Daily Image - Oct '22 Archive

27 Oct 22 In years past our centerpiece landscaping maple has finished turning and lost its leaves by Halloween; this year it is maybe 20% on its way to becoming the magnificent showpiece we enjoy each year. Many of the trees around here that have been planted for fall color have been quite late in putting on their annual show. That wonderful autumn color that we enjoyed during the 18 years were stationed on the east coast is something the I truly miss living out here on the left coast. There are many areas where we can go to see it but back there it was in our yards, lining the streets, and just about everywhere you looked. Here, for the most part, we get green year long. So when I want a bit of color I have to go did out some east coast images to enjoy. Fortunately I have thousands from which to pick. Our MD abode was in a community that made its name due to the trees that lined every street and were part of most every yard's landscaping. Today's image is of one of those trees from that community. It's turned somewhat cold and definitely wet here this week so this is a shot that makes me feel warm and cozy. This is what the camera recorded except that I recolored a blah background to turn it blue. Putt'n On the Ritz Nikon D300; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 250; 1/500 sec @ f / 5.6.

24 Oct 22 At the parking lot at the end of the Mt Baker Scenic Highway which is called Artist's Point you can elect to just kick back and enjoy the view of the surrounding mountains including, and in particular, Mt Baker or take one or more of several trails that will give you some spectacular vistas no matter which trail you choose. Some of the trails are more challenging than others but none of them will be disappointing. One of them takes you to the top of another mountain, Tabletop Mountain, from which you can almost reach out and touch Mt Baker. I haven't yet taken that trail to the top but I do believe it is on the bucket list for 2023. Today's offering was taken a short distance from the base of that trail which begins in the parking lot. One of the things seemingly most prized in photos from any of the 4 major peaks in WA or the one in OR is the particular mountain with a lenticular cloud hanging over the peak. As lenticular clouds aren't all that common getting such a shot is always a delight. With or without such a cloud the view of the mountains, especially draped in autumn colors, is always a treat and one that we are fortunate to have in four different locations, each sufficiently close to visit on a day outing. We are truly blessed. Should you decided to visit the PNW from another part of the country do consider putting a visit to one of the peaks on your bucket list. You won't be disappointed! This is what the camera captured. With a Cap Nikon D300s; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 200; 1/200 sec @ f / 9.

06 Oct 22 It's Theatrical Thursday but I thought I'd do something a little different than I have in the past and let Nature do the creating. This is another shot from Picture Lake up in the Mt Baker - Snoqualmie National Forest area. This time the focus is totally on the reflection of the 9,052 foot tall Mt Shukson which obviously displays the mountain upside down. While the grass and the water are not inverted, everything else in the image is, so it make take you a moment to become orientated. Most all of the photos you see of the Mountain and the associated Picture Lake are like the one I shared earlier with the full mountain in the background, the lake in the foreground, and the mountain and surrounding hillside reflecting off the water. When presented thus all looks proper. Just shooting the reflection off the lake makes it all look a bit surreal and I like to do it, especially when there is ample fall color to provide for a border-like look. You have to walk a bit around the lake shore to the road coming back from Artist's Point to get the shot but the road has plenty of room for both the vehicles and photographers and most everyone visiting there is there for photos so the traffic isn't moving very fast. For my money this is one of the anytime must see sights in Washington, but it is most spectacular in the fall. This is straight from the camera save for a wee bit of cropping for composition. Topsy Turvy Nikon D300s; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 400; 1/250 sec @ f /13.

