Best Photo of 2020 That Reflects the past as It Looks to the Future

Circle of Life Sculpture, Charolais Corridor Trail, © Barbara Radisavljevic, 2020

 Is this the best photo I took in 2020? It's the best one to show the contrast between past and the future I hope for in 2021. It features Robert Roemisch's metal sculpture, "Circle of Life" which you can find at the beginning of the Charolais Corridor Trail in Paso Robles. That trail happens to be behind the tract where I live, so I walk it often, usually in the late afternoon or as the sun is setting. 

You can see in the sculpture that life goes on. The dark cloud of 2020 with all its storms seems to be disappearing into the horizon and leaving the sky above it clear and blue. I hope this will be the case. I hope some of the conflict and death that marked 2020 will be replaced with seeing what we have in common, the end of the pandemic, and a return to normal life. 

That being said, those things aren't under our control. We control only our own thoughts and the  actions that spring from them. Whatever is ahead, I will trust God to bring good out of it. I will pray my leaders will be wise in their decisions and seek divine wisdom. I will try to do what's right with what I have and in the way I treat people. All that God requires of me and others is to do justly, love mercy, and to walk humbly with Him. (Micah 6:8) And that's what I want to do. 

Let's all walk courageously into 2021 and see what awaits us. 

In case you're wondering, the most popular post on this blog in 2020 of the six I wrote was this one: Spring Begins with Wet Sidewalks and Gray Clouds. 

This blog is part of the City Daily Photo Blogger Network. See what other members considered their best photo of 2020, the theme for this January. 

How Blue Is The Sky?

The Sky Turns Every Shade of Blue

Dying Cottonwood Tree at Larry Moore Park, © B. Radisavljevic

City Daily Photo Bloggers are answering the challenge this month to show what the color blue represents to them. The first thing that comes to mind for me is the sky. It's always above me, I see it every day, and it's been every shade of blue I can imagine. For any regular reader of this blog, it's no secret I'm a sky watcher. The sky is what I photograph most often.

In the photo above we see a light blue transitioning into a darker blue. It provides a contrasting background to show off the dying cottonwood tree at Larry Moore Park in Paso Robles.

A Deeper Blue

Blue Sky Over My Rose Garden, © B. Radisavljevic

I often photograph the sky in from my own yard -- especially as sundown approaches. I took this shot from the rose garden in my backyard. I'm guessing I took it in late afternoon. I liked the way the clouds were making a horseshoe around that patch of sky.

The photo below was taken before a rainstorm. I also took this one in my backyard. It was taken after our late afternoon meal on a November day. The blues are lighter with tinges of gray in places. I consider clouds part of the sky.

Sky Just Before a Rainstorm, © B. Radisavljevic

I took this next shot while walking the Charolais Corridor Trail at Dusk. Together the clouds and sky provide many shades of blue.

Charolais Corridor Trail at Dusk in May, © B. Radisavljevic

Blue Sky in My Zazzle Wall Art

 Morro Rock, Fishing Boats and the Embarcadero Canvas Print Poster: Tree against cloudy blue sky. Poster

Birds Love the Sky

I find it hard to catch birds in flight. They are usually too quick for me. Here's one I did catch in a very blue sky.

Bird in Sky Over Paso Robles Wine Country, © B. Radisavljevic

Here's a crow I caught in flight.

See the full story behind this photo. © B. Radisavljevic

Usually I can catch birds high in a tree or on a wire. The shade of blue is a bit lighter in this photo of the bird at the top of this oak tree.

Bird at Top of Oak Tree, © B. Radisavljevic

This one is on a high wire.

Bird on High Wire, © B. Radisavljevic

Kites Also Belong in the Sky

The sky was very blue when we found this family flying a stunt kite at Moonstone Beach. I'd never seen a dual-string kite before and loved watching this.





I hope you've enjoyed our sky trek. There are more views of the blue sky in these related posts. Enjoy!

See how other City Daily Photo bloggers posted to this theme. 


Related Posts

Sky Journal with Day of Sporadic Showers: This past post shows everything from deep blues to grayish blues in the sky.

Down by the Station and Welcome Sunshine: This shows how the sky changed from late morning until sundown in several spaced shots on the day after a rainstorm. Lots of deep blue in these shots.

Old Wives' Tale Disproved: Have you bought into this folklore?

"The Circle of Life" on the Charolais Corridor Trail

Best or Favorite Photo of 2018?

This month's theme gives us a lot of leeway. But since we begin a new year today, I decided to chose Robert Roemisch's metal sculpture, "The Circle of Life," to feature. I've always liked this sculpture. It's the first thing that people notice on the eastern entrance to the Charolais Corridor Trail in Paso Robles. The trail itself leads to the River Walk along the Salinas River as it runs through Paso Robles. Roemisch wanted people walking the trail to be aware of the river's environmental and educational value as well as just enjoying it as a place to exercise. 

