Brian Drake Photography

Manoa Falls

2009-04-19T16:42:00.000-07:00

Here are a few from a recent wet hike up to Manoa Falls.

Cheers.

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Golden palm frond, glistening in fresh rain.

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Hibiscus on fallen wood.

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Underwater Black and White

2008-12-26T18:49:00.000-08:00

It may sound odd to want to turn the underwater world with its kaleidoscopic colors into black and white images. However, these creatures inhabit their world below the surface with such a graceful and noble majesty, and sometimes this power is best shown in black and white. I hope you enjoy.

Cheers.

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Waimanalo Beach

2008-11-28T01:15:00.001-08:00

Here's a few from Waimanalo Beach, just a short drive away from my new place.

Cheers.

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Finally, A New One

2008-02-07T19:03:00.002-08:00

Well, I've been incredibly bad at putting new work up. It's been months. Instead of trying to go back through 4 months worth of work, I've chosen to put just a few new ones up. The first set is a set of people whose faces have just really been stuck in my mind over the past few months. The second set is from a bad storm that tore through our area last month, causing tons of damage.

Hope you enjoy. Cheers.

2008-02-07T19:03:00.001-08:00

Wheatland's Malcolm Webb is the 2007 All-Area Defensive Player of the Year.

2008-02-07T19:02:00.001-08:00

Ashley Guizar sits in the pews of St. Joseph Catholic Church in Marysville following Ash Wednesday services.

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Eileen Davies, a parishoner at Our Lady of Lourdes Parish, stands in front of the new oil-on-canvas painting depicting the Crucifixion that is to be unveiled as part of an ongoing restoration of the church.

2008-02-07T18:59:00.000-08:00

Valerie Eredia walks in the rain during the March Against Violence and Crime, which was held in honor of her cousin, Alexander Smith, a 17-year-old kid who was stabbed to death Jan. 19 during a party in Yuba City.

2008-02-07T18:58:00.001-08:00

2-year-old Sawyer Peters laughs as he checks out all of the costumes during the Purrrrfect Halloween event in downtown Marysville.

Stormy Weather

2008-02-07T18:56:00.000-08:00

In early January, a storm tore through our area, cutting power to more than 20,000 people and leaving one person dead. Here's a few aftermath shots.

2008-02-07T18:55:00.000-08:00

Terry Brown removes a branch in front of a house severely damaged by a fallen tree the morning after the storm.

2008-02-07T18:54:00.000-08:00

Ron Dufore of Yuba County Public Works sloshes through a flooded gutter in Linda as he works to help restore drainage to the area.

2008-02-07T18:53:00.000-08:00

An exit sign has been severed in half by a fallen tree outside of the Yuba City Senior Center. Read into it what you will.

2008-02-07T18:52:00.000-08:00

Irony in the streets. A "wet floor" cone rests on its side the morning after a violent storm tore through the Yuba-Sutter area.

2008-02-07T18:50:00.000-08:00

Dave Killingsworth, right, carries a log while Chuck Lemmenes, left, continues to chop a fallen branch with a chainsaw at Miner Park. The two men helped to cut up many fallen branches, taking much of the scraps as firewood for themselves.

A New Update

2007-11-15T16:04:00.000-08:00

Here's an update of some shots from the past week or so. Hope you enjoy.

Cheers.

2007-11-15T16:03:00.001-08:00

A stop sign is distorted by raindrops in Marysville

2007-11-15T16:02:00.000-08:00

A raindrop hangs precariously on the tip of a leaf during a rainy day in Marysville

2007-11-15T16:01:00.000-08:00

The skeleton of a bare tree is distorted by raindrops in Marysville

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Brandon Yee stands in prayer during a service celebrating the Marysville Buddhist Church's 100th anniversary

2007-11-15T15:55:00.000-08:00

Jerrie Lea Bartlow listens during a t'ai chi chih class while standing in front of a numbered bingo board

2007-11-15T15:54:00.000-08:00

Jerry Ruff, 80, takes some time to himself after a t'ai thi chih class at the Yuba County Senior Center

2007-10-13T17:03:00.000-07:00

Alex Moore, 10, cries while holding the hand her mother, Robin, as Moore is wheeled to an ambulance after being injured in a car accident.

2007-10-13T17:02:00.000-07:00

Firefighters work from above and below to extinguish a blaze that gutted Granzella's restaurant, a beloved landmark in Williams, Calif.