26 Oct 22 After a view of how the Tipsoo Lake shoreline can look in its autumn dress I thought it might be worthwhile sharing a shot of how it looks just prior to dressing up. This is a shot of almost the entire lake; there is a small amount that extends past the left hand edge of the frame but you can get a pretty realistic idea of just how little. My all time favorite photo was taken at this location; it was a capture of three parallel vertical columns about 6 feet in height of mosquitoes coming straight at me. I got a crisp shot of them over the middle of the lake; they got me many times, but it was worth it! It's been about a decade since we've visited the lake and I'm curious as to whether or not it has gotten smaller; will have to check it out next year. This lake is roughly the same size as Picture Lake but I'm thinking much more shallow although I've seen fish jump in it and often times there are ducks paddling around and dunking for food. It is an easy walk but should you venture there I'm betting that you will make many stops as you traipse around just to enjoy the surrounds. The hill (mountain?)at the upper left has a trail, albeit a very steep one, that will take you to the summit. You can see a small hint of it - small green area - near the top of the frame. I've seen folks make the trek on a couple of visits and I kinda wish I had attempted before but I never felt like leaving Jan and Maggie sitting in the car for 2- 3 hours or more while I tried the climb. Beyond my ability to do now but some of you might find it fun. By the way, there is a naked ape on the trail but I doubt you will find him. I left him in as he does provide a little perspective. The evening I took this 5 exposure shot (only used 2) the sky was a dull, flat, washed out gray, so I've replaced it. Otherwise this is what the camera recorded. Big Picture Nikon D300s; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 200; 1/30 & 1/8 sec @ f /18.

25 Oct 22 Although there are three main locations at Mt Rainier to enjoy the mountain and scenery close up, the third one being Tipsoo Lake is by far the least visited. Tipsoo Lake is a small lake that abounds in wild flowers (and mosquitos) that is easily walked in much the same was as Picture Lake. There are actually two small lakes at the location but the smaller one isn't identified on any of the maps and most folks won't tell you where it is. May share that story in another mailing. Although the wild flowers at Tipsoo are available throughout the summer and fall, it is the fall I most prefer. One flower, it may be called Beargrass but I'm a bit uncertain if that is the correct name - went through all my mountain flora books and couldn't find the look I needed - has a seed head that looks like a bit bunch of cotton sitting atop a 30 - 40 inch stalk. In the evening, as the sun is setting, the light strikes the plant from behind making each plant look like it's glowing. If you get down low to the ground and shoot directly into the sun you can get some spectacular views. Today's offering is an example of such. Note the one large beam angling toward you from the sun. The dark slanting line middle left is the highway; the lake is directly behind the bottom of the frame. Mt Rainier is the hunk of rock in the background. This is a two image merge with some blending mode manipulation so I could provide detail in each section (sky and flowers) of the image. Camera couldn't handle the huge dynamic range in a single capture. Sun Lit Nikon D300sl 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 400; 1/2,500 sec and 1/500 sec @ f /14.

04 Oct 22 Along MT Hwy-287 just outside of Ennis are the two tourist attractions Virginia City and Nevada City. Directly across from the main attraction of Nevada City, a large group of original buildings from around the state, is the "local" train station. The train actually runs between the two cities, a distance of just over a mile. The attraction is never open when we visit in the spring and fall, but if it were I would have to ride it just to say I did. Like having breakfast at Brennans in New Orleans. There is an associated railroad graveyard, or at least it is such in my opinion, at one end of the station in Nevada City. It is my favorite location to shoot at the Nevada City attraction as the cars and misc parts seem to change over time except for one old passenger car which remains in place and gracefully ages. I've shared several images of the railroad stuff over the last several years including earlier this year and today I'm sharing another. This is one from 2018 when an old locomotive was a prominent display piece. I haven't seen it for the last couple of years and don't know what happened to it. I think it would have been great to just let it rust in place but obviously I had no input. [[ If you are into old trains, there is a sorta "graveyard" called the Northwest Railway Museum roughly a quarter mile from Snowqualmie Falls in the town of Snowqualmie. If you live in these parts and like old trains it is worth a visit!! ]] Although it appears that you shouldn't be walking inside the fence amongst the cars, you can easily enter from the Virginia City end of the graveyard and freely roam around, but that just may be due to the time of year we visit. Along the backside of the buildings are some very interesting pieces of equipment several of which I can't identify. May have to share a shot of them another time; for today it's just an old engine and passenger car. The original capture had a funny sky so I've cropped off a lot of it but it was providing some beautiful light. I've also done a small amount of contrast enhancement to better show off the aging passenger car. Aging Gracefully Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 250; 1/200 sec @ f / 9.

