~ Lens-Artists Challenge #419: Landmarks & Monuments ~

Posted on October 30, 2026 by Lindy Le Coq

John Steiner leads this week with an invitation to “share up to six photos of crafted or natural sites that inspire you to pause and capture a photo.” For this challenge I bid you to take an abbreviated journey with me from St. Louis, MO to Long Beach, WA. This voyage started on May 14, 1804 from Camp Dubois, located near St. Louis, MO. Though the Gateway Arch was constructed long after the Lewis and Clark Corp of Discovery ventured across the newly acquired Louisiana Territory, it is a symbol of the point of departure .

If you haven’t seen the excellent Ken Burns documentary, Lewis & Clark: The Journey of the Corps of Discovery, I highly recommend it. In 1803, President Thomas Jefferson won approval from Congress to send a team of intrepid explorers to find a passable water route west to the Pacific Ocean. It was a dangerous endeavor, as the documentary reveals

Mt. Hood from the air.

All members of the Corps were expected to make journal entries every day. As they came through the Columbia Gorge, on November 3, 1805 Captain Clark wrote; “A mountain which we suppose to be Mt. Hood is S. 85 E., about 47 miles distant from the mouth of Quicksand River. This mountain is covered with snow and in the range of mountains which we have passed through and is of a conical form, but rugged.”

View of the Pacific Ocean from Cape Disappointment at the mouth of the Columbia River.

On November 16, 1805, Joseph Whitehouse wrote, “We are now in plain view of the Pacific Ocean, the waves rolling, & the surf roaring very loud….we think that we are at the end of our Voyage to the Pacific Ocean.”

On December 1, 1805, William Clark declared, “Pacific Ocean & N W roars like an emence fall at a distance, and this roaring has continued ever Since our arrival in the neighbourhood of the Sea Coast which has been 24 days Since we arrived in Sight of the Great Western; (for I cannot Say Pacific) Ocian as I have not Seen one pacific day Since my arrival in its vicinity, and its waters are forming and petially [perpetually] breake with emence waves on the Sands and rockey Coasts, tempestous and horiable.”

Our condominium at Long Beach, WA is about a quarter mile from the bronze memorial sculpture commemorating Lewis and Clark’s journey across North America. The sculpture, created by Stanley Wanlass, marks the westernmost and northernmost point of Lewis and Clark’s journey to the Pacific Ocean.

To establish United States precedence of discovery and occupation in what was then the Oregon Country, Clark carved into a living tree the message, “William Clark. Nov. 19, 1805. By land from the U. States.”

Thanks to John for this challenging challenge!

On your walk with life, please honor our earth, encourage dignity and share kindness. 🐾

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~ Lens-Artists Challenge #418: Memories ~

Posted on October 23, 2026 by Lindy Le Coq

A few days ago I sent a text to my two sisters telling them I was grilling the last of the Kokanee trout from my July fishing trip with Diana, and realized I was wearing the pretty Gateway Arch sweatshirt I’d purchased when Diana and I were with Lori in St. Louis, two years ago. We weren’t able to make the trip last year, and had been batting around the idea of going this year. It seems that mention of happy memories prompted Diana to book tickets to St Louis the first week of November. She informed me and I was able to book on the same flights, so off we go on election day to make more Sister memories!

Lori (left) lives in St. Louis with her husband, Scott. Together they have been renovating a historic home – doing most of the interior and landscape work themselves. It is a handsome mansion built in 1905. Everything they do to it is meticulous and tasteful.

Many of the photos I’ve shared on Lens-Artists challenges have come from my 2023 & 2024 Sister visits in St. Louis. Lori takes us to places she knows we will love, and engineered our getting to the Missouri Botanical Gardens for the Dale Chihulli exhibit.

Lori introduced us to the Sophia M. Sachs Butterfly House, found fun carousels, took me to the Blues Museum, visited the Ferris Wheel, and went up in the Arch.

We have so much fun together!

Thanks to Tina for this challenge. Sisters, Lori, Diana and I snugged together on a butterfly bench and photographed by a kind stranger!

On your walk with life, please honor our earth, encourage dignity and share kindness. 🐾

Posted in Lens-Artists, Lens-Artists Photo Challenge, photography, travel, weekly photo challenge | Tagged , , , , , | 12 Comments

~ Lens-Artists Challenge #417: Where Does it Lead? ~

Posted on October 12, 2026 by Lindy Le Coq

Egídio leads this week with an invitation to showcase photos that guide us into the scene. He offers three ways to approach the topic: literally, by featuring “any surface built or worn for travel,” compositionally, with “photos that move the eye…the destination barely matters next to the shape of the getting there,” and interpretively, using “tracks and traces, or metaphor.”