Over the years I have taken many photos of this sculpture. I like this one, taken at dusk, because it emphasizes the silhouette animals in the circle. It also serves as a window to allow a look through the center at the plants on the other side. I've never yet seen a bear along this trail, but I have seen plenty of rabbits. Most of them detect me and run away before I can capture them with a camera. 



Happy New Year!

See the favorite photos of other City Daily Photo Bloggers here. 

Feline Friends

Friendship Takes More than One

The City Daily Photo theme this month is "friend." But it's hard to be a friend in isolation. I have chosen today to feature some of the cats I have seen befriending each other and my own best feline friend.

Peachy Canyon Tasting Room Feline Friends

Peaches and Herbie hang out at the Peachy Canyon Tasting Room on Bethel Road and Highway 46 West in Templeton. I often see them separately, but on this day in March I saw them together, helping each other as friends do. They are Maine Coon cats and I always look forward to seeing them when I visit.

This short video shows how they help each other and what good friends they are.



I have featured Peaches and Herbie in my Zazzle Store, as well as my now departed and much missed feline friend. I'll tell you about her next.

Friendship Card, Peach Canyon Winery Cats CardOrnament: Black Tuxedo Cat Sitting Metal Ornament

Sarah the Tuxedo Cat and her Sidekick Garfield

Sarah and Garfield belonged to my neighbors who live in a mobile home on the other side of our driveway, across from our house. They are two of the five cats my neighbors owned at the time. I like to make friends with neighbor cats on my property, and I set about  trying to woo Sarah. I followed her into the oddest places with my camera, speaking calmly to her and not getting too close at first.

First I tried to befriend her when I found her on her porch. When I approached her she was resting, but as she saw me she got up, prepared to run away. I snapped her before she could.

There was a refrigerator the neighbors had ready to haul away, and she jumped to the top of that. I followed with my camera.

She would not let me get too close.

About three weeks later I snapped her photo as she rested on top of the water softener inside its cabinet. Someone had left the door open. She was making me work hard in this relationship.

After close to a month of wooing, cat treats in hand, she finally allowed me to get close and pet her. Then she began to hang out on an old chair on my porch almost every day. She was always there to greet me when I came home in the evenings. She actually was probably waiting just as much for the cat treat she knew she'd get. Whichever, I always looked forward to seeing her there, until she was no longer there. I heard coyotes howling the night before I didn't see her anymore. It hurt my heart. Her owners left their cats out at night, except for their kitten. I never felt quite the same way about coming home after that.

Garfield soon caught on that Sarah got cat treats when she hung around my porch, so he began to show up, too. You can read more about my history with them and see some more photos of the two of them here. 

See my other feline friends from the past.

See how other City Daily Photo Bloggers have interpreted this theme.

Making Music at Studios on the Park

The City Daily Photo Blogger Theme for August is Music. Paso Robles is full of free music all over town. My favorite place to get my music fix is at Studios on the Park. Every month at Art After Dark a different musician is featured. I  took this photo at Art After Dark in October, 2016. I loved listening to  Julie Beaver and Wally Barnick as they entertained us. I couldn't keep my toes from tapping. 

Julie Beaver and Wally Barnick Entertained Us

See what other City Daily Photo Bloggers have posted to this theme. 

Spirit , Wind, and Kite

The Spirit of Theme Day

The first day of every month is theme day for City Daily Photo Bloggers, so I try to get into the spirit of it by posting something related to the theme. This month that theme is "spirit." I will try to relate that theme to a simple kite.

Man Trying to Get Kite into the Air, © B. Radisavljevic

The Wind Lifts a Kite

Without wind, it would be difficult to get a kite into the air. In the Bible's John 3, Jesus told Nicodemus that unless a man is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus asked how that was possible. Would a man have to return to his mother's womb and be born all over again?

Jesus answered: ...unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit....The wind blows where it wills, and you hear the sound of it, but you don't know where it comes from or where it is going; so it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit. 

Just as a kite in the air lets us know where the wind is blowing and in which direction, so the actions of a man let us know whether the Spirit of God is working in his life. What people do shows us what kind of spirit motivates them.

No one has seen the Spirit of God except when it moves in the lives of people. No one sees any spirit, holy or not, unless it acts on or in something physical, just as the wind acts on the kite to move it around.

Man Flying Kite in Paso Robles  City Park, © B. Radisavljevic

See how other City Daily Photo Bloggers worldwide have interpreted this theme.

