A Walk Around a Different Part of the Neighborhood

I tried a turn about about the neighborhood that took me on a few streets less traveled (by me) lately. I tried walking downtown, but found nothing there to interest me. I guess this business of photographing flowers is really capturing my attention.

Asiatic Lily

We share a driveway (much as we did when living in Staunton) with our neighbors. Only here, we share with two neighbors. Those to our side use the paved drive to connect their driveway to street. We and the ones behinds us use the drive as our driveway and we keep our cars there.

The folks behind us are recent additions to the area...they moved in about two months ago and we don;t know much about them. They are pretty much to themselves. But they do have a large asiatic lily in their front yard and I stopped by to take a few snaps of these impressive flowers.

Trying out a New Toy

So, after much pondering and considering, I went on eBay and purchased new accessory for my tripod. I bought a geared tripod head. I don't expect most you know exactly what that is, although I'm sure you have a good guess based on the name.

That Buzzing Sound in the Peegee Hydrangea

Outside our bedroom window is a peegee hydrangea that is now in full bloom. With the flowers come bees and they are very busy exploring every nook and cranny of the flowers for nectar.

Bees in the Heather

My first attempt to capture some bees on our heather out front has yielded modest fruit.

Picking Raspberries

On a bright and surprisingly warm (77 F) Saturday morning, we loaded up the vehicles and went with the children and grandchildren to a local U-pick raspberry farm. I took my camera so I could look busy and avoid having to actually pick anything. The short walk from the parking ot the fields crossed the railroad tracks and I was able to get the little ones as they crossed.

Calvary Cemetery, Seattle

On a Seattle fine day (read: overcast but no rain), we headed out to Calvary Cemetery just north of the University of Washington campus. Much of this cemetery is populated with ledger stones with a sparse population of headstones of any sort. But some of the few headstones are quite nice with interesting statuary included. This one has places for candles affixed to the pages of the book that small angel is reading from.

Japanese Gulch

In Mukilteo, between Everett and Lynnwood, is the parks called the Japanese Gulch. It seems to be a strip of land that no one could build on so the town converted it to a park with hiking trails. Lots of dead, moss-covered trees to explore if you can manage the climbing up and down the hills.

More Flowers

The range of flowers I can find to photograph is getting slimmer. I don't know what I'll do in the fall. Go for the dead leaves and bare trees I reckon.

But for now, there are still a few flowers to find.

Flowers in the Sun

My recent forays out around the neighborhood to photograph flowers has been done with the X-H1. With the 35mm lens and the 10mm extension tube, I get a small field of view and the objects are perhaps ½ normal size. This day, I took the GFX-50R where the magnification is lower and the field of view is larger to get some whole flowers in the frame.

Union Slough Park

On a recent sunny day, I ventured over to the area between Everett and Marysville where the Snohomish River empties into the Puget Sound. The marshland that has it roots as far inland as the edge of Monroe and extends past Snohomish right on to the coast is, by the time it passes Snohomish, quilted with canals and side streams carrying part of the water. These sloughs, as they are called, feed a large, tidal saltwater marsh area.

Just before it enters the sound, between Hwy 529 and I-5, is the small Union Slough Park. While this is a place that should be ideal for birds, the day I went, it was vacant.

On to Lake Spada

Not far from the road is this large stump. Welcome to the world of moss and ferns.

Between Spada Lake and Sultan

I drove out to Spada lake and on the way I stopped to take some photos at a familiar location on Olney Creek.

Our Front Porch Shelob

It has taken longer this year, but we are finally getting the blossoming of the spider population. This large spider has constructed a web just next to our front porch.

Grand Army of the Republic Cemetery Revisited

Today, we have a short visit to the Grand Army of the Republic Cemetery, a place we've been before back in 2018. Unlike the first visit, this one is all in monochrome. Going for the "art photography" look again.

The flower above is a rose from a casket spray that was left on the fresh grave of a new resident.

Beauty from Down South

Since we can't go anywhere, I thought I'd liven things up a little with some really wonderful imagery from the South Pole. Here is a glorious time lapse from winter at the south pole showing the milky way and the extensive auroras that flourish there. And you thought there was nothing to see but ice and snow! Truth be told, there can't be many nights this clear during the siz-month long winter in that cold, forbidding place. Still, I feel a curious tug pulling southward. It's a place I long to see.

