Really great shots. Love being able to see the transition. Not so great in sunny California but looks great in Albuquerque. Thanks for sharing

From the far west coast, I was able to capture a partial eclipse of the sun. The photo was taken with my Nikon D500, Nikon 200-500 lens (at 500), manual mode, with 6 stop filter and aperture set at f/32. If anyone else happened to take a shot of the eclipse, I think the group would like to see them.

Then you had a great time too!

The cost for the high-rise venue is currently $190 per night. Be advised that there are taxes, cleaning fees, and Air BnB fees that get added on. The total was around $1400. However, we did get a small break because one of only two elevators was being repaired at the time. Here is the Air BnB listing (the photos are quite staged so don't be too impressed).
Copy all of the following and paste it into your web browser.

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/616890379852307855?adults=1&children=0&enable_m3_private_room=true&infants=0&pets=0&check_in=2023-11-01&check_out=2023-11-06&source_impression_id=p3_1694575079_mTejO%2FjRJAPB1ack&previous_page_section_name=1000&federated_search_id=52de0b95-7147-4b7e-9678-9acdea4db58e

Just a few more of my recent trip to Hawaii (Oahu).

Organized!


Disorganized!


Another pretty bird (can't remember the name but will look it up for later :-)


There's one in every crowd!


Morning view of Honolulu Harbor and city from our room.


Final night sunset and cityscape

I took about 30 sunset photos from many different locations and kept coming back to this one from the 37th floor of our high-rise.

Thank you. It was a really fun time.

While our initial vacation target was Maui, the fires necessitated a quick change so we chose Honolulu. An Air B&B provided us a 37th-floor view of the ocean and sunset. And we spent a week touring all the sites and even some of the lesser-known places. I will post a few of the photos.....

If the terrain looks familiar, it is because Jurassic Park was filmed here and other similar locations.


A Gold Dust Day gecko ( Phelsuma laticauda) - a diurnal gecko native to Madagascar. All of the Hawaiian populations stem from eight lizards released by a student on the University of Hawaii campus in 1974.


Budhist temple on the North-East side of the island.


Island sunset - Wiikiki

I had been chasing them for the better part of a month. They are very skittish but these juveniles seemed to be having a play time and were cruising just over tree-top level. I was on a trail with overhanging branches and found a clear spot. Must have taken 30 photos as they flew over time and time again. Just luck I guess. Thanks for your comment.

Thanks. I think I like the 2nd one best as well.

I love landscapes. The mountains don't move and the trees don't talk back. Otherwise, you fight the light and shadows to capture the true essence of the scene. These are photos of Heisler Park, an area on the California Coast in Laguna Beach. The photos were taken approximately 20 minutes apart as the sun set.

Image was captured with a Nikon D500 and Nikon 200-500 f/5.6. Several juvenile kites were flying low and I, partly obscured by overhanging trees, was able to capture them as they flew low.

Juvenile low-flying Kite captured with Nikon D500 and Nikon 200-500 f/5.6. Photo taken at the San Jacinto Wildlife Area, Nuevo, CA

Thanks. Much appreciated.

The Santa Rosa Plateau, located in the hills of Murrieta, California, is another wildlife and wilderness preserve. There are several vernal pools that, when filled with water, attract many of the waterfowl. Coyotes are prevalent but seem to hide well enough in the taller grass, blending in well. On this day, the cloud layer was, at times, at ground level and swirling through the hills. Coating the plants with fine droplets made for some rather attractive subjects to photograph. From small subjects to landscapes, the Plateau has a lot to offer.

A northern view through oak trees at the rolling hills and low clouds of the Plateau.


Hiking through the wilderness of the Plateau is made possible by a network of well-planned trails. This is a favorite pastime for most visitors.


A view of the vernal pool area, part of the Vernal Pool Trailhead. Unfortunately, there wasn't very much water in the pool but I still like the landscape. The clouds became a bit more ominous for this picture!


Storm clouds turned to clouds of mist that coated everything in fine droplets. Protecting camera gear was a bit of a challenge.


A Splendid Mariposa Lily (Calochortus splendens) displays its coat of droplets from the low lying fog.


Hairy Vetch (Vicia villosa) also misted by the fog, show a brilliant purple display of petals.


California Poppy (Eschscholzia californica) with mist droplets.


The seeds of California Broomsage (Lepidospartum squamatum) didn't escape the drenching from the fog.

Thanks from one native Texan to another. Appreciate the comments.