Here is a peaceful and calm lake located at the Eldorado National forest in California.  This photo was taken with my little Fuji camera. These roads (highway 88-89) are best traveled during autumn when the leaves turn red, orange and yellow. The beauty of autumn will amaze you.  Make sure to travel on Hwy 89 all the way to Emerald bay. Note: Click photo to enlarge.

From California Dept of Fish and Wildlife:

“The vegetation surrounding Red Lake is characteristic of red-fir and lodgepole-fir forest. Open slopes are dominated by sagebrush with bitterbrush and serviceberry. Forestdale Creek and the other drainages around Red Lake are lined with willows and aspen groves.

Common wildlife species include deer, coyote, jackrabbit, quail, flicker, warblers, red-tailed hawk, golden eagle, golden-mantled ground squirrel, marmot, and beaver.”

Access: The Wildlife Area can be accessed on both the north and east sides of Red Lake. The north entrance is located on State Highway 88, one mile east of Carson Pass. To enter on the east side, take Blue Lakes Road from Highway 88 to Red Vista Road.

Smithsonian announced the 2012 Photo Contest 50 finalists on March 4, 2013. Now it’s your time to vote for the Readers’ Choice Award winner. Voting will be open until March 29th at 2PM EST.

I really like this one - tiny yet strong ants holding on to the fruits and each other. And the eyes and those mandibles… yikes. Photo by Eko Adiyanto (Bekasi, Indonesia). Photographed in Bekasi, West Java, Indonesia.

For a better look at more neat photos, visit Smithsonian.com and cast your vote!

The 11th annual contest is now open until November 29, 2013 at 2:00 PM EST. On a weekly basis beginning April 2, Smithsonian judges will post the best of the incoming entries to Smithsonian Retina. Finalists will be announced on March 3, 2014.

Smithsonian also notes, “This year we are also looking forward to highlighting the best photographs taken with mobile devices. Let us know that it was taken with your phone or tablet reader and show us the wonders of this new generation of photography.” So that means folks with smart phones and tablets can enter to win too.

Here’s what the judges look for in a winning photo:

“Technical quality, clarity and composition are all important, but so too is a flair for the unexpected and the ability to capture a picture-perfect moment.”

Photo Contest Prize Details

Fifty finalists will be selected, ten for each of the five categories. Smithsonian will notify the 50 finalists by February 28, 2014. Finalists’ entries will be published on the magazine’s Web site on March 4, 2014. At that time, readers can vote online for one readers’ choice winner. The Smithsonian will award eight prizes, as follows:

Grand Prize: $2,500

Category Winners:
The winners of each of the five categories will receive $500

Readers’ Choice:
The winner of the online Readers’ Choice award will receive $500

Mobile:
The best photo in any of the five categories that was taken with a mobile device will receive $500.

One cash prize per person; winners may receive additional noncash prizes. Winners must sign a release and license, declaration of eligibility, and will be responsible for paying any taxes they may owe on a prize.

Photo from Smithsonian.

This time lapse video was taken by Simon Christen over the period of one year in the San Francisco bay area. It really brings out the beauty of the place. It’s very mesmerizing to watch. I never realized how beautiful it is to see the moon rise or the cloud of fog rolling in across the landscape.

The Unseen Sea from Simon Christen on Vimeo.

Music by Nick Cave - Mary’s Song from the Soundtrack of “Assassination of Jesse James”.

Here is how Simon explains what settings to use for the night shots:

“I am always shooting in full manual mode and then adjust the exposure as the light changes. I take care of the “jumps” later in post. The exposure really varies depending on the shot. For example a bright city needs shorter shutter speeds then fog illuminated by moon light. The shutter speeds ends up being around 4-5 sec with the aperture wide open and high ISO settings. This way I get to take a picture every 5-6 seconds.”

Find more of Simon’s work at simonchristen.com

In this 2009 film, 180° SOUTH, Jeff Johnson makes a road trip to Patagonian Chile. Johnson retraces the steps of Yvon Chouinard and Doug Tompkins’ 1968 trip to Patagonia. But instead of taking the Pan American highway, Johnson hitches a ride in a sailing vessel from Ventura, California and heads  south.

