Daily Image - Dec 2019 Archive

27 Dec 19 #3 and counting down. Pictures it is said are everywhere, you just need to open your eyes and see them. Of course having a wildly open mind helps at times. While walking through our old Ballard neighborhood when Miss Maggie was just 16 weeks old, I happened to notice something strange when strolling down one of the many alley ways in that part of the city. It looked much like a hat rack with lots of colored, most blue, bottles stuck on each of the protruding pegs. It was a somewhat unique hat rack in that instead of the typical 4 - 8 pegs, it had pegs going from top to bottom and on each one was a bottle. It caught my eye because of its uniqueness so I snapped a few frames. When I showed it to a couple of folks in the camera shop where I was working they immediately identified it as a bottle tree. Never heard of a bottle tree prior so it was a new experience (sheltered childhood I guess). I shared a version of it back then but somewhat different from what I'm sharing today as I didn't have the creative software programs available then that I have now. So for today's close up we have a brownish stand adorned with many blue wine bottles and a single white hard liquor one. For those of you puzzle lovers this might make for a fun puzzle. This is straight from the camera with the Topaz Glow 2 Graphic Sketch I filter employed. Needing an Ale House Nikon D300; 18 - 200; Aperture priority; ISO 400; 1/250 sec @ f / 8.

30 Dec 19 For reasons I don't understand, every once in a while MT Rainer projects as if it is just a few miles distant and renders the cities nestled on the eastern shoreline of Puget Sound as though they were built on the base of the Cascades. In truth they sorta are, but nowhere near as close as they appear when the mountain appears as it does in this image. This was taken on a December late afternoon crossing from Kingston to Edmonds. The sun was sinking beneath a daylong overcast sky casting a golden glow on the mountain as a large container ship passed in front of the ferry. With the nautical rule that size has the right of way, we gave way to the freighter as it slowly made its way toward harbor island in Seattle just out of the frame on the right. Of course one can always get this type of image by using a super telephoto, which is how many of the chase scenes in the movies are created - think Raiders of the Lost Ark, this was not taken with such. Other then a small amount of contrast enhancement for improved detail, this is what the camera recorded. Faux Long Tele Compression Nikon D300s; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 200; 1/250 sec @ f / 8.

12 Dec 19 It's that time of year when we usually make our annual trek up the Skagit to supposedly shoot Bald Eagles but which more often than not winds up with me shooting just about anything but the eagles who usually tend to be elsewhere when we visit. Truth be told we can get more opportunities and more birds locally and we often do. But the drive up into the Skagit is always a nice day trip and depending on the weather, we have in the past encountered many different conditions including some nice snow, we get varying results, but all good. At the far end of the drive we frequently experience lots of ice on the rocks in the hillsides. In places where it is melting, and the resultant liquid splashing onto vegetation and refreezing, you can find some very interesting ice sculptures. I'm always looking for ice people and frequently get rewarded for the effort. This time around I found, among other things, a little rushing river which was flowing out of a hillside that was more than likely just a leaf covered stream. Using a slow shutter speed it could be made to look like a small river with colored water and some interesting ice creations. It's fun to do stuff like this and if you take your time and just meander alongside the roadway you can find many things at which to point your lens, sometimes with charming results. This is what the camera captured. I've done a little dodging and burning to direct your eye, but that's it. Sculpting with Water Nikon D300s; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 200; 1/50 sec @ f / 20 on a tripod.

31 Dec 19 We complete 2019 and the 14th year of the Daily Image mailings (3,254 images to date) with something lighthearted and just plain fun. Many of you may remember Mini, Maggie's best friend up until the day Mini died. They were together for almost 8 years and it was love at first sight the first day they met. That never changed and in the entire time they were together they never got into what might be described as even a minor disagreement. BFF is the only way to described what they shared. This is a shot of the two of them playing when Maggie was not yet two and Mini perhaps five. They played like this all the time up until Mini at around 12 just couldn't do it. Those of you who have dogs will likely identify with this shot immediately!! There is nothing quite like a couple of dogs playing until they drop, taking a needed break, and then going at it again. This was one of those "sorta" breaks in their play. Often, when Mini was on her back like this and Maggie standing over her, Mini, at 135 pounds, would place one of those huge paws under Maggie, at perhaps 50 pounds, and send her sailing through the air. But never, in all the times they played together, did either hurt the other. A lesson to be learned for us I'm certain. This is straight from the camera save for a small amount of sharpening to bring out the details in their fur. Playtime D300s; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 500; 1/125 sec @ f / 5.6.

