Park'd Trees

Spring Approacheth

Mount Hood Peaking

Frog Hunting

Crouched low, his 12 year old eyes scour the pond floor searching for the early Spring allusive frogs.

Duck Flight

Madam and Sir Duck

Portland Signs

Just Another Rainy Day In Portland, Oregon

Sunrise Birthday for Lord V

The Sun put on a grand Sunrise show for Lord V's birthday.

Sunrise 2010

I was up early in preparation of driving MiniWarrior to school.



Dragging a comb through my morning tangled hair I lumbered sleepily to my closet to exchange PJ's for sweats, something to get me through the drive until I was back home and could shower at leisure.



Sweats on, I trudged into the kitchen and ground the coffee beans, added water to the pot and set it to brew.



I turned and glanced towards the windows looking out over the Columbia River and stood still, transfixed by the swirls of color from the beginning tendrils of the sunrise.



I bolted to my camera closet and grabbed up Chanda. I knew the magic light of the sunrise could disappear within seconds. My hands shook as I took the cover off Chanda's eye and I slipped through the back door out onto the terrace.




I shot, checked, changed Chanda's light settings, shot, checked, changed settings, shot, changed, shot, checked-- while the sun lifted itself up from the foot of Mt Hood and speared the sky with its yellow beams spinning the grey morning clouds into a brilliant lavender, orange, yellow, blue and red canvas of light.

It was magnificent...and I am sorry but I only managed to capture a humble bit of it to pocket away and share with you.

Winter Approacheth

A few trees stubbornly hang on to their fall coats--but Old Man Winter is fast approaching.

GabbyAbby: Queen of the High Seas!

Abracadabra!

Pulling into the driveway this morning after dropping MiniWarrior off at school, I spied a leaf that had caught in a spiders web...



Abracadabra...



Floating Leaf!

A Spot of Fall Color

I spied this brilliant fall leaf while dashing across the street after dropping my truck to get new tires.

I leaned down as far as I could with my iPhone to try and capture the raindrops laying on the beautiful red leaf framed by dark green grass.

Halloween Time Approacheth!

Maui Sunset

Our last evening in Maui we drove to Lanai for dinner and a chance for me to do some tacky tourist shopping for memento trinkets to drag home.



While we strolled along the sea wall the sun began its decent. The crowd around us started stopping to take in the start of a beautiful sunset.



Everywhere I looked people had their cameras to their eyes, jostling their loved ones into the perfect sunset shot.



Soon the cameras lowered and people pressed in against each other, arms circling, heads leaning, a sort of awed hush settled down around us.



It was pure magic watching the fiery sun ball slide slowly into the edge of the ocean.



Its fingers burning the air turning it a red orange glow.




It was the perfect end to our Maui vacation.



Paradise.

Flying Free

The wind pushed hard against me, whipping my hair around the telescopic lens of Chanda while I tracked the hawk swooping in the sky above me.

He climbed then spread his wings freezing in mid flight as he caught the current and hovered riding it like an ocean surfer.



He dipped his head searching the waters below him for a tasty fish morsel that he could feast upon.



He poised, searched then turned and veered sharply, spreading his wings, pausing in mid hunt to dance with the wind.

Waning Summer

Wildflowers Outside My Door

Rippling Waters

Heart of the Forest

Wilderness Trail

Wenatchee National Forest

Endless stretches of old growth trees. Mind boggling to view.

Lilac Garnish

Sometimes I witness a moment where a window opens in the clouds and the essence of Heaven flitters down and touches the Earth.
My eyes see yet cannot quite grasp the full beauty of the image.
It is in these moments that my camera captures and filters the magic so my soul can comprehend.

Under The Apple Tree

"under the apple tree" sounds like a song, doesn't it? :)

Horse Hike

Windsong

Her name is Windsong.



I do not know her whole story but I do know she is a rescue horse. Her new owners are an older couple in their 70's who dedicate their retirement years rescuing horses and providing them with a loving home. Can you see the curry brush marks on Windsongs tummy? :) She is loved.

Horse Freckles

So large. So powerful. So...human.

Horse Lips

Out of all the pictures I took of our weekend in Yakima, Washington, this one is my favorite.
There is something so endearing about the fragile, wizened mouth framed by haphazard horse whiskers.

Moonlight

Sitting out on our terrace, burning marshmallows in the fire pit, a large orange moon slipped into the evening sky and beamed down on us.



"Get your camera, Mom!" MiniWarrior exclaimed.



I hesitated for I was nestled in my outdoor recliner and had relaxed to the boneless state.



But the call of the moonlight and MiniWarriors excitement roused me and I plodded into the house to bring Chanda out to our Moonlight show.

Visions in Red: Garden of Eden--Maui

Garden of Eden: Road to Hana (Maui) - Part 3

Garden of Eden: Road to Hana--Part 2

Garden of Eden: Road to Hana (Maui)--Part 1

Necklace Lady

At a rest stop on the road to Hana, we pulled over for a much needed bathroom break.

Once refreshed, we gathered along the edge of the stop to peer over the retaining wall to the ocean view below.

A lady sat making jewelery at a picnic table which she had covered in a light blue quilt to use as a backdrop for her necklaces and bracelets for sale.

Not an uncommon sight to see along a road in Maui, however she was quite talented and her jewelery was uniquely beautiful.

I talked to her a bit, trying on a few necklaces.

Lord V bought a pink pearl necklace with a white flower cut out of a shell pendant for me.

I asked if I could take her picture and she smiled shyly for me.

I held up the display of the camera for her to see her picture and she blushed and covered her face with her hands.

"Oh, I'm getting so big!" She said, then cradled a hand on her belly. "I'm pregnant." She added with a secret glow that women have when they are carrying life inside them.

I smiled and congratulated her.

To me, it made the necklace we had just purchased more beautiful--to know the history behind the delicate hands that had created it.

Road to Hana: Pit-stops

Road to Hana: Maui

50-miles long






600 hairpin turns





54 one-lane bridges





The road to Hana





Is not for the weak stomached






Nor the faint of heart



But it is a photographers delight :)

Paia, Maui

Koi Pool at the Wailea Maui Marriott Resort

Mountains of Maui

One of the advantages of riding in a convertible is the opportunity to lean my camera over side and snap the landscape images as we fly by.

Flowers Surrounding Wailea, Maui Marriott

Marriot Resort: Waileah, Maui

lobby lamps



7th floor room view


hotel beach

Frog Invasion

Our fountain is infested with tadpoles.



Tadpoles which quickly are growing into froglets.



MiniWarrior, my 11 year old Biologist, is thrilled.



He whiles many an hour away capturing the froglets and studying them.



We are beginning to be convinced that MiniWarrior's adult profession will be centered around animal study.



For he spends his every waking hour searching for preying mantis, grasshoppers, snakes and frogs.