Out with the old, in with the new

After working on the new site for a good portion of last night, I've decided it's ready to go. So this is the last post on this page. I will no longer be updating this version of SierraVisions. All updates will be to the new site.

So everyone needs to go to www.SierraVisions.com from now on. Some of you may need to change your bookmarks once your there because the address of the site and all of it's pages have changed.

I'll see ya over there.
Steven



Steven on 05.23.07 @ 12:50 PM PST [link]

The new version of SierraVisions

Are you guys ready?
Click here to get a sneak peak of the new site.

It's different, but the same. The layout is very different on the home page, I had no choice in that. I don't know enough of the newer coding to keep it the same.

I like it myself. It still has the same feel as this version, but it also has a modern feel to it.

It's not totally done yet, there a lot of little things to be done and some tweeking to the layout on the pages, but the main part is done. Except for the Weather Page, it needs major work.
All of the post from here have been transfered over, I've also transfered all of the post from CalNaturePhoto. So there is a large archive already.
Go check it out and tell me what you think.

One more thing, I will keep things going here until it's totally done over there. All new post will be posted on both sites. Also the name SierraVisions.com now goes to the new site.

Steven on 05.22.07 @ 04:09 PM PST [link]

Looking to catch a Lunar Rainbow?

If you've ever wanted to catch a lunar rainbow but didn't know where one would appear, then your worries are over. Astronomers from Texas State University in San Marcos have came up with a computer model that predicts when "moonbows" will appear at Yosemite Falls. They have published the dates on their web site. You can see the dates here Moonbow dates for Yosemite Falls

To read the full LA Times article visit this link Beauty in the misty moonlight

There is also an article at the Ansel Adams Gallery site. Here is the link Lunar Rainbows - When to View and How to Photograph a "Moonbow "

Thanks to John for emailing this to me.
Steven on 05.22.07 @ 11:23 AM PST [link]

The Pastor's Ass

This was sent to me in honor of Mule Days and I just had to share it with you guys.

"The Pastors Ass"

The pastor entered his donkey in a race and it won. The pastor was so
pleased with the donkey that he entered it in the race again......and it
won again.

The local paper read: PASTOR'S ASS OUT FRONT
The Bishop was so upset with this kind of publicity that he ordered the
pastor not to enter the donkey in another race.

The next day, the local paper headline read: BISHOP SCRATCHES PASTOR'S
ASS.

This was too much for the bishop, so he ordered the pastor to get rid of
the donkey. The pastor decided to give it to a nun in a nearby convent.

The local paper, hearing of the news, posted the following headline the
next day: NUN HAS BEST ASS IN TOWN.

The bishop fainted. He informed the nun that she would have to get rid
of the donkey, so she sold it to a farmer for $10.

The next day the paper read: NUN SELLS ASS FOR $10

This was too much for the bishop, so he ordered the nun to buy back the
donkey and lead it to the plains where it could run wild.

The next day the headlines read: NUN ANNOUNCES HER ASS IS WILD AND FREE

The bishop was buried the next day.

The moral of the story is........Being concerned about public opinion
can bring you much grief and misery...and even shorten your life. So be
yourself and enjoy life... Stop worrying about everyone else's ass and
you'll be a lot happier and live longer!

Steven on 05.21.07 @ 04:47 PM PST [link]

CalNaturePhoto and SierraVisions

CalNaturePhoto has been online for a month and half now. In that time it has done pretty well. The number of visitors has grown and I feel I've written some good articles for the site. But the site has also put a lot of pressure on me. It's pretty hard work keeping two major sites up to date with fresh content. I really want to keep both sites updated at least every other day and preferably every day, but I can't seem to do it. The harder I try to be creative, the harder it is to be creative. Also, with so much creative energy going into writing, I feel that my photography and graphic arts have suffered. And since my graphic arts are my main source of income, when they suffer so do I.

So something has to give. And since I'm not about to do anything to my baby, SierraVisions, then I'm going to have to do something with CalNaturePhoto. So as of right now, I will not be updating CalNaturePhoto anymore. I'm going to let it go. I will leave the site online for now, but I am going to direct all of the visitors to SierraVisions. SierraVisions will once again become my number one priority.

CalNaturePhoto was a good idea, but it just isn't working for me. It's causing more problems than it's worth and it's just not much fun anymore. After all the whole reason for having a web site is to have fun with it. I have enjoyed writing the articles and tutorials and photo tours for CalNaturePhoto. So I will be continuing them on SierraVisions. I will also be writing more E-book photo guides. It's just now it will all be for SierraVisions. By only having one site to keep up to date I should be able to get more done and be more creative.

As for the major update I promised for SierraVisions, I'm still working on it. Maybe now I'll have more time to really work on it. I'm having problems getting the look and feel I want. In fact, I may be changing the look of SierraVisions. It will still have a natural, mountain, forest theme to it, but it may different. I'm thinking of going for a granite, rocky look now. But we'll see.

