ramblings of a Seattle travel, food and photography hound
The Cascade Lake Loop on Orcas Island in Washington is a pleasant way to explore part of Moran State Park. Its most interesting feature is a twisted Douglas fir that seems out of place. The other evergreens all around it are straight and tall, making you wonder what traumas it withstood during its lifetime. Its... Continue Reading →
Spring is my favorite season. Winter chill gives way to a time of regrowth, awakening, rejuvenation and hope. Naturally, this is the time I like to visit local gardens. Seattle has a little treasure, not nearly as well known (if at all) as University of Washington's Arboretum, Kubota Garden or the Bellevue Botanical Garden. At... Continue Reading →
This is as close as I've ever gotten to a great blue heron. I also had a little help from a telephoto lens. The snapshot was taken at the estuarine reserve called the Skagit Wildlife Area north of Seattle where on luckier days I might've seen thousands of snow geese resting or flying overhead.
Washington's Skagit Valley has some of the world's great tulip fields. In April, hordes of visitors descend on Mount Vernon to take in the brilliant displays, a spectacle well worth the hour and a half's drive north from Seattle. Admirers take plenty of pictures because the swaths of color never cease to amaze. The tendency... Continue Reading →
My 9-year-old grandson loves reptiles. He's fascinated so much he takes pictures of all of them at the Los Angeles Zoo, every single time he visits, to the exasperation of his younger sister. It's no surprise then that he wanted to go through the reptile (and amphibian) exhibit when my wife and I took both... Continue Reading →
The Northwest experienced its first snowstorm of the year this week. Another is on the way. Despite being a headache for everyone, there are moments of beauty that take your breath away. These icicles formed under one of the eaves of my roof as temperatures went slightly above freezing during the day and the relentless... Continue Reading →
My wife and I have never driven I-5 through the Northwest in October. This year we did, en route to Southern California. The autumn leaves were gorgeous all along the interstate, mostly yellow with occasional spots of orange and red. They helped break up the monotony of having gone this route many times before. When... Continue Reading →
One thing I can't do with my DSLR is take panoramic shots. I like them for their more encompassing record of what I saw, a way to capture the surroundings more than a single exposure can. Using a wide angle lens may not always be the solution; an interesting background tends to recede with shorter... Continue Reading →
I just inherited my son-in-law's iPhone 6s. It replaces a Motorola Moto E. For a while, I've been wanting to leave my Canon point-and-shoot at home when I go places and use my smart phone instead, but the Moto takes crappy pictures, to put it mildly. The quality of this image, taken on the iPhone... Continue Reading →
If there is one outstanding beauty in Portland, Oregon, my vote goes to this laceleaf maple that shines the brightest in late fall at the Japanese Garden. I was fortunate to see it in its full glory when I passed through the city last Sunday on my way home to Seattle. Five years ago, I... Continue Reading →
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