05 Oct 22 A minute or two walk from the train station heading toward Virginia City will have you visiting an old gold mining operation that is till functioning today, although not on a commercial scale. The River of Gold is another tourist attraction but you can still pan for gold for a modest $10 fee and I'm told by one of the operators that you get to keep any you find. Which isn't much or often. Still . . . . . . . . . Scattered all around the site are equipment and machinery used in the heyday of the MT gold rush days. If you visit in the off season, as we always do, you can roam around for free. I've spent several hours over the years we've visited doing just that and each trip brings new things to light. Most of the metal machinery has long since rusted and the wooden articles thoroughly aged which makes for some lovely textures and colors. Seen against the fall yellows makes the visual appeal even more appealing and today I'm sharing a shot with both present. You drive right past this site as you travel between Nevada City and Virginia City and only once have I experienced another vehicle stopping to take a look before driving on. It isn't what you might call photogenic unless you are either a historian, a photographer, or just basically inquisitive. But I obviously think it well worth a visit so if you happen to be traveling on Hwy-287 between the two cities do yourself a favor; pull over, get out, and give yourself some time to walk around and immerse yourself in a time long since past! I do believe you won't regret, nor easily forget, it. Keep in mind that the three attractions, Nevada City, River of Gold, and Virginia City are within a mile of each other. A great way to spend an afternoon ending with dinner and a show in Virginia City (when available). I've added a fair bit of "structure" to the original to give you a little flavor of what is there to experience. After the Rush Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 250; 1/200 sec @ f / 9.

10 Oct 22 With my editor having returned I'm hoping for no typos in this missive. As I typically do, I made several versions of today's offering. Much to my surprise Jan picked one I never thought she would, so a new look (for a nature scene) for you for today even though I make one like this for each image and have used on still life offerings as recently as last Friday. Hwy-287 winds around the southern shore of Hebgen Lake and along that shoreline can be found many small stands of aspens. In the fall, as you would expect, they turn a lovely yellow, each year a bit different, but always easy on the eye. In several places you can find split rail fences that tell you that the property containing them is private but for me these fences represent opportunities to shoot as opposed to "keep out" messages. In places the fences are apparently no longer being maintained as they just stop with no suggestion of intending to go anywhere further. I've never encountered anyone on the other side to provide any information as to their purpose so I just use them as props keeping on the side facing the highway. The biggest challenge, if you can call it a challenge, is finding a safe place to pull off the road. The only challenging part I guess is having to walk from the vehicle to the site where you want to shoot. But having to do such, when everything around you is a blaze of color, is really much more of a treat than a challenge. Having the snow capped Tobacco Root mountains in the background isn't all that tough to take either. Other than the conversion using the Topaz plug-in Simplify 4, this is what the camera captured. Painted Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 400;1/1,600 sec @ f / 9.

11 Oct 22 If you do a search for images of the Grand Tetons using just about any search engine, this one for example using DuckDuckGo, and assuming I am correctly remembering them as running roughly north/south, virtually all of the photos you find will be of the western faces. Rightly so I suppose because that view is simply stunning and in the fall it is accompanied by lovely colored foliage to serve as an accent. In the autumn, in particular, the Grand Tetons can only be described as spectacular. If you haven't visited this National Park you owe it to yourself to do so. There are a couple drawbacks in that the park can be extremely crowded and the closest food and lodging in Jackson Hole are high. More so lately I believe than in the recent past. The other face of the Tetons, the eastern side, is one you likely haven't seen although in the first 100 or so pictures at the link I provided above there are 2 images. The eastern side has its own beauty although it is of a different kind. The mountains are the same, but in place of lakes, a river, and aspens, the eastern foreground is that of large beautiful farms unfortunately cluttered by power lines but the brain will easily ignore them. Not so the camera which may contribute to them not being frequently photographed. With a little effort however modern software can remove them. Today's offering is a shot of that eastern face with lots of the power lines still in place although it is likely you would have missed them had I not brought it to your attention. I've never visited prior to harvest, but you can imagine just how beautiful it must be with the golden color of grain waving in the wind as the foreground. Other than some cropping for perspective and the power line removal, this is what the camera captured. Rear View Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 200; 1/1,250 sec @ f / 9.

