Daily Image - Feb '23 Archive

01 Feb 23 Our primary means of crossing the pond is via the WA state ferry system which is a joke if nothing else, but it is the quickest way to travel north; when its running. On our end in Kingston there isn't anything really attractive save for the truly beautiful Christmas light display in the parking area. On the other side in Edmonds there is a nice underwater park that I wish had been there in my diving days, several nice shops and art shows, and a small park right next to the terminal that you walk directly past as you walk to the beach. There is a nice sculpture next to the path that features a past its prime wooden boat with two small children, a boy and a girl, playing in/alongside it, and an older individual standing on the bow looking out to the Sound. I've observed young families enjoying it on many occasions, but find the piece of art fully capable of standing on its own. I think it is made of bronze, but I wouldn't put money on it. I would have liked to shoot it in some heavy fog to give it a sense of mystery but fog has evaded me so here it is on a clear winter day. I'll leave it up to you to decide what the individual is seeking but for my money it could be a magical dragon. This is what the camera captured. Waiting for Puff Nikon D200; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 200; 1/60 sec @ f /11.

28 Feb 23 Although La Conner is known worldwide for its tulip growing, the farmers also grow an equal amount of daffodils. There is also a festival associated with the daffodils but it doesn't seem to get the same media attention as does the tulip festival. But if you like the color of yellow it is a great time to go up and visit as long as you avoid the weekends. The daffodils arrive much earlier - in March - as today's offering taken exactly 13 years ago can attest. At this time of the year the weather can be iffy but as it is just an hour + drive one can generally pick a time for decent weather which by my definition means bluish sky with clouds. The day this shot was taken not only provided such a sky, but a nice view of Mt Baker, the third highest peak in the state reaching a height of 10,781 feet and getting the most snow annually of all the peaks in the Cascade range, setting a world record snowfall in 1998 of 1182 inches!! If you are in the general area during March this is a great place to spend an afternoon or maybe longer. This is straight from the camera save for a wee bit of cropping and distraction removal. Fields of Yellow Nikon D300; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 200; 1/500 sec @ f / 8.

27 Feb 23 The Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge, on the Nisqually River Delta in southern Puget Sound, was established in 1974 for the protection of migratory birds. Three thousand acres of salt and freshwater marshes, grasslands, riparian, and mixed forest habitats to provide resting and nesting areas for migratory waterfowl, songbirds, raptors, and wading birds. We first visited it in 2008 when it was in a similar condition to that of Fir Island before restoration meaning it was teeming with wildlife. A year or so later it was completely changed "returning" to its "natural" state. We visited again shortly thereafter to witness a total decimation of the wildlife populations we had seen on our first visit. We haven't been back since but I have a strange feeling if we did it would feel like Fir Island all over again. While our first trip was a late morning visit our second was an early morning visit as I figured we would see more waterfowl earlier in the morning. We didn't, and in fact, we saw very little wildlife at all. Now in all fairness it was a cold morning with a bit of skim ice in lots of areas and perhaps a bit thicker than that as there were a couple areas with geese walking on the ice. Lacking the desired wildlife I tried to concentrate on anything I thought at least marginally pretty and the shot I'm sharing from that morning fits that category. The sun was just breaking through, the water still, and sections of it covered in skim ice. It was in need of a few ducks swimming around to break up the tree's reflection a wee bit but they never arrived so I just went with the reflection. This is straight from the camera. Chilly Nikon D300s; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 400; 1/400 sec @ f / 9 with the D300s.

