Yountville

I took these photos walking down the main street, Washington Avenue,  in Yountville, which is a small town located in the Napa Valley.   It seems to be a popular destination for tourists, honeymooners and wine lovers.

Pacific Grove

Practice at a public golf course in Pacific Grove, CA.

But what I thought was interesting were these deer that were feeding on the grass.

 

Sunset over the Pacific Ocean.

 

Downtown Pacific Grove.

Red House Cafe.

A Day at the Races, Hollywood Park

I flew to Los Angeles for a day at the races at Hollywood Park on October 2nd.  

Morning sky over Los Angeles, taken from the plane.

Flowers in the paddock.

Crowd at the paddock, assembled to see the day's main attraction, Zenyatta.

 

Zenyatta, the undefeated 6-year old mare is a California super horse.  Every time she runs, Zenyatta draws big crowds.  On this day, she was running in her final race in California, attempting to win her 19th straight race, in addition to becoming the North American earnings holder with $6,404.580.  

 Minutes before entering the starting gate.

2010 Lady's Secret Stakes at Hollywood Park 

Zenyatta has dead aim on her 19th straight win.  Her final race will be on November 6th,

in the Breeder's Cup Classic in Kentucky, where she will attempt to win her 20th race 

and retire undefeated.

A Day at the Races, Golden Gate Fields

These are photos I took recently at Golden Gate Fields, the racetrack near San Francisco.

The horses are headed to the starting gate.

The stride of a thoroughbred race horse can propel horse 

and jockey at speeds over 30 miles per hour.

The start of a race over the turf course.

The horses run past the grandstand for the first time.

Cruising to victory.

Time to pose for the winner's photo.

Fireworks over the Lake

Labor Day weekend, which includes the first Monday of September, is traditionally seen as the end of summer.  Especially when I was a child growing up, a new school year would start days after Labor Day.  So it was usually a time, to spend that final weekend with friends and family, having a barbecue or picnic.

A tradition in South Lake Tahoe is to watch fireworks blazing through the night sky, over the lake.  ( This also happens over the Fourth of July holiday )   The fireworks are launched from a boat on the lake, so the best place to watch it is from a boat but there are many beaches that offer a spectacular view, too.  I took these photos from the sandy shores of Nevada Beach, on the Nevada side, just north of South Lake Tahoe.

 View of Lake Tahoe from the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

 A beautiful house on a hill near Lake Tahoe.