26 Dec 19 This is day #4 as we count down to the end of the 2019. When the year ends we will have shared 223 images. I won't be sharing anything on New Year's day but will provide a general info message on that day as I do each year. Today we'll take a look at a game preserve on highway 20 heading towards Concrete, WA. Looking diagonally LB to UR about a mile distant is the Skagit river but you would never guess it from this location. This spot is billed as a wildlife viewing area/station but in all the years we've been visiting this group of approximately 20 Wapiti are the only animals we've seen. Still, we slow down both times we pass it on each trip in hopes of seeing something. Should you be traveling along Hwy 20 in this area keep your eyes open, you may be luckier than have we. Other than some serious cropping, this is what the camera saw. Mid Afternoon Browse Nikon D300s; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 500; 1/250 sec @ f / 5.6.

06 Dec 19 Last evening I was working up a special set of images for a friend who loves one particular type of image, those that look a bit like leaded glass, and sorta got carried away converting a slew of shots into that look. It really was fun and some of them came out looking really interesting. Today got to be a way too busy day and the time I had set aside to create a nice macro got away. Sooooo, I thought, why not share one of those I made last night and that's just what I'm doing. I originally shared the base image about 2.5 years ago, it's a shot of brightly colored rocks. It was a reasonably nice image in its original format, but the creation of last night I like much better. This would be a creative close up more than a macro if I had to categorize it, but I'm approaching it as just a fun image. Perhaps it will make you smile; it does me. This originally was just a simple shot of colorful rocks placed as sidewalk decoration to which I did nothing. This time around I just applied a filter to create the colored glass look. Glass Rocks Nikon D300s; 18 - 200; Aperture priority; ISO 200; 1/60 sec @ f /11 with full flash.

11 Dec 19 It's approaching that time of the year when we get to regularly enjoy the god rays that appear in our neighbor's cleared acreage just down the road from our home; the same location from which I've shared similar images. It having been a rather cold and dreary day from sun up to sun down today, not that we got to see the sun, I decided to create my own weather and work up this image. The shot was taken a couple years back but it looked like it had some promise so I played with it a bit and came up with what I'm sharing. I've neither added or subtracted anything from the capture, just played some with the contrast and detail and selectively applied a little light painting. This is what the RAW capture recorded, I've merely adapted it as noted above. Pointing to the Truth Nikon D300s; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 200; 1/160 sec @ f / 9.

17 Dec 19 I wasn't sure what I wanted to use to follow-up on yesterdays image and wound up settling on the same image in black and white as I thought you B&W aficionados might appreciate it . It turns out to be one of those images that looks better if you view it about 6 feet or so from the screen. Not much more to say about it than I did yesterday save for having mistakenly said the sign read "Welcome to the Washington Alps" when I should have said "Welcome to the American Alps." Not sure how I messed that one up but I did. If you still have the shot from yesterday you might try scrolling back and forth between them; it makes for an interest look. Same info as yesterday save for the B&W conversion. Ansel-like Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 200; 1/800 sec @ f / 9.

