Friday, April 30, 2010

Day 70 April 30


Overcast and windy the surprise is catching these blossoms at all. They were the bright spot in an otherwise gray day that threatened to rain without producing.


This always seems to be masquerading as a church but it is an old movie theater. Neither it nor the restaurant are in business anymore nor have they been for years. The solid block complex for businesses once bustling is nearly completely empty with very few businesses now. Just beyond the theater there is a new church. The question is why didn't they just rent the theater? Perhaps there is no stage. One day it would be fun to see the inside of this theater.

Thursday, April 29, 2010

Day 69 April 29, 2010

These little guys pop up everywhere. If we didn't like them so much with their bright color, they'd no doubt be considered a weed. What a shame that would be! The contrast of the color and the texture of the moss covered log and the bark of the young tree help make them stand out.

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Day 68 April 28, 2010

I guess I am fascinated with moss on trees. It is so lacy and lovely to look at and you can see it everywhere this year.

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Day 67 April 27, 2010




Having been told rhododendrons are difficult to photograph, it became a challenge. Red has been really hard to capture. There are nearly always a number of blossoms crushing together. This one seems to have the right combination of isolation with strongly contrasting colors and textures.

The rain and hail all day left behind lovely crystal drops on the flowers. The gentle evening light crowded with sky of clouds ranging from pure white to angry black/blue/gray, accompanied by a rainbow and blue sky. The sun was low creating a soft glow in the shade and bright reflections in its direct path. Fabulous!






Monday, April 26, 2010

Day 66 April 26, 2010

It's Spring so most days it is raining! Could not resist getting the fresh raindrops clinging to the petals in the early evening light.

Day 65 April 25, 2010

At the Arboretum there was so much to see. These cheerful yellow flowers ~ azaleas ~ with the sun behind were just irresistible! Don't they just make you smile? Choosing was next to impossible as the whole day was spent shooting over a 200 mile route. This one could do well with some cropping but the dark green background really seems to set them off.

Saturday, April 24, 2010

Day 64 April 24, 2010

It rained and even stormed off an all all day until late afternoon. The sun, trying to break through the clouds in partnership with the wind trying to blow them away, finally prevailed and gifted us with this fabulous, artist rendering late afternoon spring day! The kite on Ruston Way completed the picture. It dove below the horizon, and then soared no doubt to the end of its string before doing it again and again, repeatedly teasing the wind. Perfect!

Day 63 April 23, 2010

This is a good example of a photo that lacks composition or really much interest. At this time of year, these hedges are absolutely crammed with blooms. English Laurel is great because it never exceeds about 3.5 to 4 feet in height. It would seem impossible to get a good shot of even one stalk of flowers as there are so many and on this particular one it is perhaps the best that could be done.

Thursday, April 22, 2010

Day 62 April 22, 2010

The wisteria is almost in full bloom! The fragrance is intoxicating around the front door. Some other wisterias in the neighborhood are white. The colors on this one are so deep and beautiful!

Day 61 April 21, 2010

Completely derailed today the photo of the day has to be an in-home still life hastily put together. Two views of the same pair of shoes. This one may need to be re-done just for the sake of study. Next time it will get cropped differently and perhaps even placed in a different spot. The perspective seems a bit skewed but even across the room it seems so. I'm wondering is this is due partly to the fact that the frame is leaning back on its support. It is an old house: nothing, even though it may appear so, is straight!

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Day 60 April 20, 2010

I suppose these are azaleas but I am unsure. The bushes were so scrawny. Evidentially they looked even worse when these donated plants were put in the ground here.

Monday, April 19, 2010

Day 59 April 19, 2010

Spring is such a wonderful time in the PNW! Everything blooms and things just keep blooming so everywhere you look there is something beautiful! This pink dogwood tree was absolutely alive with color and blossoms. It was hard to find just one in the picture to choose to showcase here!

Sunday, April 18, 2010

Day 58 April 18, 2010

At Point Defiance after being distracted by baby duck playing in the pond, koi surfacing and occasionally stalking them and turtles sunning on rocks, this blazing red rhododendron bush made a demand for attention. The light was bright and it was behind this part of the bush. They are so attractive: no wonder the bees like them!

