Of photography and much traveling... (Part 2)

So to pick up where I left off...

While I was up in the state of WA, I learned about halfway through the week that I was going to be required to be in Oakland the following Monday, as opposed to being home and getting ready to leave Tuesday morning on vacation. Needless to say, it made for a very interesting weekend as I had to fly up to Oakland on Sunday afternoon and then back again Monday in the evening. But one thing that kind of made up for it was the fact that my new camera was waiting for me when I got home on Friday night.

So after staying up until 2am checking it out (I didn't get home until after midnight), on Saturday morning I decided to try it out a bit, first in my front yard then inside then down at the HB pier in the evening. Below is just a sampling...

As I said, just a sampling. ;)

So on Sunday I did something I'd never done before. I brought my camera on the plane with me with the strap wrapped around my neck. I'll admit, I probably looked very much like a tourist but I was much more comfortable holding on to it then leaving it in it's camera case, in my carry-on. And besides, I ended up with a window seat on the flight to Oakland so I had a perfect opportunity to snap a few photos from the ground and from the air.

My plane arriving...

 The view from my seat.

A few shots from the air...

Coming in to land over the bay...

Once I arrived in Oakland as I was walking through the airport, down near the baggage claim I saw something I'm not sure I've ever seen at an airport... an old man playing classics on a keyboard. I can't actually remember what he was playing now but trust me, they were old classics.

You can tell me later if you think he was posing. ;) But I felt it was worth taking a picture.

So the rest of that evening, there weren't really any good photo opportunities as my hotel room didn't really have a view and I didn't really want to go wandering around downtown Oakland late in the day, especially after dark.

The next day however I was pleasantly surprised when I looked at the window and discovered there was a lovely view of a lake.

The lake I discovered was called Lake Merritt and I'll talk more about it in a minute...

At lunch we decided to go to a hole-in-the-wall sandwich place and along the way I decided to snap a few photos of downtown Oakland.

Nothing spectacular, but it gives you an idea of the scenery in that part of Oakland.

After lunch, the people I was working with encouraged me to go for a walk down by the park and the lake. So I did. :)

Evidently the park is called 'Snow Park' which seems a rather odd name considering I doubt it hardly ever snows in Oakland due to it's proximity to the coast. But then what do I know. There were a few Canadian Geese loitering around the premises as well.

Walking further along I came upon a path that seemed to follow the shoreline around Lake Merritt. And while the lake itself was lovely enough, as long as you didn't look too closely at it, the view was rather beautiful, for a downtown area I mean.

But what was really fascinating about the lake was all the birds that were attracted to the area because of it...

Here I happened to catch what appears to be a seagull in flight.

And yet another Canadian Goose swimming near me.

And yet another seagull about to dive-bomb me. :)

The seagulls seemed to be everywhere...

And I thought this was a pretty cool action shot.

And finally, it wasn't just the geese and gulls that were enjoying the lake, but people were actually spending time in the water on this lovely Monday afternoon as well, like the people pictured below in the paddle boat. Someday, I think that would be fun to try, not necessarily in Oakland but on a lake somewhere, enjoying the tranquility of time out on the water...

Anyway, overall it was very fun to walk down by the lake and I truly enjoyed the experience. Who knew you could find such beauty nestled in the middle of a city like Oakland, CA.

That evening flying home I got a slightly different perspective from the night before, as I was now flying South instead of North so my view was to the East instead of West.

Here was one final look out over the bay as I was leaving.

And a few picturesque shots of the clouds with the sun behind my back now.

And here was a cool shot of the winglet on the plane, with a great background.

The moon rising with an interesting cloud formation to the left.

And finally I'll leave you with a couple parting shots of the sunset, as best as I could see it from where I was sitting.

And with that I'm going to conclude part 2 of this post. I realize I had originally meant to make this one post and then decided to turn it into 2, but I have now decided, due to the number of pictures and the amount of time it's taking me to finish them, that I'm going to have to make my trip on vacation to TN a part 3. So stay tuned! I won't make the mistake this time of giving a timeline for when part 3 will be posted, considering how badly I missed my previous estimate for part 2. I will just say that part 3 will be out... soon. ;)

As always, thanks for stopping by!

When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet, all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field, the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the seas. O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! Ps 8:3-9 (ESV)