So there you have it. Changes are in the wind. Hopefully they will all be positive.


Steven on 05.21.07 @ 12:12 PM PST [link]

Which Famous Photographer are you?

This is a fun little quiz that will tell you which famous photographer you are.
Here is the link
http://www.youthink.com/quiz.asp?action=take&quiz_id=164

I'm Ansel Adams. Imagine that. I knew it was going to say that half way through the quiz

Let us know who you are.
Steven on 05.18.07 @ 08:37 PM PST [link]

Another day in paradise

Yep, that's what it is today. 86 outside right now, there's a nice breeze from the south and a few puffy clouds trying to build over the Sierra. No complaints from this boy.

I just went downtown to get a bite of lunch, and on the way back I drove down Brockman Ln. It's really ashame that the wind tore up the iris the way it did. There are more flowers out there this year then there has been in the last three years. But they're all beat up. It really bums me out. This could have been a great wild iris year in Bishop. Maybe it will be up in the Bridgeport area.

I just finished a new article for CalNaturePhoto. It's about copy protecting digital images and what could possibly be done to keep them from getting lifted from web sites. You can check it out here; Copy Protection for Images, An Idea

Last night I was flipping channels on the TV and as I came to RFD-TV I saw a familiar site, the corals at the Tri-County Fairgrounds. They were interviewing someone about mules. Imagine that, mules? in Bishop? Well I kept watching to see what the show was about. It was about training mules and donkeys. At the end of the show a commercial came on about how important it was to be in Bishop California over Memorial Day Weekend for Mule Days. Pretty cool.
I think it was two years ago that they filmed Mule Days for RFD-TV. I remember it being on last year.
I guess we can start the count down. In seven days the first events will take place. I bet that there are campers outside of the fairgrounds already. I think that the last few years they have let them into the fairgrounds on Sunday. I know that by Monday this town will start filling up with cowboys, cowgirls and mules!!
Well Shit Howdee, Welcome to Bishop!!
Steven on 05.17.07 @ 12:53 PM PST [link]

Road Trip to Dorington

Took a drive yesterday up and over Ebbetts Pass and then down to Dorington to check out and shoot the Dogwoods I had heard were blooming there. They were blooming and they were beautiful. I think I missed the peak of the bloom by a couple days though. Many of the flowers had been eaten in places and had brown spots on them. I was able to find a couple of trees that looked real nice though. Spent most of my time photographing those couple of trees.

I did a lot of driving around the area. I like it. The forest in there is very nice. Lots of big Sugar Pines and Cedars. It's always interesting walking beneath Sugar Pines. I worry that one of the huge cones will fall from two hundred feet up and knock me in the head. Those cones could do some major damage to your knoggin.

The only problem I see living in that area is fire. If a fire comes through there you are going to loose everything. There's no way to save your home. The houses set in the middle of the forest and they will be toast if there's a fire. It would be cool to live in the forest like that though. At least I'd like it.

Driving across Ebbetts Pass is fun. I'd say it's the wildest of the major passes in the Sierra. Most of the road is very narrow. They don't even bother with a center line, the road isn't wide enough. It sure is pretty up there. There are some amazing Junipers growing near the pass. Old, gnarled warriors that stand up against the Sierra's fiercest storms. I want to go back there this summer and get some pictures of them. It's a good thing I had the road to myself yesterday. Because I was constantly distracted by the Junipers.

There's still quite a bit of snow above 8000 feet. The two lakes you drive past still had ice on them.

All in all I had a pretty good day. Got some good pictures and most importantly I got away from the house and up into the mountains for the day.

I'm going to post a little more detailed post on CalNaturePhoto later on today. I will include some pictures from the trip too.
Steven on 05.16.07 @ 10:05 AM PST [link]

Dogwood in Bloom, Sierra Nevada, Ca
Steven on 05.16.07 @ 09:36 AM PST [link]

My head's back to normal

The excitement of the morning is gone now. I found out how it all happened though. Someone liked the story and used the Share This link that I have at the bottom of every post and submitted the story to StumbleUpon. Cool. The hits didn't last all day though. They lasted for about an hour at the high rate and then dropped the next hour and dropped again the next hour and then everything was back to normal.

It was pretty awesome though. I couldn't believe it when I saw all of those hits this morning. It brought a lot of new people to the site, and hopefully some of them will come back.

Just so you guys know, if you enjoy a post on CalNaturePhoto and you want to share it with the world, you can click on the Share This link and submit the story to many different sites. Also on the bottom of the side bar, under Blog Directories there is a link to FeedBurner. If you click on that link you cast a vote for CalNaturePhoto and it helps to bring more people in. If I get enough votes I get put on the front page of FeedBurner.

