Village Cave House

In my first post about Cappadocia I mentioned that we stayed in a cave hotel in Göreme. It was quite unusual, but very fascinating. The hotel was in the huge rock that you can see in the top photo - you can actually see the entrance to it in the lower part of the image. Here's a better look:

All the rooms were accessible from outside, obviously there were no hallways. That meant each room had its own patio or terrace which was wonderful on those late warm evenings when we could sit outside and read and plan the next day. The view was amazing.

Just to give you an idea how low the door to our room was:

We had a three person-room. It was huge, very generous and cool (great in the hot summer). There was a beautiful sitting area beneath the window and tea and coffee making supplies. No further decoration except for the amazing fabrics they use in this country. Apart from that, just naked rock.

We had our private bathroom as well,  very clean with sparse decor.

The road to the hotel was narrow - I try to include a video I made with my phone while driving from the center of Göreme up to the Village Cave House.

This was the view on our last morning in Göreme - the hot air balloons. On clear mornings with perfect conditions dozens of hot air balloons float over the rugged area. The view from up there must be amazing - it's one of the most popular things to do here. Unfortunately we didn't - but if we should ever come back I think we will.

By the way - this was my 1000th blogpost!

Knock Knock!

The picturesque villages and small towns in England's beautiful Cotswold Hills have a lot to offer for photographers. One of the places I went to often during my frequent visits to the Cotswolds is Chipping Campden. It was a rather sleepy village in the 70's when I walked along its sidewalks for the first time. When I returned in the late 80's and early as well as late 90's it wasn't as sleepy anymore but still a pleasant place where you could easily spend several hours wandering the streets and stopping in the afternoon for cream tea served in a gorgeous garden. However, when I brought my family to Chipping Campden in 2014 it had turned into a crowded and bustling tourist destination.

Still, we could take our time and take lots of photos. Since I had been there so often I skipped the usual sights and concentrated on other objects - like doors and windows. I noticed all the gorgeous and sometimes unusual knobs and knockers on many doors - some of them embellished and quite ornate, its own little piece of art.

The Dragon House's door knocker featured a dragon, of course - quite appropriate.

Others were more subtle but just as beautiful.

I really liked this one - elegant but not showy. Quite fitting for British understatement.

And it's always good to know where to put the letters.

An Image and Its Story - February 2019

The shortest month of the year, still, I shot a good amount of photos in relation to the length of the month. The photo that made the cut for February isn't my best or even favorite image, but it summarizes the month perfectly.

Usually I'm more than grateful when it rains because I know that it fills up our reservoirs and gets us safely through the year water wise. But this month just was a bit too much. The "last drop" (pun intended) was the past week's deluge that caused havoc in so many communities along the river. It is still raining (after a two day break) and the forecast promises more rain is on the way.

I'm done with it. Too much of even a good thing is just that - too much.

Still - I feel guilty writing these words since it's not been that long ago that we were in a terrible drought and were waiting for rain that didn't come. It feels wrong not to be thankful, but it is very difficult to feel gratitude when you see the severe damage this flood has caused for so many people. The thankfulness carries a bitter tone with it, but I hope in the end it will survive all the bitterness.

I've Seen Fire and I've Seen Rain

This James Taylor song came to my mind over the last few days.

Last Monday it started to rain and it didn't stop for the next 48 hours. It wasn't just rain, it was a heavy downpour, a deluge. When the rain finally stopped sometime on Wednesday parts of our county were completely under water. The evacuation orders got out on Tuesday, schools across the county were closed.

It was the highest flood in a generation.

Thursday was a beautiful day with sun, blue sky and little white clouds, so Liz and I decided to go to our lake and see what it looks like. We knew that the park was closed and we had to walk in from the other side. Since I know all the trails away from the lake we were able to get around half of it.

We hadn't quite expected what we saw.

The lake had expanded considerably. This is what it usually looks like (almost same perspective):

Another look:

... and what it usually looks like. This view is from the dam, but the water had come half way up the dam. The treeline in the photo above - those three big pine trees - marks where the trail runs along.

