Point Reyes National Seashore: A Break from the Studio

I took a break from the studio this weekend and headed to the Point Reyes National Seashore for an afternoon hike. There are few places that I love more than the Tomales Point Trail heading out of Pierce Point Ranch. There is something magical about that place: historic dairy farms along the twisty road to the trail head; a smattering of old white barns dotted along the far end of the parking lot; the wildflowers up to our shoulders as we wind along the first hill and peer out at the Pacific; the always humbling herd of Tule Elk along the hillsides. Before we knew it, the sun was already setting so we scurried back along the dusk-lit path to reach our car before the last of the daylight slipped off to sea. I was able to capture a handful of our furry and feathered friends through my camera lens, lucky for me.

(Wildflowers up to our shoulders as we wander.)

(Barn Swallow, with sunlight on his wings.)

(Pretty brown cow in late sunlight hours.)

(Truly, a sea of blooms and blossoms.)

(Tule Elk against the clouds, above the wild iris.)

(Songbird resting on the flowers... and then we are out to sea.)

(The California Quail with perfect forehead feathers.)

(I couldn't resist that light, or lavender, or spill of petals.)

PS-- Stay tuned for a few blog changes. I am going to TRY to post twice a week for the next few weeks. Maybe sometimes with more words and less photos, or more photos and fewer words, or just a chance to mix it up now and again. Some of you have noticed, I've been experimenting with new blog headers. For now, I'll keep this one up. Okay then, time to pull my thoughts out of the wildflower fields and back into the studio!