jamie d photography

DAY 4: Sausalito, Muir Woods, and Napa Valley. When we travel we like to pack as much in as possible. We go and explore and move on to the next town on the map. I enjoy this pace of traveling and have also learned to love the in between of getting from one stop to the next. And of course I want to document everything with my camera.

This morning the air was crisp and we were greeted with the bright sunshine! We said good bye to Tiffany and our first stop was going to the overlooks to get a view of the Golden Gate Bridge. I was hoping that in the early morning the fog and clouds had not rolled in yet. As we were walking up the path to the first over look of the Golden Gate Bridge Myla turns to us and right on cue exclaims, “This is breath taking!” She confessed that she learned this line from her movie Little Bear! We went to several other overlooks for me to take pictures. I usually love shooting at a 2.0; however I tried John’s suggestion and shot several pictures at 16 (f-stop or aperture). This helped achieve the sun flare and the deep depth of field.

I really looked forward to reaching Napa Valley; however there was one stop in between. The stop in Muir Woods was magical. The woods were so peaceful to walk through on the trails and to gaze up at the massive trees. It seemed impossible to capture these giants. One tip that I have learned from other photographers is to capture your subject to show his or her size in relation to the environment, especially children. Though I feel like Myla is growing up way to fast, she is still small.

We ate a picnic lunch outside before heading to Napa Valley. I was so thankful that Myla had been sleeping in her car seat for naps. Within 5 minutes of driving out of the park Myla was sound asleep. We had several recommendations of wineries to explore and accommodations once in Napa Valley, though nothing was booked in advance. We found the hotel-El Bonita and booked a room for the night. We quickly headed up to Sterling Winery for our Napa Valley experience. We rode a gondola to the top where the self guided tour started. We walked through the winery at a pace of a three year old attention span and ended the tour on a veranda trying some of their wines. Myla sat on the veranda with us too sipping on her grape juice. I love wine. I should clarify a little. I love sweet wine, the kind that only goes with dessert. My favorite was Muscat Canelli-the sweetest they had on hand and almost the most expensive per bottle!!

After riding the gondola back down the rows in the vineyard were dripping with gold from the sun. I asked to take a couple of pictures. Lyndon knows me well enough that a couple of pictures quickly turns into a photo session. I could have stayed here until dark. Taking pictures energizes me and fills me up. I loved watching and capturing Myla exploring something new for the first time. I am not often in pictures with Myla so these that Lyndon captured of the two of us are so special to me. I loved running bare foot and listening to her giggle the whole time while holding my hand. For me, taking pictures of each other enjoy the evening together was my favorite part of the trip. When we asked Myla her favorite part of the trip, it too was from this evening at Sterling. . .riding up the gondola.

A view from Sausalito looking towards San Fransciso.

We got there right before the clouds started to roll in.

again, myla taking a picture of us together.

the above photo recipe: iso:100; 16mm, f/16, 1/250sec

I honestly can not remember why this tree was so important that we got our family picture in front of it.

entering wine country. . .

Another photo of us thanks to myla. . .

I think it made Lyndon more nervous than I when she held the camera. It does cover most of her face.

One day she most likely will be taller then me and not want to hold my hand, so until that day comes I will.

In the morning for breakfast we enjoyed eggs, donuts, orange juice and strawberries with John and Melanie. John is a photographer. So as you can imaged we talk about photography most of the morning. He was so gracious sharing his knowledge, wedding photography experience, shooting film, and how he grew his business. John suggested using higher aperture for the sun flare and in day four you will see how I tried out his suggestion when shooting the Golden Gate Bridge. I am always thankful to connect and learn from other photographers in the industry. I love how the culture has shifted to helping one another and sharing your experience to make the industry better as a whole.  As we left he gave me some old expired 120 film for my holga to experiment with. They were incredibly generous to open their home to us!

