Spring Showers #2

I think this is the photo that best shows the rain coming down, mainly along the top edge of the image.  This must have been one of the last photos before I headed to my car, because the rain was getting worse as the shoot went on.  By the time I got in the car it had turned to a full-blown Midwest-style downpour!  If I had some special gear to protect my camera, it would have been fun to try some photos.  I've seen people just cutting small holes in plastic bags; I should keep some on hand for any future rainstorms during a photo shoot. 

Early Bloomer

I thought this might have been the prettiest tulip yesterday at the Holland America Bulb farm. It certainly stood the tallest in a 'notice me' sort of way. One thing that shows up pretty well in this photo is that the tulips are really just starting to bloom. Maybe in a week or so the fields will be in full bloom, and then I won't need to use this narrow focus close up framing that works so well for individual flowers. 

Spring Showers

We've been getting a lot of rain this week. Not a bad thing for this time of year, plus I've been wanting to get a more rainy version of my closeup tulip photo.  Timing the weather has been tricky though.  Ideally I would photograph in a light drizzle or just after it finished raining, and I've been second guessing myself about photo opportunities all week.  Today I just went for it. I left this morning in a light drizzle for Holland America Bulb Farm in nearby Woodland, and by the time I got out in the field with my camera I was standing in a driving rain.  I had raincoat, umbrella, and puddle boots, but still managed to get drenched and hope I kept my camera dry enough!  I like the photos though, and I'll probably post several (I really hope you guys don't get tired of seeing tulips here this month!) The rain is actually visible in the photos, although not so much in this one.  Just one streak in the upper center of the frame. 

View out my window

...On a very rainy day!  Perfect day to stay inside and work on a project.  I'm hurrying like crazy to finish up costumes for Sakuracon in April, so I didn't mind the rain at all today as I sewed.  This branch was leaning against the dining room window, where I was working, and I thought it made for an interesting study in focus.

Fences

Photo taken on the same high cloud day as my other red barn post on March 14. Just posting this one today as part of a Good Fences meme running every Thursday on Run A Round Ranch Report.  Plenty of fences in this scene, but it was the white fence (and of course the red barn!) that caught my eye.  This photo was taken pretty close to the Columbia River on the Washington side. I think a tiny bit of the river might be visible along the horizon line just under the distant hills. Those far hills, by the way, are in Oregon.

Out In the Field

I visited Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm later in the morning when the light was getting too bright for photography, but I had pretty good luck with these rows of red and white tulips; I'm not sure why, but the light doesn't look too harsh in these photos.  Yesterday's was taken from the opposite direction, with the sun almost directly facing the red flowers, while in today's photo the flowers are backlit. I think this photo really shows the state of the field, with some rows in bloom and others preparing.   One thing I learned about tulip fields that really surprised me is that they dig up the bulbs every year and replant them in the fall, rotating locations of the different varieties to help with disease, insects, erosion, etc. and they cut all flowers before any petals drop, also to prevent disease. There were lots of workers in the field when I was there on Monday. I just never considered the extent to which tulip field maintenance is a year round job!  

Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm

It's getting very close to tulip time up here.  Yesterday I headed over to the Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm in Woodburn to see the progress in the fields.  I would say about half the rows are starting to bloom, so maybe by next weekend they will be in full bloom.  The farmers told me that cold weather will prolong the bloom season, and since the weather turned colder and wetter today and this forecast continues through the weekend, I'm hoping for a long bloom season.  I have three different farms to visit in Oregon and Washington over the course of this month, so I'll get a lot of practice photographing tulips and keep some nice spring color up on the blog!

In the Weeds

I know this teasel is such a pesky weed around here, but it's such an interesting photography subject that I have a hard time staying away from it. 

Outside the Shopping Center

On a sunny Sunday afternoon,

A little Sweet Gum struggles toward spring. 

Almost Spring

The spring weather is showing up a little early here, with sunny skies and cheery clouds all week.  Those of you who follow the blog regularly know I have a fondness for red barns.  And in this weather, there was no way I wasn't stopping to photograph this idyllic scene!

Crow in the Negative Space

I was up in Seattle again this week.  This time job-hunting with my older son.  We stopped at an office along the ship canal west of Lake Union.  I had never been to this stretch of Seattle before, and I found the ship canal to be fascinating.  Full of wildlife and full of industry, and completely tucked away from the rest of Seattle at the same time.   I enjoyed pulling out my camera and taking some photos while I was waiting for my son.  This crow landed in the tree right next to my park bench, and so perfectly filled the negative space that I couldn't help but photograph it.  I expect to still be very inconsistent about photo-blogging for the next few weeks, but hope to be posting regularly again soon.  Thanks for your patience while I take a break from the blog this month.