We've been having a torrent of rain here for the past couple weeks. Much more than usual. the rain let up for a few hours the other day and I got as far as the front porch to see if I could find a few things to photo. Perhaps the most interesting is to see drops of water on the bare twigs.
You likely recall my poor attempt to get an image by the waterfront in Everett. This spot is hardly a park since it is only a parking lot next to Port Gardner Bay. But it is easy to get to and seemed to have a bit of potential. Rather than suffer in the rain for almost nothing, I've returned when there is a bit of sunshine and no rain to see what I can do.
I realize that the hard drought of this year was not in the portion of Washington where we live. Yet, things did get a bit dry toward the end of the summer. Well, rest assured that this is now over. In October we had two months worth of rain, and we are getting more in November. The shows at higher elevations are well and truly underway.
Rest assured that we are near the end of leaves-on-the-ground season. Today I thought I'd show a few that were doing a nice job of showing off beds of water between squalls.
Out by the sound, there is a small park...well a parking lot next to a sidewalk at least. Here, in the rain, I attempted a photo. It sucks but it is all I got.to show for standing in the rain for 5 minutes. The plan was to get a nice smooth milky water in a long exposure, maybe a few of the clouds streaking across the sky, and showing off the distant break in the clouds. MY exposure was too short for any of that. But I did not want to stand in the rain for a 2 minute exposure so I took a 25 second one. Not enough.
And this post is not enough either. Sorry for my poor showing. Today. Some days the bear gets you.
Not only is this the time of colored leaves, it is also the time of berry production by the many bushes found along the streets of Snohomish. There aren't many bushes that produce blue berries (as opposed to blueberries...there are tons of those in the fields in the flood plain across the river).
Sometimes I can find a leaf on the sidewalk that provides a good contrast with the textured cement underneath.
You are probably getting tired of leaves by now. Well, so am I. But the truth is, there is not much else to photograph, at least on a regular basis. Yet, this combination of leaves struck me as interesting.
The fall contrast of colors and textures is always a winner in my book. I found these leaves lying in a neighbor's yard and thought the color contrast as well as the contrast with the out-of-season green grass was fitting.
Not far south of central Seattle is a large portion of the Boeing complex and here we find the Museum of Flight. Lots of cool airplanes and spacecraft are to be found here. We took the grandkids for an outing and everyone had a good time.
Above is a replica of the Wright brothers plane. Note that the roller at the front on the bottom is the hub of a bicycle wheel.
Some leaves just look dirty. This is the leaf mold that drives many of us crazy in the fall.
Even in October, we see that an early afternoon walk results in pretty long shadows from the leaves on the ground.
There are bushes scattered about town that produce these red berries in the autumn. It is always fun to get a few shots of these.
Not all fall colors are read, of course. I found fallen leaves in various stages of yellow sitting on a bright green lawn.
Although there was little rain here in the summer, fall has more than made up for the deficit and the mushrooms are out in lots of places.
Lots of red to bee seen in the leaves of the bushes this time of year. Sometimes the red is so intense that the camera has a hard time really capturing it.
About this time each year (except, of course, last year), Snohomish has car show where folks with restored vehicles, mostly those considered antiques, are displayed. I'm not sure if there are prizes but everyone seems to have a good time. Folks park their precious ones along 1st street and the local shops/restaurants are all open to invite in the customers.
Back home, one of our first activities is a family outing to the local farm. A "thing" here is for the farms to set up tons of activities for the little ones and decorate everything with seasonal colors and schtick to attract folks in once the harvest is done. Seamus and Charlie (AKA Bitsy) are ready for the fun!
This beach area and the lighthouse are favorites of photographers. In the winter, this cape is subjected to violent winds from the storms that buffet the coast. This in turn produced impressive waves battering the shore. If you search about on the intertubes you will find photos of 10-20 foot waves charging into the shore with the lighthouse in the background. Today was not one of those days...best to start carefully and avoid the extremes. But the mist and light fog in the air over the water played well with the sun as it climbed over the edge of the hill on which the lighthouse stands.
Our journey northward nears the end as we cross the Columbia River and enter Washington. After a good night's sleep, we headed out bright and early to see the cape and its lighthouse at sunrise (well, not long after).
Above is a small lake that borders the campground just inland from Waikiki beach where I spent the rest of the time photographing the lighthouse and the beach.
Our last stop in Oregon is at the famous Cannon Beach. Here we find a nice wide and long beach where people enjoy a pleasant walk along the shore. In the summer this place is packed and traffic is a mess. But now, after school has started back and the weather is turning, it is quite pleasant.
The birds do not always get such sunny pleasant weather in which to preen and digest (and obviously poop). Yet this day was a good one for everyone.
The headlands here have trails and parking lots for people to be able to explore the flora and fauna of the environment. And there is a section of the ocean surrounding it that is also protected to give the sea creatures a chance at flourishing as well.
After a nice rest in Reedsport, we continued north up the coast hwy and stopped just north of Newport at Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area. Here is a cornucopia of natural delights with birds, seals, a lighthouse (these are natural, right?) and scenic ocean everywhere. The cormorant above is coming in for a landing on one of the many offshore rocks.
The clouds and mist give this simple beach scene an ominous look...like something out of a Stephen King novel as the evil thing approaches shore.
This large close-to-shore formation of rock has clearly taking quite a beating over the eons here. You'll notice that the ocean has punched a keyhole at the bottom and, surprisingly, also nea the top. I suppose there were a couple softer spots in the stone that wore down more quickly.
This beach is place that catches a lot of driftwood. Somehow, I suspect, this is aided by the presence of so many sea stacks.
Waves breaking over the near-shore rocks adds drama to the visit. The roar of the ocean hear, as everywhere we stopped on this drive, was loud and constant. Before one wave could run ashore, two more developed behind it to fill the gap and the sound was continuous. So much for the "Pacific" ocean.
We stopped many places to have a look at the shore. Each place has its own character. The marine layer was still present when we arrived at this beach.
I thought you'd all appreciate the slightly (?) risque wine bottle openers we found in the store. Nice way to start a conversation, eh?
After several month of exploring the Sierra Nevada Mountains, we have ended our house sit and started the journey homeward. Our first stop is in Eureka, CA. The most prominent sight to see here is the Carson Mansion.
Outside the foundry we find various things either made here, used here, or both. Above is a cable hoist of the sort used in the gold mines to raise/lower people and ore out/in the mine.
