I grew up in a very small town situated in a valley of the Cascade range of Northern California.  As a young boy, more often than not, you would find me playing in the forest and a nearby creek that fed the Sacramento River.  This past holiday, I  visited my brother at his new digs in Napa, CA. and discovered he had a creek running through the back of his property.  

It was quite hot outside but the coolness of the shaded creek and the sounds of the running water reminded me of those childhood adventures. I felt completely at home and immediately had to go stomping around the creek  ... of course, with camera in hand!  The lighting was difficult ... extremes of dark and bright as light shines through the canopy.

This is the upstream view:

Downstream was the better view: 

This is the same view but with the camera held inches above the water and a wider angle of view:

I walked down to the little notch in the creek and took this image:

and just to the right discovered some floating leaves in sweet light:

I like that image but it wasn't quite what I had in mind so I changed my position a bit and took this last image.  I think it is a little better:

Unexpected memories on my 72nd birthday. It was a treat for me!

And as always, I hope you enjoyed this little peak at nature.

Adam