July 26, 2014, New Moon in Leo: Sunsets over the fog, from Skyline Boulevard, Oakland, California

July 26, 2014, New Moon in Leo: Sun Sets Over the Fog, from Skyline Boulevard, Oakland, California

all images copyright Casondra Sobieralski


I caught a magic moment on the ridge above my house, still while exploring the concept of "Home" for my series:  A stunning sunset with a BIG BANK o' FOG rolling in.  --a truly Bay Area phenomenon, a phenomenon of "home".

I was really excited with how these photos turned out because, if you, dear audience, remember from back in January 2014, sunsets are what finally pushed me to get a DSLR.  I was so unsatisfied with the limited color range and limited dynamic range of my PowerShot when it came to sunsets.  Though I love that little point-and-shoot for its low light capability, its zoom, and its portability, what I was capturing with that tiny sensor was nothing like what I was seeing when it came to the subtleties of things like sunsets.

But here, the capabilities of my DSLR are really shine!  :)   These are straight from my camera, no filters and no Photoshop.

Reminder, you can click on these to make them bigger to see details. 

July 19, 2014: Miwok-Pomo Festival, Point Reyes, California

July 19, 2014: Miwok-Pomo Festival, Point Reyes, California

all images copyright Casondra Sobieralski

I think these singers were Pomo, if I recall correctly.  Pomo lived north of Marin County, in what is now Sonoma.

This is a reconstructed Coastal Miwok house.  Sierra Miwok houses are more stout, as you will see in posts of photos I took in August when I get those up, next batch...

That is an acorn grinding rock in the background, one of my favorite photos in this set. The Miwok and Ohlone made an acorn mush that was a staple of their diet.  It tastes kinda like a nutty Farina cereal.

This is a Coastal Miwok sweat lodge.  It is a very different shape than the Ohlone sweat lodge featured in the prior post.

This is bunny poop.  It made me nostalgic for being a kid, tracking animals in the woods, wishing I was an Indian.   

By the way, if you see tracks and are not sure if they are dog tracks or cougar tracks, I learned this tip:  mountain lions have 3 pads, so their tracks make a w-shape.  Canine critters just have 2 pads. 

If I were a mountain lion, I might like to roam here...

Acorns, again, were a dietary staple for Northern California tribes, 

both coastal and mountain.  

Some nice trees with Spanish moss...

Dead trees feel foreboding, like a sad ending to a story.