16 Dec 19 Almost didn't get this out tonight. Arrived home from church planning on cleaning up after two weeks of Jan's cooking for local charitable activities only to find that our basement freezer, which is really just a meat locker, had failed sometime ago and that everything in it had thawed. Ran what checks I could on it but to no avail; it was dead dead. So that meant a scramble to find another that we could immediately purchase with the hope of a Monday morning delivery. That wasn't to be so we called in assistance and got the beast home and set up. Had to empty the old chest freezer, try to keep what little cold remained while we did the switch out, let the new unit cool down for 4 hours, and try to get all the now fully thawed stuff in the new unit. Didn't quite work as the new unit, although looking larger isn't, so now we still have an amount of thawing flesh of which we must dispose. Fortunately the garbage comes early Monday morning but in the meantime we can't put it outside due to critters . . . . . . . . . . After all that I finally got to prepare the mailing for today, so this may not be my very best effort. On our way into church this morning - me minus the camera - we got to see the Olympics with a fresh coat of snow, dark grey almost black clouds completely over head, and the sun illuminating just the snow. Don't get to experience that very often and I didn't get to capture it. At the time I didn't realize that was just the start of the day. Having missed that opportunity I decided I would look for something at least a little like it for today's mailing. You've seen a couple images from the location of today's submission but each has been slightly different. The far bank of this particular bend in the Skagit River is where one generally first encounters Bald Eagles when visiting the greater Skagit area in search of them. There weren't any on the day we took this, but the sunlight was rather nice falling on the trees and river while simultaneously illuminating the mountains. Known as the Diablo Range, they are part of the northern section of the Cascade Mountains and as you approach them on Highway 20 about 10 miles NE of this site you encounter a rather nice sign that says "Welcome to the Washington Alps." You just might appreciate how they got that name from this shot. Other than a small amount of contrast enhancement, his is straight from the camera. The Washington Alps Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture priority; ISO 200; 1/800 sec @ f / 9.

05 Dec 19 The walk from the parking lot to the base of Artist Paintpots is roughly a quarter mile stroll over a dirt trail that is wheelchair accessible. At its end is the beginning of the boardwalk that wraps around the base of the geothermic area. At either end of the approximate 200 degree wrap you climb to the top where a few of the older paint pots remain along with the mud pots, most of which are drying up as I mentioned earlier. At the base, where the boardwalk is located, there are a few paint pots and a small warm water stream - no surprise there I imagine - that meanders around the section enclosed by the boardwalk and under it as it leaves the area. Perhaps 10 feet along the left leg of the boardwalk you cross over the stream; today's submission is taken from a location another 15 feet or so along that left portion of the boardwalk. Here and there steam will be rising up off the stream and occasionally trying to erode your lens. Although this particular thermal area is surrounded by relatively dense forestation, I've never been there when there wasn't a breeze or better blowing moving the clouds of gas into and out of your composition. At times it can be frustrating, especially so when the attraction is being heavily frequented. So be prepared to bring along a bucket of patience when photographing this particular area. It will be worth your effort especially on a day when the temps between the water and air are large creating an abundance of atmospheric opportunity. This one is straight from the camera except for a wee bit of dodging and burning. Basal Perspective Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 200; 1/125 sec @ f /11.

09 Dec 19 Let's do one more from Artist Paintpots before moving on to something different, a break from YNP if you will. Last week we left off at the base of the paintpots thermal area and today we'll conclude with a shot from the top. What you are seeing is how the area looks that is drying up. All that remains of the active small hot springs is what I've photographed. There are many of these areas within the park, and most of them are never seen by the visitors. To give you an idea as to what is available to see if you are willing to do some hiking, I'm providing a quote from Wikipedia: " A study that was completed in 2011 found that a total of 1,283 geysers have erupted in Yellowstone, 465 of which are active during an average year. These are distributed among nine geyser basins, with a few geysers found in smaller thermal areas throughout the Park. The number of geysers in each geyser basin are as follows: Upper Geyser Basin (410), Midway Geyser Basin (59), Lower Geyser Basin (283), Norris Geyser Basin (193), West Thumb Geyser Basin (84), Gibbon Geyser Basin (24), Lone Star Geyser Basin (21), Shoshone Geyser Basin (107), Heart Lake Geyser Basin (69), other areas (33). Although famous large geysers like Old Faithful are part of the total, most of Yellowstone's geysers are small, erupting to only a foot or two. The hydrothermal system that supplies the geysers with hot water sits within an ancient active caldera. Many of the thermal features in Yellowstone build up sinter, geyserite, or travertine deposits around and within them." Where these drying hot springs are located the underlying thermal activity has simply moved to the right of the area shown and is creating new features. The same kind of movement can be seen at Mammoth Hot Springs as I mentioned in previous narratives. One could visit the park and just visit the thermal areas and nothing else. To take them all in would likely require a month or longer, but you could see see all those near the Grand Loop Road (the 2 lane roadway that forms an 8 inside the park) in a single day, provided you can push your way through the crowds. Other than a small amount of dodging & burning, this is what the camera recorded. Saying Goodby Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture priority; ISO 200; 1 / 320 sec @ f / 9.