07 Feb 23 If one were to drive to the corner of our street, take a right, and then drive straight for about 6 miles one would wind up in a part of Puget Sound called Port Gamble. There is no direct road to get to the port but it would be great if there were. All that is lacking is a small bridge to cover the short distance at the very end that is water. Port Gamble was one of the early lumber mills that dotted this side of Puget Sound. Where we lived prior to moving here - Ballard - was another such location. The Port Gamble Mill was owned by the Pope & Talbot families as part of a land purchase in 1892 exceeding 186,000 acres. There is a book called Time Tide and Timber published in 1949 that chronicles the entire Pope & Talbot history of which I have an original copy with a dedication in it written by a Talbot family member. Original price for the book was $5; quite a lot of money for a book in 1949. By the time we moved here the Pope & Talbot organization had gone into bankruptcy and was no longer. It was from this organization that my grandfather purchased the land we live on. When we moved here I began photographing the old buildings and other relics that were rapidly deteriorating not knowing their fate. Fortunately, among those was what was remaining of the Port Gamble Mill, the subject for today's offering. It's all gone now as are many other historical buildings that have been removed as part of the green clean-up. In many cases very little remains of the history and even some of it is being rewritten but fortunately there is a museum in Port Gamble that has done a reasonably nice job of keeping a very good record of what transpired in the early lumber days in the PNW. If you visit the area do plan on spending a little time in the museum. This is what the camera captured. Disappearing Act Nikon D300s; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 250; 1/320 sec @ f /8.

08 Feb 23 Back to the mill for today's offering. Among the things lost when historic sites like the Port Gamble Mill disappear, not including the obvious history, is the opportunity for some wonderful photographic fun. The old framework, the pilings, buildings, and mechanical parts are just some of what is no longer available to photograph and appreciate. Little do later generations ever understand what prior generations endured to create the modern lifestyle. We take far too much for granted, criticize what we haven't experienced, and fail to comprehend what our forefathers had to endure to bring us the easy life we take for granted. The loss of all these old relics makes it even more challenging to appreciate what it must have been like a hundred years ago. I'm often reminded of some of it when I think back on some of the stories my father shared with me along with the hundreds of photos he left behind, mostly 2x3 or smaller, that I'm attempting to preserve by scanning into digital format. Many are from the Great Depression years when a day's wage was $0.25 and there was no such thing as an 8 hour day or 4-5 day work week. With the things that could remind us of how things once were rapidly being destroyed we are losing more than photogenic sites. Sadly for me I didn't take enough of those images before they were gone and before I fully realized what was transpiring. But today we get to look at one of a few well ordered pilings that served as the structural base for something but what it was I don't exactly know. So you can use your imagination to decide what was their main purpose; perhaps that piece of rusted machinery will be helpful. This is straight from the camera but I've cropped away a fair portion of the original as Jan preferred the crop to the entire capture. Parallels Nikon D300s; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 250; 1/400 sec @ f / 8.

06 Feb 23 About a 40 minute drive from our home is located the Bloedel Reserve, considered one of the 10 best botanical gardens in North America. About 12 minutes from our home can be found Heronswood Garden, both of which are lovely gardens, differing in scope and purpose. One far more accessible than the other and far cheaper in price but on a smaller scale. Both are really beautiful, but in differing ways. Across the road and down one lot from where we live is another beautiful view, accessible year round, and free. It is the drive to a neighbors house and in addition to my favorite piece of property around, one of Maggie's favorite spots. An elderly lady lives there and I try to keep her drive accessible for her year round. In return I have permission to walk the drive and shoot as I desire. In the fall it is covered in colored leaves, in the spring with tiny white flowers, and year round with beautiful green moss "supporting" a forest of cedar trees. Always a delight to the eye, or the feet if you happen to be a four legged critter like Maggie. In addition to the flowers and moss, frequently one can find some interesting fungi protruding from some of the stumps. Just to top it off, it abounds with an abundance of sword ferns. The only thing lacking is a few large reptilian critters. And who knows, I read today that there is a company which claims to being ready by 2027 to bring back the Woolly Mammoth; with a little more playing God perhaps we can have a local Jurassic Park just one lot away. This is what the camera captured. Easy on the Feet & Eyes Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 200; 1/20 sec @ f / 5.6 hand held.

