The future is becoming the present. Captured with the Pentax K-5 and K-3.

Email: brqyvn@gmail.com

 Hi Photographer friends,

It's not that long ago that we started contemplating alternative sources of energy. I remember the first windmill I saw, in Central California. I couldn't believe how big they were.

Now, years later, the are becoming common sites. My spouse think that they are ugly and that they pollute the scenery. I, on the opposite, believe that atop being a great source of energy, they are amazingly pleasing to look at. It's like a forest of smart trees. 

I can only imagine how a person would react seeing them after coming out of a 30 years coma. It would probably look like awaking on another planet.  However, to my knowledge, nobody has ever stayed in a coma for 30 years.

I think they are beautiful symbols of modern life, don't you?

The images below were all taken in the Palm Springs, California, area.

Thanks for reading,

Yvon Bourque

Let me remind you that e-books for the Pentax K-3 available here:  ebooks4cameras
We also carry e-books for all Pentax DSLRs.

Mini vacation in Palm Springs and Anza-Borrego Desert with Pentax K-5, K-7, K-x and K-r.

 Email: brqyvn@gmail.com

Hi Pentaxian friends.

My brother and his wife visited us this past week. We took advantage of their visit and spent four days in Palm Springs and visited the Wind Farm.. While there we also drove to the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. We had a good time, although I broke my K-5 by dropping it on the ground, with the telephoto lens hitting first and tearing the k-mount completely off the camera.

I will write more about the vacation, the K-5 and pictures we took, but I thought I would just post some pictures tonight.



First morning in Palm Springs, on our way to the Wind Turbines.

© Yvon Bourque - K-5

 

The sun peeping through the clouds and dark skybehind  gave us some unique opportunities.

© Yvon Bourque - K-5

How lucky can we get, a rainbow to top it off.

© Yvon Bourque - K-5



Second day, 7:00 A.M, entering the Anza-Borrego Desert State park.

© Yvon Bourque - K-5



The cactus were in bloom.

© Yvon Bourque - K-7



And so were most of the wild flowers, however, we had to get off the paved roads.

© Yvon Bourque - K-7

Look at what we found; The famous  "Great Road Runner", roaming around for food!

© Roland Bourque - K-x

I'm not a "Birder", but this one was pretty. Anyone knows what it's called?

© Yvon Bourque - K-7
it's an adult male Bullock's Oriole. More info here:
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Bullocks_Oriole/id
Contributed b yMiserere...Thank you.

What a nice Church, in the middle of the desert.

© Roland Bourque - K-x

We were being watched. These are wild dogs that people just leave behind. We couldn't approach them.

© Roland Bourque - K-x

P.S. The AlettA DSLR Stabilizer will be available sometime early April. I have my first big order scheduled for delivery to me next week.  I won't advertize it again before I get them in my hands.

Coming soon...

Best Regards,

Yvon Bourque

The Get Away, in Palm Springs with my red Pentax K-r. Hotel California

Visitors to this page also like "Recommended Reading" on the right column.Email: brqyvn@gmail.com

"The Get away"
By:Anne Bourque

Most of us love to get away for a weekend. We, that work full time, love to escape from our fast paced work week when possible.

If we are very lucky, now and then we are able to stretch our weekend out to three days. It can feel like a true mini vacation and can be the ultimate treat. Just enough time to unwind and relax without pinching the budget.

We (Yvon and I) are so fortunate to live on the west coast, California. I could name more than a few beautiful and wonderful places to visit; but California is a very large state. Finding a place to sneak off too without driving four to eight hours and without fighting traffic has been paramount to us.

So, after visiting and staying in many different areas; one of our very favorite places to stay, during the winter and early spring is Palm Springs. The weather is wonderful most of the time and there are so many things to do, or you can just do nothing at all and feel completely refreshed.

Many years ago, while driving down the main street of Palm Springs, just outside of the busy small downtown area we passed by a hotel with the name, Hotel California. At the time we both started into song, with “Hotel California.” We later were privileged enough to see the Eagles in concert near Palm Springs.

There are so many places to stay in the Palm Springs area, but we have fallen in love with Hotel California. After all “you can check out but you can never leave.” I wish we never had to leave.

Hotel California is in the true Spanish Style tradition with its’ architecture. We like the smaller size and peaceful ambiance. The large Spanish walkway is so inviting once you open the gate to the entrance.

All of the rooms face the beautiful garden and pool area. No starring out at a parking lot here. There is plenty of sun or shade, which ever you prefer. I love listening to the water fountain and enjoy all the assortment of birds, especially the hummingbirds taking their morning bath.  Take a tour.

The service has always been fantastic. All the rooms have a microwave and small refrigerator and kitchen area. There are plenty of towels, which has always been an issue with me. They even have beautiful large towels for the pool and Jacuzzi.