Day 57 April 17, 2010

It had been a dark and rainy day. A trip to Point Defiance Park led a merry chase. The Pagoda was unavailable because there was a rather large wedding reception going on. Not only was all the parking gone but it seemed intrusive to go there just then. The ground was over saturated with water. You barely wanted to go on the paths: everything was so messy. But the pond looked inviting. And, there was a surprise there. The duck and her ducklings were all on shore when I noticed them. She hustled them into the water as she saw me approach. She took a drink and had just pulled her head out to check on the where abouts of all her babies (there were about 8).

This was the last of the little ones to enter the water. He really had to choose his spot and all the others were peeping him on to jump. You can see how they are just milling around waiting for him. These aren't wonderful photographs but they certainly are fun. There just isn't anything better than babies and these were so cute!





















Friday, April 16, 2010

Day 56 April 16, 2010

Today's warm sun caused the earliest buds of the wisteria to pop open! The fragrance is intoxicating and the colors lush. Now I believer Spring is really here. This vine is over 100 years old and has been trained up to look like a tree. Pruning about twice a year keeps it sculpted to decorate the front of the house. Because it is a vine it grows so rapidly it has to be watched or it will take the siding off a house! It may be beautiful but it is invasive and almost impossible to get rid of or so they say.

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Day 55, April 15, 2010

Out in a place called Oak Tree Prairie there were these wonderful oak trees not yet budding. All around them the Scotch Broom was beginning to bloom and then there was this one bee that came along as I was admiring the stamina and pistil.

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Day 54 April 14, 2010

What's not to like about a flatiron building? One has to wonder what were they thinking when they laid out the streets in such a fashion as to require this kind of building to have a place? It was built in 1889 by Dr. Henry Clay Bostwick, Tacoma's first practicing physician and later bank president. Local members of the Loyal Legion of the United States, and early veterans group, once assembled here and in 1893 supposedly launched the tradition of standing and doffing one's had during the national anthem. The Bostwick Building was originally a hotel. It is currently undergoing renovations. It is a wonderful piece of history in an historic downtown Tacoma, Washington.

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Day 53 April 13, 2010

It is beginning to look and feel really like Spring: finally.
In the late afternoon at
Snake Lake Park, this duck was sitting on the edge of the
path in the shade of the setting sun. The rays reflecting off the wing were
probably the last ones to be seen this close to the ground.
So accustomed to the improbablity of being
molested by people was this bird that even a passing jogger didn't ruffle her feathers and she allowed me to get very close. She kept an eye on me, however; perhaps she was almost as interested in me as I was in her.

Monday, April 12, 2010

Day 52 April 12, 2010

It would be nice to get rid of those power lines. This is the Little Church on the Prairie
in Lakewood. This was one of those too long days so had to grab a photo when I could.
Later in the spring this won't be the right angle but for today it is just fine! I might work on it a bit in a day or two.

Sunday, April 11, 2010

Day 51 April 11, 2010


The wisteria is beginning to bloom and soon the vine will be a glorious mass of variegated purples. I can hardly wait! The aroma is absolute heaven!

Day 50 April 9, 2010


Destination was Boston Harbor near Olympia. The wind was rattling around something fierce. The boats were rocking and the masts and riggings were singing a constant cacophonous song. The white caps dotted the surface of the water and it all seemed to be a perfect day for sailing although while I was there only two boats ventured out. The sun finally made an appearance so the colors were bright and exciting.



Friday, April 9, 2010

Day 49 April 9, 2010

The tide flats on Com-
mencement Bay is a deep water port. Looking across the water you can see the off loaded containers stacked up appearing like a multicolored mosaic of rectangles. The diversity of the marina area only gets hinted at by the presence of the sailboat at the stern of the empty container ship moored in the bay. It is an area of fascination and activity; beauty and decay; natural and man-made; interest and mundane.

Thursday, April 8, 2010

Day 48 April 8, 2010





The pictures aren't in the order I wanted as I forget they load on top not on the bottom of the previous photo.
This was a blustry day and quite cool. The two sky pictures show how quickly things changed today. These are about a minute or less apart. I do like the clouds, the colors and textures they have most of the time if only one will look at them and actually see them.


























