Oooh, a Mystery...

Blitz Pack, I'll be off the computer this evening. I'll be prepping for my special PhotoBlitz assignment tomorrow at...nah, I'm not tellin' ya. It's a surprise. (Except for the in-crowd that follows us on Facebook. They know...but they're not telling either. So take a peek @ our FB page and see what's in store for next week.)

Anyway, here's your treat for the day. Have a great Saturday. Hasta later, Blitzers!

"To do great work a man must be very idle
as well as very industrious."
~ Samuel Butler ~

Think Back a Few Days...

Remember when we last left Tim?

Yes, there he is. Focused. Attentive. Riveted by a small hole in the ground. To the casual onlooker, here's a guy who maybe doesn't get out enough. To us PhotoBlitzers, however, here's a guy who gets out plenty -- and knows what to look for when he does. So what did he find, you ask? Well, I'll tell ya...in a minute. But first, let's set the scene.

Say "Hi!" to Rick, everybody.

Rick is one of the leaders of an awesome hiking group. On this day, everybody met at the Santa Rosa Plateau Ecological Reserve (say that three times fast) in Murrieta, CA. A group of about 40 spirited hikers started out from the Visitors' Center to explore the vernal pools and adobe houses, by way of the Granite Loop Interpretive Trail. We headed up the trail and into the wild, armed only with our wits and daring...along with water, snacks, and the latest in tech gear. (We're rugged, but sensible.)

Not ten minutes into the hike, Tim's spidey senses began to tingle. Or maybe he'd had too much espresso. Whatever. All I knew was that he'd turned around and was headed back the way we came. I scrambled to catch up. (He'd mentioned something about mountain lions going after smaller prey first; I wasn't about to find out if he was kidding.)

So what was up? Tim, being the experienced PhotoBlitzer, quickly realized that if we were to keep up with the group's cheetah-like pace, we'd be unable to snap pics. This was not an option. So, we hurried back to the car and drove to the other end of the trail. (Obeying all speed limits, of course.) Tim's plan was to work our way up from the vernal pools and meet the group there. It almost worked out: we reconnected with them at the adobes, then set out on our own again after a brief visit.

So, did we get our pics? Indeed we did. Click here to check 'em out.

And what was in the hole? Say "hello" to our little friend.

What're You Lookin' At?

"To think creatively, we must be able to look

afresh at what we normally take for granted."
~George Kneller~

Strut Your Stuff!

Are your pics languishing in a shoebox? Or stuffed in a desk drawer? Or (horror!) still on the SD card and not even downloaded to your computer??? Oh, the humanity!!!

It's okay. I've been guilty also.

True story: most of my pics are filed in one of those big, plastic photo storage cases. They're kind of sorted in orderly, but vague, categories. And I rarely see them. I don't have framed pics displayed. I only have a couple of photo albums. All those pics taken, but never enjoyed. Kind of sad, don't you think?


Tim, on the other hand, has his photo albums filled and random prints tucked above doorways or windows, or stood up on shelves. Until recently, though, he really didn't have any framed and matted prints up either. But after I gifted him a framed shot of his daughter I'd taken, he suddenly became a museum curator. He bought frames and matte boards and made prints and properly hung things on the walls and displayed them on tables. I must say, it did add a certain flair. But I still hadn't gotten around to doing anything with my rapidly-increasing print stash.

In the meantime, I'd decided to put up a few postcards he'd given me on my office wall cork tiles at work. I also added a pic Tim had taken on one of our hikes; then I added one of my shots. One day I walked in and found a work buddy had added two pics she'd taken on one of her hikes. Another pal brought me a print of his little girl with Santa. Small drawings were contributed by yet another friend. Something creative was happening...in my office! It was awesome -- but kind of haphazard. So I got organized.


Since I couldn't go pounding nails into the wall for frames, I had to work with the tiles. I re-sized some prints so everything would fit. Then I cut cardstock to serve as a kind of matte backing for each one. I made "Artist Cards" for all pics and art created by someone else to post next to their contribution. A few random objects were thrown in to the mix for fun. Finally, I broke out thumbtacks, adhesive mounting squares, arranged all the objets d'art, and TA-DAH! I had a full-on art gallery on my office wall! Wooo-hooo!


Now, each day I go into work, I open my office door and see a wall full of Happy. Every time, it's a scrumptious visual treat.

No mysterious moral to this story: Develop your film, make some prints off the digi-card, and then do something with them: put them in a photo album or scrapbook, frame & matte them, or just upload images into a digital album. Heck, print 'em on t-shirts or tote bags! Just don't keep them in the dark. Taking them was fun. Let's keep the fun going!

Tim's Excellent Adventure

What do you do when your PhotoBlitzing colleague wants more "creative input" on the blog? Send him away on an "Exclusive Special Assignment". (Hey, it sounds impressive and keeps his mitts off the keyboard. What's not to like?) So, I sent Tim off on a four-day road trip to the wilds of Northern California, which conveniently coincided with his vacation and his delightful daughter Anna's Spring Break. The Maestro would take Anna on her fervently desired trip to San Francisco, while completing his Ultra PhotoBlitz assignment. Of course, Tim was to provide his young road-tripping companion with an awesome adventure as well. (As long as he got good pics first. Priorities, people.)

Setting out from Yucaipa on Monday, April 5th in a comfy, rented Kia, the intrepid pair journeyed north. Their objective on this first day: reach Salinas before nightfall. It is from here that Tim narrates his story -- with only the teeniest, tiniest, wee bit of editorial and creative license on my part, of course. (Yeaaah...)

"As we headed up to Salinas, we followed the path of James Dean on his last drive. You probably know that James Dean was killed in a car crash. It happened near Cholame, at the intersection of Highways 41 and 46 on September 30, 1955. We visited the site of the crash, as well as the at Blackwell's Corner Gas Station, the site of his last refueling."