12 Oct 22 The damming of the Madison river with the Hebgen Dam in 1917 created Hebgen lake, a recreational body of water 15 miles long and 4 miles in length at its widest point. It has a water capacity of 386,200 acre-ft, a shoreline that extends over 65 miles, and a maximum depth of 69 feet. Basically a huge man-made aneurysm of the Madison river, it is famous for being home to many varieties of trout and other fish such as Greyling. At the West Yellowstone end of the lake it splits into two arms, the Greyling and the Madison. The peninsular like land mass that separates the two arms is home to the Hebgen Lake Estates and is where the condo is situated. To the north of the Estates is found Rainbow Point, a very nice campground but also home to the occasional grizzly which at times has been problematic. Unless of course you want to get good photo without a lot of annoying photographers getting in the way. To the south is a large hill called Horse Butte which, at its peak, provides for a lovely view of the Madison Arm of Hebgen Lake. There is a fire lookout station up there, access to almost free cut your own firewood, and a view of eagles below you. It is also home to some very nice snow mobile trails. All around its base you frequently find Bison as you also do in the Estates. Today's offering is a shot of the Madison Arm of the lake. You are looking SE to where the Madison exits from its beginning in Yellowstone National Park as well as seeing a view of the park (the mountainous area at the back of the image) that is seldom displayed, much like the shot I shared yesterday of the Tetons. The road to the top of Horse Butte is a rough one and not really suitable to the average passenger car but easily accessible to four wheel drive vehicles and trucks. You mostly need sufficient clearance between you and the dirt/rocky/potholed/washboard road. There is another equally lovely view of the lake if you turn around and shoot what is behind you. In this shot the lake was almost over full; you can see the "road" around its perimeter is almost reaching the lake's surface. Weather permitting, should you be visiting the area, I highly recommend you make the drive to the top of Horse Butte. Other that a wee bit of contrast adjustment, this is what the camera captured. Madison Arm Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture priority; ISO 200; 1/500 sec @ f / 9.

03 Oct 22 With all the attention being given Ian, I'm reminded of our experience with what the Icelanders called the "Storm of the Century" which had pummeled us with winds equal to and greater then those of Ian. Not being as densely populated, nor having anything like the number and size of the buildings in the path of Ian, the damage from that storm, which was at least equal in strength, was minuscule. When making comparisons between storms I do think we need to include all the factors. That aside, there can be some beautiful things that come in the aftermath of a storm and I'm not making light of any storm in saying this. Our experience in Iceland post storm provided us with some fantastic photographic opportunities, many of which I've shared previously and another for today's offering. Of course beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder, and how one sees things does play a huge role. The immediate two mornings following that storm let us play on Diamond beach with some magnificent black sand, challenging - at times - waves, rocking and rolling ice, and fantastic storm lighting. None of this would have been possible sans storm. So with all the terrible news about the damage inflicted by Ian, I would encourage everyone to take a deep breath and look for some of the good that accompanied that disaster. Having been through 5 of them, I can state with certainty it is not TOTAL doom and gloom. There is always a bright side, even if one has to do some serious searching to find it. Other than a little bit of cropping for composition, this is what the camera captured. The Morning After Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 200; 1/1,250 sec @ f / 9.