09 Feb 23 We'll leave Port Gamble for today and jump out to an area not totally unlike that from where all that wood originated. The forests that dominated the hillsides on either side of Puget Sound were the lifeblood of the early communities that dot both its sides. For those of you who might be interested in a very accurate but wholly funny history of the Seattle /Tacoma beginnings I'm certain you would enjoy reading Bill Speidel's Sons of the Profits (note well the spelling) which discusses the first half century between 1851 - 1901. Fortunately, for all of us, those early lumbermen/loggers didn't have chain saws or we would be living in a desert. The area where we live was virtually carved out of the forests and the trees then used to create the industries that created the cities. This shot is from a portion of one of our three rain forests a couple three hours west of here but you don't have to travel that far to find similar sights. The weather here is such that you don't have to look far to find mossy covered trees and in fact we don't have to leave the property to find a few. They make for a lovely view and often leave you with the feeling when you are walking in them that you need to keep your eyes peeled just to make sure you are the observer and not the observed. If you are fortunate enough to see one of our ancient relatives running through the forest you will be among the few who have had that experience. But don't tell others, they likely won't believe you. However, a sharp shot of one would be a treasured addition to any photo album, maybe even framed and on a wall. This is what the camera captured. In Search of Sasquatch Nikon D300s; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 800; 1/60 sec @ f / 6.3.

03 Feb 23 We'll stretch things a bit for this Friday's macro / close-up and go with a portrait. Among the many birds that like to dine on the various offerings Jan hangs off the rear deck are a mated pair of Pileated Woodpeckers that live on the property. When I was a kid I remember talk about them likely going extinct like their cousins the Ivory Billed Woodpecker but that obviously was far from realistic. Big birds, with a distinct call, they find the suet we hang irresistible. They often just sit on the deck rail and look at us and as long as we don't make any quick moves they will stay for several minutes even when not feeding. Come early summer we typically see a single baby on the deck asking to be fed with either mom or dad stuffing him/her full of food. We mostly see them from late spring to late fall but when the weather is really nasty making hunting for food in the trees a bit challenging, such as during heavy snowfalls, they don't hesitate to make use of the food sources during winter as well. This is a shot from that same snowfall I shared yesterday but from our home obviously of the male bird. This is what the camera captured. Meal Time Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 800; 1/320 sec @ f / 9.

02 Feb 23 We got another snowfall on Tuesday, for about 5 minutes, with flakes the size of ground pepper. Just enough to remind me that it was 4 years ago shy 1 week that we made the drive to Sequim so I could shoot lavender in deep snow and got stuck . . . . twice. But it was a fun trip anyway and a story I love to share. Before all the stuck stuff occurred we stopped to shoot one of my favorite lavender farms along the way that butts up against Hwy-101 and is easy to shoot. It is a nice farm, the owners very welcoming, with many things to see and do/shoot. If you are interested in becoming involved with lavender it is currently for sale. I do hope the new owners, whoever they may be, keep things the way they have been there for several years. What caught my eye as we reached the farm - had to turn around and go back to a safe parking area to get my photos - was the mounding of the snow on each lavender plant. It almost looked like a yard full of old tires that had the snow cover them up. The plants in this farm are evenly spaced apart and are in very straight neat rows so it made for a very interesting pattern. I may share another shot showing all the farm next week to give you the full experience but thought this might be the best one if I don't share more. It may not be readily apparent, so if you haven't already, look at the roof on the right side of the barn you can see where the heat has melted the snow off the four skylights. On a day like this one the farm is aptly named even if it is the very middle of winter. And what a day for a drive. Wish we had more just like this! This is what the camera captured save for my removal of a couple annoying distractions which have to do with cell phones. Mounds Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 400; 1/6,400 sec @ f / 9.

10 Feb 23 Virtually everything in our landscape bloomed or budded out early this past year save for the Mountain Laurel and the Chinese Lantern Plants; they have been very late. So for this Friday's macro / closeup I'm sharing a macro shot of a short branch of the Chinese Lanterns with three blossoms with the outer shell still intact. These were harvested about a month ago and look like they should have looked in late October/early November, save for a bit of help from me. The see through versions have just occurred in the last couple of weeks so I'll share a shot of those in some future mailing. With the very late performance last year I'm curious to see how things go this year. Regardless of what holds in store, here is a nice set of three that I'm sharing as a potential design for a lamp. This is straight from the camera save for me making the background a more uniform back and then conversion using the Topaz plug-in Glow 2. Glowing Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 800; 1/60 sec @ f / 9 with fill flash.

