Clematis centers

Clematis centers always amaze me. They start out like tightly-wound balls of string, and open up into something resembling sea anemones. This one, particularly, looks like one. The lime green center against those periwinkle petals is an eye-catching contrast.

Gerberas

I love gerbera daisies, and their incredible colors and layers upon layers of petals. The small curling petals around the centers add even another layer. L, these are for you!!

A few favorite recent macros

I haven't posted any of my macros lately, so thought I'd put up a few of my favorites. Lots of waterdrops; I just can't get enough of those.

Twin Falls

MLand I hiked Twin Falls yesterday. It was a perfect day--a little sunny, not too warm but not too cool, a little breeze, and not too many people. The rivers have decreased in volume, but there is still plenty of water coming over the falls. In the summer this is just a slim little ribbon of water, but this time of year it is beautiful. These are the lower falls, and the longer cascade. It's 135'.

Part of the upper cascade. There is another segment in the upper left behind the rock outcropping, but the trail was super muddy and quagmire-y, so we opted out.
A detail of the sheer volume of water coming through the middle cascade.
"Fern Valley"--at least, we called it that, because everywhere you looked in this part of the woods, everything was covered with sword ferns.
Part of the trail--this area was quite shadowed, except for that lone clump of vine maple that an errant sunbeam hit and illuminated. It was a striking contrast.
And, just a little detail from along the river. I love the way the sun lights up the moss on the rock in the foreground.

The bottom of the falls

Went down to the base of the falls to catch the massive flow from that perspective. There were a few foolish people out on the rocks at the river's edge...but they do help show the sheer size of the falls. Notice the rainbow? So much mist, and the sun was at just the right angle.
And, one more silky-water shot. This one is so smooth it doesn't even look like water! Taken with my Sony P&S.
If you're interested: Shutter Priority, F/8, 1/8 second

The Big Meltdown

Heavy snowpack in the mountains + unexpected high temps (93!!) for a couple of days = heavy heavy flows in the rivers, massive waterfalls, and flood alerts (in May???). SnoFalls is thundering; these were taken Friday night before the day of 93 degree temps on Saturday...

This is just one of those little melt-off trickles that is no longer a trickle, but a full-fledged gushing, rushing, rolling little river.
Same thing here--in the summer, you can walk up this river bed.
And here--this is Weeks Falls, and it is the fullest I have ever seen. Just 10 days ago I was shooting up here, and it was mostly rocks with just some melt run-off going on; enough to be called small waterfalls, but NOTHING like this!!

Midwest Barns

L and B took me "barn hunting" when I was out there, and we found some gems. I love the old barns in the midwest; I wish I could hear their stories. I like the way they stand against the sky like sentinels, and the character that emerges as they age.

Slow water

A few more experiments with shutter speed and rushing water...

This reminds me of some awesome digital paintings that my friend Kaz does. Love the abstract quality to this.

Boating

Don't you just want to get out on the water???

A Day at the Cut

Sunshine, blue skies, 65 degrees, a slight breeze...R and I went over to Montlake Cut for a couple of hours and watched the parade of boats go through--all sizes, shapes, and price ranges, as well as motorized, wind-powered, and people-propelled. Glorious day! THIS kind of weather reminds me why I love living in Seattle.