Yard Flowers in the Rain

As it slowly began to drizzle with more intensity, I carried on with my camera. I bought a piece of waterproof nylon some time ago for just such situations. Easier to carry than an umbrella and just as effective at keeping the camera dry, I found it pretty easy to handle.

Flowers in Our Yard During the Rain

While out photographing ferns, I thought I'd see what sorts of flowers were out in our yards as well. No reason to slight the more colorful of the plants.

Fern in the Rain

Naturally, after a couple days of sunshine (not really warmth, just sunshine), we reverted back to clouds and drizzle. I'd have never believed you if said I'd spend the summer in a place where the daily high temps after July 4th hover around 70 F.

So, when life gives you lemons...make lemonade. In this case, it was photos of wet ferns, but you get the idea.

Eagles

We continued out ride on to Bainbridge Island and stopped at the Town & Country grocery to get a sandwich for lunch. We rode out to find a spot to pull over and eat while we enjoyed the sunshine and the scenery. Along the way, we found a pair of Bald Eagles basking as well.

Poulsbo, WA

We had a little sun over the weekend and decided to take the ferry to Kitsap county and visit Poulsbo and Bainbridge Island. Here's some of what we saw while in Poulsbo.

Flower in the Rain Again

As my walk in the rain continued, I was fortunate to find more animals lurking about. Above, we see a snail apparently eating whatever this flower is.

Flower in a Light Rain

Having pretty much given up on getting any sunshine and warmth this summer, I took my camera and umbrella out for a stroll. It wasn't raining hard, just a steady mist. But it was raining enough that me and the camera could get wet. The upside is that the flowers did too.

From the altitude of five feet or so, I can't really see the insects so well. Thus, it always a bit of a surprise when I squat to take a photo of a likely flower and find a bug perched in a good place. I could pretend this fly was planned, but I'd be lying.

Greenwich - 2014

Out along the Thames, east of London, lies the former seat of royal power of Greenwich. It was also the location of much of England's naval support and training. The Old Royal Naval College, above, was originally designed by Christopher Wren and was built between 1696 and 1712 to be the The Royal Hospital for Seamen at Greenwich. in 1869, the hospital closed and between 1873 and 1998 is was the Royal Naval College.

Highgate Cemetery - 2014

Certainly, on of the best cemeteries we've visited is Highgate in London. It is filled with Victorian cemetery art of the highest order and populated by a zoo of famous people along with the lowly folks like us.

Flowers In Our Yard

I noticed that some there are some new blooms in the yard, so I headed out for a photographic foray. I have no idea what Anna planted above, but the small flowers are nice.

Lake View Cemetery - 4

This young girl stands as a constant reminder of someone lost to the cycle of life. I know that the religious among us find cemeteries peaceful for the promise of a better life after this one. I, however, find it peaceful as a place filled with interesting statuary, groomed lawns, the stories of lives well spent, and the separation such place always give from the surrounding buy world of the living. It is place to reflect on my own life and how I imagine I might be remembered one day. Of course, I don't plan to be buried in a  cemetery but rather scattered in some place pregnant with memories and surrounded natural beauty.

Lake View Cemetery - 3

Sometimes we find a gem amongst the chaff (a mixed metaphor is the best I can do today) such as the one above. It is rare to find a Hungarian flag on a gravestone and even rarer to find one that tell you the avocation of each of the interred.

Lake View Cemetery - 2

This is one of the older cemeteries in Seattle and it is now home to many of the pioneers. I don't know that these two fellows were important shakers and movers, but they were clearly out here early in the process of creating the city.

Lake View Cemetery - 1

Since we all need at least a brief respite from the endless stream of flower photos, today starts a short series of photos from Lake View Cemetery in Seattle. As you may recall, we tried to visit recently but the gates were locked. After figuring out that that it was open on the weekends, we were successful on our second trip.

Cambridge, 2014

The current news on the continued spread of covid-19 now makes it very clear that we will be masking and isolating for the foreseeable future. Combine this with the EU not letting americans in, and we have a recipe for not travel.

So today I thought I bring you a few more photos from 2014, when the world was more innocent...well at least less contagious.