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SR88 1/7
Campbell Community Center 1/14
After enough snow base to open limited terrain at the end of November, just minor cold storms passed over the holidays. Then a dry 4 weeks of January before the one large winter storm in California hit over several days. To that point, also given pandemic restrictions, had just a couple of days in each at Kirkwood and Heavenly. But from early February, I had been skiing every midweek two or three days and finished with 26 days, most of which were continuously skiing down Heavenly Little Dipper bumps. At season's end, did a set of eight consecutive GoPro 8 POV videos skiing descending that one long bump slope that is published on YouTube, easy to find searching haha. Photo at page top: the subject of my motion-bouncing addiction each winter for a most exhilaratingly maniacally fun snow experience.
TB03260-01 6000x4000 pixels 1 frame 1 image A6000 SEL55210 @190mm
Per the image above, on the drive home on SR88 from a day skiing at Kirkwood Ski Resort, I stopped a bit before sunset at an overlook at the 6700 foot elevation to capture the sky to the west from an overlook. Beyond rows of lower Sierra Nevada forested ridgelines is the vast Central Valley, overcast with usual ground fog, with Coastal Range peaks poking through in the far distance. A6000 with SEL55210 @190mm. Note this telephoto image is only 3000 pixels wide.
TC03305-22 4700x3700 pixels 1 frame 18 image focus stack blend A6000 60mm
enlarged vertical slice view
The Campbell Community Center is a unique historic cultural complex that the City of Campbell acquired in 1985 after its Campbell High School had closed in 1980. The first school buildings on the site date to 1904, with major expansions in 1938. Thus, it is architecturally from that early period, with stucco exteriors. The site has considerable mature ornamental vegetation planted during the following decades, including many tall coast redwoods and rose varieties. Against the shady side of one building are several nandina bushes, aka sacred bamboo, Nandina domestica, a common Asian ornamental species with seasonally wonderfully red-hued leaves and red berries. In dead calm, illuminated by shaded early-morning light blue sky light with my Sigma 60mm F2.8 DN lens, exceptionally detailed.
TC03323-38 5100x4000 pixels 1 frame 16 image focus stack blend A6000 60mm
enlarged vertical slice view
This second image is directly above the previous image and was intended to be a complementary stitch blend; however, I decided the two images were more aesthetic individually.
TC03360-03443-2x1v 6200x6000 pixels 2 frame 2 column 1 row 84 image focus stack stitch blend A6000 60mm
enlarged vertical slice view
And a 2-column stitch blend that includes part of the textured white stucco wall at the top. Given the considerable depth of field, I took twice as many shots as usual to make sure all elements were tack sharp.
TC03340-68 4300x3900 pixels 1 frame 29 image focus stack blend A6000 60mm
enlarged vertical slice view
The community center grounds also had a few mid-winter blooming rose bushes, though the majority were pruned and dormant. I worked the above beautiful rose flower that same morning.
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2021 Trip Chronicles: Contents