You may be wondering why I don't have all of these new toys on SierraVisions. It's because SierraVisions is very out of date and can't handle these toys. The web has changes so much in the last few years that our little site has become an antique. I know, many of you like it that way. I do too. But, changes are in the wind. I'm currently working on the new version of SierraVisions that will bring it up to date. Now don't worry, the look and feel will be as it's been for years. There will be some layout changes, but mostly the site will stay as is.
The biggest changes will be invisible to the public. It's the back end of the site that will change most. And that will help to draw more people into the site. As the site is now, Google doesn't even scan the home page anymore. It's in Google's database, but they don't stop by and see what's new. That's because of the old code that creates the site. So once the new version is up and running, Google will stop by again and bring more visitors with them.

I'm not sure when I'll have everything ready. It's not real high on my priority list at the moment. I'm working on it when I have spare time. It will most likely be in a month or two. I wasn't going to tell you guys yet, but I figure now is as good a time as any.
Steven on 05.11.07 @ 07:03 PM PST [link]

Beavertail Cactus, Eastern Sierra, Ca
Steven on 05.11.07 @ 12:59 PM PST [link]

Holly Smoke, I'm Famous!!

I not sure how it happened, but the article I posted yesterday about the fine line between photography and digital art on CalNaturePhoto, has been picked up by the search engine StumbleUpon and it's going crazy!! Already today it has received over 250 hits and it's only 9:30am!!
Needless to say I'm flying high this morning and my head is so big that it won't fit through the door of my office. WOW!!

And in other news. Ebbetts Pass is now open.

Talk to you guys later.

Steven on 05.11.07 @ 09:37 AM PST [link]

New artilcle on CalNaturePhoto

I've just posted a new article on CalNaturePhoto.com It's about the fine line between photography and digital art and includes examples of both that I have created. This is my biggest article to date and I'm just a little proud of it. So go check it out and tell me what you think.
Here is the link.

http://www.calnaturephoto.com/photography-or-digital-art/
Steven on 05.10.07 @ 06:54 PM PST [link]

Re: Mike

Mike, the road to Mosquito Flat is open. I was up there when I went to Rock Creek lake. Looks like there might still be snow in the back country, so I don't know how clear the trails are yet. But with the warm weather we're having right now they should be totally open real soon.
Steven on 05.09.07 @ 04:03 PM PST [link]

Tioga Pass

Tioga Pass will open for the season on Friday at noon!!
I'll be over to the valley by Monday
Steven on 05.09.07 @ 03:08 PM PST [link]

Mule Days countdown

It's May and the corrals have been set up at the Tri-County Fairgrounds in Bishop, that can only mean one thing, it's almost Mule Days. In just two more weeks Bishop Ca will once again become the Ass Capital of the World. Our little town will swell to a population of over 30,000 people and 1000+ mules as mule lovers from around the world descend on the Owens Valley for the week long celebration of this wonderful animal.

It much more than just a party though. There is the serious business of the mule competitions where world champions will be crowned in many different events.

And don't forget the parade on Saturday. If you've never seen the Mule Days Parade then you haven't lived. (Or maybe your just smart, man that parade can be looooooong at times) It's the biggest non-motorize parade in the world.

This year the Budweiser Clydesdales will be returning to Mule Days. It's always a treat when they come. The coolest part is that you can walk through their corals and get up close and personal with them. I have some great pictures of them from the last time they came to Mule Days. They will also perform at the Mule Shows.

Speaking of Mule shows. This is a must see in everyone's life time. You will never laugh so hard in your life. The mules shows are a rodeo with mules. All of the serious competitions are held during the shows, but there is also a whole lot of funning around. It's great to watch the mules make asses out of their people :-)

All of the fun begins on Thursday May 24 with a concert. The mule shows start on Friday and run through Sunday night with two shows a day. The parade is on Saturday. There is also a huge craft show in the city park that runs from Thurs-Mon.

It's the biggest week of the year in Bishop. If you'd like more information on Mule Days, check out their site at www.MuleDays.org

Steven on 05.09.07 @ 12:12 PM PST [link]

Re: John

Convict Lake has been ice free. In fact, by the looks of the pictures I saw in the paper, Convict seemed to be the hottest place on opening weekend. A lot of big fish were caught there.

I took a drive up to Rock Creek Lake on Tuesday. There is still ice on the lake, but it's a large island floating out in the middle. The shore is completely free of ice. They didn't have the gate open yet to drive along the lake, but the parking area by the boat dock was open. The store is open too. I also noticed that the campgrounds in Rock Creek Canyon are open.
Steven on 05.09.07 @ 09:39 AM PST [link]

Photographing Superman

Have any of you ever wanted to take a picture of Superman?
Well here's your chance. Head over to this link
Photograph Superman
and play this fun game. It's pretty cool. My highest score so far is 86.
Steven on 05.08.07 @ 07:25 PM PST [link]

Re: Lip

Hey Lip,
According to the Yosemite website and CalTrans road report, Tioga Pass is still closed. I would imagine that there is a ranger at the pass and that's the reason the flag is flying. The road has been plowed for a week now, but they say there is still work to be done.