The opposite direction revealed this nearly cloudless sky looking like an idylic spring or summer day. Soon this sky vista was full of clouds of beautiful shapes, colors and textures.













Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Day 47 April 7, 2010

For a day or so I've been thinking that a self portrait might be in order here somewhere. Today seemed to be the day. It has been raining everyday for days on end. And it has been frigid cold, too because of the icy wind. I don't mind because it gives me the excuse to wear my celery hat and jacket which I love. Taking this picture made me realize I've sometimes been taking portrait photos "up side down". It is probably due to the fact that I'm somewhat ambidextrous!

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Day 46 April 6, 2010

There were just too many errands and obligations today. So the picture taking was squeezed in between other things. It is the first day there was a twinge of thought to post from a previous outing. That would be cheating. Who would know besides me? No one, but that would still be one too many. If you can't keep an agreement with yourself, with whom can you?

The park felt like a rain forest. It seems many places are swampy and heavy with moss this year.

Monday, April 5, 2010

Day 45 April 5, 2010

Deciding to check out the area behind the Metropolitan Parks Building I made a wrong turn. The surprising thing was that I could make a wrong turn. By doing so, I found a building for the Boy Scouts that was a new find for me. The grounds were nicely planted to echo the woods on a very small scale. And there was this pine cone calling attention to itself.












While driving toward the Boy Scout Building I spied a curious arch in the concrete supporting a blvd where it crosses the freeway. Wondering what it was I parked the car and walked back to find a bike/hiking path with this decorative underpass. These overcast, rainy days provide a soft lighting. I like the tunnel lights reflecting off the ceiling which although it looks like it could be tile I believe is concrete.

Sunday, April 4, 2010

Day 44 April 4, 2010

Two images today simply because I want to post this one. Seeing all the shells around said loudly that sea birds feast here regularly and right next to the road, too. Mostly the shells were scattered on the grass. But this collection was on a bridge post. It made me think: sea birds don't clear the table when they're finished eating; I wonder who they think will clean up after them?













This bridge is on the way to Kopachuck State Park. The tide was out some and the water still revealing a sandy shore and creating nice reflections.










Saturday, April 3, 2010

Day 43 April 3, 2010

Those white streaks aren't photographic noise: they're rain drops. Once again I took out the Olympus as it was cold and rainy. Unfortunately it only had four shots left on the card so today's selection group was small. That isn't all bad.

I have had this in mind for a while. It is the only place I've noticed where the freeway supports aren't straight columns that rise at right angles to the ground. It occurred to me these may be demolished when the new viaduct is completed. This whole construction area might be worth a return trip. This particular part may need more study. I also find the oval holes and indentations interesting. At least on a Saturday there is space to park!

Friday, April 2, 2010

Day 42 April 2, 2010

What a day! The icy wind came roaring in and brought torrential rain with it. The tall trees responded with loud conversation among their boughs. It was a day that really didn't invite one to go out in it. The rain let up enough to brave the elements with the Olympus. Only a few shots were captured before the batteries gave out. The tree on which these flowers grew was in constant movement. The petals seem limp from the weight of the water and constant bombardment of it and the wind. They really were the only choice for the day. Who knows if the batteries hadn't given out it could have turned into another day of trying to decide which one picture to post here. These guys seemed to be brave while appearing ever so fragile: and they most likely would be, if flowers could be.

Thursday, April 1, 2010

Day 41 April 1, 2010

Only the ducks would like this windy, rainy, dark, cold day! At the lagoon at Titlow Beach there were several kinds of ducks enjoying the water. Most seemed to be sleeping while floating with heads tucked under wings. This fellow was balancing on one foot when I clicked. You do have to look closely to see the beak which appears to be the color of the water. The bramble was so thick it was impossible to get to the water's edge on the back side of the lagoon. The ducks all seemed wary making it hard to capture them without their backs completely turned. They were so quick and not at all willing to pose even for a moment! A pair of mature bald eagles glided overhead and were great to watch as they seemed to be playing with each other, unfortunately they were too far away to show in the camera lens.