13 Oct 22 Last year I shared a couple shots (12 Jul & 23 Aug) of the northern hillside of Quake Lake whose true name is Earthquake Lake but that name is seldom used. "It was created by an earthquake on magnitude 7.3 on August 17, 1959. The earthquake caused an 80-million ton landslide which formed a landslide dam on the Madison river. That earthquake is the most powerful to hit the state of Montana in historic times. The landslide traveled down the north flank of Sheep Mountain, at an estimated 100 miles per hour, killing 28 people who were camping along the shores of Hebgen Lake and downstream along the Madison River." Their names are written on a plaque attached to one of these boulders. "The earthquake created fault scarps up to twenty feet high in the area near Hebgen Lake and the lake bottom itself dropped the same distance. 32,000 acres (50 sq mi) of the area near Hebgen Lake subsided more than ten feet. Several geysers in the northwestern sections in the park erupted and numerous hot springs became temporarily muddied" The enormity of something like this is understandably hard to imagine but the visitor's center at Quake Lake has a few boulders that were formally part of the flank of Sheep Mountain that you can visit up close to gain a little appreciation of the violence of that night. These rocks came down the mountain side, crossed over the river, and climbed up the other side in a matter of seconds. There is a couple in red at the edge of the boulder I'm sharing as today's offering. With your eyes draw a line from the top of their heads parallel with the stone wall; visually move them the right hand edge of the boulder. Compare the height of the boulder to them. This boulder's width is about a third of its length. In other words, it is huge. You can read a lot about "the Night of Terror" in various places but you truly have to see this location is person to fully appreciate it! This is straight from the camera. Rocks Nikon D500; 18 - 200; aperture Priority; ISO 200; 1/400 sec @ f / 9.

28 Oct 22 For this Friday's macro/close-up I've selected a group of pumpkins, warts and all. Obviously with a group it is a close-up and that may be stretching it some but I'll go with it. One of our favorite nurseries, this one in Poulsbo, got a truck load of pumpkins a few weeks ago and used them to decorate the facility. There were many different displays, some of multiple types, some of multiple colors, some of single type and even some of just one color. All the displays were quite attractive with many of them being supplemented with straw, corn stalks, and stuffed things not all being animals. Took quit a few shots of all the displays, but Jan thought this one best represented Halloween. So I made 13 variations of it and this was one of her two favorite. I think it is missing a witch or a few goblins so I'll leave it to you to add the missing elements. This is straight from the camera save for a wee bit of cropping and of course the conversion using the Topaz plug-in Glow 2. Outlined Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 200; 1/80 sec @ f / 9.

07 Oct 22 Sorta ignoring it being Friday, normally the day for a macro/close-up, and going with a simple still life. You could call it a close-up I guess, but it would be stretching things a bit. One of our congregation members, as well as good friend who lives just down the street, produces a magnificent flower garden each year, good enough to be considered a display garden. Another member of the congregation grew up working for a florist and is very talented in putting together arrangements. I've been pestering her for several years (politely of course) to teach me how to do it but so far to no avail. The congregant who grows the flowers provides them to the congregant who worked in the floral shop who puts them together for each Sunday morning service. Every bouquet is a treat. Today's offering is an example of what we experience 50+ times a year. Frequently I ask to take the bouquets home to photograph; today's offering was made using last Sunday's flowers which was comprised of just dahlias with a bit of accent from an unwary infrequent visitor to these parts. I had planned on presenting this still life using the same application I used two weeks ago for the pumpkin but it just would cooperate so I resorted to an old standby that performed well, especially so with the vase. This is straight from the camera save for some background clean up plus the manipulation using the Topaz plug-in Simplify 4. Painted Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 800; 1/ 60 sec @ f / 9 with fill flash on a tripod.

