Something about the month of December invokes images of quaint towns decorated for the holidays, like you might see in Norman Rockwell paintings.
The theme for this week’s Sunday Stills challenge is “In Your Town.” What is special about your hometown or the town in which you currently reside?
Last week, on the way to attending a Lindsey Stirling concert in downtown Sacramento, I finally took a photo of California’s State Capitol. You would think that after living here for 30 years, I would have a photo or two by now.
This night shot was 2 weeks shy of the official Christmas tree lighting ceremony. You can just make out the crane and unadorned, dark tree in the shadows.
Near Old Sacramento, a popular tourist destination home to the Gold Rush Era of 1849 (an outgrowth of Sutter’s Fort), the capitol is within walking distance (about 10 blocks) and is a popular must-see when visiting the Sacramento area.
Sacramento is centrally located to other world-wide tourist destinations: San Francisco Bay area, 90 miles west, and Lake Tahoe, about 90 miles east of Sacramento. Because of Sacramento’s location, many visitors stop by the Capitol on their way to or from these destinations.
In Sacramento, what I think stands out from most other cities, is the sheer number of trees found in the region. At this writing, Autumn hit its peak colors late, but oh what a show!
According to Wikipedia’s City of Trees, Sacramento boasts the largest tree canopy in the US and third-largest in the world! Local California State University, Sacramento (where I teach), is also designated “Tree Campus USA.”
Below is why!
I braved rain and blustery conditions the day before Thanksgiving to capture the Ginkgoes before the storms blew the leaves off the trees.
This image is linked to two photo challenges, Sunday Trees and Festival of Leaves.
Back to the idea of quaint towns, not far from Sacramento resided local Northern California artist, Thomas Kinkade, whose magical paintings invoke fairy-tale towns and images. His home gallery is located in Placerville, California and features his best works. Born in Sacramento in 1958, Kinkade passed away in 2012. Years ago, my mother bought two of his prints for me which happily hang on my living room wall.
Time for Autumn! I have a Japanese Maple tree in my own front yard, because not only do I love trees, but I also like the idea of contributing to the local tree canopy.
This one is linked to Becky B’s #timesquare December photo challenge. This is also linked to Cee’s Flower of the Day.
Other sights to see in and around the Sacramento area are featured in this gallery.
If you were a tourist visiting your own home town for the first time, what would you want to see? What special feature of your town would tourists ruin if discovered?
Please visit our new Sunday Stills November participant Little Borneo Girl.
I’m in the throes of the final days of school which means lots o’ papers to grade! That’s why I managed to link to four photo challenges this week in one post! Hope you can join in the fun!
I have discontinued the link-up. Thank you to all of those who participated faithfully in the link-up! Please link to this post or my Sunday Stills page so I can find your post and share it!
Second Wind Leisure Perspectives 
What is YOUR perspective? Please include your name if WP identifies you as “anonymous.