2007-10-13T17:01:00.001-07:00

Kyle Burns, 10, center, is pulled along a zipline ride by Chris Vonderwerth, 10, left, and Issac Sampson, 10, all of Folsom, Calif., at the Golden Empire Council Scout Expo at Beale Air Force Base.

2007-10-13T16:58:00.000-07:00

Mylaina McMurray,9, washes the window of a car during a fundraising car wash Saturday. The car wash was organized to raise money for the family of Willie Dean Roberts Jr., who was brutally killed during a robbery.

2007-10-13T16:57:00.000-07:00

Alex Pinto lifts Andrew McCleary onto his back during a cake batter wrestling match at Wheatland High School. Wheatland High School students participated in the cake batter wrestling as part of Spirit Week.

2007-10-13T16:56:00.000-07:00

Jordan Hartman, left, and Chelsea Holman grapple in a sea of chocolate cake batter during lunch at Wheatland High School.

Feather Falls

2007-10-13T16:34:00.002-07:00

Here are some from a recent hike to Feather Falls. We hiked through the steady rain to Feather Falls, which plummets 640 feet down, making it the fourth highest waterfall in California, and the sixth in the continental US.

Cheers.

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The red bark of a fallen tree glistens after an afternoon downpour.

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One of the smaller tributary waterfalls along the path.

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The ground seems to move as hoardes of ladybugs scurry along the forest floor near Frey Creek. Several million ladybugs come to this part of the forest for the winter and can be seen completely covering most of the foliage.

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One of several redwood bridges that spans the meandering tributaries.

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More Farm Work...

2007-08-23T19:54:00.001-07:00

Here are just a few more of the shots for the CSA farm story that I'm doing (see below). Hope you enjoy. Cheers.

2007-08-23T19:53:00.000-07:00

Jim examines his corn before a late evening of picking for the upcoming Farmer's Market.

2007-08-23T19:52:00.000-07:00

Jim plants a minute lettuce plant in a row of freshly tilled soil.

2007-08-23T19:51:00.000-07:00

Jim picks his steps carefully as he examines the delicate vines of his maturing melons.

2007-08-23T19:41:00.000-07:00

After a long evening of work, Jim looks back over his field in the last dying rays of evening light.

Concerts, Disasters, Rodeos and Fairs

2007-08-23T19:40:00.000-07:00

Marylin Manson performs at the Sleep Train Amphitheater.

2007-08-23T19:39:00.000-07:00

Tracy Sisemore, left, and Tammy Engrahm process Brandon Nichols, 8, through a decontamination tent during a mock disaster drill.. Rideout Memorial Hospital conducted the mock disaster drill to test the hospital's ability to treat a mass surge of patients exposed to a deadly toxic explosion from a chemical holding tank.

2007-08-23T19:38:00.000-07:00

Tammy Engrahm peers out from behind the curtain of a decontamination tent during the mock disaster drill.

2007-08-23T19:37:00.002-07:00

Tammy Engrahm, left, and Tracy Sisemore attempt to communicate through their level C hazmat suits.
(To see more pictures of both the Manson concert and the disaster drill, check out: http://appealdemocrat.smugmug.com/Staff%20Photo%20Galleries)

2007-08-23T19:37:00.001-07:00

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Matt Dunsmore kneels in prayer before competing in the PBR Discovery Tour at the Yuba City Fairgrounds

2007-08-23T19:34:00.000-07:00

Tony Leal takes a breather during the peach pie eating contest at the Peach Festival

2007-08-23T19:33:00.000-07:00

Reece Ingvoldsen, 18 months, attempts to feed a cow at the Yuba Sutter Fair

2007-08-23T19:31:00.000-07:00

Picturing Irony: Alyssa Lamb, 9, learns how to handshear an ewe lamb for the first time at the Yuba-Sutter Fair.

2007-08-23T19:25:00.000-07:00

A. Reed MacKay grieves as he watches Yuba City firefighters continue to battle a blaze that gutted the garage of his house

CSA: Subscription Farming

2007-07-17T18:43:00.000-07:00

Here's a large batch of photos from a photo story I am currently in the process of working on.

Jim Muck runs Fresh Farm, a community assissted farm in Wheatland, California. Basically what happens with a CSA (community supported agriculture) farm is pretty cool. At the beginning of summer, Jim collects dues from a large number of subscribers (around 25 or so). The subscribers pay a flat fee for a summer of fresh produce (around $250). Every week, Jim delivers a new batch of fresh produce to the subscribers. They receive whatever Jim brings them, but because Jim grows 150 different varieties of organic produce, every week is a fresh surprise. So, as long as there are subscribers, Jim's farm is guranteed to stay in business, and the subscribers are guranteed fresh produce every week. It's a really interesting way of farming; it helps the farms survive and it helps the local community to receive weekly fresh produce.

