Nov 12, 2020 Monthly Meeting - Latin America & Galapagos Travel Photos

 Nancy and Mike's Latin American Journey and Galapagos Voyage

Presenters - Nancy Sexton and Mike Smith

Nancy and Mike took a seven day cruise in the Galapagos through Linblad Expeditions/National Geographic, with several days spent in Ecuador before the cruise and in Cartagena and Bogota Colombia afterwards. The date of the trip was May 2019.  Besides photographing the obvious landmarks and landscapes of a place, Nancy also tries to include some local culture, people, architectural details, wall murals, food.....anything that helps to capture the overall experience of being in that place at that time.  We are indeed fortunate to have Nancy and Mike share their images and their story!

More about Nancy:

My name is Nancy Sexton and I moved to Las Vegas in June 2016.  I grew up in Syracuse NY and lived in the Boston area for almost 25 years where I was a financial analyst/portfolio manager/bank regulator.  I have two daughters, one in Houston and one in Cincinnati.

Nancy has been with Mike Smith for almost four years, hiking and traveling the world.  When she travels, she loves to take pictures and try to tell a story. She uses a Sony a6000 with a telephoto lens to get close-ups of wildlife, and uses her iPhone for most everything else. 

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Meeting Recording

Access Passcode: Mqyv8#eT

181115 Photo Walk - Birds and Sheep, Oh my!

Photo Walk November 15, 2018

Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve

and Hemenway Park, Boulder City

Our Photo Walk to the Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve and Hemenway Park in Boulder City to photograph the big horn sheep was amazing!  The weather was perfect – sunny and warm - and the wildlife at both spots were willing photography subjects.  For numbers (not that we are counting!), we spotted 19 different species of birds at the Bird Viewing Preserve and 42 big horn sheep at Hemenway Park, including at least six rams, which was a bonus.  Members Helen Delahunt, Dale Kavula, Diane Frankenfield, and Jim Bird,  participated in this Photo Walk.  It was especially nice to have Jim with us as he is very good at identifying birds and a patient teacher – we all learned a lot from him.  He had a very special morning as he spotted a female vermilion flycatcher perched on a branch, and this was the first time that he has spotted and photographed this bird (see photo).

After our stroll around the ponds at the Bird Viewing Preserve, we drove to Hemenway Park in Boulder City where big horn sheep are often found grazing and resting in this public park in the midst of tourists and photographers.  They come down from the mountains outside town to spend part of the day in this park, and we were able to observe several interesting behaviors of this majestic creature at very close range.  We were all surprised to watch the rams walk to a mature tree with berries, then reach up on only their hind legs to munch on the berries over their head.

 

Click here for photo album.

Our next Photo Walk will be a trip to Ethel M’s cactus garden which will be full of beautiful holiday decorations and lights.  We have scheduled this for December 11, 2018.  Hope you can join us!

Wildflower Festival at Cedar Breaks NM UT

Each year the Cedar Breaks National Monument holds a wildflower festival in July. Because of its altitude (over 10k feet), the wild flowers tend to bloom much later than down below.

If you are a wildflower photo enthusiast, this is the place to go. It has an added benefit of getting out of the LV desert heat.

J and I went last week and weren't disappoint with the flower displays nor the chilly temperatures. Visit our album to some additional photos.

Pahranagat Eagles: Mini-Field Trip

Don received a notice that the eagles had landed at the Pahranagat National Wildlife Refuge the last week in December. We quickly got the word out to members who might want to take an impromptu field trip. On Saturday, December 30 Don, Diane, J, and I were able to make the expedition.

After a brief primer on eagles and Pahranagat by Barbara Michel, nature educator at the visitor's center, spotters had pointed out some locations where eagles were perched. Here is a sampling of the photos taken.

Click here to view the album in Google Photos.

Henderson Bird Preserve - Oct 21, 2017

Saturday October 21 for our field trip we went to Henderson Bird Preserve. This is about a 50 min. drive from Summerlin and well worth it.

We met at 6:00 am while it was still dark and cold and drove to the bird preserve. We arrived there at a beautiful time with the sun just coming up. 

There are seven pools with which to walk around. Some are paved for people needing wheelchairs but most are dirt. It is very peaceful to see the different ponds and to hear and see the birds flying. 

The preserve has viewing areas that are structured above the ponds so one can observe the birds without disturbing. One structure is a wooden walkway structured over a marshy area to see the birds close in. There are benches along the paths to quietly observe. 

Later in the morning the sun was out and warmed us. We took off our jackets and seized the moment.

Click here for album.

Dale Kavula

Great Basin Photo Expedition

Recommended by Don LeHeup

When: September 30-October 2, 2017
Where:  Caliente, Pioche, and Ely Nevada

Itinerary:

Saturday, September 30, 2017

Come join us for a trip to northern Nevada where there are numerous photography opportunities and cooler weather!  We will meet in the Desert Vista parking lot at 8am for our trip.  Our first stop will be Caliente, NV where we will stop for lunch, and have time to photograph the picturesque train depot.  Check out the websites. Google Ely to get more info. There are several decent places to stay in Ely. The Hotel Nevada and Jailhouse Motel are centrally located in downtown Ely.

https://travelnevada.com/discover/26187/caliente-railroad-depot

After lunch, we’ll continue on to Pioche.  We will have an opportunity to tour the “Million Dollar Courthouse”, visit Boot Hill, the Opera House, the Alamo Bar, and more.

http://lincolncountynevada.com/discover/museums/million-dollar-courthouse/

https://travelnevada.com/discover/37570/boothill-cemetery

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g45989-d8051716-Reviews-Thompson_Opera_House-Pioche_Nevada.html

Dinner in Pioche – at the Silver Café.