“You learn that what’s important is how you got there, not what you’ve accomplished.“  - Yvon Chouinard.

Johnson’s real trip begins after they are shipwrecked off the coast of Easter Island. After the sailboat gets patched up, they continue on towards Patagonia. Jeff’s goal is to climb the peak Corcovado. In many trips that are worth remembering, things usually don’t go according to plan. But of course that is what makes it an adventure.

It’s a narrative film following Jeff and his crew. The soundtrack is a nice addition too. What I found funny is how Jeff mentioned growing up in Danville, California as being very far from the ocean. I drive pass Danville sometimes, it is one of the wealthiest suburbs in the San Francisco Bay Area. Danville is only 31 miles form San Francisco and there are great surf spots out in SF’s Ocean Beach. And he thinks that is far from the nearest ocean!

Anyway, the film does have beautiful scenes of the land, mountain, ocean, and some wildlife too. I especially enjoy seeing the dolphins swimming along the sailboat.

In this film, Jeff also has the chance to meet up with Chouinard and Tompkins. They have discussions on the the state of progress and it’s impact on the environment. At the moment, Chile continues to plan on building more hydro-electric dams (where much of the power is used for heavy industry and mining). Many environmental organizations oppose the dams.

Read the rest of this entry »

In the remote mountains of Indonesia’s Foja Mountains comes frogs, gecko, and even the world’s smallest wallaby. The other recent discovery was of the golden-mantled tree kangaroo out of New Guinea. It’s always good news to hear that scientist have discovered new species.

This cute little guy is the world’s smallest wallaby. Photo by Tim Laman of National Geographic/Reuters

The other new animals discovered by researchers include an oversize yet tame woolly rat, a new bat that feeds on rainforest blossom nectar and a small tree mouse. There is even a new flowering shrub.

This part of Indonesia’s rain forest is very undeveloped and undisturbed without any roads. The elevation and tropical environment also provides much isolation. There are also local forest-dwelling people that depend on this place for resources. And the locals don’t take more then they need from the rain forest.

Bruce Beehler, a senior research scientist at Conservation International said it best, “While animals and plants are being wiped out across the globe at a pace never seen in millions of years, the discovery of these absolutely incredible forms of life is much needed positive news. Places like these represent a healthy future for all of us and show that it is not too late to stop the current species extinction crisis.”

Read the rest of this entry »

I have always been fond of alpacas ever since I first saw those funny expressions.  Alpaca fibers are considered to be one of the softest and warmest natural fibers available.

Alpacas are like a smaller version of a llama and related to the camel. Alpacas and llamas roam together and can interbred, but they eventually separate into their own groups.

Vicunas are the alpacas native to the Andes mountain. They are highly protected and can not be exported anywhere. They also have the finest fur of them all.

I first learned about Vicunas while watching Nature on PBS, the program was titled “Andes: The Dragon’s Back.” A great program to watch if you get the chance. There are so many other interesting wildlife that live in this part of South America.

Introduction from PBS Nature:

Only a mountain range of extremes could harbor such a rich and diverse variety of life forms. Here you will find some of the highest, saltiest, wettest and driest terrains on the planet. Penguins, opossums, hummingbirds, llamas, pumas, foxes, condors, spectacle bears and many more have all managed to carve out an existence somewhere in one of the many worlds that we call the Andes.

Read the rest of this entry »

I picked up my latest issue of the Smithsonian magazine and just learned about the narwhal.  Narwhal are considered to be the unicorn of the sea because of their spiral tusk (which is really their teeth).

Image source:  National Geographic

I was surprise that after all these years I’ve never heard about narwhals.  M said he found out about narwhals when he saw the cartoon drawing on a skateboard deck.  He couldn’t believe narwhals were real and thought it was a joke made between a small whale and a unicorn.  But he soon confirmed that narwhals are real and that they live in the Arctic.

In the past, European fisherman would catch and kill narwhals just to collect and sell the tusk.  And many people (in those days) believed the tusk were magical.  It was used to make a “powder” wonder drug.  Members of the royal family would carve the tusk into their thrones and other royal objects.  Some of them can still be seen in Norwegian museums today.

