Wednesday, September 10, 2014

Another Beautiful Day

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My Weekend's Pleasant Surprise
Right in front of our school, there is a canyon that has hiking trails. The canyon does not look very special, it is nested between hills and there is a railway that passes beside it.
Rose Canyon, San Diego
What stopped me before from hiking or walking here is that this canyon is just two blocks away from one of San Diego's bigger malls, and around it are many restaurants serving the many biotech, high tech and many other Science research firms. In short, this walk is very much within an earshot of civilization's noise. However, what made me take this trail is because of the fact that it is right in front of our school, where I can walk/and or run to get my dose of daily exercise after a day's work. What made the walk special is that, once we (my husband and I) entered the canyon, the civilization around us disappeared and was now blocked by plants and trees in this chaparral environment.
The Trail 
Oak 
Some Colors At the Trail
Plants that live in a chaparral environment are oaks (these are what provide some fall colors), but mostly are evergreen pines and mahoganies, and many other low lying bushes.
Low Lying Bushes Found in the Trail
Now that I discovered this place, I can't wait for spring when I am imagining the hills around this canyon would burst with color from a diverse display of wildflowers. Right now however, this chaparral environment looks very dry and brown. Don't get me wrong, brown has its unique beauty too. Even though the flowers are already dried up and brown, but they still hold their beauty like this one.
Dried Wildflower @ The Trail
One of the many things that made the walk special in an otherwise very ordinary place was the presence of tiny creatures and a lot of birds and bunnies around. I however did not get lucky enough to catch any singing birds and jumping and running bunnies, but I sure loved seeing them. There were still some wildflowers on the ground, and I was happy to see some busy bees, butterfly and moth.
Busy Moth
( you can click on this picture to enlarge to better see how happy this moth is )
And the moth looked so happy sucking out sweet nectar of the flower.
Busy Bee
( we may not see the hairs of the bees when we look at them, but thankfully, the lens could. you can click on this picture to enlarge )
Alone But Not Lonely
( was surprised to see this one poppy in the trail, thought all poppies were all gone summer, so this is another pleasant surprise)
This Is My Husband's Find
Now that I have discovered this place, I know this is one of the places I can go to if I have the time to stop and simply enjoy the small creatures around. Hopefully, someday, I will get lucky enough to picture some of the birds that frequent this place. This is a place that looks very ordinary and nothing special from the outside, yet, it abounds with life inside.
After exploring this canyon, we went to the nearby ocean cliff to watch sunset.
Torrey Pine Cliffs
Torrey Pine Cliffs
Though I may live close to the ocean where we may be able to see sunset year round, but each time I see the sun disappearing in the horizon, it always makes me thankful that I see its promise of a beauitful tomorrow.
♥♥
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43 comments:

  1. In this crazy Autumn weather in CT, I saw a monarch butterfly blowing with the leaves yesterday. It was awesome!

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  2. Fantastic Betchai. The buttefly is amazingly detailed. Your photography never ceases to amaze me.

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  3. Beautiful sunset shots! Aren't we just lucky to live in this part of the world when everything is in moderation!

    The poppy is a great find, and I am looking forward to our Poppy Fields next year!

    Enjoy your ring!

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  4. As usual I love the photos. Foliage here is at its peak right now and I am always amaze driving to work to see how the same road changes everytime I pass by. I so love fall.

    BTW... thanks for informing me that my comment box at My Refuge Online is not working. I wouldn't know if you didn't tell me so. I fixed the problem already.

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  5. It is so happy to follow your trail, it always produce some interesting little creatures and beautiful scenery.

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  6. those are wonderful shots indeed. butterflies and bees are such amazing creatures, aren't they?

    thanks for visiting and have a fabulous week.

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  7. I don't know if I describe it correctly. This sounds like an oasis in the desert; where you will find quiet peace and lives. This will be a great place indeed to temporarily get away from civilization. And that sunset by the cliff was simply mesmerizing.

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  8. I really am missing CA and the ocean while here at my mother's in GA. Columbus is on the GA-AL border, with the Chattahoochee River dividing it from Phenix City on the AL side...there are some scenic spots but nothing like ocean vistas.

    What excellent pictures you got on your hike...the bees, moths and butterflies were wonderful and you gave us such up close and personal shots...great floral photos as well.

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  9. wow..lovely pictures..love the bee and the moth..

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  10. Beautiful colors of fall, happy critters, amazing sunset, that last resilient poppy and many more equals two happy hikers and amazing photos to share!

    Good capture, Beth, your photos always bring us delight! *hugs*

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  11. Such a beautiful area right there so close! A very lucky find.