13 Feb 23 We took a nice drive up to Fir Island on Friday and had a wonderful day shooting more birds than we have ever seen if exact numbers aren't included. The Snow Geese flock that was somewhere around 12,000 in number when we first visited in 2007 now is apparently over 80,000 in number; we saw maybe 3,000 of them in one location. Not all that impressive compared to what we normally see but other feathered friends made up for it. Obviously we didn't get exact counts, but we saw maybe a half dozen Great Blue Herons, roughly 2,000 Mallard Ducks, probably 5-600 Trumpeter Swans, and about 50 Bald Eagles, plus the geese. So for any of you anywhere near Fir Island, say within a 4 hour drive, NOW would be the time to go visit. I'm going to spend the next two weeks or so sharing images from that visit. If you're not familiar with how to get there, take exit 221 off I-5 and go west. Follow the signs for LaConner. As soon as you cross over the Skagit River you are on Fir Island. That's about a 5 minute drive at most! Our first stop once we get there is generally via Wylie Road which takes us to the Skagit Wildlife Area Headquarters. This was a GREAT place to visit 15 years back and was teeming with many kinds of birds, especially owls and other small raptors. It has since been "restored" to it's so called "natural" state at considerable taxpayer expense and there are now far fewer birds, it looks terrible, and additionally requires a fee to visit. This is just a part of the "restoration" ongoing on Fir Island taking over vast areas of farm land. About 2 blocks prior to reaching the site we stopped to shoot a small group of Trumpeter Swans. It was also our first sighting of a large number of Mallards. Interestingly the swans were keeping in a band of lush green grass while the ducks were staying in a band of previously plowed ground. Zero ducks in the grass and zero swans in the plowed area. It was almost as if there was an invisible fence between them. A few Bald Eagles were also present and each time one flew the ducks took flight much like the geese but the swans totally ignored them. I guess size really does matter. That was to be the start of a really rewarding day until I completed it by dropping the camera in a parking lot; one approach to getting new hardware. 😂 This is straight from the camera save for a little cropping and straightening. Each to their Own Kind Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 200; ISO 200; 1/640 sec @ f / 9.

14 Feb 23 Leaving the swans and ducks for a short while we drove another half mile to the headquarters area which as I mentioned yesterday is rather a big costly disappointment. As we were walking around the parking area end I noticed a couple adult Bald Eagles circling overhead flying in tandem. After a few minutes one departed the pattern while the other began flying lower and lower only to almost buzz me as it dove into the marshy shoreline to nab a Mallard Drake. Jan saw it happen while I just saw the bird disappear behind the rushes. Jan yelled what she had just seen so I moved my position to where I could observe the eagle. It saw me as well and remained motionless some distance from the dead duck. When it decided I wasn't going to do anything it took a couple steps then flew over to where it had its kill. The shot I'm sharing for today is that of the eagle just taking off to fly the maybe 10 feet to where it had initially nailed the duck. The eagle had been standing for the most part behind that snag at the right in the frame when it was keeping an eye out for me; the duck is directly behind the stump at the left hand of the frame in the grassy area in front of that lightly colored log. This is straight from the camera save for some cropping and a wee bit of a vignette. Fetching Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 200; 1/500 sec @ f / 9.

15 Feb 23 We pick up today with the eagle having returned to its kill, grabbing it, making a 180, and heading off for a distant snag for a nice lunch. The light at the time was such that the bird and its surroundings looked much alike. The duck, which was one of a group, was in the corner of the marshy area and I don't know how the bird could see them as it was approaching at a low level from behind the mass of cattails with the light in its eyes. There was a reason I guess for the one line of four in the 50's Dr Kildare series: "The Eye of an Eagle." In any event the eagle got the duck, and I "sorta" got the photo meaning that all I got was the result of all the activity. Processing this shot was a bit of a challenge as the bird and its surroundings are all of the same tonal quality (level) and that makes it difficult to get any contrast without which the image is just simply flat. So here we have the eagle just before rising up over the cattails with the duck in its talons (look directly beneath the white tail feathers) and departing for that snag far enough away that it was just a spot in the frame. This is a small crop for the original capture with a fair amount of processing as mentioned above. Harvest Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 200; 1/1,250 sec @ f / 9.