Just Me, Happy in the Garden

I Like to Be Outside 

It's theme day for City Daily Photo bloggers again. The theme this month is "Me." So how does one define oneself in a photo? I don't really do selfies except as shadow photos. The photo I like best of myself is this one my husband took of me at my request. I was about to write an article for Squidoo (now gone) to review my garden kneeler, on which I'm sitting.

This photo is about as "me" as it can be. It shows me resting in my garden after doing some weeding. (You can see the review of Why I Love my Garden Kneeler, here.)

Why This Photo Is So "Me"

I love being in a garden. I love working in the garden as the birds sing and keep an eye on me from a fence or from a nearby tree.

I love getting my hands in the soil and helping things grow. And I like doing these things in the solitude of the wine country around me. I love looking across my fence on three sides to see my neighbors' vineyards. I like the fresh air and the quiet broken mostly by birdsong. These are the things that make me feel most alive.

Yet the shirt is also me. It represents the hours of my life I've spent in front of my computer writing. After Squidoo was sold to HubPages, I left some of my best work there, especially the articles inspired by my time in the garden. You can see those articles and those on other topics about the things I love on my HubPages profile. 

 I now do most writing on my own blogs. This one is my fun blog. It's where I relax and share my photos of the places and nature I love so much. I share more of my gardening moments at Barb's Garden Observations.

This Is Also Me

The photo below is one of the shadow selfies. It shows me photographing my world. If I'm not in the garden or at the computer or doing chores, you will probably find me outside taking pictures. In this photo I was documenting a major event in Paso Robles. It was raining!

I'm looking forward to see what the other City Daily Photo bloggers have posted to present themselves to the world. You can see their photos here.

Theme Day: Flowering Trees Laugh

Laugh!

Laughter is the theme this month for City Daily Photo Bloggers. As I walk the streets of my neighborhood and look in my own backyard, I see everything in bloom. I cannot help but think of a previous post, Earth Laughs in Flowers, based on a poem by Ralph Waldo Emerson. Some of the photos in that post were taken  near where I took this photo last week. As I saw this tree I could not help but think it was laughing in flowers.

The tree appears to be partying with its neighbors,  the yellow flowers which have decided to climb it and the wisteria growing on the fence behind. I love the way the wisteria looks hanging from the fence. I may just get some for myself to hang among my climbing roses.




How do you think it would look next to my Cecile Brunners on my back fence?

Crape Myrtle trees also seem to be laughing when in bloom. You can't help but notice their mirth. I found this one on Main Street in Templeton.

When I see the blooming trees laughing, I can't help but laugh along with them as I enjoy their beauty. How about you?

"Spring unlocks the flowers to paint the laughing soil." — Reginald Heber

See how other City Daily Photo Bloggers treated this theme.

Theme Day: One Color - Ivory

Ivory Dominates in This Theme Day Cat Photo

The challenge for this theme is to post a photo where just one color dominates. I could have easily gone with green, but then I discovered this photo I took Friday afternoon which is mostly ivory.

Siamese Cat by Ivory Color Garage Door, © B. Radisavljevic

The Siamese cat caught my attention as she wandered around this xeriscaped yard. She finally wandered over to pose in front of the ivory garage door beside this tall shrub. So I decided to use this as the theme photo. The next one is a variation.  I allowed a few more of the colors into this one.

Siamese Cat by Ivory Color Garage Door Sniffing Shrub, © B. Radisavljevic

Kitty sat for a while near the middle of the yard.

Siamese Cat on Rock Mulch, © B. Radisavljevic

Kitty Leads us away from the Theme to More Colorful Surroundings

Siamese Cat beside Bed of Jupiter's Beard, © B. Radisavljevic

This clump of Jupiter's Beard adds some needed color to this yard. Like the other plants, it doesn't need much water to look lovely. It's a very popular plant in my neighborhood, and I finally got some it it planted in my yard. I'm waiting for it to bloom.

The most colorful thing in this garden is this colorful sculpted snail -- definitely a bright piece of yard art. It appears to be a planter, but I couldn't get close enough to see if anything was planted there yet. Time will tell.

Siamese Cat beside Colorful Snail Planter, © B. Radisavljevic

Kitty seems to prefer to look back at me than face the snail, even though I was much less colorful. Do you think that the snail fits well within this garden? Contrast it with the rest of the garden art and meet the other cat that lives here, in this post: Cat on the Rocks in a Xeriscaped Yard

See how other City Daily Photo Bloggers treated the One Color theme here.

The Greatest Gift

The Best Gifts Express the Heart of the Giver

God expressed his heart of love for mankind when he gave himself as the ultimate gift.

