February 24

At higher elevations we were getting some snow.  This was the final morning of the trip (scroll down to February 19th to see the beginning).  And this photo brings the vacation full circle, because this is the creek in Ashland, Oregon where the first photo was taken.  We don't pass through here without stopping in Ashland.  It's a great little town.  Southern Oregon U. is here as well as the Shakespeare Festival.  Plus we know right where the Starbuck's is when we're passing through =D

February 23

I don't know about this one.  It's obviously much more of a "snapshot" but the theme was road trip and the fact is, the drive is pretty amazing at times.  This was taken somewhere around Grants Pass, Oregon.  I considered cropping the dashboard and windshield wiper out, but decided not to because I think it's a good frame of reference.  Plus half the photo glare is coming from the windshield. 

February 22

Couldn't visit Washington without stopping at one of my favorite wildlife places, Nisqually!  This was just before sunset, and not much activity, but the reflection was nice. 

February 21

We're at the Suzzallo Library at the University of Washington during the really terrific tour Eric gave us.  It's a beautiful campus.  I just picked this photo for artistic reasons.

February 20

Woke up today in Portland, Oregon.  This first photo was taken just before the moon set this morning.  I had to run to the car to retrieve a toothbrush for someone, and this beautiful full moon was my reward.  I wanted all the fences and power lines cropped out, but that wasn't possible.  I still think it's pretty good considering this was a hotel parking lot!

The bird photo was taken much later in the day at the Woodland Zoo in Seattle.  Sorry I don't know what type of bird this is.  Also don't know why my ISO was set to 1000 either, but the ISO setting makes this photo very grainy.

February 19

From the first day of our trip.  We stopped for lunch in Ashland, Oregon, and I took this photo along a creek that ran through town.  It's not the sharpest focus when I zoom in (no tripod), but I like the almost monochromatic color tones.

February 14

It's a party! 

My favorite is the one in the middle with all the splashing.  I also think the top one is really cool with the bird flying out of the photo. 

February 10

I almost hate to post this photo, because it bumps the golden pond photo, and I'm still really in love with that one.  I took this out at the Yolo Basin this morning.  The otters showed up there a few days ago.  I saw them yesterday but didn't have my camera, so of course when I went back today with my camera I didn't find them!  This means many trips out there in future days because I really want a photo of them.  I do like today's photo though.  The light was really nice, and I like all the shades on the foreground tule.  This was the best angle I got for a red-winged blackbird.  Interesting that they don't have a yellow stripe here.  Also that there call is different from what I was hearing last year in Washington.

One issue I have with this photo is the extent to which the background is blurred.  That in combination with the lighting on the foreground makes the photo look a little too 3D...like I'm looking at it through cheap 3D glasses.  Usually I like a blurred background on a photo like this, but not so much here.

February 3

So this is the location I've mostly been photographing at this past month.  Turns out it's called the West Davis Pond.  Walking Clover today it occurred to me that it might have a nice reflection at sunset, so I went back tonight just before dinner to try some photos.  I've upped the in-camera saturation to "vivid" but somehow was expecting more color.  Still it's a beautiful gold.

February 2

January 29

 I like both these photos today and I'm not making myself choose just one. These were both taken at a tiny nature preserve near our house; I photographed here last month as well.  I was traveling light this morning and I only had my 55-200 lens.  This was a good thing for the hooded merganser shot, but maybe not so good for the foggy tree, because I've pulled back to 55mm there and still didn't manage to get all of the tree in the photo.  That's my criticism with the top photo.  The thing I like about it is that it reminds me of a Chinese ink drawing where the white paper makes the negative space.  I love that the water is basically "white".  I'm absolutely loving this foggy spell!

January 23

I thought we'd get this kind of fog more often in the winter here, but fog this thick has actually been pretty rare.  I can't say this came out how I wanted.  Guess I'm getting out of practice here!  This particular orchard is closest to my house, but wouldn't have been my first choice for photographing.  But as I headed closer to Winters (where the really thick orchards are) the fog was burning off, so I had to turn around and come back to this location.  I had trouble composing the photo here, and the big "private property" sign really limited my options. Still it captures the mood I was looking for.

December 30

Tah Hoooh!

Could be my January photo for next year's calendar? 

At least it's a rare opportunity for me to photograph snow this year!

December 21

This didn't turn out like I thought it would at all.  I run past this scene with Clover almost everyday, and it always catches my eye because at first glance there's the illusion that you can see the roots of these trees.  Then I realize it's the reflection.  In the photo though, the trees blend into the background too much, so the effect is somewhat lost.  I know I'm drawn to this scene because I relate to it.  Moving so much like we do, the idea of roots is someone illusory to me right now, and definitely something I'm longing for.

November 16

Took this one just for fun...there was something reptilian about this seed pod and I found it amusing.  And I like how the background turned out.  Plus I haven't posted in a while so...