17 Oct 22 Having not visited our local mountains for several years we thought it time we did. Jan's favorite location is Picture Lake 150 miles north and east of here so we thought we'd give it a go last Thursday as it was our only free day. Checked the weather for the week and read it would be clear, sunny, and temps in the high 60s. All we needed was color info so we contacted the Park Service but found no one to talk to so left a message with a promise on the other end they would get right back to us. No message by Thursday morning but the weather forecast was holding so off we went. By the time we got to Bellingham to exit onto the Mt Baker Scenic Highway which ends at Artist's Point/Picture Lake things were starting to look iffy. But we pressed on hoping things would change. They didn't. The weather forecast of sunny was correct, but the temps were in the mid 70s, the colors were nice but a bit past prime, and the "clear" was mostly smoke!!! When we got back home late Thursday evening we had a message from the forest service saying the colors were a bit past prime, the weather would be nice and sunny, and clear! One can only wonder if anyone gets off their chair and goes OUTSIDE to look! Most likely the @#$%^&* app for that doesn't require using your brain. That said, I did take almost 200 images with the hope that I could do a little magic with software to get around most of the smoke. Today's offering is the first attempt at so doing. This is a view of Picture Lake with Mt Shuksan as the background. I couldn't completely remove the smoke and you can see the effect primarily in the URH section of the image. Direct to the left of the tallest tree in the left half of the picture you can see what looks like a tan section; without the smoke it would be huckleberry red. Of interest to me as I walked around the lake was the removal of an information display that had been there for years that described the normal progression of these mountain lakes from lake to pond to meadow to forest. Picture Lake is following that normal progression and has been getting smaller each year during the 15 years we've been visiting. Fascinating to watch and record. I can easily predict what the probable replacement information sign will proclaim. Fortunately I have photos of that older sign. I've cropped the original a wee bit for composition and obviously done some amount of adjustment to remove most of the smoke "damage." A Little Past Prime Color Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 320; 1/320 sec @ f / 9.

18 Oct 22 At the top of the road that circumnavigates Picture Lake, at the point where it "Y"s to continue on up to Artist's Point, there is a ski shop, ticket booth, and two ski lifts. I've never seen these in operation as I've never visited in the winter during ski season. Oddly, to my way of thinking, these are very underused. While I recognize that their primary function is to take skiers to the top of the mountain, they could just as easily take folks up to a majestic viewpoint for sightseeing or photography in the off season. At this time of the year, when the colors are putting on a magnificent show, I would think they could run for hours. Today's offering is provided as an example of what I mean. (I wasn't as successful in removing the smoke damage from this shot but the two hours spent was a good training exercise just the same. By the time I finish working with this group of shots I hope to have mastered a technique for any shot in the future with atmospheric particulates.) Autumn colors seem to come in different varieties in different parts of the country. While we don't get to enjoy the hillside colors of the northern mid-west or east coast, we do get to see them as ground cover. At peak color and with the right light the ground cover in the Cascades can be breath taking. There are two sets of very small lakes between Artist's Point and Picture Lake, the Bagley Lakes and the Chain Lakes. There is a trail between the lakes for each group, neither of which are difficult to walk but you are above 4,500 feet, and are well worth your time. Today's image gives you an idea of what you would see; more on that tomorrow. One of the two lifts is displayed at the far left side of the image; where the cables exit at the top of the frame you can get some idea of the ride downhill in the winter. For those of you who like a brisk ride this might be a good location for you to do some exciting skiing. I've cropped off a lot of the top where I couldn't do a reasonable job with the smoke and then adjusted for composition. Chair Lift Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 800; 1/500 sec @ f / 9.

19 Oct 22 The two lakes trails, Bagley and Chain, are roughly parallel to each other meaning they run between Artist's Point and Picture Lake but on opposing sides of a hill (mountain if you live on the other coast). It would take me about three hours to walk either of them, but someone a bit younger would likely need just an hour or so to walk them. If you are a jogger, perhaps just 15 minutes or so. But the longer you take the more you get to enjoy the show. For today's offering I'm presenting the mid point of the Bagley Lakes trail. On the left hand side is one of the lakes which as you can see aren't very large. In the center is a grouping of rocks that almost serve as a dam plus provide for a small bridge across the exiting stream. On the right you can see part of the trail. At the bridge the trail makes a loop with the other side of the loop just below the line of greenery at waters edge. The trail is only on the far side of the lake after it passes the bridge. Both walls of the trail are equally steep and this shot only shows the far side. The stream you see is what connects all the lakes together. The fall color you see here is replaced in the spring by wild flowers. Either time of year it is a paradise all its own. This is one of those locations that should be on your bucket list if you've never seen it in person. GPS location is available in the meta data for this set of Picture Lakes images should you care to see exactly where it is. This is straight from the camera save for some smoke removal which worked rather well on this shot. Mid Trail Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 800; 1/320 sec @ f / 9.

