The Cliffs of Moher

So another photograph of Ireland, it was such a beautiful place that I just took lots and lots of them. Anyway this is the Cliffs of Moher, the main place we went to visit in Ireland. It was just such an amazing view and one that I would recommend to anyone that gets the chance to visit Ireland. This was taken just before we left to go to the harbour for the sunset picture I posted last week. Hope you enjoy it.

A View From 7000 Feet

This is the view from Artic Circle on the road to Big Bear Lake at 7000 feet. The clouds in the "V" of the mountains are hanging over San Bernardino and Riverside. When I commuted from Big Bear to Riverside I would always look down through here to see what my day had in store. Sometimes it was clear, sometimes it was cloudy like this scene but, most of the time it was just a layer of smog and pollution. What is still amazing to me is that I can be in the sunshine of California and an hour later be in the snow of the mountains. When I first moved to Big Bear the road around Artic Circle had no guard rails around any of the curves, so one missed turn and you were flying for a few thousand feet, right before you hit the rocks at the bottom. After several accidents of people going over the side the authorities got forced to add guard rails.

Brightlingsea at Night

This is one of my personal favorites of all the photos I have taken. While back in England we went to visit my friend Stephen and his wife Emma. As it got later we thought we would go for a walk down along the sea front by Bateman's Tower in Brightlingsea. It was about 10pm, pretty dark and just a beautiful evening for a few photos to be taken. This is the view from next to Bateman's Tower looking towards Mersea Island. The crane floating out in the estuary is being used to build a wind farm off the coast of Clacton-on-Sea. Brightlingsea by the way was where I spent my high school years attending the Colne High School from age 11 thru 16. Click on the image for a larger version.

Muckross Lake

This is Muckross Lake located at the back of Muckross House in Killarney, Ireland. Ireland has some of the most beautiful scenery you can ever imagine. The weather had cleared up from our previous day of driving the Ring of Kerry and Muckross House would have been our last stop that day had we not have been staying 5 miles away in Killarney at a great Bed & Breakfast. If you ever make it to south west Ireland pay Muckross House a visit, you will not regret it. Click on the photograph for a larger version.

My Niece, Shannon

This is my niece Shannon and as you can see she is very photogenic. I took this at my dad's 70th birthday party while we were back in England. It had been just over a year since I last saw Josh and Shannon, my sisters two children and have they grown. Click on the photo for a larger version.

The Dam House

This is the old Dam Keepers House set on the rocks up above the dam that forms Big Bear Lake. I lived in Big Bear for 5 years before even realizing it was there. So during February I had to go and see my doctor, (I like my doctor so much I drive 70 miles to go and see him) and the snow was melting after the previous weeks storm. I had my camera and tripod with me and made some stops on the way down the mountain to see what I could shoot. The tough thing about photographs in Big Bear and the reason people love to live there is that it's sunny over 300 days of the year. Also with an altitude of just over 6000 feet you tend to be above the clouds, so you just end up photographing some very deep blue skies. But hey, it was a beautiful place to live and a great place to visit.

Sunset in Doolin Harbour, Ireland

This is a picture of the sunset at Doolin Harbour on the west coast of Ireland. We stayed in a wonderful Bed & Breakfast for two nights here. Doolin is a picturesque village close to the Cliffs of Moher, another beautiful place to visit. Click on the image for an explaination of an HDR image.

Would You Believe This is Arizona

So the reason for two posts today is that I missed yesterday's and the day before due to an early start yesterday morning. A co-worker and myself left Riverside at 4am to go to Arizona (a four hour drive) to look at our farthest east radio site, Hidden Valley. Hidden Valley is on the east shore of the Colorado River. It's one of the most fertile agricultural areas in the USA, even though it's in the Sonoran Desert. The farmers here flood the fields with water from the Colorado for irrigation and grow all types of crops.

An Irish Sheep

So while visiting my parents in England we decidied to take a quick trip to Ireland. We visitied some truly spectacular places. One of the trips we took was around the Ring of Kerry. The weather was terrible and as the guide book said if it's raining stay in your hotel room. Well that was not an option for us with our limited time so we made the best of it. The Ring of Kerry is just over 100 miles of driving around County Kerry in South West Ireland. Along the way there are lots of stops and vantage points for some amazing scenery. One such stop is Staigue Fort. We stopped there and walked up to the stone fort. Along the way I heard a small waterfall flowing and decided to walk across the grassland to find it. Along the way I walked through some tall grass and came face to face with this sheep. As you can see it just sat and posed for me and then I backed away, very slowly.

Hercules at the RH&DR

This is Hercules, she was built in 1926 and runs on the Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway. The railway runs for 14 miles across Romney Marsh from Hythe (close to Folkstone) to Dungeness. I have been riding this railway since I was about 5 years old when my uncle and aunt lived in Folkstone, so every chance I have I have to go back. The photograph was modified using Topaz Labs Adjust software. For a larger version click on the photograph.

Here is a link to the railway. http://www.rhdr.org.uk