Clouds, Santa Ynez Valley - CA © 1994

Just north of Santa Barbara, California, lies the Santa Ynez Valley. It is California ranchland that is quickly becoming wine country. When my wife and I travel in this part of California we like to take several small country roads to bypass the main highway. One Summer day, at a favorite vista point, we were taken aback at how the sky was filled with white, puffy clouds (a phenomenon uncommon in southern California). What made the sight even more brilliant was how the sky and clouds were juxtaposed against the golden brown hillsides. I pulled over, grabbed my 20mm lens, and shot away.