16 Feb 23 The weather guessers said that if we arrived after 1300 at Fir Island that the bad weather would be gone and we could spend the day in sunshine. Well, as you can imagine, the term weather guesser wasn't just pulled out of thin air. We arrived to some really stormy weather but it wasn't all bad as it made for some interesting photographic opportunities. With a fair amount of black clouds interspersed with some bright white one the stage was set for some dramatic scenes. It would eventually completely clear up leaving us with a rather boring sky by day's end but in the meantime we got to see some truly marvelous skies. The light that was bathing those cattails was of fleeting duration and just ten minutes after the eagle had left the area with its kill this was how the surrounding marsh looked. A few minutes later we were to see a little more sunshine and so it went, back and forth, for the next hour or so. If like me you enjoy playing with the clouds you would have enjoyed the day; if clouds are not to your liking this day would have been mostly a bust. This is straight from the camera save for some cropping. Breaking Up Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 200; 1/1,600 sec @ f / 9.

20 Feb 23 Our trip to Fir Island almost became our second trip out of dozens to get skunked Snow Geese wise but we dodged the bullet . . . . . . . . somewhat. As I mentioned earlier the flock that was roughly 12K critters when we first began visiting has now grown to something around 80K critters, a lot of birds for the amount of land available to feed them. After we finished shooting the swans and prior to visiting La Conner we began a circuitous drive around the island looking for that huge flock of birds. Not finding any we took a couple of side roads to no avail. At that point we pretty much accepted that this would be our 2nd skunking and headed to La Conner. After crossing over the river you have two choices for reaching the town, and we took what we feel is the more scenic route which takes you among the flower farms. It's resplendent with homes and barns and some lovely landscaping to boot. Still no birds so we decided to kill some time since we had planned on staying for sunset and started to explore some middle roads we haven't traveled before. That was the answer . . . . . . well . . . sorta. We found a flock of maybe 3K birds but they were mostly far out in a field with a terrible background and the rest, maybe 200 individuals, were walking along the edge of the road. But no launches and overhead shows to be had even with two Bald Eagles in a tree directly opposite them. Must have been teenagers. As poor as the setting was, there was a sign near the edge of the road stating that the property was a private [goose] hunting ground and to stay out. A bit humorous was that sign with several geese close by giving it full view of their rear ends as if to say Try Me!!!! Not often one is presented with such a sight. I've cropped and straightened the original some and brightened the sign, otherwise it is what the camera recorded. Teenage Defiance Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 500; 1/1,250 sec @ f / 9.

21 Feb 23 Right out of the chute let me suggest that there are two images today, what I'm sending, and a second that you make by cropping the image to just keep the left barn and at the same time removing some sky and grass to maintain the perspective. See which you prefer; I like the cropped version better but what I'm sharing works better with the vignette. A long block from where we were parked and I took yesterday's shot was a group of geese, perhaps numbering 4-500, that were backed up to a couple of farm buildings, barns I believe. They were there for awhile, maybe a couple hours according to another shooter, from the left edge of the larger barn all the way to the street, when all of a sudden they decided to move to a different location about a hundred yards away. They didn't all go and, as you can see in the shot, many opted to stay put and none flew much higher in the transition than the height of the barns. Not a loud roaring departure either but an orderly flight for maybe a minute and then that was the flight activity for the day. I've shared a lot of these geese images with them flying in what looks like total confusion, but this one is a bit different in that to my eye they are all in a formation and not going in all directions at once as in all the other shots I've sent. I'll attribute that to the fact that they were just repositioning and not trying to confuse a predator; I've got a 50 - 50 chance of being correct. Other than some cropping and distraction removal, this is what the camera recorded. Changing Places Nikon D500; 18 - 200; aperture Priority; ISO 500; 1/2,500 sec @ f / 9.

22 Feb 23 Third and last of the geese shots from this trip; for those of you who like to make triptychs this might be a good set and for those of you who like puzzles today's offering might make for a suitable puzzle. The location of the geese was different from other encounters we've had in that a fair number were actually feeding on the grass adjoining the road. Normally they stay back a few dozen feet such that neither traffic or pesky observers (photographers) disturb them. But this group was very different. As the traffic passed by they simply ignored it until it was either going at a certain speed or making a loud noise. When that occurred a "section" of the critters would launch up about 10 feet and then just settle right back down from the launch spot. It I could have taken the shots as a time lapse it would have looked liked they were on a camshaft with one lobe after another tossing geese into the air. It was fun to watch and even more fun trying to guess which section of the birds would be the next to jump up into the air. Today's offering is a shot of them doing just such. The edge of the road is at the bottom right hand corner, lots of the birds just watching things, and the remainder doing the jumpy thing. A very entertaining group they were. Zoom in to have a good look at the birds. This is straight from the camera. Jumping Jacks Nikon D500; 18 - 200. Aperture Priority; ISO 500; 1/2,500 sec @ f / 9.

