Cutest Little Snooze in Town

37799 - Snoozing Chick
Originally uploaded by PhotoSensei.

Petaluma at at one time claimed to be the Chicken Capital of the World. We still have the decaying chicken coops to prove it, but thankfully the chickens have flown the coop and taken their smelly chicken poop with them. We honor our town's heritage once a year during Butter & Egg Days, which includes a contest to honor the Cutest Little Chick in Town. Parents dress their infants and toddlers in costumes that match the theme of the year. This year was the 150th anniversary of Petaluma's fire department, hence a Super Hero theme to recognize its heroic work. This chick was riding on the parade float, but found a nap preferable to the traditional beauty queen wave. View the rest of this gallery here.

Vineyards, vineyards everywhere

36344 - Vineyards, vineyards everywhere
Originally uploaded by PhotoSensei.

Yup, it's true. Vineyards and stuck just about everywhere in Sonoma County - even as landscaping in parking lot islands. This vineyard is on a private road just off of 116 on the way from Petaluma to the town of Sonoma. View the rest of this gallery here.

Circle of ? at McEvoy Olive Ranch

36321 - Circle of ? at the Olive Ranch
Originally uploaded by PhotoSensei.

This is a detail shot of the western edge of the McEvoy Olive ranch in West Marin, about ten minutes from our house. This set includes some very wide panoramas, thanks to Photoshop CS3's amazing photomerge and blending automation. View the rest of this gallery here and check out these panoramas: here, here, here, and here.

Lavender at Dusk

36209 - Lavender at Dusk
Originally uploaded by PhotoSensei.

Beauty right outside my office window. We enjoy many a California sunset from our hilltop perch in Petaluma that is populated with fruit trees and even a small field of poppies and lavender. View the rest of this gallery here.

Wanna Adopt Me?

36193 - Wanna Adopt Me?
Originally uploaded by PhotoSensei.

This is a nice series of puppy and kitten photos at our local pet food shop. These animals are from Lakeport and Kelseyville in Lake County. All shots are hand-held with natural light. View the rest of this gallery here.

MMM! Juicy Nectar at BV Vineyards

35921 - MMM! Juicy Nectar at BV Vineyards
Originally uploaded by PhotoSensei.

Just outside the front door to the BV tasting room in Sonoma, I found this butterfly drinking his fill. This is a hand-held shot using Tamron's 90mm Macro lens - which is a great choice for either Nikon or Canon bodies. View the rest of this gallery here.