In the middle of December, we started on our grand adventure to see Santa Claus. First stop, London. Our first stop on this dreary day was the Borough Market. The crowd was so thick, we could hardly move. We abandoned this mash for a ride on the London Eye.
So this last post of the car show ended up being my post for Christmas. That's OK since this season gets much of its appear from nostalgia and that is what a car show is all about.
One of the things I miss in today's modern cars are the hood ornaments. They are not functional but they are handsome.
Since a car show is filled with lots of bright colors, I thought I'd warm up a little with some bright natural colors.
It is always nice to find a 'May-December' kind of composition with fresh flowers framed by fallen leaves.
Today, I added the extension ring to the lens so I could get closer to things and bring you some smaller details.
As we reach the shank of the season, there are still colors and life to be found. This bee is still finding pollen to nourish him and the flowers and still bursting with color.
Sometimes a simple scene can warm the heart. These apples lying on the ground in the autumn sun spark many memories.
On a sunny afternoon (in September), I took a walk about the neighborhood to see hat I could see. Here is some of what I found.
Sometimes the best leaves are those that already left the tree and are curled up on the ground.
Near the end of the season, the colors and textures to be found around us changes. Above, it seems that this bush is holding a protest sign in an attempt to slow the season change.
I just love me some water beading up on a leaf and these Lady's Mantle really shine at doing this.
We took the dogs out for a walk several times this summer while the family were having a little time out together. Along th way, I found a few things to stop and photograph.
Exploring the world nearby has become a routine thing to do since the covid lockdowns. This means that going for walk to take pictures is a challenge since everything looks like it did the first 3 or 4 times I took the same picture. With care, however, I can find some old things to see afresh.
On a sunny day, sometimes the best place to take a photo is the deep shade where the shadows are less stark.
Today, I bring you the official debut of my new camera and lens. The Fuji X-T5 with the 16-55 mm zoom lens. With higher resolution than the X-H1 (40MP vs 26MP) and a better quality lens, it really feels like things have changed.
'Tis the season for cherries so, naturally, I needed to get a photo of a few.
Back in the bright past, when the sun still shone regularly in the sky sans clouds (you'd call it summer time...) Seamus and I went for a photowalk together. We bought Seamus a camera because he was interested in mine and now he and I will occasionally go out taking photo together. Above is a St. John's wort in front of the house that I love to photograph after a rain. I thought you'd like to see it when the sun is out and it is in bloom.
With a modest amount of patience, it is possible to get very close to the butterflies. They seem to be very accustomed to have dozens of people milling around near them.
One of the ways the butterflies are fed and enticed out into view is by placing sliced fruit in a bowl. This attracts lots of interested parties.
This summer we made a trip to the Pacific Science Center in Seattle with Seamus. One of the most interesting places we saw was the butterfly room.
The textures of these St. John's wort leaves is, for me, the ideal subject for closeup images. The water drop arrangement is always varied and interesting.
Another plant that makes good images when wet is St. John's wort. It, too, is hydrophobic and produces great beads of water after a rain.
It seems only appropriate that the leaves on our Lady's Mantle plants are bedecked with dew to make them glisten as if with diamonds strewn about.
Sometimes, I find a small vignette for which color does not add to the scene. Here are a few such images.
I find that perfectly normal things take on a new dimension when there are raindrops on them. Something about the added texture and sparkle that does it for me.
After leaving the antique store, my first stop was along the Snohomish River. here, I found a pair of ducks taking a nap by the water's edge and enjoying the warm sun.
In May, when I took this walk, there were flowers blooming all about.
This hillside is covered with mosses and populated with lots of tall, straight trees. After the roar of the river, it is quite and peaceful. It feels as if a hobbit or two might walk out at any moment.
I'm quite sure that I were a rock in the path of that rushing water, I'd have long ago given way to make the smoother flow. It is very powerful.
Just below the falls, another branch of the river joins in to continue the journey on to the Pacific.
The image above is among my favorite from this trip. I really love how the frothy ribbons of water weave themselves into the small falls created by the rocks in the stream.
The adventure with Bill took us along the road toward Mt. Baker as far at the falls of the north fork of the Nooksack river. This is located not far from the general store known as Glacier, WA. There really is no town here.
As you can tell from the blur of the leaves, the motion of the water over the falls creates a constant breeze along the creek.
In April, I visited Bellingham with my good friend Bill Lewis. We made a trip to Whatcom Park to see the falls. The last time I was here, it was summer and the place was packed beyond capacity. This time, it was pleasant with very few people around.
By the time we returned from sunny California, it was beginning to be spring time in the PNW. So, I went for a short walk to see if I could find a few flowers to photograph.
While it was still pretty chilly, at least for me, we spent a few minutes on the beach before we headed to the airport and back home.
There are many wondrous things to see along the shore of California. Here we found an isolated beach with California Seals out for a sunbathe.
We took Seamus on a ride along the famous 17-mile Drive just south of Monterey. It was a beautiful sunny day with enough wind to make the sea a little interesting.
Once in a while we find ourselves driven by forces out of our control. Sometimes we twist in the prevailing wind and feel lost. Other times, we do what this tree has done...bend with the wind and choose new directions for growth.
Aquaria these days always have at least one tank (sometimes many) of jellyfish. These are lit in such a way to provide a strong contrast between the animals and the background.
In April this year, we took Seamus to the Monterey Bay Aquarium during his spring break. There are still some old buildings preserved along cannery row.
Our morning at the state park was park of our drive to Westport beach. But it was hard to leave this serene and symmetric place.
Today, we have a fun exploration of reflections. While visiting Ocean Shores, WA, we stopped by the nearby Ocean City State Park and found a small inshore lake on a dead calm day.
In early April and late March we were having lots of rain in the Seattle area. Typical spring stuff for the PNW. When the sun came out I grabbed the camera and headed outdoors for a few snaps and little exercise.
We made our goodbyes to the waterfall with one last photo and drive on around to the other side of the lake.
Clearly, we are in a rainforest. Not only is there plenty of water from the stream, but the trees are of the sort that demand lots of water as well. Moss and lichens cover everything.
Since Ocean Shore is small and the beach is, well, a beach, we decided to spend one day driving to edge of the rainforest at Quinault. It, too, was a very small town consisting of a store (closed for the season) and a hotel and few houses. There is a road that goes around Quinault lake so we drove part of it to see what we could see.
As you can see, it is still winter and the trees are bare.
The waves seem to be churning seaweed up from the bottom and carrying it along partway to shore. While the air was not terribly cold, the water certainly seemed to be.
