Fremont Central Park (Fremont, CA) -- December 2016

During our business trip to California, we took a short break to see some nice ducks at a pond in the central part of Fremont.  Really, there was nothing else worth seeing in the city.

California State Capitol (Sacramento, CA) -- December 2016

A business trip brought us out to central California, and we built in some time here and there to see some of the sights (although that wasn't the plan for the entire trip).  Since the first part of the trip had us staying in Sacramento, we checked out the museum within the State Capitol (as the rest of the city was nasty and uninviting).

I liked seeing the bronze statue of Ronald Reagan in the city of the facility.  We went into the viewing area of the state senate, and some of the beautiful artwork on the ceilings.  Along one corridor was a display for each of the counties, so I had to take a picture of Orange County (where I used to go for work).  Since it was December, there was a nice Xmas tree on the grounds, and the front of the building had some wreaths on it.  There were some interesting things to check out, and worth doing if you're in the area.

Spicewood Valley Trail (Austin, TX) -- October 2016

Near the neighborhood I was living in at the time, there was a hiking trail that I drove past a couple times.  I kept saying to myself that I needed to explore it.  I took some time to do so, and the pictures below are some of what I saw there.  I started at an entry point "up-river" and took the trail "down-stream" (even though there wasn't much water flowing at the time).  The trail concluded at another entry point, where I proceeded to turn around and come back the way I came (instead of walking through the neighborhood to get home).  The takeaway from this is don't wait to explore.  When you see something new, go and check it out.  You never know when circumstances will change and you might not be in a position to do so again.

The following two pictures were taken at a different time, and at different locations.  The only reason they're here was because I didn't have enough shots to justify a "Random Texas Photos 2016" blog entry.

Halloween House (Round Rock, TX) -- October 2016

On a side street off of Red Bun Lane in eastern Round Rock is a place which in October becomes the Halloween House.  I was introduced to this a few years earlier by my then-neighbors, when we drove over to see the decorations.  I've gone over every year since.  During the month of October, a whole ton of Halloween decorations come out and cover the yard on this corner lot.  (During the month of December, holiday decorations come up, and it's call the "Christmas House.")

I'd had an opportunity to speak to the owners at one point, who decided to do this because they like having fun.  The yard by the pool and some of the interior would get decorated as well, as on one day towards the end of the month they'd give a guided tour to the public to see the inside decorations.  Because I'd showed up there solo one time, and no one else was present, I was given a sneak peak.  While the parents were all-in for the decorations, the kids sitting in the living room doing their homework were not amused.  I'm sure they were sick of having strangers in the house.

Over the years, the amount of stuff they had out has lessened to a great degree, but their usual items (Peanuts, Nightmare Before Christmas, and such) were still present.  A year or two before, a number of houses in the area had followed suit so there was a whole Halloween street going on.  This year there wasn't as much.  Still take the opportunity to go and visit them yourself.

Random Pictures (Northern New York State) -- July 2016

I hate the term "upstate" because to anyone in New York City (and the rest of the country) it means "anything north of Westchester County."  That's not accurate to those who live in the Western, Capitol District, or Northern regions (or their specific subdivisions like Finger Lakes, Adirondacks, and such).  These shots were taken in various places within Northern New York State, and it's just a nice pictorial of the area.  Okay, there's a lot of sky and sunset.  Still, they're nice.