Happy New Year 2024 to All!
Here's to a fresh start, with hopes that the excellent human qualities of kindness, reason, and cooperation continue to exist and thrive in our world so that harmony and prosperity can prevail. Here's also to continued creativity and inspiration!!

This is the Pacific along the Northern California Coast, on a Spring day. Best wishes to all!

Tags:   Pacific Ocean shining sea sunshine clouds Happy New Year 2024 Rita Crane Photography www.ritacranestudio.com

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One of the most beautiful Victorian homes in the historic village of Mendocino, the MacCallum House was built in 1882 as a wedding gift for Daisy Kelley and her husband Alex MacCallum. Here it is all dressed up for the holiday season.

Best wishes to all during this special time, where the longest nights of Winter Solstice give way gently to the longest days of Summer Solstice, as our planet continues along its orbit around the sun.

May goodwill continue to exist and eventually prevail on this planet. It's important to keep hope alive. It seems during the Winter Solstice there is an especial wish to do this. Building on centuries of human aspirations we continue to celebrate a deep abiding relationship to light and warmth, kindness and spiritual values in many different cultural ways.

Tags:   holiday lights good cheer enduring hope solstice Christmas decorations Long nights Blue hour Mendocino Coast California Rita Crane Photography www.ritacranestudio.com

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Techie note: I wish I could return to take this picture again, with a more powerful camera! Nowadays iPhones have more resolution than the Fuji Finepix S7000 I was using in 2004 to capture this moment! Perhaps one could call it a vintage digital image.

Here is the view of the Seine from the Pont Neuf in the historic center of Paris. You can see the Pont des Arts and the Louvre stretching from center right. The boats are docked along the Quai de Conti.

Despite the cold on this blustery March evening, the sunset reflecting in the choppy water was a fitting tribute to what had been a magical winter afternoon. After a week of overcast skies a storm had cleared the air, bringing welcome rain and beautiful clouds. I was in heaven even though my fingers were freezing!

Tags:   Paris France Ile de la Cite' La Seine Quai de Conti Pont des Arts Le Louvre boats docks sunset sky colors winter Fuji Finepix www.ritacranestudio.com Rita Crane Photography

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This is part of my series on tide pools along the California Coast, in Monterey County. I've put them into their own album and will be sharing a few more of my favorites.

I was enjoying the views of Monterey Bay on a beautiful California day. When I looked down, I was struck by the amazing clarity of the water and the beauty of the sea grasses and kelp floating along the shoreline in the incoming tide. The mid-day sun shone straight down, illuminating the details in this 'ocean garden'. Luckily I had my camera with me! I spent some time creating compositions as the waves continued to lap gently back and forth along the shore, moving this sea garden in dance like rhythms.

The bright green is Zostera marina, a sea grass, also known as eel grass.

Tags:   Monterey Bay sea grass eel grass Zolstera marina tide pool Pacific California coast ocean Rita Crane Photography www.ritacranestudio.com Pink feather coralline marine algae

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This is part of my series on tide pools along the California Coast, in Monterey County. I've put them into their own album and will be sharing a few more of my favorites.

I was enjoying the views of Monterey Bay and when I looked down, I was struck by the amazing clarity of the water and the beauty of the sea grasses and kelp floating along the shoreline in the incoming tide. The mid-day sun shone straight down, illuminating the details in this 'ocean garden'. Luckily I had my camera with me!

Tags:   Monterey Bay tide pool Pacific California kelp Rita Crane Photography www.ritacranestudio.com

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