Friday Photo Shoot Out: Incongruous

I had some trouble with today's Shoot Out. I dutifully identified my favorite local incongruity, went over there and photographed it in many different ways (and it was a perfect day for parasailing - I had some great shots of the brightly colored sails just below me in the air, or swarming above), picked some blueberries, hiked all the way home, and discovered this morning that the memory card wasn't in the camera.
DOH.
Too late! But never mind. I'll just make you suffer through archival material.

This is not strictly speaking in my town, but you can see it from there. And you can go hiking up there, and biking and horseback riding among the green fields and hills.

It's a wonderful area for enjoying nature, a patchwork of open meadows and paths tunneling through the dense hazel and oak woods.

One moment you can't see the forest for the trees, the next you're out squinting in the hard sun, overlooking a volcano.

Then it's back under the canopy.

Sometimes there are odd things in there, but happily there is not much trash. People are fairly respectful, and there isn't much littering except for toilet paper and random farming & ranching relics.

This is the exploding tree. It's like a firework of wood. Sorry about the darkness, but it's a hardier Sunday hiker than me that drags their tripod everywhere. Gotta get one of those monopod-walking stick ones.

Then suddenly again you're in the open, and you can see what all the baaa-ing and tinkling of bells was about.

You turn around and admire the vista of blue-green hills.

You turn again and there it is. The mountain. A fabulous work of nature, complete with military installation and gigantic white weather spike & communications tower. But do continue to the top: on the other shoulder there's a bar serving ice cold beer.

Ciao!

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