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g45989-d4174470-r499240961-Silver_Cafe-Pioche_Nevada.html#REVIEWS


We will stay in Pioche overnight.  If you are planning to come on this trip, we recommend that you make your reservations as soon as possible.  Recommendations for lodging include:

The Overland Hotel - 775–962-5895  http://overlandhotelnv.com

Motherlode Motel - 775–962-5159  https://travelnevada.com/places/26688/motherlode-motel

Wright’s Country Cabins - 775–962-5205 http://www.wrightscountrycabins.com

Sunday, October 1, 2017

Breakfast at the Silver Café in Pioche.

After breakfast, we will continue our northward journey to Ely, NV. In Ely, options for photography include:

The Depot Museum with train ride if interested - suggest purchasing your ticket(s) online prior to our trip to ensure a seat(s),

https://travelnevada.com/discover/25970/east-ely-railroad-depot-museum-0

http://www.nnry.com (train ride information)

Walking tour of the murals and sculptures in downtown Ely  http://www.greatbasinheritage.org/ely-historic-mural-project

Walking tour of Renaissance Village with examples of architecture/houses of different countries (French, Asian, English, Spanish, Italian, a restored miner’s cabin, etc.)
https://travelnevada.com/discover/26344/renaissance-village-and-murals

Lunch, and stop at ice cream shop!

Dinner in Ely

Great steaks at the Jailhouse Motel – enjoy a delicious steak in your own private jail cell!

http://www.jailhousecasino.com

Recommendations for lodging in Ely (recommend getting your reservation as soon as possible):

Hotel Nevada - 775–289-6665  https://www.hotelnevada.com

Jailhouse Motel - 775–289-3033  http://www.jailhousecasino.com

Monday, October 2, 2017

Return to Las Vegas.  Possible morning stops:

McGill, NV to visit the McGill Drugstore Museum  http://www.mcgilldrugstoremuseum.org

and Elgin, NV to photograph the historic one-room schoolhouse http://parks.nv.gov/parks/elgin-schoolhouse


You may want to extend your stay on your own in northern Nevada.  There are several interesting stops:

The Great Basin National Park with Lehman Caves and the Bristlecone trail is closely  https://www.nps.gov/grba/index.htm

Cathedral Gorge State Park  http://parks.nv.gov/parks/cathedral-gorge

The Charcoal Kilns http://parks.nv.gov/parks/ward-charcoal-ovens

Garnet Hill, a place to grub some garnet crystals.

Company town of Ruth at the mine site

Please let Diane (email: dfranken2@gmail.com) know if you are planning to come on this trip.  Hope you can join us!

Click here to sign-up online

Lake Mead Desert Flowers by Jim Bird

Click Picture for Album

Greetings All;

Last weekend I drove east on Lake Mead Blvd. about 20 miles to check on progress of the Blooming of desert flowers. I found a fair number of small blossoms. Spoke to the ranger and he said , depending of the weather that the next three weeks will present plants with larger blossoms and greater variety. However, for me it was a good start. Here are some photos of plants that I saw.  Most of the pictures were taken with a 105mm Macro lens.

Jim Bird

Residents' Forum by Dale Kavula

The Sun City Summerlin Photography Club had a  table on Wednesday March 8th representing our club.  Jim Bird, Dale Kavula, Dennis and J Filangeri manned the booth.  The attendance was excellent and we signed up two new members plus many people  taking info about joining.  These events are good for all the clubs to showcase what we do.  Our club had photos from our monthly theme of critters so in small print at the top was Photography club and in very large letters CRITTERS.  This attracted more people to our booth trying to find out about the Critter Club.  Thank You Jim, Dale, Dennis and J.  

Photogrpahy Club on Display at Mountain Shadows

George led a team of members to set up the March club display at Mountian Shadows. The display features photos of club members
 that shows the diversity of subjects and techniques.

Please visit the display and encourage neighbors to view the gallery and if they have an interest in photography, to join the club.

 

Photo-ops Right in Our Backyards - Dale Kavula

The first photo was taken Saturday Jan. 21st. along RT 159 past Red Rock conservation area.  I used my 35m prime lens to capture the joshua tree with the snow in the background. Manual ISO100, A  5.6, S 1/60.

The 2nd photo was in my back your with the snow on the Sheep Mt. Range  I used my telephoto 55-300 lens Manual at 300mm ISO 100,   Aperture  7.1  Shutter 1/500.

The 3rd one was on RT 159   55-300 lens Manual  105mm Aperture 6.3   Shutter 1/500  I liked the colors of the bicyclists against the magnificent mountain.

2017 Club Profile

Over the last few weeks you were asked to answer some survey questions so that the new Board could better plan for a fun and productive year. The results were interesting, and not really surprising. The Board will be forming a couple of committees to make this the best year yet for the Photography Club of Sun City Summerlin.

Here is a brief summary of the survey results:
Photo Club Profile 2017

If you would like to serve on one of the following committees, please let us know by sending an email message to snapscslv@gmail.com.

Refreshments
Field Trips
Hotel Themes
Photography tips, techniques, and speakers

Chinese New Year 2017 - Field Trip Anyone?

Thank you Dale Kavula for researching this. Chinese New Year of the Rooster starts on January 28. There will be many celebrations throughout Las Vegas providing excellent opportunities for shutterbugs to get some award winning photos.

For more information about this year's events go to the website at: www.lasvegas-how-to.com/chinese-new-year-in-las-vegas.php.

Up-to-Date Desert Information for Shutterbugs

Thank you Don Heup for providing information on Desert Biomes (http://www.desertusa.com/). You can get up to date information about photo opportunities online.