I am reading again Self Reliance by Ralph Waldo Emerson and came upon his words, ” Nature is loved by what is best in us.” Thinking of those words and my preference for taking photos of people where they seem most comfortable – outdoors, where they are surrounded by land, sky and the colors of nature. It all seems a gift, to simply be with what is so beautiful in our world and where we perhaps connect the higher nature of ourselves.
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It was so cool to see the races flying down Howell Mountain, yikes on such rain soaked roads, as they zipped into St Helena and finally to Santa Rosa for yesterday’s stage of the Tour of California. This photo is a part of the second peloton, Lance was in the first.
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Okay, below is Lance in the center in black. In the newspaper I read his quite, “Holy hell. That was terrible. Maybe one of the toughest days I’ve had on a bike, purely based on the conditions. I’m still freezing.”
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The field of 17 teams and 136 riders from 24 countries will ride for nine stages south ending in San Diego.
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Mustard blooming in a vineyard just south of Yountville. There was a slight breeze merging the mustard in to masses of yellow.
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I met Michelle and Kevin at a winery and they were SO much fun I offered photos of them during their stay. We met at Biale Winery where we laughed, enjoyed a bit of time and I created some photos of their Napa Valley visit.

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Sorry for not sharing photos and work of the valley. Blog issues again, seems some programs have troubles coping with Flash 10, Flash 9 working here. Here’s a cool shot taken from the hillsides of Oakville looking out over the valley; the hot air balloons are are still flying, even in winter, and with clearing fog a lovely morning shot.
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