Pins 'n' Needles

A cactus in Santa Monica.

Celebrity Cypress

Among the many expressive trees along the 17 Mile Drive near Monterey, the Lone Cypress (above) is a stand-out, famous enough to be featured more than once in Wikipedia.

This Is Bolinas – Please Go Away

Supposedly they don’t like strangers in Bolinas, a secluded community of hippies, surfers and artists a few miles north of the Golden Gate. According to local lore, Bolinians (if that’s the term) have a habit of taking down street signs pointing to the one road that leads into their little town of some 1,200 people.

True, it’s easy to overlook Bolinas when you’re driving along Highway 1 – but I’ve always enjoyed my stay and never felt unwelcome. The scenery is breathtaking and the road into town worth looking out for. Just don’t blink, or you’ll miss it.

Marina Bird

No idea what species this fellow belongs to – but I appreciate the picturesque posing in San Francisco’s Marina, right next to Fort Mason.

Coastal Grass

No, not that kind of grass, even though this is California. Simply some weeds along Highway 1, glowing in the afternoon sun.

The Colors of Fall

There’s no Indian Summer to speak of in San Francisco, nothing like the exuberant changing of the leaves in New England – which may explain why I got a little trigger-happy ...

...when I came across a tree on Russian Hill which was illuminated by the afternoon sun in all its colorful autumn glory just as I happened to walk by.

Honey, There's a Problem

The world loves almonds, so Californian farmers planted some 77 million almond trees, enough for California to become the world's biggest producer – but there aren't enough bees anymore. Honeybees, you see, keep dying from mysterious illnesses, meaning bees are now trucked from all over the U.S. to California each year in the winter in order to pollinate all those almond trees. Farmers used to pay $50 per colony, now the average price is closer to $150. A simple matter of, um, "bee-conomics".

Here's John Miller, a fourth-generation beekeeper from North Dakota, checking on his bees near Modesto, California. John runs Miller Honey Farms, one of the nation's bigger honey producers (see your supermarket for more).

The smoke has a somewhat calming effect on the bees, but naturally, when visitors pester them a little too much (especially with, say, strange machinery and flashing lights) they can become a bit prickly.

Buzzy Bee

Welcome to spring, the time of year when nature enlists the help of a few million buzzy helpers to renew itself.

Wing on Wing

Just a couple of pelicans flying across the horizon, perfectly in sync. Nothing special, and yet it’s one of my personal favorites – the colors, the silhouettes, a couple of clouds adding texture to the background. Works even as a t-shirt...

A Taste of Summer

It’ll be a few more months before the little village in Northern Germany feels as summery again as you see it on this photo. Right now it’s cold, dark, and grey – and I’m happy to be in California...