Zoo-bi-do!

Finally got around to editing some photos from a trip to the zoo at the beginning of summer.  These are all from the NW portion, with native animals.  Love the bears, but only in their display area; I'd hate to come face-to-face with one of these guys out in the woods!  The black bear that ambles through my backyard at times is scary enough.

I LOVE the river otters!  These guys are so fast that it's hard to catch them unless they are curled up sleeping.  I was really happy to have caught this shot.

The wolves were out, and we managed to catch them before the herds of noisy kids came through and sent them back under cover.

Isn't this mountain goat just the greatest?  Too bad we didn't have a blue sky that day...

And of course, an eagle.  Who can resist?

Abstracted Reflections

Water + reflections + a little breeze to ruffle the water = abstract art

Into the Woods

Hiking back to Silver Falls, along a wonderful woodland trail...

This branch was illuminated by a shaft of sunlight in an otherwise dark portion of the forest.  It glowed like a stained glass window.

A lovely ptarmigan felt she was hidden on the side of the path...

Backlit grasses on the side of the road at the end of the day hold onto the waning light and magnify it.

Falling Again

Give me a waterfall any day.  Is there anything (other than the sound of waves on a beach) as soothing as the sound of a waterfall?  I hear that, and instant relaxation floods my body.  The sound of running water is the greatest stress reducer around for me.  Mt. Rainier filled the prescription perfectly with some of its falls.

I like big ones...

...smaller ones...

...rivers with rapids....

...and particularly little hidden streams that chuckle and run through the rocks, hidden in the shadows deep in the woods.  They are the hidden treasures one finds on a hike.

Mt. Rainier views and flowers

Sometimes the blue haze on distant objects is a negative in a photograph; sometimes, it's just what you were hoping for.  I love blue hills/mountains that go on forever....

Mt. Rainier from Sunrise, with the most spectacular clouds swirling around.

A view from Lake Tipsoo.  I think that's the Governor Range in front of Rainier.

An overview of Lake Tipsoo with Rainier in the background.  Too bad it was breezy--the breeze felt delightful, but it sure played havoc with reflections!

A few of the wildflowers around Tipsoo.  The vivid pink ones are Magenta Paintbrush, with a few Broadleaf Lupine lurking nearby.  The yellow daisy-like blooms are (I think) Broadleaf Arnica, with a lone Subalpine Daisy way over to the left, just getting ready to open.

This little Flutterby was kind enough to land and pose on a Sitka Valerian--I couldn't get over his beautiful blue color and how well he co-ordinated with the lupine in the background!!  Between his skittishness and the breeze I had to shoot quickly.

This delicate beauty is Rockslide Larkspur, and that's just where it was located, amongst rocks cascading down a sunny hillside.  It looked so fragile among all the rocks and boulders.

The Mountain

A photo friend and I went down to Mt. Rainier this week, hoping that the wildflowers were still blooming.  It's been an odd spring and summer, with the snow being slow to melt off and the wildflower bloom at much different times than in the past.

Quite often Mt. Rainier is hiding in a wreath of clouds, and even up close you can't see much of it.  However, the day we went it was "out", which is how we Northwesterners refer to being able to see Rainier.  It's out, as in out of the clouds and visible.  It was out in full force, all around us, everywhere we looked.  It was stunning and amazing and humbling.

These are taken from Paradise.  The wildflowers there were in glorious bloom; on the other side of the mountain, at Sunrise, they had already peaked and were mostly spent.

This is Myrtle Falls.  Interestingly enough, the creek that feeds the falls is Edith Creek.  I just wonder why the two names?  Wouldn't you think that Edith Creek would feed Edith Falls, or Myrtle Falls be fed by Myrtle Creek?  Did whoever named these have 2 women that he wanted to commemorate?

                  There will be more photos later, of different spots on our trip around and on Rainier.

Roche Harbor and home

Towards the end of our San Juan ramble, we ended up in Roche Harbor up on the northwest side of San Juan Island.  It is a small village with a large marina, and is considered one of the best harbors in the western US.  We found a charming (actually, everything in this little village is charming...) restaurant and enjoyed lunch sitting out on the deck, overlooking the marina and all that money sitting in the water.

The marina post office, so those who come and stay for quite a while have a way to get mail.

An outdoor crafts market.  These are so much better than tents!

This is Our Lady of Good Voyage Chapel, the only privately owned Catholic Church in the US.  It was built in 1892 as a Methodist church, and a circuit ride minister would perform services there; then the church was used as a schoolhouse during the week.  In 1960 it was purchased by the Catholic church.

Roche Harbor started out as a company town for lime production, with large lime pits and lime kilns nearby.  This is a detail from one of the lime kilns left standing as a reminder of the past.

And...just a little detail from a madrona tree with its ever-peeling bark.  This just looked so abstract, and I love the colors!  The bright lime green under the reddish smooth bark just sings.

The ferry ride home was splendid--clear skies, sunshine, smooth sailing, and Mt. Baker was hovering on the horizon.  Bliss.

San Juan Ramble

A nice little cove, tucked in alongside the road...

My friend caught me in action.  What did I see?

I loved these boulders and wanted to get down to feature them in the shot.

And, someone had obviously had Dungeness crab for dinner and left this out as a reminder.  I wonder if it was caught in the cove?  Mmmmm....fresh crab!!

Lighting the Way

Have I mentioned lately how much I love lighthouses?  I think it comes from growing up on the coast of Lake Michigan, with lighthouses all around me.  They symbolize safety and security and steadfastness.  And, of course, the fact that they are near large bodies of water (my most favorite thing in the world) doesn't hurt either. 

This is the lighthouse on San Juan Island at Lime Kiln State Park.  This vantage point is a popular spot for watching for whales.  There are usually orca in the area, but not the day we were there.

However, the sea kayakers were out and about, enjoying the sun, the warmth, and the calm waters off the island.  Sure looks like fun!

Multnomah Falls

I went and visited with a dear friend this week, and we took a side excursion down to Multnomah Falls, outside of Portland, OR.  I've always wanted to see these, and I was not disappointed.

Just couldn't get enough of this moss/fern/lichen covered rock!  Besides, it was so cool down at the bottom of the falls in the shade, and with the spray, that I hated to leave.

Hidden

Down the road from the lavender farm, set back in the trees, is this little pond with the charmingly weathered bridge.  Of course we had to stop on the side of the road and capture it!  Had to stomp down some thistles that were nearly as tall as me....they were obstructing the view!  Doesn't it look serene and cool and relaxing back in there?

San Juan barn

I love old barns, and am always on the lookout for old dilapidated full-of-history barns.

On our way to the lavender farm, we saw this wonderful old barn set back on a property, quite far from the road.  One of our group is fearless, and convinced us to drive down the road to the property (dirt, overgrown in the center with weeds, tree branches reaching into the raod...definitely not used often).  We did, and she found the owners and asked them if we could photograph the barn.  I am sure they thought us city folk were nuts...it's just an old barn.  Yep, just an old barn, weathered and full of stories and wonderful details.  I am so glad that she is nervy enough to do things like that, or we would've missed this treasure.