Birds of a Different Feather

Just for fun. These were taken at the Cougar Mt. Zoo in Issaquah; some through fencing, which is tricky! Love the colors and textures on these birds.

Falling again

One more--finally figured this one out. I LOVE this time of year!

Assignment: Falling

I guess technically this is "suspended" rather than falling, since it is hanging by a strand of spider web, but it LOOKS like it is falling!

ML got the Falls, so I went for a different set. I used a slow shutter speed to get a smooth flow to the water.

Catching a drip, mid-drip, was harder than I expected. Maybe I should've used my dSLR, but this'll work.

ASSIGNMENT: Triptych

These were taken at the Cougar Mountain Zoo in Issaquah. Many thanks to Rebecca for spending so much time helping me to put this together. I am so not Photoshop-savvy, and I have Elements, which is supposed to be easier!! This really needs an outline border, but I was too frustrated to try anything else.

ASSIGNMENT: Single

Have you ever noticed how there always seems to be one (single) leaf that turns way ahead of the others?

Great balance, on a single leg...
I don't know what happened to this poor antelope, but when I saw he had only one horn, I couldn't pass it up.
I was also very tempted to put David in here, and he said I could, but I will be thoughtful and considerate and resist temptation. LOL!

Faces From the Zoo

Met Lauren at the zoo yesterday--a glorious sunny warm fall day with much less-crowded conditions, since school is in session. I took my dSLR and macro and 70-300 zoom to work with them. I can see I still have lots of learning to do, but I'll get there.
Isn't this face adorable? I love the orangs--they have so much personality. This one was just hanging out in a woven canvas swing up in the trees. I even caught him chewing his fingernails!
Love this shot of the butterfly!! Looks like a space alien. On this one, I got my focus right.
One of the female gorillas. She had such a pensive thoughtful expression on her face that I just couldn't resist. Pretty happy with this, considering I was shooting in low light through glass.
Snack time. This one preferred apples over everything else. Literally turned his back on the celery and broccoli, but dove for the apple.
A watcher in the woods....
It was hot yesterday--about 85. This bear had the right idea, sitting in the water and playing with the stick. Again, through dirty glass and lowlight.
This guy was perched underneath the massive nest. Seemed to be content in the shade.

I Spoke Too Soon, Or, A Lesson in Humility

I was laying in bed reading early this morning, enjoying the sun on the mountain, the birds singing, and the cool weather. The birds were scratching around in the rain gutter above our window, looking for bugs and other goodies. No, wait, that's more of a scrunching sound...what IS that? I get up, look through my window, and to my horror see 2 elk EATING MY HOSTAS AND DAHLIAS!! One had its head about 4' from D's bedroom window; he would've had a heart attack to look out his bedroom window into that lovely face!! I scare them off, wishing I had a large caliber rifle to hand, but then remind myself I would have to get rid of a 1000 lb. carcass (no question about hitting them when they are less than 15' away) and content myself with screeching like a banshee. The lesson? Yesterday as I was working in the garden I had the thought that I should spray my "rodent" (read deer and elk) repellent on, but decided not to because they have been walking through the yard. I should've listened to myself!!
I should be grateful that only part of the plant was stepped on.
Well, at least I won't have to dead-head these dahlias, and they did leave a few buds.
No way I can blame this on slugs!!
Too bad the yard is so large; a 6' fence would certainly deter them. I'd buy some cougar scat from the zoo to spread around, since that would keep the deer and elk away, but I worry about what it would attract.... So, back to the chemicals and listening to my "inner gardener".

Moving on through

Just a small sample (well, they aren't really small!) of what's been going through my yard lately. At least they keep moving and don't stop to browse. I finally caught up with this group in the cul-de-sac behind my next-door neighbor. The bull was in the woods, bellowing to his lovely ladies; I was in my car, safe.

Here's something on a slightly smaller scale. Cute, huh?

Dahlias encore

Lauren came out this week and we ventured over to the Dahlia Barn, where they have a cutting garden. The owners graciously allowed us to wander through all the dahlias and photograph to our hearts' content. So many beautiful shapes and colors and varieties! It's really fun shooting with Lauren; she has such an incredible eye for color and composition, and I learn a lot just watching her. Plus, she's a lot of fun!

I normally don't do flies--eeuuww!! But, this guy was posing so temptingly on this dahlia, and made such a wonderful contrast against the center, that I couldn't pass up the opportunity. Have I mentioned how much I LOVE my new camera and macro lens?? WHY oh why did I wait so long to take the plunge?

ASSIGNMENT: Excitement

These guys are from Whidbey Island, and own Jackd Skimboards. They were SO much fun to watch! They are really good and made it look soooo easy.

Rebecca said I should keep this one. I'm not sure if I like it with his head cut off, but he caught so much air he popped right out of my focus zone. What do you think?


I love this shot. These two little guys watched the skimboard dudes, then got their skimboards and off they went to emulate the big boys.

A "Useless" Day

Not really a useless day, but a day spent at Useless Bay on Whidbey Island. GLORIOUS day--warm, clear skies, slight breeze; a perfect end-of-the-summer day. There were eagles, seals, heron, all kinds of wildlife, wonderful warm water for wading and playing in, tidepools and beach treasures... It was a GREAT day! I am never happier than when I am on a beach somewhere.

We left from Mukilteo with its adorable little lighthouse.

When we got to Useless Bay, the tide was out--perfect for beachcombing!! The bay is very shallow for a long way out, so there is a lot of territory to cover. In the photo below, you can see where the water usually is--all that is tide flats.

A slightly different view of the beach, with the wave texures in the sand, and a tide pool rock in the distance.
Framed view of the Olympics. There is SO much driftwood on this beach.
I just thought this was humorous--live on the beach, a gorgeous day, and you can't get your boat out because it is stranded at low tide.
I really wanted to find some sand dollars to bring home. Found them, but they were still alive. I had no idea they were this lovely chocolate-y brown color!!
A delicately lavender shell, festooned with seagrasses and accessorized with a bubble.
Saw this heron roosting in a tree, right next to someone's house. You can't see it, but the chimney is right below the bottom of the photo.

Dahlia season

My dahlias are up and blooming, and so far I have stayed one step ahead of the slugs, deer and elk. These are some of my favorites. I love dahlia season, even though it signals the end of summer.