20 Oct 22 As you make the last bend on the Mt Baker Scenic Highway and reach your destination, you are immediately greeted by a large facility, The Firs Chalet, a Christian conference center which holds activities year round and is headquartered in Bellingham. Directly across for the chalet is Highwood Lake but you won't find a sign telling you its name. Today's offering is a shot of that lake. You can get a nice view of it from the chalet as well as almost touch - or so it would seem - Mt Shuksan. As you pass by the lake on your left you will see Mt Shuksan reflected on its surface. Many folks mistakenly think it is Picture Lake when they first encounter it. Since neither lake has a sign telling you its name the confusion is understandable. I'm betting if I hadn't identified today's offering as Highwood Lake you would have assumed it to be another shot of Picture Lake. The one major distinction is size; Highwood Lake is maybe 1/10 the size of Picture Lake. The other major difference is that only Picture Lake has a walk/trail around it. There is a sizable parking lot for the Firs Chalet where you can park, walk across the road, and be at the edge of Highwood Lake. It serves as a nice introduction to the area as well as a pleasant goodby as you return home. I wasn't going to shoot it but Jan strongly suggested I should as we departed; great call on her part! Do give it a few minutes of your time while exploring the other sights in this lovely location. Other than a wee bit of cropping and the removal of a couple items on the road, this is what the camera captured. Faux Picture Lake Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 250; 1/640 sec @ f /9. Hope you enjoy, dave.

14 Oct 22 This morning one of my neighbors who has a tree felling business came over to take down two trees that were either too close to the house and/or too large for me to safely tackle. One of them, a slowly dying 130 year old (tree ring count) 130+ foot (measured) tall Douglas Fir with a butt diameter of 40 inches about 30 feet from the house is the subject of today's Friday macro/close-up. He randomly selected a spot at which to make the cuts and when the tree came down we were amazed to find a stick embedded in the center of the tree EXACTLY at the location he cut. He missed the stick by perhaps a couple of millimeters and it is still intact in the stump in place where the tree grew around it. How this happened and it didn't rot or just break down is to my way of thinking something along the miraculous; beats any magic trick I've ever seen. Today's offering is a close-up of that little stick exposed in the stump. It still has its bark intact. May have to share this one with one of the nature magazines although I seriously any of the would believe me. As the often heard saying goes, Nature is stranger than fiction. But then, I do believe that should be obvious!! This is straight from the camera. Magic Stick Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 200; 1/60 sec @ f /9 with full flash.

21 Oct 22 The drive to Maggie's vet takes us through a tiny little community named Chimacum. At the intersection where we can take one of two roads to reach the vet is a very nice farm stand. We've visited it a time or two and today we did so on our return from the vet. For the last several days we have been invaded by a fair amount of smoke from both the fires in CA and those in eastern WA, so as we were driving to the vet and ran into a few light rain sprinkles we were not complaining. (Tomorrow is supposed to be rain all day which will be welcomed if it gets the smoke settled.) The drizzles that we encountered on our way to the vet left their mark on the plants outside the main building of the farm stand. As I was walking around looking at them I noticed several were displaying neat little drops of water so I thought they might be good subjects for this Friday's macro / close-up. Of the plants I shot, I picked a pumpkin top and a clump of ornamental kale as candidates and Jan chose the kale, probably because it is her favorite color. I cropped it down to display just the center as it had the greatest number of rain drops on the leaves. Of interest to me is that each of the magenta leaves have the tips colored green; I don't think that typical of the plant. Out of curiosity I did a web search for images of kale; of the 100+ I looked at not one had green tips like this plant. Probably some of you can tell me more about this particular plant, but for today we'll just enjoy it for how it looks adorned as it is with lots of tiny lights. Other than the cropping I mentioned above, this is what the camera captured. One of My Favorite Things Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 200; 1 /400 sec @ f / 6.3.