But at least the weather in Sacramento has been more or less phenomenal since we’ve gotten back — a few hot days, but overall it’s been unseasonably mild, and, I hate to say it, definitely nicer than most of the weather on our trip. So I’ve been enjoying being outside, and soaking up the last of the golden rays that bathe everything in the most amazing late-afternoon light. I don’t want to hurry through this time — I’m not ready for it to be autumn and winter. But since it’s inevitable, I’ll make the most of what summer that’s left.

Feet running across the Tower Bridge in downtown Sacramento.

Anyway, I’ve narrowed 2009 down to my favorite few nine pictures. I don’t really stick to one area when I’m taking pictures, so I tried to get a decent cross-section from different categories. Please please click here and scroll all the way to the bottom to leave a comment voting on which one is your most favorite–I really appreciate the feedback. :-)

Category: Cameraphone

A handful of light

.

Category: Buildings

Colosseum at sunset

.

Category: Landscapes

Positano and the Amalfi Coast

.

Category: Children

Precious handful

.

Category: Wildlife

Sunrise flight

.

Category: Light

A master craftsman's office

.

Category: Dark

The Dawn Patrol

Category: Nature

Flowering dogwood

.

Category: Travel

Vatican Museum statue

.

Snapshots:

I acquired a number of colorful shirts while playing on several kickball and dodgeball teams in the winter, spring, and summer.

.

Early April found me on the slopes, taking pictures of a coworker’s son snowboarding in exchange for a free lift ticket and rental, and also managing to hurt myself pretty badly after doing a faceplant into a mountain. Whoops.

.

Later in the month, I headed to the California Auto Museum for a photo workshop, and lots of drooling over lovely classic cars.

.

In May, I went to the Gladding, McBean factory with a photo group to take lots of pretty pictures.

.

June brought my school’s graduation, which I had a really good time photographing.

Graduation.

.

In September, I was a fairly busy bee. Besides the school year gearing up, I went on a number of adventures:

I jumped out of a plane,

.

went to the Reno Balloon Races,

.

ChalkItUp in Fremont Park,

.

and hit up the Sacramento Zoo a second year in a row for their free zoo day.

Om nom nom nom.

.

Travel:

I also got to satisfy my itchy travel feet a bit in 2009! In August I went to London… and I just now realized that I never did write blog posts up on that trip… whoops!

To be fair, I wasn’t really thrilled with most of my pictures. Alas.

Fountain in Trafalgar Square.

.

On the same trip, I also went to Amsterdam.

.

In November, I went on an absolutely awesome trip to Italy with two of my favorite people.

Colosseum at sunset.

.

Two weirdos.

.

And last but not least, I bought a ticket to fly to Dublin next summer, on the first leg of a trip I’ve wanted to take more or less since I was 16:

.

Death and Life:

In June, I had to say goodbye to my kitty, Stein. I miss him tons.

Stein and his pet ferret.

.

Because life just isn’t the same without a cat hogging the bed, I decided it’d take two beasties to compensate for Stein. So I adopted two feral kittens–Jem and Scout.

They're considerably larger than this now--that's a one-cat window these days.

.

I think that’s more or less it for 2009! In my next post, I’ll post what I felt were my best shots of 2009.

.

My niece, amused by the other baby in the window (her reflection.) :-), originally uploaded by Kari_Marie.

I took this yesterday on Christmas, when I was playing with my niece. I loved watching her fascination with the “other baby”–she was giving it big, sloppy kisses on the glass! I missed getting a picture of that, but at least I did get a nice reflection shot. I love how her hands look like they’re glowing–that’s just how the light was reflecting. So neat. :-)

Senior day pics013 (Custom), originally uploaded by Kari_Marie.

I took this picture last May at our senior breakfast… OK, so I’m just now getting around to getting them uploaded. My cop-out excuse is that Flickr is blocked at our school. :-) Anyway, I’m not especially thrilled with how any of the student shots came out from the senior breakfast, but I did like the food shots. And now I want strawberries, darn it.

More pictures are here at my gallery for work pictures. :-)

Randomness 015, originally uploaded by Kari_Marie.

I went to the Sac Zoo again this year for Smithsonian’s Free Museum Day a couple of weeks ago, and took this. Isn’t he gorgeous? I love this shot. :-)

Tulips outside my dad’s house.

Went out this morning and took pictures of the sunrise and the birds at the Yolo Wildlife Area about 10 miles from my house. I’m nowhere near being done going through everything, but when they come off my camera looking like this, I know it’s going to be a good day.

Click on the picture and take a look at the full-size shot. Wow. Just wow.

(OK, so I cropped this, but not by much.)

Annie-in-a-basket 002, originally uploaded by Kari_Marie.

I am an evil, evil person. I stuck my niece in a laundry basket and took pictures… Click here for a few more. :-D