All that killing and hunting for the tusks put narwhals in risk of becoming extinct.  This also reminds me of what is happening with the elephants.  But presently, both the hunting of tusks for elephants and narwhals are illegal (at least illegal to be imported to the U.S.).  So that is a good sign going in the right direction.

The local tribes that live in Greenland depended on narwhal meat for survival, especially since the Arctic is so bare and cold.  But now scientist are urging the locals to help them capture, track, and release the narwhals in exchange for a good sum of money.  So far the team of scientist and locals are getting along well with this exchange.

I hope that scientists are able to make more progress with the study of narwhals.  They are an interesting looking creature that deserves to be protected and swim freely, just like all the other creatures of the ocean.

“Narwhals are related to bottle nose dolphins, belugas, harbor porpoises, and orcas.   A newborn narwhal calf is about 5 feet (1.5 meters) long and can weigh 175 to 220 pounds (79 to 100 kilograms). Narwhals are normally found in pods of two to ten.” - National Geographic

Image source:

National Geographic

When I first heard the name marmot, I thought they were just an outdoor clothing company.  But marmots are these cute little animals that like living in the mountains.

These days, the marmots of Vancouver Island are being endangered due mainly to clear cut logging.  The Marmot Recovery Foundation is set up to help preserve and protect these cute little creatures.

Vancouver Island marmot peeking out between the rocks.  Photo from the Marmot Recovery Foundation.

Marmots are generally found living high up in the mountains.  And they are scattered between North America to Europe.

The name marmot originated from the old French and Latin “marmotte” meaning mountain mouse.  They are part of the squirrel family and related to the goundhog too.   Marmots typically live in burrows, and hibernate there through the winter. They are highly social animals.

Here is a little bit of information on why they are endangered in Vancouver Island.

Read the rest of this entry »

Having a small yard does not mean you can’t have a nice garden.  With some interesting layout and careful selections of plants and trees, you too can have a beautiful garden.

Christopher J. Cohan of This Old House recommends dividing a small yard into several areas of interest, including a pond.  This makes the landscape seem bigger than it is.  For his own yard, he divided the front and backyard with different types of plants and landscaping. 

Cohan uses ornamental border along the street to adds curb appeal and make it feel more inviting. Then an entry garden with a lamp post lights the way for visitors. And there’s even a private patio for dining and a woodsy backyard for relaxing in your lounge-chair. 

You can view more photos of Cohan’s garden here.

Photo from This Old House.

As you can see from the picture of the front yard, the house has a dogwood tree that is scaled to the house.  This provides the front-yard with a focal point. I really like this idea. But the only thing I wonder about Cohan’s yard is how much care and maintenance this yard will need.  And also if they plants are drought tolerant, since we are having water shortages in many part of the U.S..  But overall, despite having a smaller home and yard, Cohan was able to create a magical and inviting place.

More good ideas for small yard landscaping come from landscape architect Pamela Palmer.  As she mentioned in Sunset magazine, a small yard can be as dramatic as larger landscapes.  But they need to be designed with care. Palmer recommends evergreen plants as your primary source of color rather than flowers. And instead of fencing, you can use plants to create privacy and borders. Recommended border plants are the gray-leafed pineapple guava shrubs.

They still look nice in the winter, have blossoms in spring, and provide you with edible fruits in the autumn. These plants contribute color, texture, movement, and shelter for birds and other animals. Other good plants for privacy would be papyrus and bamboo.

These are the pretty pink blossoms of from the pineapple guava tree.  Photo from Dunton Family Farm of  Oregon. 

They are growing this shrub to replace their old wooden fence, they want it to be at least 7 feet in height.  They say it grows slowly and is easy to keep small if desired.

Here are some trees recommended for small yards: Flowering Dogwood, Japanese maple, Eastern Redbud, and Smoke Tree. Check the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map to see if you can grow these tree. 

Below is the Japanese maple, it’s very compact yet regal looking.  It’s one of the trees I would like to plant in my yard someday.

Photo from This Old House.