KenKen Photoblog: flowers

Showing posts with label flowers. Show all posts

Flower Power

My mom enjoying the flowers around Rideau Vineyard.

Getting Inspired at Inspiration Point

Santa Barbara has some of the best hiking trails in California... and one of my favorites is less than 10 minutes from my apartment: Inspiration Point.

Inspiration Point is probably one of the easiest trails to climb (part of it is paved). However, you still work up a bit of a sweat as you make your ascent. At the end of the trail, you tower above the city of Santa Barbara and have an amazing view of the surrounding area... city, ocean, mountains, sky, sun.

I was trying to take a picture that best represents Santa Barbara... and in looking through my photos, I thought this was one of the best I had. Hope you enjoy!

Santa Barbara Hiking Trails - Rattlesnake Canyon

Santa Barbara has some of the best hiking trails in the US... not only are the views and scenery amazing, but the weather is perfect for most of the year. The images shown here were taken at Rattlesnake Canyon. The trail name doesn't necessarily mean that you'll encounter a rattlesnake (although, I guess you could)... but rather refers to the curvy nature of the canyon/trail (which resembles a rattlesnake). The hike is moderate for most of the way. However, it gets a bit challenging and steep if you steer off the main trail and go away from the creek. Before you get to the steep part, there was a beautiful little meadow with thousands of yellow flowers blooming. Hope you enjoy the photos!

Peru - Non Surf Photos

Staircase up to Chicama Surf Resort

Finally adding the rest of the photos from my Peruvian adventure back in May. This set features a bunch of random non-surf photos that I took over the course of two weeks. Peru is an incredible place. Everything about it is massive in scale... waves whose length can be measured in miles, giant mountains, barren desserts, lush jungles, and friendly people with big hearts. I really enjoyed my time in the country and look forward to returning.

Isolation

The coastal town of Chicama. The Chicama Surf Resort was one of the top employers in this area... and also one of the only businesses offering year round employment. At the far end of the town was a fishery that's open for just a few months out of the year. When the fishery is in operation, there is a massive influx of men that pour into the town looking for work (it was closed when I was there). After the fishery shuts down for the season, all the men move on to the next town/job... and apparently, leave a bunch of single mothers behind them. I was told that this was quite a big problem for the area. However, they were hoping that more businesses like Chicama Surf Resort can offer year round employment.

Contemplation

Post-surf enjoyment. Cristal and Cusqueña were two of the local beers... they were quite good.

The beautiful Chicama Surf Resort

A super friendly Brazilian surfer I met during the trip.

On the cliff looking toward Chicama.

The coastal areas of Peru receive less than an inch of rain per year... and it causes the landscape to look like the surface of the moon. The ground is a mixture of sand, rocks, and dirt. Never before in my life had I seen so many rocks! One interesting thing I did while staying in Peru was take a walk into the desert. When walking in the dessert and not having anything to use to measure scale, everything ends up being much farther away then you anticipate (such as that mountain in the background). On this particular day, there was a lot of wind gusts blowing (as is common for this area)... and as you walked up and down hills, you would get blasted by the wind. It was rad to stop in between hills where the wind was blocked and just listen to the sound of nothingness.

The road leading out of the desert and into the town.

The coastal areas of Peru receive an incredible amount of wind... and apparently, this windmill used to power the entire town. However, it broke about 2 years ago. Instead of trying fix it, the government decided to bring in power from elsewhere. It seemed like a waste to not use such a plentiful and renewable natural resource. At least the windmill made for a good back drop on the photos.

Alone With His Thoughts

Chillin' at the Park

Enjoying an afternoon at the Charles River Esplanade.

A Canopy of Flowers

A canopy of flowers at the Boston Public Gardens.

Float On

I really liked the perspective and lighting of this photo... was actually rather surprised when I first saw it. The cherry blossoms looked like they were floating.

Flower Filter

Flowers partially block the view of the Arlington Street Church in Boston's Back Bay. Photo taken from Boston Public Gardens.

Reach For the Sun

This photo was interesting to me. It looks like the tree is reaching for something on the other side of the pond. I didn't notice it when I took the picture, but the tree is actually pointing directly towards the sun. I guess it must like the sunlight.

I took this particular photo on the Charles River Esplanade. The Prudential building is in the background.

"In Bloom" at Comm Ave Mall

The Commonwealth Avenue Mall in Boston's Back Bay is a great place to go for a stroll during the spring or fall months. The "Mall" acts as a median between two streams of traffic and has a pathway that goes through the middle of it. Both sides of the pathway are lined with beautifully constructed buildings. Yes, they don't have parking, have small rooms, poor plumbing, floors that "creak", were built over 100 years ago, and are extremely expensive... but their character & history makes it worth it. Outside of the buildings are trees that have probably been there for almost as long as the buildings themselves... and during the spring each year, giant flowers bloom from their branches. These are a few pictures I took while going for a walk.

Spring Love

Spring is the time of year for new beginnings and fresh starts. In this particular image, it looks like a new couple is going for a stroll along the Charles River Esplanade. The cherry blossoms shade their path.

"In Bloom" at Boston's Public Gardens

A Curtain of Flowers

Cherry blossoms cover some park benches along the Esplanade in Boston's Back Bay.

Cherry Blossoms on the Esplanade

You know it's spring time in Boston when you see two things: cherry blossoms and sailboats on the Charles River. In this particular photo, I tried to capture both (although, the sailboats aren't the main subject).

Flowers on the Charles

At the start of each spring season, flowers are planted along the Chalres River in Cambridge, MA (next to Harvard University). It's a nice little touch to the landscaping efforts... now if only they could build a beach. John W Weeks Bridge is in the background.