Creative Captions, Place Photography

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.

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.

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.


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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