Sunrise Oak

Beautiful oak tree along the edge of the marshy fields that run along the bend of the Columbia River. I came down to this area around sunrise looking for cranes. There were lots last week when Hazel and I were walking along the shoreline, but I couldn't find a one this morning. I guess they have probably moved on to their next stop to the north. Even though no cranes were sighted, it was a beautiful morning with a weak sunlight and low-slung fog hovering around in patches. The start of a pretty day.

Winter Palette

Nature never hurries, yet everything is accomplished. ~Lao Tzu

This quote showed up on my herbal tea tag this week and it seemed like a good reminder for me,

as I was rushing around finishing up Christmas gifts.

Today (even though I was hurrying), I finally got all the gifts in the mail!

And one frosty morning earlier this week, we almost had a beautiful sunrise.  

The sky had a little band of pink, nothing fabulous, 

but it reflected nicely in Salmon Creek.

Lucky Bird

 

A light fog was still lingering over the Lewis River this morning,

perfect feeding time for this heron,

who graciously decided to take flight right as I clicked the shutter release!

Lucky :)
Linking to Weekend Reflections.

And Just Like That It's Fall

Sort of unusual for summer to linger into October, but that's the lucky weather we've been having in Southwest Washington this month.  Last week we woke up one day, freezing around the house all morning, before figuring out we needed to turn on the heater!  So sunny and 70s in the day and low 40s at night is how the week has gone.  And yesterday, we even had a little fog!  Exciting only because it's fresh right now.  (I'll be so sick of fog by the end of winter.) Clover and I walked to the little creek on the campus trails to see how it looked in a thin fog.  This involved hat and gloves, although I shed them before the end of the walk.  I liked the light; a thin fog adds just the right amount of diffusion for a photo with some depth.  I'll try this spot again once the Big Leaf Maples really start turning yellow.  (Plus I'm intending to get out with my camera a few times a week, so hopefully more active on the blog this month and next.)

Water Colors

One of the things about a really rainy month (I'm pretty sure we've broken the local record for rainiest February) is that things look more colorful when they're wet. I normally see February as a very uncolorful month, just dark green, rust, and the peridot color of our moss in winter. But this year with our nearly constant rain I can't help noticing all the subtle colors that I've been overlooking. Tree trunks, branches, and underbrush have been an ongoing motif this month as I've explored this color theme. Today's image wasn't made in the rain, but on a very foggy morning this weekend, and the fog really softened all the colors so it reminded me of a watercolor.  I've probably photographed this group of trees on five different occasions this month, but the very cold, damp, and foggy light on Saturday gave me my favorite palette.

Witch Hazel

I stumbled upon this fabulous yellow blossomed tree in the park this morning.  Blooming several weeks before the Forsythia, and based on the flower, my first guess would have been Witch Hazel, except I thought it bloomed in late fall.  Some sleuthing ensued.  First at the NatureScaping plant sale, where the park environmentalists guessed some sort of Chinese ornamental.  I told them it was growing in the wild, and they told me that this area of the park was reclaimed from an old home, built in the early 1900s, that was sitting in the flood plain.  So the tree, or maybe its ancestor, was planted at this home a long time ago.  On my way home I made a stop at Yard and Garden Land for some supplies, and sitting at the entrance to the nursery was my little yellow blooming tree: Chinese Witch Hazel! Mystery solved.  As of this morning I'm obsessed with this plant. I want to go back and buy it.  I love the idea of cheery yellow blossoms in the winter. But where to plant it?  I should wait this year and give it some thought, maybe...

Mountain View

We had the perfect combination of light fog and sun this morning for a beautiful pastel sunrise. I photographed from Felida Bridge at sunrise last month after our big snow storm, but didn't include Mt. Hood in that image because the sunrise was too bright. Today we finally got the perfect light. I regret not taking the few extra minutes to find the trail down to the water because there was a really great misty fog hanging over the water and it doesn't show up at all from my vantage point on the bridge. Next time...

Winter in the Gorge

Clouds and mist hang in the hills,

on a gray and drizzly day.