"From there, we took Highway 101 through Paso Robles and made it to Salinas as planned. After a good night's rest, we sought out John Steinbeck. We visited his home, but he wasn't in. So we stopped by Old Town Salinas. He wasn't there either. A little disappointing, but sometimes that's how things go. So we got on the road again, headed toward Frisco.

As we got closer, Anna was really excited; me, not so much. I'd been there before, and based on my previous experience there, it's not a favorite. Wasn't sure this trip would change my mind, since we were nearly rear-ended on the freeway, just before arriving in the city. But we were there and I had to take my passenger to see the sights."


"Our first stop was Lombard Street, aka "The Crookedest Street in the World". Anna had never heard of Lombard Street before and didn't know what to expect. How do you explain it? She had to see it and she was amazed. Her amazement didn't stop there."


"We headed toward Ghirardelli Square. The steep hills and unusual city left her in awe. Afterwards, we went on to Fisherman's Wharf, where we had clam chowder in sourdough bowls. We saw street performers, wildlife, the Maritime Museum, and Alcatraz. It was getting late, but we made one last stop before leaving the city: The Palace of Fine Arts. My daughter thought it was stunning."


By now, we needed to get to a campsite north of Frisco. As we got ready to cross the Golden Gate Bridge, my daughter got a little nervous. (She was practically hyperventilating.) But we made it. We parked on the north end of the bridge for pictures, then set out on a long search for our campsite -- only to re-direct. Long story short: the campsite ended up being near the location where we'd originally stopped to take pictures: Kirby Cove. Set up camp and it was lights out."


"Morning came and we had to start heading south again, our goal being to reach Monterey and then drive further south. So we drove back through Frisco and caught the 101, headed south. We had lunch in Gilroy, then made it to Monterey about 45 minutes after. We bought souvenirs and took more pictures on Cannery Row, then went through the Carmel Valley. We drove a long and winding road, very scenic and not heavily travelled. (Maybe all the sections of one-lane pavement have something to do with that.) We went about 60 miles before connecting with the 101, heading back to Paso Robles and reaching it about 8 p.m. Wednesday. (My son's birthday was the next day, Thursday, and I wanted to be home by the afternoon, hoping to see him.) We two weary travellers went to sleep."


"Thursday morning, we headed back toward Yucaipa. On the way, we stopped briefly at Fort Tejon, then took Highway 138 to the Antelope Valley and visited the California Poppy Reserve for a Mini Blitz."


"After taking pictures there, we made one last, almost fateful, stop: Devil's Punchbowl. At Devil's Punchbowl, while my daughter waited in the car, I decided to take a small excursion up a cliff. Then I got stuck. For about 15 minutes. Without my cell phone or water. Finally, I mustered my Blitzosity and carefully worked my way back down the cliff face, feeling slightly stupid, but ALIVE! It's a good thing that I made it, 'cause I have the story and pictures to share. (If I'd fallen, there would still have been a story and pictures, only I wouldn't have been around to share them.) So, all in all, a successful Ultra Blitz. Mission completed!"


Thanks, Tim, for that "Exclusive Special Report". For more pictures of Tim's pic-filled, and sometimes precarious adventure, Click Here.

Ye Olde Curiosity Shelf

The universe is full of magical things,
patiently waiting for our wits to grow sharper.
~ Eden Phillpotts ~

Do It. Do It Naaaowww!

Isn't this a great house? Weathered, abandoned, condemned. Probably build way back in the day, maybe the 30's. The old, white paint is peeling, faded, and coated with dust. The windows are boarded shut. It sits on the corner, it's aged beauty ignored, unwanted, and generally unnoticed. Except by me. Can you see why? No? There's a reason for that.

A few times each week, I'd drive past this house and think, I really need to stop by and snap some pics. This house has so much character, so much history, so much amazing...and then I'd drive on because there was too much traffic, or I was in a hurry to get somewhere, or the light wasn't quite right, etc. and so on. There was always a reason. Then one day, as I was going to lunch with my friends, we drove past. As we passed the corner, my "crazy brother" Scott said, "Hey, they finally tore that house down." I turned and, to my horror, the house -- my house -- was gone. Vanished. Disappeared. Not a shred of evidence remained to show that it had ever existed. And I didn't even have a pic because I never made the time to stop and click.

How many times have pics gotten away from you? Pics you could have taken, but didn't... Because. Because. There was always had a reason, sometimes valid, sometimes not. But then you kick yourself later because you didn't catch it. Hey, it's probably happened to all of us. But let's promise ourselves not to let it happen again. Don't count on that sunset being the same tomorrow, or that amazing building being there next week, or anything staying the same. Change happens every day. Don't let that amazing opportunity get away from you; carry your camera, and when the photo op jumps out in front of you, yelling, "Hey! Look at me!", STOP! Right then and there. Focus that lens, click that shutter, take that picture, and claim Victory! You got it. You own it. It's yours.

New day, new week, new photo ops. Go get 'em, Blitzers!

Your Intrepid PhotoBlitz Team Leaves No Stone Unturned...

Greetings, Blitzers! Lest you entertain any doubt that we search high, low, sideways, upside-down, and everywhere in-between to bring you pictures which could probably be found everywhere, but usually aren't because folks just ain't keeping their peepers peeled...well, here's the proof that we are on the job:

Yes, to the trained eye, even a hole in the ground can be AMAZING! Wondering what Tim found so fascinating? I'll bet you do...find out this coming week when we bring you our pics from today's Standard Blitz @ the Santa Rosa Plateau Ecological Reserve in Murrieta, CA. Stay tuned...and remember to Follow Your Blitz!