Happy New Year. I revisited Mount Umunhum this morning in anticipation of the first sunrise for the new year. I committed a total rookie mistake by showing up at exactly sunrise, so I missed an opportunity to capture the skies as it glowed in pink and purple hues.
The first clicks were some experiments in color tones. In the direction of the sun, the skies radiated a warm, orange hue while the foreground hills shared a monochromatic dark blue palette.
The cluster of tall buildings made Downtown San Jose an easy landmark to locate. Mission Peak and its large antennas are the first range of mountains in the background. Further back is Mount Diablo.
Another easy landmark to locate is Mount Hamilton with the domed Lick Observatory close to the summit. While the winter rains have turned parts of the foothills green again, we haven’t seen the storms and cold front from last year that dusted Lick Observatory with a layer of snow.
This is the southern end of Silicon Valley. There are no dense residential developments or office parks in this part of town. Instead, this reminded me of the photos that I’ve seen of Val d’Orcia in Tuscany, where picturesque residences dot the hills in an idyllic sun-drenched rural paradise. La Bella Vita.