Yes, it is fun to stay at a large resort, but for that special quiet “get away,” I highly recommend, “Hotel California.”

For those of you who love to take pictures, there are so many lovely places to take advantage of; from the top of the tram to a leisurely hike down into the Indian Canyons and with the beautiful extreme contrast of colors you can’t make a mistake. So enjoy and spend a mini vacation weekend in Palm Springs!

If you ever go to Hotel California, tell them Anne and Yvon sent you.

800-642-7079

760 322-8855 (Local)

424 E. Palm Canyon Drive
Palm Springs, CA 92264
Go enjoy Hotel California!

 

Now...enjoy the Eagles' Hotel California. Click below.

Going green in Palm Springs, California. See it through the Pentax K-7.

Visitors to this page also liked: See "Recommended Reading" on the right column. Email: brqyvn@aol.com

Hi Pentaxian friends.

We spent five days in Palm Springs this past week. We used to live there and I never realized how much there was in that desert city until we moved out. For this post, I  concentrate on how the area was going green long before we were talking about it.

The Palm Springs area is at the forefront of wind generated electricity. The San Gorgonio Pass Wind Farm is a wind farm located on the eastern slope of the San Gorgonio Pass, just east of White Water, California, United States. It is one of three major wind farms in California, along with the Altamont Pass Wind Farm and the Tehachapi Pass Wind Farm. I posted about the Tehachapi wind farm  last year, read it here. The pass is one of the windiest places in Southern California and marks the gateway into the Coachella Valley. The farm consists of 3,218 units delivering 615 megawatts.

In my view, there is a certain beauty to these giant wind mills. You don't realize how big they are until you get close.  When at a short distance from them, you can clearly hear the sound of the propellers cutting into the wind.

I thought of sharing these photos with you. These are an example of how we could reduce the dependency on foreign oil.

Thanks for reading,

Yvon Bourque

Mannequins with better facial expressions than some real people...they don't have any worries! Could they just be happy about the Pentax K-7?

Click pictures to enlarge.

Visitors to this page also liked: See "Recommended Reading" on the right column. We honor reciprocal links. I can be contacted at: brqyvn@aol.com

Hi Pentaxian friends.

Back in January, we were in Palm Springs for a weekend of R&R. I was just updating my files tonight when I stumbled on the pictures above. The first three mannequins were all located in the same store. It was a clothing store. It was late at night and the lighting was coming from the inside of the store. Using the Pentax K200D set at ISO 200, with the DA 18-55mm set at 42mm with an aperture of f/5.6 - 1/100th sec, I pressed the lens right up against window pane to alleviate any reflection, and took the pictures. I love the facial expression and the vivid colors of the mannequins.

The last picture was taken the next day, at lunch time, at a hamburger joint called "Hamburger Mary". I took that picture with the Pentax K20D fitted with the DA* 16-50mm set at 21mm, ISO 200, 1/750 sec @ f/2.8. The burgers were really good and you should stop there if you ever go to Palm Springs. As for the mannequin, Dolly Parton was probably the inspiration!

I like these pictures of joyful faces, and yet, there aren't any real people in the frame.

Thank you for reading,

Yvon Bourque

Palm Springs, California

We were in Palm Springs a little over a week ago for a weekend visit. We lived in Palm Springs for a while, before moving in the high desert. We often come back here as an escape from our work and daily grind. The city is a far cry from what it was just ten years ago, although it has conserved its Mediterranean style. The Palm Springs downtown area is always vibrant with activities, parades, market day (every Thursday night, with dozens of vendors selling arts & craft, food and unique items. There are plenty of places for entertainment, music, Broadway type shows and there is a myriad of restaurants, etc.

The golf courses are simply magnificent in Palm Springs. Although I don’t golf, I understand why they label the area as the largest concentration of golf courses in the country. The wealthy people and movie stars own houses in Palm Springs and adjacent communities. On the streets of Palm Springs, it is not unusual to see several Rolls-Royces, Mercedes, Lamborghinis, Ferraris, and all type of exotic and very expensive cars going up and down the main street.

It is one of the greenest city I have ever seen (Green here is not alluding to ecological friendliness). Although located in the middle of the desert, there are more green grass, flowers, and trees than most cities located in areas where water is more plentiful. I have seen more water being wasted in Palm Springs than anywhere else I’ve been. On the other hand, I have never seen such concentration of electricity generating windmills. Go figure!

The area’s population is comprised of many retirees, Native Americans and the usual blend of people typical to most southern California cities.

The area is full of good photographic opportunities. The sky is always blue. The contrast of the palm trees and green lawns against the mountains and sky is unique. It’s hard to believe that you are in the desert.

Thanks for reading,

Yvon Bourque