A few from Solstice Canyon, Malibu

[schrackman]

Took a mile and a half hike today up Solstice Canyon mainly to take some flower macros as well as see the ruins of the "Tropical Terrace", a home built in the 50's but burned down in th '80s by a wildfire. Not much left to see now, but I bet back in it's heyday it must have been a sight to see.

Just as I was about to head back down the canyon I felt this horrible pain just below my knee, I jerked up my leg only to see something yellow (probably a hornet) stinging me. Boy, did that little bugger pack a whallop of a sting!!! That was about 2:30 pm...it's now 7:00 pm and it still hurts!!

Anyhow, here are a few pictures from today's little adventure:

#1 Blooming Slim Aster (Aster subulatus)

#2 California Fuschia bud (Epilobium canum)

#3 Poison Oak leaf (Toxicodendron diversilobum)

Ray

[schrackman]

On the way home I stopped off at the "Top 'O Topanga" vista point to shoot a large wildfire burning on up yonder across the San Fernando Valley and up over the hills, near the I-5 and hwy 14. This cute but shy little girl was there with her parents taking in the view as well.

Ray

[opus]

Wow, Ray, that fire pic is amazing! I drove down the I-5 into LA on the 12th, from Valencia. That night we saw on the news that the fire had just started up there a few hours before. I've never been around wildfires so it was interesting to me. When we flew out , I could see a small plume of smoke from the airplane. It sure has grown since then!!!

Dang, I'm always taking pix from airplanes, but forced myself to keep my camera in its bag on that flight. I could have added my own perspective of the fire to yours. But I wasn't on the left side of the plane, so l doubt I'd have gotten anything I'd want to share. Had I been directly above it, it might have been pretty cool.

I love the shot of the little girl too!

[opus]

Did you do anything to cut haze and smog?

[schrackman]

If you like that fire pic, kellybean, check out these other two...the first is zoomed in at 300mm. The red arrow points to a plane. The second photo shows that the fire is much larger than what the first two photos revealed.

Ray

[schrackman]

Did you do anything to cut haze and smog?

I compensated a bit in PS (contrast, curves, levels), but other than that there wasn't a whole lot that could be done on account of all the haze that was in the valley.

Ray