    Hope you had a nice weekend.

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  12. Wow- How neat to find something that great "right around the corner!" I think that's a milkweed of some kind in your first picture. They are all awesome!

    You have earned an ad for a month on My Quality Day for being a top commenter.

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  13. So soothing and peacefuls. The butterfly and the honey bee are beautiful.

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  14. Wow! I would love to walk that hiking trail!

    I enlarged the photo of the moth and it does look really happy!

    I absolutely love the sunset view at Torrey Pine Cliffs! How nice if I can go there everyday to watch the sunset!

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  15. this is Betchai's signature post, a hiking trip full of wonderful memories and beautiful surprises. amazing nature's splendour to savour with our eyes and treasure in our hearts...

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  16. War...everything you captured here in so...immaculate. The bees....the moth...the flower...they are so alive in this post of yours. :D

    But the best has gotta be Dried Wildflower ! My personal fav.

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  17. I love that busy bee! So cuuute!

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  18. This is what I missed from you, Betchai, your wonderful photos, and story! Love them all..

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  19. u live in such a beautiful world. magnificent shots esp those of the insects

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  20. I love your close-up of that moth, what a happy face it has! Thank you for sharing your beautiful Rose Canyon hike and Torrey Pines sunset pictures, they are all gorgeous.

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  21. you finally get to hike again? that's great! oh such beautiful sights again, this kind of place can surely relieve your everyday stress.

    take care ok!

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  22. I like your blog I connected to your blog through another blogger this is my first visit. I like the close up of the month.

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  23. I don't know how you do it but everytime I am even more amazed by the beauty of your pics! I love them all but the moth is sooo cute!

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  24. Excellent trail with lots of beautiful things to see.. Lovely pictures too!!

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  25. What a lovely way to leave the hustle and bustle of the city behind, right in your city.

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  26. Everyday is a beautiful day!

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  27. Trails right in the middle of the city are the kind I travel. The best part of them is that you can have the illusion of being very far away while you are still close to home. These are the kind that you can do every day.

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  28. what a beautiful day indeed.walking in that trail with so many things to see. I love the monarch butterfly and the busy bee.

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  29. what a treasure to find so close to home. The canyon brings meaning to the saying "never judge a book by it's cover". I look forward to seeing the bird life when you capture in photo for us.

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  30. Just a short walk from civilization to wilderness. From the pictures, it looks like you are far from city life.

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  31. love those bees!!
    It's nice that you can have excellent weather every weekend, it's a rare case over here :P

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  32. I'm enjoying the beautiful photos on your blog, Betchai. The photos of the butterfly are very detailed. Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

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  33. You live and work in such a beautiful place. You are so lucky! And to have such a fabulous trail so close to your school.

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  34. amazing sights,betchai. and to think that the trail is just close to your school,you can take a hike whenever you want. you're so lucky to be in such a wonderful and tranquil place. kudos on the pictures,u did a great job, good for postcards!

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  35. Hey. I've gone and left you an award for you on my blog

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  36. needless to say sis....the sunset photo took my breath away haaaaayyyyy and the blue water on the last photo aaaawwwwwww.....

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  37. Hi Betchai! Kumusta? Tsk, I miss my regular dose of dropping by your blog. I'm just enjoying browsing through your great photos.

    And yes, I can see the moth smiling happily. :)

    I love your husband's photo the most (do tell him that!), both of you have eyes that see beauty hidden even in this ordinary hiking trail you featured.

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  38. Beautiful range of nature shots betchai. You getting better and better in macro photo taking. Great job!

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  39. this is Betchai's signature post, a hiking trip full of wonderful memories and beautiful surprises. amazing nature's splendour to savour with our eyes and treasure in our hearts...-> Cher wrote this. took the words right out of my mouth :)

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  40. Thanks for your kind words and they are very encouraging. PS is indeed very addictive, once you learn the simple one, you strive to work on the next level. Indeed this would deprive you and your hubby the wonderful hikes and sky watching.

    With regards to my creativity, when I visit a place, and see some interesting scenes, I have already implanted in my mind what to do with my photos.

    Thanks again for stopping by. I just arrived from the Japanesse Festival with Ikebana and Chrysanthemum show. I will be showing them tomorrow.

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  41. Hey, I can't view your site properly within Opera, I actually hope you look into fixing this.

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  42. the dried flower caught my eyes, it's awesome how you've capture it with the light. As if it' an ornament. Fun that you've discovered another place to venture.

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  43. Back here and the happy moth photo gave me a huge smile😄

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THANK YOU SO MUCH!!