(Full color image)

St. Helens

The final photo in my sunrise and fog series, this one looking even further to the north and Mount St. Helens, the closest of the volcanic peaks. All in all there were four volcanoes visible this morning, the fourth was the tip of Mt. Jefferson far to the south.

Sunrise

Morning sun illuminates Mt. Hood,

while low-lying Brush Prairie lies covered

in a blanket of fog.

Linking to Skywatch.

Signs of Fall

It's been a while since I've woken up to fog. Guess fall is fast approaching! I liked how this fence line trails off into the fog, which has quickly burned off as we head toward a sunny 80 degree day. I wish the tree was more to the left of the photo. I think it would have balanced better. But nothing I can do about that. It does have me wondering though.  I'm curious now how old this oak tree, and the others along the edge of campus, may be. Something to research in my free time.

Linking to Good Fences.

Sentinel

Fog in the gorge highlighting one of my favorite scenes along Hwy 14 between Stevenson and Bingen. A lone tree, clinging to a rock outcropping, and standing guard over the hillside. How this little tree hangs on and manages to sustain itself I don't know. It always amazes me.

It's That Time of Year

Looks like colorful sunrise season is here! I missed this one at Mt. Vista near the WSU Vancouver campus by about 10 minutes, so I'd better start setting my alarm clock through mid-February, just in case anything good develops.

Hood River Marina

Another view of the marina, also from last week. I had given up on photographing this marina after multiple attempts last year, but was drawn to the marina on Thursday by the lack of blue in the sky or water, which I thought was an improvement on the scene. I've got an ideal photo view of the marina in my mind, and I figure that if I drive out here often enough, I'm bound to see it in that perfect light one of those times!

Also, a blog format note:'Next month is shaping up to be a very busy month with our move starting on Monday. We are only moving a few miles away, but I know I'll be too busy to blog daily for a while. Right now my goal is to get back to daily blogging in January, and to post when I can in December. We are heading back through Hood River this weekend, and up to Gifford Pinchot National Forest for a Christmas tree. Hope I'll have some photos from that trip to share next week. 

Misty Falls

Continuing with my photo pit stops as I made my way into the gorge last week. Wahkeena Falls are just west of Multnomah. I've read there are 77 falls in the gorge, mostly on the Oregon side, and I believe it! Very pretty on a misty day like this, and actually much more vibrantly colorful than my camera captured, especially the golds and reds.

Fall in Washington State

When people think of Washington, they usually think evergreens, and we have our share.  But a typical fall scene here often includes moss, fog, and big leaf maples.

Steel Bridge

Portland's Steel Bridge, with its towers reflected here in the still waters of the Willamette on a foggy morning, brings an industrial majesty to this wonderful city of bridges. The Steel Bridge is one of eight bridges connecting the east and west sides of downtown Portland, aptly nicknamed Bridgetown.

Linking to Weekend Reflection and Skywatch Friday.

The Back 40

Another view of the back field at Holland America Bulb Farm in Woodland, Washington.  The front fields include a self pick area and viewing field with labeled rows of each variety grown and sold here.  The back field is larger with thicker bands of color and tulip variety.  Just before the fence line in this photo is a thin strip of yellow and pick tulips, which I know is barely visible in this bright fog.  This photo was taken after sunrise, and it really taxes the abilities of my camera to render extreme light.  Too bad I didn't notice the fence before the sun rose!

Linking to Good Fences.

Lewis River at Dawn

The tulip farm in Woodland is close to the Lewis River, and in fact once you exit I-5 you drive along the river to get to the farm.  I had a few extra minutes before sunrise, so I made a short stop along the river's edge to photograph the river and trees in this soft layer of fog.  The photo has a nice early spring feel with the young leaves just opening.

Serendipity

We had a fabulous ground fog yesterday morning, so I thought I should head back to the tulip farm in Woodland to see if the fog was hanging there too. Turns out there was no fog in the tulip field, but as I drove past the large farm building looking to set my sites elsewhere I discover another large tulip field with plenty of red! And surprisingly, this field was shrouded in a thin layer of fog! This field was not open to the public, so I set up at the edge of the field and waited for sunrise. Too bad the sun rose directly in front of me so it turned out to be way too strong. This photo was taken several minutes before the sunrise.