Leaving Davis in HDR

HDR stands for high dynamic range and it is a process by which multiple shots of the same scene are combined, each one exposed different, in order to get the most details in the highlight and shadow areas. On my way out of Davis I stopped a few times to take pictures and decided to play with HDR :)

A leafless tree in the UC Davis arboretum.

A frozen pond.

A cozy looking ranch just off of I-5.

The same ranch, in portrait.

The Golden Gate Bridge

Eeek! Bees!

Mt Hood

Mt Tabor Park

Wahkeena Falls, Oregon Gorge

Winter crocus

Stretch

Blossoms

Laurelhurst Park

Day Nine in Bali - Bye Bye Bali

Laura and I awoke this, our final day in Bali, to rain. In Laura's words, "Bali is crying because we're leaving."

Our morning was filled with last minute packing and a nice breakfast in our room (we felt too rushed to leave). We checked and double checked to make sure that we had everything packed and went to check out. What seemed like minutes later we were in one of the resort's cars on our way to the airport in Denpasar.

Check-in went smoothly despite our oversized and overweight luggage and then it was time to hurry up and wait for the plane. We made the short hop to Singapore and then to Hong Kong where we had to disembark despite the fact that we were continuing on in the same plane for San Francisco.


Back through security again and then we returned to our seats where one of the hostesses on the flight encouraged us to try to find a row each to ourselves. I was content with the empty seat between us and so, it seems, was Laura. As soon as we were served our semi-edible in-flight meal both of us took an Ambien and dozed off.

A few hours after waking we were getting ready to begin our descent into San Francisco International Airport. Almost as soon as i turned my phone on I had a call from my mother saying that she had already lost my father somewhere in the airport but by the time we made our way through customs they had found each other again and we were soon making our way to the family estate to catch up on a little sleep.

Tomorrow I have another flight, this one taking me home to Portland and back to my pups!

Day Eight in Bali - Tanah Lot Temple

Today was a lazy day. Our trip thus far has been amazing but the pace has been non-stop so we've decided that we're going to stay in and enjoy what Tugu has to offer, mainly their world-class spa services.






We started the day by having our complimentary breakfast at one of the tables just off the lobby overlooking the pool and out to the ocean. There was a nice breeze and, other than a spider that Laura attacked that fought back, we had a nice breakfast amidst the beautiful scenery.





After eating our fill we returned to our room to relax, watch a movie and generally enjoy the ambiance of the resort. Laura scheduled a manicure and pedicure plus a massage for the early afternoon where I just had a massage. We had also reserved a car to take us out to Tanah Lot temple, about half an hour from Canggu.

I returned from my massage after Laura had finished her manicure and pedicure. She didn't get her massage because the hand and foot pampering ended up taking three hours so she rescheduled it for last thing this evening. With great foresight, Laura had afternoon tea ready so I showered to clean off the massage oil, had a few tea snacks and a cup of tea before we went to meet our Tugu driver.

Tanah Lot temple was built on a rock formation along Bali's coastline. It has been worn away over the years but the temple stands and in 1980 the Japanese government loaned over 800 billion Rupiah to Indonesia to shore up the temple's foundations with artificial stone. According to popular belief there are highly poisonous sea snakes that guard the temple and one particularly large one that is said to have been made by the founding priest's scarf who is meant to guard against evil spirits and other intruders.

Due to the accessibility and natural beauty Tanah Lot was teaming with tourists and because Laura and I dislike crowds were didn't stay for too long. On our way out we did spy a flying ship and when a little boy offered to sell us a similar kite we accepted and when Laura had paid he began to walk away without giving us the kite. Fortunately his sister, who was there to help him make change for us, laughed at his omission and he sheepishly handed Laura our flying tribute to Top Gear's Vietnam special.




When we returned to Tugu Laura made for her massage appointment while I caught up on some emails. While she was gone I ordered dinner for us, courtsey of Jalan Jalan Asia who made all of our arrangements for this fantastic Balinese adventure, so that it arrived shortly after Laura returned. We ate, then packed for our departure home tomorrow.