slick

Storm week continues (actually, lingers a little longer than a week) with this view of an oil slick on the road outside the apartment during a rainstorm. I was lucky that the light hit the street at such an angle to highlight the oil as it seeped from the road's centerline toward the drain. A little reminiscent perhaps of the famous spill not far from us in the Gulf. You can see the Volvo hatchback slicing through the slick, its tires cutting a line across the oil momentarily, like some kind of chemical mower. The colors are great and it's so rare to get a chance to catch a spectrum like this. A little like the opposite of a rainbow, which to me implies cleanliness, finality after a storm, and a gentle reminder of nature's benevolence. Definitely not the case with this asphalt rainbow.

six flag tormenta

Another storm pounding the south of the city this week. It's been a cracking week for storms, although I'm sure Sylvie isn't as thrilled, having to experience them from the interior of our car as she wends her way back from campuses around the city. The flash floods that result from the severity of the storms (and the lack of foresight by city planners when it comes to drainage) can pose real threats to commuters across the city and play havoc with an already hopeless traffic environment. This storm was rolling along the foothills in the south and nicely framed the fun park just on the other side of the park from us. I'd love to roller coaster through one of these storms one day, although doubtless the threat posed by lightning strikes would rank you highly for candidacy on the Darwin list for most stupid exits from this mortal coil. f/22 and 0.6 second on a tripod, ISO 100.

la semana de las tormentas

Time to resort to the breathless "Discovery Channel"-like approach to blog posting. You know, something like: "It's Storm Week at the damofoto blog, time to relish all the chaos that comes with the DF wet season, when vast cloud banks scud in and sudden squalls pummel the capital each afternoon. Torrential downpours. Hail. Flash floods. Skeins of blue and green lightning. All in a single afternoon's "tormenta." Stay tuned for new posts showcasing mother nature's ruthless"...ahhh, you get the idea. This afternoon's sample was taken toward the south, using f/22, a lengthy shutter speed, and a tripod.

another age

Whenever I get bogged down by the perils of this metropolis - the bustle and battles - I pop back into Lightroom and sift through the travel shots for a little quiet inspiration. More often than not last year's trip to Burgundy furnishes the mental respite I'm hunting for. To look across young vines like these, streaked by lavender and crowned by storm clouds, you're really looking across the centuries. It's an age away from the clogged streets, racetrack sidewalks, and sonic assaults of the city. When gazing at an image like this, I don't even begrudge the French farmers their budget-sapping subsidies, it's all worthwhile even before you get your hands on the fruits of their labor.

the $20 million taste

Okay, so maybe the wine wasn't worth that much, but the new cellaring and admin facility for the wonderful Williams Selyem winery is. And being treated to a barrel tasting of their pinot noir, I felt a little like a millionaire myself. The assistant wine maker, Phil McGahan, is an Australian hailing from a small town in my own state of Queensland. He gained a degree in wine making in Australia and earned his spurs in the Hunter Valley outside Sydney before coming to Sonoma to join Williams Selyem. He works with wine maker Bob Cabral who has shot to prominence for his fabulous reds. Phil is both your typically laconic Aussie bloke with an added frisson of relentless energy and I wanted to capture this dichotomy, relying on a little shutter drag while he was pouring some pinot from the barrels in the new WS facility. It was a privileged peek behind the scenes at a label that has produced wines for White House dinners in addition to its own select wine club members.