This walk took me out by the aquatic center (aptly named, eh?) where the playground and ball field next to it were mostly flooded. There is a small stream that flows just on the the other side of this field and it has clearly overflowed its banks. That is a stream I have photographed several times...most recently with long exposures. Today, however, I was interested in finding the symmetry brought by the reflection in the calm water of the flooded field.
There is much to see in the small details. Even the blurry background adds its watercolor mood to the image.
As you can tell from the many images I've posted in my walks around the neighborhood, I really like the colors found in the epiphytes that grow on the trees here. Sometimes it almost appears that the trees are wearing parti-coloured clothes.
I'm always happy to see the range of colors and textures one can find even on the coldest days of winter here.
The scenes I could find on this cold morning walk really depend on exactly where I stand. A few feet on way or the other determines if the sun or the cold air is dominant in setting the stage. This tree was, or had been, more in the sun so the water is melted.
After the snow melted away, we had a few chilly mornings that left frost on the leaves and cars. With the sun out a little, I went for a walk.
We've really been stuck inside for what feels like forever. The week before Christmas it rained, like, a lot. Then it got really cold and snowed. then it stayed cold and the snow didn't leave. So, it snowed again. And finally it warmed up and started to rain because reasons.
So, once again, the sun has finally come out. For the first time weeks, I've been able to go for my morning run without being in a downpour or up to my ankles in snow/slush. This seems like a good time to find some hydrophobic leaves in the weak sunshine we have near the winter solstice.
Using the multiple exposure technique allows me to combine them in a way that preserves the relatively short exposure used. This way the moving water is not just a blur, but retains the detail while showing all the water that is in motion. I'll explore this more in the future.
This clump of grass with its strong light yellows makes a find complement with the dark blue sky behind it. The reason we find that blue and yellow complement one another is, no doubt, because nature agrees.
Well, we had a second snow bringing us another ~5 inches about a week after the first one. It has remained her quite cold so we got another light and fluffy dusting.
It is interesting, isn't it, to see how much snow will collect on such skinny limbs.
Although it had been cold for several days, the snow storm hit us on the 26th. We got probably 5-6 inches of snow. The hydrangea bush outside our bedroom window is filled with snow and, to me, looks a bit like cotton ready to harvest.
I spend so much time on my photowalks looking in trees and bushes, I thought that this time I'd look down for a change. I don't know what this is, but it seems to be budding out already for next year.
It has been over a year since E and I wandered downtown to do a bit of window shopping. Many places have changed; most have not.
Before the chaos of Christmas morning descended upon us, I got a few shots of battle field before everyone appeared. You may think that I'm out here at 5 AM or something since it is so dark. But no. Being at 47 degrees north means that it is dark pretty late. This was around 7 or a quarter til.
Every home has its traditions and when families are assembled from different backgrounds, there are multiple traditions to follow. As a result, there are things to open and food to eat on Christmas eve as well as Christmas day at our house here in Snohomish.
Another Christmas in Staunton, I think one of the last we spent at home, Cathy and Robert visited as did Jeanne. Roo, of course, had to be in the middle of everything.
Back when we owned (well, us and the bank) a house and had a dining table that was clear, we celebrated Christmas with lots of food, friends and family.
The arcades in Melbourne are always decorated for the season. It is just like being in, say, England, except it warm outside (and the accent is different, the age of the building is much younger, etc.).
Today is a special day in many places around the world. Unfortunately, we are not able to travel as we once did to see the many ways that Christmas is celebrated. So, I thought I'd bring you a few recent memories of our trip to Budapest so that we could all, once again, see what the world is supposed to be like. To celebrate Christmas, we will take a bit of a stroll through the Advent market that surround St. Stephen's Basilica.
Down the street a ways is this curious plant in a front yard. Not only does it have hydrophobic leaves giving us interesting water drops everywhere, it is also multicolored in an unusual way.
While it is chilly outside, it is not really cold... mostly in the 40's. I suppose that this is the reason that we begin to see evidence of new growth coming so early in the season. This tree was full of these buds.
Driving back from the grocery I noticed that there seemed to be a cap cloud forming over Mt. Rainier. So, once we got home and I unloaded the groceries, I scampered around the corner to where I know from previous photo shoots that I have a good view of the mountain and snapped a few.
We have a platform bird feeder attached to one of the kitchen windows where E can watch the birds while she cooks. It turns out that our living room has a bay window allowing me to see it from the side without scaring the birds away. So I set of the tripod, got out the long lens and snapped away over the space of a couple days.
With a little break in the weather, we begin today with an exploration of what remains after 2.5 months of near perpetual rain. As you can imagine, this will involve lots of leafy and twigy bits with water drops on them.
In Everett there is a small arboretum on the cliff near the shore. It is a bit of an afterthought since it is bordered on one side by backyards and on the other by a golf course. None of that silly wandering-in-a-serene-place,-isolated-from-the-rest-of-the-world-while-you-enjoy-nature stuff here. Just be sure that you aren't in the line of sight of the golfer and try not to stare too much at the neighbors back yard.
Among the most colorful flowers are orchids and it common for a nursery to have a few inside even in the winter.
Inside where it is warm, the nursery has a variety of flowers in bloom. Here are a few of them.
So we decided to make a short road trip to the Skagit Valley to visit a nursery that sells great plants and has a good collection of holiday items to browse. When we arrived E noticed that there were hummingbirds finding food among the flowers. So I grabbed my iPhone and snapped a few images.
That the water drops act as lenses is always a great thing. Not only does this add to the visual interest of the composition be begin able to see beyond the range of things in focus, it reminds me of a bit of science history. In the late 17th century/early 18th century, Antonie van Leeuwenhoek made his drops of glass rather than water and used them to produce the first microscope with reasonably good magnification and clarity. He was invited into the Royal Society in London in 1680 for his ability to make these lenses and see and describe the small bits of the world he saw.
What you see in my drops are mostly more bits of the bush. No animalcules to be seen here.
The Snohomish river has receded a bit from its recent high water mark but it is still rushing by at a startling pace.
As you can see, there is still a murky sky over the turbid waters under this trestle. We did get a few brief glimmers of sunshine but it ain't over yet. More atmospheric rivers are coming. More days of sitting inside and waiting for the rain to end. Noah would be envious.
Sometimes the thing that catches my eye is not so much the composition, and this one is not amazing, it is the combination of colors. I like the yellow in the background with its almost brushed in appearance.