He saw hate and darkness and exploitation of the poor by the powerful. He saw lust and greed and abuse of power. He saw that those who were supposed to lead and guide his people were often abusing them for their own gain. But he had promised throughout the Old Testament to deliver them.

 Like many today, though, they didn't really understand what he meant. They expected a powerful warrior king who would deliver them from the Romans. They weren't expecting a babe who would grow up to deliver them from their sins. They weren't expecting the Light of the World to expose what was in their own hearts. That is why so many rejected the gift. They wanted to hold onto their sins -- not be delivered from them.

What is in Your Heart?

Today, wherever in the world you live, there may be fear in your heart. Many fear we are on the brink of the worst kind of war ever -- nuclear war. Many feel they are at the mercy of powerful interests and barbarian terrorists. Many wonder how peace is possible. They wonder what happened to the Prince of Peace they hear about during the Christmas season. 

The Prince of Peace is here. He came to bring peace to human hearts by offering himself in order to reconcile sinful humans to their holy and sinless God. He brings the gift of peace and reconciliation to all who confess the sin in their hearts and want new hearts. He offers the gift of new hearts that are inclined to love rather than hate their Creator. He offers forgiveness for sin and a peace that passes human understanding. 

Jesus said of himself: "I am the light of the world; he who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." He is both gift and giver. He forces himself on no one, but offers a relationship to all who want to walk through life with him. What you do with that gift is up to you.   

Today is Theme Day for City Daily Photo Bloggers. This month's theme is "Gift." See what other bloggers around the world posted to this theme. 

Rock'n'Roll for Theme Day

Inter-generational Rock and Roll

I haven't been to a dance since I started dating my husband of now over fifty years, so I don't see much rock and roll anymore. Coming up with a photo for this month's "Rock' n' Roll City Daily Photo Bloggers theme seemed almost impossible until I remembered my nephew's wedding reception in October, 2014. During the reception, my nephew's new wife was dancing with a young relative and they stole the show.

Rock'n and Roll'n at Wedding between Generations, © B. Radisavljevic

Here's the video version of part of the dance. Try to ignore everyone but the bride and her partner.

Templeton History: Day in the Shade, 2010

I don't get many still photos of dancing, but there was some rocking and rolling going on at Day in the Shade in Templeton, May 8, 2010. I share it with you here in video.




Day in the Shade, which used to be an annual art exhibit in Templeton City Park the Saturday before Mother's Day, seems to have been discontinued, but I have preserved some of the highlights from Day in the Shade 2012 here.

Band at Day in the Shade, 2012, © B. Radisavljevic

Which video did you like best? 

See how other City Daily Photo Bloggers have interpreted this theme. 

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The Sensual Bearded Iris

The Bearded Iris Is a Sensual Flower

Many flowers are beautiful or glamorous, but I can't think of one that is as sensual as the bearded iris. The City Daily Photo Bloggers theme this month is sensual so I will feature my photos of the bearded iris. This is also Day 1 of the October Ultimate Blog Challenge, and I've decided to participate. 

How Can an Iris Be Sensual?

To be sensual, something needs to appeal to the physical senses. There can also be an element of sexuality in something sensual, but there doesn't have to be. I think irises have it all. Bearded irises have a delightful fragrance. They come in an array of colors. Their texture is smooth and silky. Their beards tickle when you touch them. 

Wear my Irises

elegant flower blue iris Slip-On sneakers


I decided to show off some of my irises on T-shirts. Click through on any of the shirts to see the other styles and colors you can choose. I added the shoe that someone else designed because I thought it was beautiful.

& 

Light purple with pink irises T-ShirtHoody with White IrisesLight purple with pink irises baby bodysuit

Modesty Enhances Sensuality

Like a beautiful but flirtatious woman, the iris leaves much to the imagination. You don't see all of an isis at once. It actually emerges from a rather ugly bud that looks a bit like a distorted onion. It would be hard to imagine by looking at the bud how sensual the flower might be. 

Would you guess it would look like this? Yet even with its flags unfurled, it does not reveal its golden center. The spider is looking for it. If you don't see the spider moving when the video starts, just click through to YouTube. 

In the photo below it appears the spider found what it was looking for. Look closely in the center. The spider is storming the inner sanctum of the iris in search of the pollinating insects which are attracted to it. 

Below you can see an insect that will soon be trying to pollinate the iris it has chosen.

Notice how modest the iris is as she keeps her private parts covered until she is ready to show them off.  Only the pollinating insects and their predators are allowed in under her folded petals.

Next time you see a bearded iris, touch it, smell it, and feast your eyes on all it reveals. It may be more sensual than you gave it credit for.

What do you like best about the iris?

See how City Daily Photo Bloggers worldwide have interpreted this month's theme of sensual.