The Look of Spring in Snohomish

Here we have a bit unconventional look at the coming of spring to the Pacific Northwest. The big news is that the sun is out (finally!) and we can enjoy the out of doors.

On a short perambulation about 1st Street, I spotted this young lady dressed for the warmer, sunnier weather and asked if I could take her photo. I didn't have enough sense to get her name, but I got a nice photo next to the primroses.

Buying Spring Flowers

Now that Easter has passed and the sun is finally appearing more frequently, we headed out for a Saturday of flower shopping. First stop was the Farm at Swan's Trail where the Snohomish Garden Club was having it's annual sale. This was a madhouse. Lots of people with determination on their faces going for plants. So while Seth shopped, Anna, Seamus, Elizabeth and I investigated a tractor parked nearby.

Scenery

With a bit of sunshine available for a change, I went out and about to see what I could find to shoot. My first stop was this barn above. This shot, like the rest in this post, were taken near noon and the bright sun washes out the colors and textures. As a result, I converted them all to B&W where I have more control over such things.

Christmas in April!

After an excessively long wait, I have had my first Christmas in April! I have finally bit the bullet and purchased a medium format camera; the Fuji GFX-50R. Since it has been raining here (?!?), today was the first chance I had to go out for a few test shot. And this still required that I work between the misty showers.

The photo above is not the greatest composition, but the rain was coming and going and I couldn't be too selective.

Seamus Finds an Easter Egg

The McDonagh family tradition is to gather for lunch on Easter and then hide plastic eggs in the backyard with either candy or cash(!) in them for the kids. Since the youngest go first, Seamus got in on the ground floor.

Snohomish Easter Parade

We have been treated to the spectacle of an Easter Parade here in Snohomish. I surprised by the turn out. First Street is pretty long and it was filled all the way along with people on both sides. Not a Macy's Thanksgiving parade or anything, but a well-attended one nonetheless.

Brackett's Landing

Just by the ferry from Edmonds to Kingston across the Puget Sound, we find Brackett's Landing. There a stone jetty and a bit of beach to walk on heading farther north.

Everett Waterfront

Everett has a large naval base located (oddly enough) on the waterfront. Just north of this is an area that seems to be slowly building up. This part of the waterfront has a few restaurants and lots of places to launch a boat. This time of year, there aren't any people trying to launch a boat.

A Walk in Snohomish

In one of periodic walkabouts in Snohomish, I found several place to take a few snaps.

Along the Skykomish River

I made a visit to a city park in Monroe to have a look at the Skykomish River. This is a tributary of the Snohomish River that joins up between Monroe and Snohomish. With the cloudy sky portending rain, I have elected to make it a significant part of this image looking downstream.

An Evening Out with Seamus

Strapped in and dressed in his fox raincoat, Seamus is ready for an evening out on the town.

Picnic Point Beach

Another visit to Picnic Point Beach, this time armed with my trusty graduated neutral density filter. This allows me to darken the bright sky so that the ground and sky are no so different in brightness. This, along with the magic of software, allows me to greatly add to the drama of the scene so there is not simply a washed out sky above a boring beach.

At this park, the parking lot is separated from the beach by a railroad track and there is a walkway that goes up and over the trains to keep people and trains from being in the same place together. The image above is take from near the top of the walkway and shows the beach and the distant land.

Around Snohomish

Not far from our house is a section of low land along the Snohomish River. Some bits are marshy and other parts are mostly flat and, no doubt, flood prone. Near one of these areas is this old house or store.

The signs seem relatively recent but the building is clearly is sad shape. It is in a location that doesn't get much traffic so I really don't see how a store of any kind (except maybe for a general store) would make any sense here. Nevertheless, here stands the bones of a, now extinct, place of business.

La Clemenza di Tito

In case you've been wondering what we've been up to, I'll tell you. We have for some time been wanting to see an opera live at the Met. When Joyce DiDonato and Matthew Polenzani were scheduled to sing Mozart's

La clemenza di Tito, we jumped at the opportunity. We loaded our smallest suitcase and headed to NYC for two nights...one to recover from the plane ride and one to see the opera.