I suppose that it is good that I have a fascination with water drops on leaves. We sure get a lot of that here.

A Look Outside Between Atmospheric Rivers

Just outside our front gate is a bush I cannot name that was covered with rain from the many days we've been getting it here. All it does this fall is rain...endlessly. We are close to breaking a record here. Just to putting this in perspective, Snohomish averages over 50 inches of rain a year.

How We Spent Our Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is a time of traditions for most families and we are no different. Since this year, in celebration of vaccinations all around, we here in Snohomish hosted at total of 18 people for the big meal. This meant that Seth and I made a trip to the rental place and fetched a couple large round tables and folding chairs to seat them all.

Seasonal Changes

This broken limb, standing out as an open wound is slowly be healed over by the moss and lichen growing around it. Perhaps this sort of thing is where we get the expression of "time heals all wounds". Perhaps not.

A Boy (of a Certain Age) and His Tripod

There was another break in the weather and I ventured out with camera and tripod in hand to explore the neighborhood. Today I focused mostly on mosses and lichens. There is a peaceful elegance to the chaos of the tree limbs and the burst of epiphytes that grow on them.

Sunshine on Our Shoulders

As the day progressed and the sun rose higher, the fog gave way to some clear skies and we could see a few of the snowy mountain peaks on a drive back west toward home.

Water Flows Downhill

The Skykomish river flows near the highway in sections of the route and there is a place to stop and have a look near the town of Index. Since there was a dab of sunlight peeking through the trees and around the rocks, this seemed like a good place to make a few long exposures.

As you can see above, there is a lot of green in the water. I suppose this is partly due to the silt lead the stream is carrying and partly due to the reflected light of the trees. Whatever the source, it give the river a delicate pastel color.

Actual Evidence of Sunshine

Once you leave the floodplains of the rivers near the Puget Sound where we live, you enter seriously wet areas that really represent the temperate rainforest that this portion of the state is known to be. Here we find trees with branches covered in moss everywhere. I periodically try to photograph the way the sun lights the fringing moss along these leaves and am never happy with the result. At least in this image you get the general idea.

Headed East (a Little Ways)

With all the rain we've been having lately, when there was a break in the clouds, E and I took the opportunity to drive towards the Cascades to see what we could see. At the beginning of the trip, before the sun (ha, ha!) had a chance to burn away the fog, we got to see some extensive fog on the mountains.

Enough Sunshine to see the Cascades

One of the few places in Snohomish I can go to get a reasonable view of the mountains to the east is a small park along the shore of the Snohomish river just outside town.

Trees

One of the things we do a great job of growing here is moss. there are companies that specialize in removing moss from your roof or sidewalk. ut no one removes it from trees. It just looks natural.

A Dab of Fal Colors

There are still a few flowers to be found out and about. These, as you would expect, are getting long in the tooth, but they still possess their charm. Just like me I suppose. Older may not be better, but it is at least different in a good way, Right? Besides, older is always better than not getting older.

Yes, the River is Up!

After all the rain we've had lately, the Snohomish river is bursting at the seams...er, banks. Above you can see the swirling eddies as a tree is carried downstream.

Wood and Metal

When I go out for a photowalk these days, I find that I have to work pretty hard to find something that I haven't already photographed (a lot). On this particular outing, I spied some trees and a fun gate.

Downtown Snohomish

At some time in the past, there was a movie theater in Snohomish named Pegasus. This was well before we arrived. When we moved here, this building was a nostalgia store and tried to sell lots of junk. the folks that owned it retired and sold it. Now it is coming back as a couple much more upscale stores. While I'd still prefer it to be an art house theater, I'll take what I can get.

Photos From the Front Porch

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.

Another Try at the Everett Waterfront

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.

The Leaves that Remain While the Water Falls

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.

Leaves after the Rain

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.

The Everett Waterfront

 We've had and are still having lots of rain here. In fact, it is raining as I sit now and type this. In an attempt to at least find some new places to photograph in hopes that someday it stops raining, E and I drove through parts of Everett.

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.

Halloween Party!

After a very long time without any sort of party nearly anywhere, we arrived at the point where all the adult neighbors have been vaccinated and they, along with their uninfected children (that would be all of them) can over for a scavenger hunt in our yard. Tons of Dollar Store tchotchkes filled the lawn, bushes, and crannies for the young ones to find and collect in their bags.

Waters from the Deep

We've had lots of rain here lately, even by PNW standards. As you can see from the spider web above, even the little critters are getting bogged down. But the real action is on the river.

Finally,, Not Everything is Lying on the Ground

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).

Leaves in the Street

Sometimes I can find a leaf on the sidewalk that provides a good contrast with the textured cement underneath.

Shockingly, Here Are More Leaves

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 Colors of November

The japanese maples we have in our front yard are now a vibrant red and bring a delightful contrast with the yellow leaf caught among the branches.

A Couple Interesting Leaves

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.

Leaves Galore

The fall colors on leaves in the sunshine sometimes just make you want to smile. Today was one of those days. Even though I had to stand for a while to let the breeze die down to get the photo each time. It was nice to have some sun in my face and happy colors to view.

Out with Tripod and Camera

A wee dab of actual sunshine encouraged me to get out with my camera and tripod to see if there was anything worth a few pixels. I found a tree full of yellow leaves that seemed photogenic to me.

On to the Rooftop

We got to go onto the roof since it was a pleasant sunny day (ie. by PNW standards...no ice -- read pleasant, and no rain -- read sunny). Up here we find dinosaurs and places to "dig" for their bones.

Trains, Water, and a Bus

The wooden train layout is always a big hit. Especially so since there places to crawl under the table and get on the "inside" where the adults don't go to move the trains and switch the switches.

Off to the Imagine Children's Museum

Not that such things are possible again, we lit out for the children's museum in Everett. Of course, all were masked to be careful, but it was still a good time for everyone. Above, Seamus is loading cargo on an airplane.

The New and Old of Flight

On the left hand side above you see a modern passenger plane that we all recognize. On the right side is a biplane, again an older but very recognizable machine. But in the center is some sort of stealth plane that none of have seen flying overhead.

Flying Machines and Our Memories

Not all the flying machines in the museum are from times long ago. This helicopter is of Vietnam vintage and really opens the memory doors for those who were there and those of us who watched it on TV.

Museum of Flight, Seattle

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.

More Sun on Leaves

Some leaves just look dirty. This is the leaf mold that drives many of us crazy in the fall.

Leaves and Such

Even in October, we see that an early afternoon walk results in pretty long shadows from the leaves on the ground.

A Little Sun One Afternoon...Imagine That!

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.

Mostly Leaves

Not all fall colors are read, of course. I found fallen leaves in various stages of yellow sitting on a bright green lawn.

On a Cloudy Day

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.

Seasonal Colors

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.

More Shiny Cars

Stylish lights are way to go for many of these vintage cars.

Snohomish Car Show

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.

Sunflowers!

As the sun rose higher and it got warmer, the little ones began to slow down. Our last stop as the field of sunflowers.

A Fun Time at Stocker Farm

There are plenty of rusty farm vehicles sitting about to cover with flowers and decorations.

A VIsit to the Farm

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!

The Lighthouse at Cape Disappointment

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.

Cape Disappointment, WA

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.

Cannon 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.

Birds of Yaquina Head

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.