Hope you all enjoy. Cheers.

2007-07-17T18:42:00.000-07:00

Jim examines a freshly-picked kohlrabi before moving on to more picking.

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Jim trudges through the dirt as he picks zuccini on a hot day on the farm.

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Jim sorts freshly picked produce on a table in preparation for their initial cleaning.

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Jim looks out the window during a break in the day. Jim hasn't always been a farmer. Though the farm has been in his family for several decades, Jim has held many jobs before deciding to work the land.

2007-07-17T18:38:00.000-07:00

Jim boxes produce in his garage after picking and cleaning them earlier that day.

2007-07-17T18:36:00.000-07:00

Jim loads another box of freshly cleaned produce into a large refridgerator in his garage.

2007-07-17T18:35:00.002-07:00

Jim and his father share a laugh during their daily tea time hour. Jim and his parents have made it a habit to stop work for about an hour everyday in order to enjoy their tea.

2007-07-17T18:34:00.001-07:00

Jim unpacks his truck while dropping off his weekly boxes of produce.

2007-07-17T18:33:00.000-07:00

Jim carts boxes of organic rice back to his truck after dropping off the weekly produce boxes.

2007-07-17T18:32:00.000-07:00

Jim discusses recipes with a customer after dropping off her weekly box of produce.

2007-07-17T18:31:00.000-07:00

Jim wheels a stack of organic rice back to his truck after making his weekly produce drop.

2007-07-17T18:30:00.000-07:00

Jim helps to point out the new additions to this week's produce.

2007-07-17T18:29:00.000-07:00

Jim is framed in a long row of tomato plants as he prepares to harvest a new batch of squash.

2007-07-17T18:28:00.000-07:00

Jim's mother pets Claws while taking a respite from the heat.

2007-07-17T18:27:00.001-07:00

Here are some singles from the last week.

Eliacer Gonzalez, 19, lands a punch on the punching bag during a training session Saturday. Gonzalez has been training at the Hit Squad Boxing Center for two years and is an undefeated light-middleweight champion.

2007-07-17T18:26:00.000-07:00

Trainer Taj Fields, right, wraps the hands of Gonzalez before a training session Saturday morning

2007-07-17T18:25:00.000-07:00

Gonzalez is silohuetted against a colorful wall as he shadow=boxes at the Hit Squad Boxing Center

2007-07-17T18:23:00.000-07:00

Bill Chaney of N.U. Generation Lanes lets loose during the first game of a state bowling competition. Bowlers from the N.U. Generation Lanes in Yuba City set the record for the oldest pariticipants in the state bowling championships.

2007-07-17T18:22:00.000-07:00

Sister Lindsay Sorenson of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints watches as Donann Remund spins wool on a spinning wheel during the Historical Faire at the Yuba Sutter Mall Saturday.

Fightin' the Fire in the Foothills

2007-06-22T18:27:00.000-07:00

This week I hung out with firefighters from Cal Fire as they practiced their wildfire fighting skills at the University of California Sierra Foothills Research and Extension Center in preparation for the upcoming fire season.

You can check out even more pictures on our paper's web gallery. Check out some of our other galleries while you're there.

http://appealdemocrat.smugmug.com/Appeal-Democrat%20Staff%20Photos

Cheers.

2007-06-22T18:26:00.000-07:00

A firefighters makes his way around the back of a fire buring on the foothills.

2007-06-22T18:25:00.002-07:00

A firefighter works to extinguish a grass fire during a training exercise in the foothills.

2007-06-22T18:25:00.001-07:00

Trudging up a steep hill, firefighter Nathan Menth signals to the rest of his team after lighting a fire with a drip torch

2007-06-22T18:24:00.000-07:00

A firefighter makes his way down a steep hill towards a wall of billowing smoke.

2007-06-22T18:23:00.002-07:00

A firefighter holds a drip torch before setting fire to grass in the foothills as part of a Cal Fire firefighting exercise.

2007-06-22T18:23:00.001-07:00

Smoke from a grass fire creats a tunnel of clear air around a fire official's truck.

2007-06-22T18:22:00.000-07:00

Engineer Faith Qualtieri, right, gets tangled in barbed wire while attempting to move down a hill to fight a brush fire near the road.