It was shocking and fascinating at the same time. We spent four hours at the lake, exploring. Over and over again, that James Taylor song popped into my head. Yes, we really got our share - firestorm and deluge.

This is a paved path in drier times, now covered by the waters of the lake. I loved the reflections.

This lake is a reservoir designed to hold storm water from several creeks that run into it and it sure was doing its job. But it reminded us of a swamp.

Can you see the little turtle?

When we came to the parking lot at the boat launch, there was nothing there - except water.

Only the day before the water was much higher. You can see it because of all the debris that is left on the road. It's good to see that the water recedes rather quickly.

Under all this water is the parking lot. I've never realized the beautiful view because all I saw was the paved lot. Now it's a lake.

Geese and ducks and other waterfowl were everywhere, enjoying the extended terrain they're having for a few days. They explored the picnic area.

The birds sure loved it. I think they found a lot of nutritious stuff in the wet soil. Robins and California quails were abundant, but we also saw and heard many other birds.

This is one of the creeks that runs into the lake. It looks beautiful, right? It's hard to believe that this area is completely dry in the summer.

The little towns and villages along the Russian River that were evacuated now have to clean up - a huge task. Last night it rained again and there is more rain in the forecast. I just hope it's not another Atmospheric River.

Where the Mustard Grows

If you had to give February a color, which one would it be? Gray for rainy days? White for snow? Charcoal for stormy skies?

Here in wine country is has to be yellow. This is the month when the vineyards turn yellow - it's mustard season. It happens gradually, you almost don't notice it. And then suddenly one day you look around and the vineyards are a-glowing.

Doesn't it look almost like spring? Well... don't get me wrong, it sure is beautiful and you think it's warm and you can leave your comfy jacket at home, but then you turn around and you see this.

Sure, the snow doesn't reach down into the valley - and I'm grateful for this - but it does get cold. When we drove to one of my favorite wine valleys - the Dry Creek Valley where most of these photos were taken - we wore winter jackets and never stayed outside too long. Just long enough to take some pictures and capture this beautiful time. Otherwise - it's been freezing.

When the mustard starts to bloom the work in the vineyards also starts again. Everywhere we saw activity in vineyards, workers cutting back and trimming the vines, getting ready for the breaking of the buds in a few weeks. Other vineyards still lay dormant, but certainly not for long anymore. There is a lot of work to do.

The California Quails were busy, too. I'm sure they enjoyed the first warming rays of sunshine after the big storms we had. Some vineyards were completely flooded from the past heavy rains.

I love the patterns that the vines make. You can see in the image below that these vines are waiting to be trimmed and cut back so that we will get our next year's fill of delicious wine. Yes, it's a lot of work. Tending a vineyard is definitely not my idea of spending my time (but drinking the result certainly is!).

The mustard season doesn't last too long, but long enough to enjoy it for a few weeks. When it's over the buds will soon break and the cycle starts again.

I love the gnarled base of the vine against the fresh and luminous yellow of the delicate mustard flowers.

By the way, mustard doesn't grow in every vineyard. There are winter vineyards completely free of any mustard or only a sprinkle of them. They are beautiful as well.

We have Winners!

Thank you to all of you who voted on the favorite photos. I'm sure you want to know which photos made the top 3.

First of all, there is no 3rd place, but a tie for second place:

Point Reyes Shipwreck which was my September image of An Image and Its Story.

and Stairway to Heaven, the beautiful stairs in the ancient Hagia Ireni which I first showed in this post.

But your favorite was the colorful umbrellas in Istanbul's Kumkapı Quarter - first place!

And now, of course, you can't wait to know who the winner of the greeting card set of these three photos is.

It is....

Sheri from Red Rose Alley

Congratulations, Sheri! Please e-mail me (address in sidebar) your address so I can send you the photo card set.

By the way, my favorite photo is the Pepperwood Sunset which always reminds me of one of the most beautiful days in the last year.