Wrightwood, California

Ron NiebruggeCalifornia, Photos, Travel 4 Comments

The Yoddler in "downtown" Wrightwood, California.

The Yodeler in "downtown" Wrightwood, California.

I just read that the cute little town of Wrightwood in the mountains near Los Angeles just received another 2 to 3 feet of snow!  That reminded me that I never got a chance to post my photos of the snow storm we experienced there on this trip in mid February.  This is the front porch of a little bar in town that sells great pizzas!

This year of the strange winter only continues – as strange as is was to see Southern California receive more snow then our wet coastal town back in Alaska during February – it is even more strange at the end of March!  Pictures I have seen from back home show almost no snow, and yet Southern California and even parts of Arizona are receiving heavy snow right now!

Lesser Goldfinch

Ron NiebruggeArizona, Phoenix, Photos, Travel 9 Comments

Lesser Goldfinch, Fort McDowell, Arizona.

Lesser Goldfinch, Fort McDowell, Arizona.

I noticed a few people having good luck with bird feeders at this campground so I decided to put one out.  Well, it only took about an hour before goldfinches began to show up!  These colorful birds are a lot of fun to watch and photograph!

Arizona Sunset

Ron NiebruggeArizona, Phoenix, Photos, Travel 8 Comments

Sunset, McDowell Moutain Regional Park, Arizona.

Sunset, McDowell Mountain Regional Park, Arizona.

We have now moved a bit east into Arizona.  As you can see, there aren’t any wildflowers.  We are here a tad bit earlier then normal, but the lack of wildflowers has much more to do with a dry and unseasonably cold winter that included some freezes.   In some parts of McDowell, many plants appeared dead, hopefully they are just damaged by the freeze.

It is possible that late rains, and now unseasonably warm weather might give us a few flowers – but we definitely won’t be seeing the hills of solid color like we did in 2008.

Ghost Flower

Ron NiebruggeAnza-Borrego, California, Photos, Travel 5 Comments

Ghost flowers, Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, California.

Ghost flowers, Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, California.

Some years, these beautiful, translucent wildflower can be hard to find.  This year, they are fairly numerous in Surprise Canyon.  Surprise Canyon has a wide array of wildflowers in it this year.

I can’t believe we sold this photo!

Ron NiebruggePhotos 13 Comments

Our old kitchen, Seward, Alaska.

Our old kitchen, Seward, Alaska.

Long time blog reader might remember this one – the only reason I even took this photo was to explain why I wouldn’t be posting for a couple of weeks – it was part of this entry for our kitchen remodel and went along with this entry showing the part of the construction process.

Well, that was the only thing I ever did with this photo – I never put it on our website, or sent it to any agencies.  So we were surprised last week to get a call from a TV show producer looking to buy the image!  It sent us quickly running back to our raw files to see if we even had it – fortunately we did!  So, you may see our old kitchen on a home improvement show about remodeling kitchen from the 70’s!   Pretty funny.

Over the years we have sold numerous photos for use on TV shows, but for the first time the contract for this show specifically prevents us from saying anything like “as seen on xxx”  I guess they don’t want a free link along with some free publicity – so be it.  It appears to be a syndicated show appearing on almost every network – in places like Anchorage and San Diego, I see he is on NBC at 2:00.  🙂  I think I can say that much.

Burrowing Owl Photo

Ron NiebruggeCalifornia, Photos, Travel 13 Comments

Burrowing owl, near the Salton Sea, California.

Burrowing owl, near the Salton Sea, California.

You might think all owls live in trees and barns, but not burrowing owls – they actually nest in burrows in the ground, much like puffin.  I hadn’t seen these cool birds before, but went out looking for them yesterday afternoon after a tip from a workshop client, and wasn’t disappointed.  They are really cool!  And a blast to watch. Gotta love those eyes!

burrowing owls at a burrow, near the Sonny Bono Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge Complex, California.

burrowing owls at a burrow, near the Sonny Bono Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge Complex, California.

Beavertail Cactus

Ron NiebruggeAnza-Borrego, California, Photos, Travel 10 Comments

Beavertail cactus, Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, California.

Beavertail cactus, Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, California.

It is interesting – since we arrived in Anza-Borrego, for exercise, we have been running in Coyote Canyon.  Until Friday, I hadn’t seen any sign of blooming cactus.  I skipped the area this past weekend, but went back Monday evening and lo and behold, there were numerous blooming cactus!  Things can change fast!Read More