As soon as I hear anything I'll let you guys know. I got my ears out there and I'm checking the web every day.
Steven on 05.08.07 @ 07:14 PM PST [link]

HoHum

Hi guys,
I'm so sick of having this cold. It's just draining my creative juices right now. That's why I didn't post anything yesterday and this may be all you get today. Every time I think I'm getting over it I have another day like today and feel yucky again. It's tough when you have two journals and a photoblog to post to and you don't even feel like sitting in front of the computer.
I think I'm over the worse of it, now I just need get through the lingering junk.

I'll try to write something later today or this evening. But no promises.


Steven on 05.07.07 @ 12:46 PM PST [link]

Tioga Pass, Glacier Point, Sonora and Ebbetts Pass

Glacier Point Rd opened today at 12 o'clock.

There is still no estimated opening date for Tioga Pass. The Yosemite site says that work still needs to be done in order for the road to be considered safe.

Sonora Pass Hwy 108 will re-open on 5-9.

No word on the opening of Ebbetts Pass Hwy4.

That's all I got.
Steven on 05.05.07 @ 03:55 PM PST [link]

Humming Bird Central

I wish I had a web cam that I could set up at my hummingbird feeder right now. I'm sitting here on the couch with the laptop on my lap watching at least six hummingbirds buzzing and dancing around the feeder. Oh my, just a second ago there were four feeding, one at each flower, and two more hovering and waiting, and then two more showed up!! I've been feeding humming birds forever and never have I seen anything like that. Now two are sitting on the clothes line and one is feeding.

There are five feeding at four flowers right now!! I'm not kidding. My jaw is on the ground. I must have the best nectar in the neighborhood. WOW!!

Can you tell that I'm just a little excited. I'm going to try to get a picture of it.

I could only get a picture of three at the feeder. Hang on, maybe this time more will come........

Nope. I think things are slowing down for the night. I will try to get a picture tomorrow.
I was excited the other day when four hummingbirds were hanging out. Now I have at least eight!! They're fat little suckers too
What a cool way to end a pretty yucky day.
BTW I'm feeling a little better since my nap this afternoon.
Steven on 05.04.07 @ 07:56 PM PST [link]

Not feeling to well

I haven't been feeling to well the last few days. I've caught a nasty cold and it's kicking my butt. That's why there wasn't a post yesterday, and most likely this will be the only one for today. If I feel up to it I will get something else up, But if I don't then you know why.
Steven on 05.04.07 @ 12:02 PM PST [link]

Nature's Wake Up Call

4:30 in the morning is an awful time to wake up, especially when you don't have to be anywhere or do anything that requires you to get up that early. But tell that to my little red breasted feathery friend who thinks that 4:30 in the morning is the greatest time of the day and that everyone should know it. I'm laying in bed trying to sleep while he's outside singing his little heart out, happy as can be that the new day is here and that he and his family are alive and well.

I know he has a family because I've seen him and his mate carrying worms to them in the shrub across the street. They've decided that the worms in my yard are the best in the neighborhood and that they are going to raise their young on them. That's cool. Thank you for choosing my fine cuisine. I know you want to pay me back for providing this nourishment for you and your family, but you don't have to do it at 4:30 in the morning.

Is he around when the sun goes down each evening? No, he's not. Why not sing to me then. I'd be much more appreciative at that time. I know that you like to sing to the sunset. Maybe he's singing to someone else then. I don't know. I just know that my yard is where he's chosen to sing in the morning, and I'm just going to have to live with it.

It sure is a pretty song though.
Steven on 05.02.07 @ 03:18 PM PST [link]

Winter Returns

The winter that never was is sure having a hard time leaving this year. Another storm is heading into the Sierra today bringing with it rain, snow, wind and cold temps. And just like every storm this year the wind and cool temps will be the biggest things to deal with. The only watches posted so far are high wind watches, no snow advisories or watches have been posted. Things look like they will remain unsettled through Friday.

Here in Bishop our highs are dropping by about 20 degrees. We have been in the mid 80s, tomorrow the high is forecast to be 66. We are also under a High Wind Watch and a Red Flag Warning for fire danger. In the mountains the snow level is expected to drop to 5500 feet by tomorrow.

All of this wind is coming just as Bishop's Wild Iris are on the verge of busting out in all of the glory. I don't know what's going to happen to them now. We'll just have to wait until the winds die down and then see what's left.
Steven on 05.02.07 @ 10:58 AM PST [link]