We drove to San Francisco and found free parking by park in North Beach!!  The three of us walked to China Town and back to North Beach, well Myla hitched a ride in the ergo. At Tony’s pizza we met Deb Wagner for lunch. Deb designed Lyndon’s website and this was the first time meeting her in person. All the website work was done through emails or over the phone. Deb is an amazing web designer both creative and well organized!

After lunch we walked to Lombard street and walked all the way to the top. We could have driven there; however the walk we experienced the city a little more and watch the passing trolley buses. By this time we arrived back at our car it was late in the afternoon. We quickly drove a couple of blocks to SF fisher’s wharf. However, being in a rush, as we only had about 30 minutes on the parking meter we head to the closet pier. 41. Wrong number. To see the seals it is Pier 39. I was slightly disappointed as I thought Myla would enjoy it, however when I realized that she did not know what she was missing I got over the need of finding the right pier.  All of us were exhausted by 6 pm. We crossed over the Golden Gate Bridge and it was covered in fog. This night we stayed in Sausalito with another friend of the Drew’s-Tiffany. Her apartment was located right down by the water and again she gracious welcomed us in her home. We enjoyed the evening talking together.

 San Francisco ahead. . .

China town. . .so color full and filled with fresh fruits, veggies, fish, turtles, and frogs.

Myla lived in the ergo from the day she was born. I love this carrier; it’s the best! And she can still fit in it at 3 years old!

Pizza at Tony’s was amazing and had so many options.

myla walked all the way to the top of Lombard Street; up all the steps!

She did want a piggy back ride on the way back to the car.

remember it is Pier 39. . .

The Golden Gate Bridge in fog.

Day 2: Monterey, 17 mile drive, Big Suir, Fisherman’s wharf, and ended south of SF.

We got an early start to the morning when Myla woke up. She did not apparently adjust to the time change overnight, so it was early rising for her. We packed up and loaded the car now with bags of dry clothes. Lyndon gets credit for finding the best breakfast spot in Monterey. First Awakening. It was located on Cannery Row.  The food was so fresh and tasty, and the coffee was strong. It is always a good sign when it seems to be where the locals eat.  After breakfast we walked across to the Monterey Aquarium.

We spent the morning and early afternoon exploring the aquarium. Myla loved watching the live feeding of the fish. It was packed; we expected this for a Saturday. As it was time for lunch we stopped at Trader Joe’s. There seems to be one on every corner which makes me jealous. I wish there was one here in Lancaster! We packed a picnic lunch and headed to Asilomar Beach. This was the first time for Lyndon and Myla to see the Pacific coast.

We decided since we were so close to drive the historic 17 mile drive. It was myla’s nap time. She fell asleep as we arrived at Pebble Beach Golf Course-sorry dad she did not get to walk out on the 18th green to see the famous golf hole. We continued to drive south towards the town of Big Suir. The goal was to see some of the amazing coastal cliffs. We pulled off the side of a road and walked out to the cliffs. This spot was a highlight for Lyndon. The cliffs were amazing!! I do not love heights so I did not venture down to where he sat on the edge, nor did I watch him climb down. I kept my eyes on Myla as she was running on the small trails above the cliffs. It was enough to make my heart skip a beat. The light here was amazing, peeking through the clouds. I wanted to pack it up and take it home with me.

Our day two concluded with eating dinner at Fisherman’s Wharf back in Monterey and then driving north just south of San Fransisco to the home of the Drew’s friends- John and Melanie. They graciously opened their home to us!

If it was not misty, outside seating would have been delightful!

we could have spent the whole day here as there was so much to explore and see!

love our matching ponytails.

sound asleep right as we arrive at Pebble beach.

these next two are a favorite of mine of Lyndon and Myla and the lightening is about perfect!

above is a favorite of myla from the trip.

to me it captures her adventurous spirit, her running with her hand up, and how small she is compared to the vast cliffs.

above is myla’s first time taking a picture of Lyndon and I.

fisher’s wharf at night. . .