Two weeks ago, Linda and I flew to San Francisco on our way to Hollister, CA for the American Rottweiler Club's National Specialty. Northern California is one of our favorite places for scenery, great food and good times so it was good to get back there after nearly 20 years.

First stop after getting the rental car was Fisherman's Wharf where we had lunch, walked around a lot, took some photos, had a light dinner and then headed to our hotel in San Juan Bautista. Fisherman's Wharf is the prototypical tourist location but it has a funkiness that is typically San Francisco and it's always fun to visit there. From the wharf, you can see Alcatraz -- looking far more scenic from that distance than when you see it up close.



Watching us enjoy our al fresco lunch was an impressive lineup of the local scavengers.



And I took a few shots to capture the color and atmosphere of the wharf.



The next day, Sunday, was our only real day off from the show so we took off early for Carmel and Monterey -- two of the most beautiful places on earth. The weather was delightfully clear and I was able to get a nice shot of the Monterey peninsula from the beach in Carmel.



Along the 17-mile scenic ride in Monterey, I took some photos of the local fauna with Linda's direction to make sure I got the waves breaking over the rocks in the background.



And the obligatory Lone Cypress. Yeah, I know it's been photographed ad infinitum but it was my turn and I enjoyed the opportunity.



We had hoped to drive down to Big Sur after the Monterey drive but the Monterey Marathon took the road out of play so we headed back up the coast toward San Francisco where we saw a lone hang-glider practicing landings and take-offs.



And farther up the coast, a slew of hang-gliders, kite-boarders and wind-surfers.





And, a little farther, Lighthouse Point.



On Monday, we started shooting the Specialty and it was basically 12-hour days of shooting and 4-hr. nights of downloading and making sure the images were OK. But, I did get to go out for a personal shooting expedition late on Thursday. First, I checked out an old barn very close to where we were staying.





And then the Mission San Juan Bautista.







And, finally, the hills around Hollister. Hollister is located just East of Carmel between two mountain ranges and consists of rolling hills and large agricultural regions. I managed to find a road to the top of one of those hills for an overview.



And one lonely tree close to sunset.



The rest of the time was spent at the Fairgrounds with lots of friendly, sweet and slurpy Rotties. Once I finish up the formals for proofing, I'll post some pics of some of our new friends including a puppy we *almost* brought home with us.

Enjoy the photo essay.

Jim