree, but that's where my appreciation begins. You go for a long distance viewing this until you begin to see the subtle beauty, the very story behind a formation like this, which announses a certain abundance. |
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