17 Feb 23 For this Friday's macro / close-up we will be looking at subject close-up somewhat reminiscent of a shot I shared from Iceland of a cello player in front of the Reykjavik Symphony House, only this time it is of a performing arts (fiddle) crab. It is probably a Dungeness Crab playing fiddle but I'm going with a Fiddler Crab. I've included a small inset of the original so you'll have an idea of how I got this. Note that this crab is wearing part of a tux, if only the bow tie portion. (Seated next to the crab was a young female talking on a cell phone with a mouth to make a sailor blush. Every 6th word or so started with the 6th letter of the alphabet. I guess she wanted us to know she was a recent college graduate with an English major, or something of the sort.) As we were walking along the waterfront looking for that salmon bridge I shared a couple weeks back - it is no longer there having been moved to a park - we came upon the crab. We were approaching from the back side which wasn't very impressive but once we got past it and the individual siting next to it on the phone I realized what it was. Waited a bit for the talker to disappear but when that didn't happen took a few shots anyway. They were all very busy - see insert - so I elected to remove the crab and put it on a quasi-sandy background. I've done this type of work before and it was easy, but never with the current product and it proved to be quite the exercise. But there is a first time for everything. Take a good look at the crab; the artist did a wonderful job including just about everything crab. Zooming in will be helpful not only for seeing all the detail in the crab but for getting a good look of where it actually sits in La Conner. This is just a cutout of the original; much editing to get to what you are seeing. Performing Arts Crab with inset Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 400; 1/1,250 sec @ f / 9.

23 Feb 23 In addition to the crab art I shared last week there are, as you might imagine, many more pieces of artwork to be enjoyed in downtown La Conner. One piece, which really isn't art but might be considered so due to what's been done to it, is an 800+ year old log on display in the alcove between two of the shops. You can easily miss it as you walk past as it isn't very visible when walking south and not at all obvious what it is when walking north. The log was floating in the water when a log towing crew discovered it in 1958. After some inquiries it was donated to the city and has been on display ever since although this last trip was the first time I had taken any notice of it. Having cleaned it up and sanded it to a nice finish, it has been adorned with cards noting significant events in history starting with the signing of the Magna Carta when the tree was just a sapling, about 5 years old. It is an interesting display which if nothing else is a sobering reminder of how many nations have come to power and then lost it during its lifetime. Zoom in and take a few minutes to read all the cards. Due to its location in the alcove and the lighting at the time I took this I've had to cut off a fair portion of the tree but you can image its actual size when you see where the pin is in the center of the tree that starts the timeline. This is what the camera captured save for all my cropping. 4th Dimension Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 400; 1/1,250 sec @ f / 9.

24 Feb 23 Our plans to end the Fir Island trip with a stunning sunset failed to materialize. It did of course end with the sun setting, but not exactly what I had hoped to see. Still, there was some color that was useful so I tried several different approaches in trying to make it work for me. Of those my favorite by far was using the sky for color and exposing for it such that my foreground, a group of dried grasses, would go black, as in silhouette. I think it worked. Among the items in the frame was a cyclone fence that marked a property line. I didn't want it in the image but composing to remove it would have ruined the composition I wanted, so I left it in. In processing I knew I could just paint it out but decided to leave it in as it adds a little "texture" to the scene. If you don't like it you can always just paint it out with black; actually, you might dupe the image, paint one and not the other, and compare to see which you prefer. If you are among those who keep these images you can look back a decade ago to see a couple with a serpentine orange body of water; that body of water is the water at the middle bottom with the grasses in front of it. At the top of that water is a darkish band which is a dyke and behind that - you can't see it - is Puget Sound. This is straight from the camera. Eve's Decline Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 400; 1/1,000 sec @ f / 9.