04 Dec 19 The first "spring" you encounter when walking along the boardwalk of the Upper Terrace at Mammoth Hot Springs is Cupid Spring. When we first started visiting YNP on an annual basis back in 2013 this spring was about 2/3 of its current size and not showing much seepage. But over the last couple of years it has been growing at a pretty fast rate. Most of the center orange colored area represents that growth. If you zoom in to 100% you can see some of the ripples in the pools of water plus a few droplets. None of this was happening when we first visited and I wondered why this part of the terrace was worthy of a boardwalk section. Didn't take too long before I understood. The same is happening in the parking lot as I mentioned earlier. This shot was taken about 30 minutes prior to the other two I shared earlier. If you hang on to these mailings take a look at the difference in the sky. It will give you an idea of how fast the weather can change in the park. Other than some slight contrast enhancement and a wee bit of dodging and burning, this is what the camera captured. Growing Panes Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 200; 1/800 sec @ f / 9.

03 Dec 19 No image was sent for Monday. My mind has been pretty much occupied with church stuff for the last two days. On Sunday, just at the end of the service, our beloved pastor suddenly collapsed and had to be taken by ambulance to the hospital. He was released later in the day but still in need of considerable care. For those of you so inclined I ask your prayers for his recovery especially because his health care is provide by the VA! For today we take a look at the view from the hill behind the condo known as Horse Butte. I don't know why, it apparently just is. From late spring into the fall the road to the top is always open to autos, but once the snow starts falling it is closed to cars (impassible) but 4 wheelers and snow mobiles can make the trip just fine. The dirt "road" is terrible at the best times of the year with plenty of pot holes and rocks everywhere, but the views along the way and at the top can be spectacular. This shot is taken at the first 270 hairpin turn but, as it is also an overlook from the butte to Lake Hebgen, there is an ample parking area for several vehicles. The rocks at this location are simply beautiful with green and light tan surfaces hosting an orange lichen - I think - for added color. Most of time when we visit in the spring this is about as high as we can go before running into large snow banks blocking the road. One could always walk the remaining mile or so to the top but we now enjoy the comfort of doing so, when we can, in the vehicle. In the fall of course we go all the way to the top. This is pretty much straight from the camera save for a little contrast enhancement. Lower Overlook Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture priority; ISO 200; 1/400 sec @ f / 9.

10 Dec 19 Leaving YNP we return to my section of the country. Whenever Jan pauses some series or movie she's watching on the boob tube, within moments a screen saver-like slide show begins to appear on the screen. That the images being shown are mostly local to our part of the world I'm sure is a testament to how much spying goes on whenever you are connected to the internet. One of the images that shows with regularity is a lovely shot of a small unnamed, as far as I know, lake that forms behind a tiny dam on the Wenatchee River about 10 miles west of Leavenworth, WA. It's taken from the very western edge of the lake and looks down its expanse. The lake isn't very big, perhaps a half to three quarters of a mile in length and situated immediately adjacent to the road, and is probably 3 feet deep at its deepest. In the fall it can be full of spawning Steelhead and graced on one side by spectacular color. Much like my attempts at capturing Picture Lake in "full bloom," I've yet to get this lake, and Picture Lake as well, as seen on the screen saver set. But today's submission will give you some idea of the color that is there and how a portion of the far side landscape looked on our visit this year. Other than a tiny amount of dodging and burning, this is what the camera recorded. At Peak Color Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 800; 1/250 sec @ f / 9.

18 Dec 19 It having been a cold, wet, gloomy day I decided I needed a bit of pick me up and choose a relatively bright subject to work on. We used to have a Chinese Lantern Plant growing in a pot on the back deck. Last year we transplanted it to the front yard and from all intents and purposes it seemed like the transplant killed it. Much to my delight it didn't and this year it grew to more than double its former size. I've been taking pictures of it since it started blooming and am waiting for its orange shell to die away leaving just the skeleton which I think is its best look. This shot is one from when it was at its prime and before we had to support it with sticks and twine it having become to heavy to stand upright on its own. All it's missing is a Praying Mantis or Walking Stick to make it a complete story. Other than the removal of an annoying fir needle and a small amount of cropping off the top and bottom, this is what the camera recorded. Where's Jack Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 200; 1/60 sec @ f / 9 with fill flash.