Friday, March 16, 2018

Tribute to Randy Walton. December 7, 1946 - April 8, 2017





Where do I start……

Randy Walton passed away on April 8, 2017!!  He was a great photographer, lived in Oakdale to be close to Yosemite and the Sierra Mountains.  He was hoping for a wonderful retirement, but life happened.  In 2010 things kind of gone downhill for him, his kidneys finally deteriorated to the level he had to go on dialysis 3 times a week.  He was on the kidney transplant list at Stanford, but even so he was called twice it never worked out in his favor.  In January 2011 his wife Diane had a stroke and lost some mobility that never really came back.


I met Randy on FM Forum (Fred Miranda) in 2006 or so.  In 2008 he and his wife Diane joined me for 6 days to shoot Eastern Sierra Fall colors.  We had a blast and became good friends.  We met up one more time in October 2009.  Then we stayed in intermittent contact until August 2016 but he was just not the Randy I knew from our trips to the Eastern Sierra.  He sounded so defeated and down.  He gave up on photography and sold all his gear in 2016 on Fred Miranda and eBay.  I tried several times to meet up with him in Oakdale; he was not responding to my requests.

Then I found out almost a year later, that he passed away.  I feel so sad he never got the kidney transplant he was waiting for.


Rest in Peace my dear friend, I will cherish the time we spend hunting fall colors.
















Inge Fernau is available for Photo Tours or Short Hikes in Yosemite, the Eastern Sierra, Wine Country or the California Coast. Contact Us

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These (digital) photographs are not in the public domain! They may not be used on websites, blogs, or in any other media, they may not be copied, printed or otherwise reproduced in any manner or form, whether in whole or in part without explicit advance written permission from Inge Fernau. All images may be purchased or licensed in a range of sizes.

Sunday, January 28, 2018

Castello di Amorosa


In January 2017 my daughter took me to the Napa Valley to check on the Mustard bloom and to do some wine tasting at the Castello di Amorosa.  The Mustard was already nicely blooming along highway 29.  A few stops for shooting them and then off to the "Castle"


Can't beat this view







My daughter posing for me on the steps of the castle




The "Great Hall" is really impressive



Let's get this started.......



The wine tasting room is rustic and very inviting





Wine and cheese - loved it















This is us........



A final shot of the Mustards



The Napa Valley once had an annual “Mustard Festival” that ran from January to the end of March. The festival was cancelled for 2011, it had fallen victim to the economic downturn like so many other things.

The Mustard however does not care it still blooms every year and it is worth a trip to the Wine Country.







Inge Fernau is available for Photo Tours or Short Hikes in Yosemite, the Eastern Sierra, Wine Country or the California Coast. Contact Us

Facebook Fan PageTwitterMy Blog



These (digital) photographs are not in the public domain! They may not be used on websites, blogs, or in any other media, they may not be copied, printed or otherwise reproduced in any manner or form, whether in whole or in part without explicit advance written permission from Inge Fernau. All images may be purchased or licensed in a range of sizes.

Thursday, January 18, 2018

Best of 2017

Well I am a little late to the party, but.......

I have done a few photography trips in 2017.

I visited the Central Valley to catch the migratory birds and sometimes a beautiful sunset.



Egret trying to catch a meal


If you wait long enough you might see a geese lift off


White crowned Sparrow



Red-Tailed hawk-  I did not realize I captured the nictitating membrane, protecting his/her eye.  Kind of creepy looking


Sandhill Crane in flight


Northern Harrier scouting for a meal


.....and the sunsets


I enjoyed decorating for Easter and bought many German Chocolate Bunnies.  Below is my favorite guy:




Next on my trip agenda was Spring in Yosemite. The park was full of Dogwoods, high water, roaring waterfalls and unbelievable traffic.  TV stations showed the waterfalls etc and the visitors came in droves.  I made several trips during the week, but even then if not in the park by 9AM, there was a long wait at the entrance.  Also construction was causing long delays.







Water in Motion


Roaring waterfalls




The valley floor was overwelmed with all the water and meadows ended up under water with beautiful reflections of the falls



4th July Fireworks in Clearlake:





In September/October I checked one item off my bucket list - Visiting Colorado in the Fall.
Earlier in 2017 I reconnected with an old friend from Germany, she lives in Colorado Springs.  We knew each other for more than 40 years and lost contact arround 1994.  Anyway I got to see some beautiful landscape and want to go back one more time.


We came across this horse on the way to Durango.  I just had to stop and take a photo....



One of my trip highlights was the Dallas Divide


One trip to catch Fall colors in Yosemite


I think I was just a little late to capture the best of the fall colors, but it still was a great day to spend in Yosemite


Then came Thanksgiving in Clearlake.....


It was one of those great sunsets you hope for, but the camera I packed to capture this had an empty battery and I did not bring a spare.  I made do with another one and got a fairly good shot.






Inge Fernau is available for Photo Tours or Short Hikes in Yosemite, the Eastern Sierra, Wine Country or the California Coast. Contact Us

Facebook Fan PageTwitterMy Blog



These (digital) photographs are not in the public domain! They may not be used on websites, blogs, or in any other media, they may not be copied, printed or otherwise reproduced in any manner or form, whether in whole or in part without explicit advance written permission from Inge Fernau. All images may be purchased or licensed in a range of sizes.