Walking trails are a pleasure to be on and always invite me to snap photos of where I am. The first time on a trail is always an adventure, since I don’t know where it will take me! In nature, I’m not afraid; cautious and careful, though confident.

Here are two favorite photos that draw the eye to a a vanishing point, representative of the compositional mode.

Thank you for the third approach to the challenge, Egídio. The interpretive option “opens the prompt up wide” allowing for the use of “tracks and traces, or metaphor.” Oooh, metaphor; “a thing regarded as representative or symbolic of something else, especially something abstract.” New Oxford American Dictionary.

Thanks to Egídio for another uplifting and wide open challenge. To see his post click here.

On your walk with life, please honor our earth, encourage dignity and share kindness. 🐾

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~ Lens-Artists Challenge #416: Music ~

Posted on October 9, 2026 by Lindy Le Coq

Ritva invites us to turn up the volume and “capture the energy, excitement, and emotion of live music—or anything connected to it. Think instruments, the crowd, listeners, and most importantly, the emotions and feelings that music sparks in us all.” I always loved going to live music dances (Paul Rivere & the Raiders, Three Dog Night), big name concerts (Tony Bennett, Pat Metheny), and the Mount Hood Festival of Jazz in Portland Oregon, where I was blessed to see many Jazz greats (Dave Brubeck, Stan Getz, Charlie Hayden & Quartet West, Gene Harris), to name a few.

Sixty years ago, at the age of 17, I purchased this Victrola at an Auction in Albion, Washington for $15.00. I have cherished it through the years, and if I could find someone to lubricate it, I’m pretty sure it would spin out sound again!

When people ask how I met Creighton, my husband of 57 years, I tell them the true story of when a mutual friend was visiting Creighton at the University of Washington, and appealed to me to ask Creighton to loan him his Gibson 6 string – again.

Creighton and his Gibson in his dorm room, 1967.

LP records, cassette tapes, CD’s and instruments have filled our lives with music. His first bass was the Epiphone in the photo below that also features about half of our CD collection.

Creighton played bass in 3 different bands, and I sang in our Jazz Casual trio, with Creighton on bass, and dear friend Bill Wilson on guitar.

Any photos I have of other gigs and events are buried in photo albums in a chest beneath boxes of other memorabilia that I have yet to sort through. This small window into our walk with music is a peek into how vital music has been and is in our lives together. Thank you Ritva for this wonderful challenge. You can see her excellent post here.

On your walk with life, please honor our earth, encourage dignity and share kindness. 🐾

Posted in Lens-Artists, Lens-Artists Photo Challenge, music, Musical Instruments | Tagged , , , | 22 Comments

~ Lens-Artists Challenge #415: Move Your Body ~

Posted on October 3, 2026 by Lindy Le Coq

Anne Sandler lead last week’s challenge, and I am finally putting my offering together! Anne asked us to show photos that demonstrate movement of our bodies to adjust distance to subjects instead of relying on our lenses to do the work for us!

The view looking southwest over the Pacific Ocean through tree branches. Then, walking back along the trail, the view with trees in foreground.

Poking it’s way through a crack in the fence, a pretty Snapdragon shines in morning light. Yes, I crouched down to my knees! On the other hand, I was standing up stretching my neck to get this shot at the tops of Spruce Trees

Looking north from inside Northhead light house, (a bit of a hike up the hill and on stairs) we see the Long Beach shoreline that stretches into the distance. On the ground, the view highlights a craggy promontory topped with evergreens.

My apologies to Anne for handing in my assignment late, though I understand no points will be deducted for being tardy! You can see her challenge post here.

On your walk with life, please honor our earth, encourage dignity and share kindness. 🐾

Posted in Lens-Artists, Lens-Artists Photo Challenge, nature photography, outdoors, pacific northwest, pacific ocean, photography | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

~ Lens-Artists Challenge #414: Looking back to #44 – Harmony ~

Posted on September 25, 2026 by Lindy Le Coq

This week Anne Christine harkens back to a challenge of Tina’s; Harmony. This time Anne Christine offers a wider explanation of the concept to provide more options to illustrate the concept of Harmony. You can see her original post here.

Dale Chihuly has perfected the art of placing his glass sculpture within natural settings, to create a unique and lovely sense of balance and unity. Below is an example from a 2023 exhibit at the Missouri Botanical Gardens, St. Louis.

On my windswept treks along the Long Beach Peninsula, I have been fascinated by the intricate patterns that clumps of dune grass imprint upon surrounding sand. Eventually I started calling them Dune Runes; hidden messages, here today, gone tomorrow!

Flowers attract pollinators like butterflies and bees, who feed upon the nectar while pollinating the plant, perfect examples of symbiotic relationships in nature.

Bald Eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) are opportunist and in their predatory largeness create a sense of power and dominance. They mate for life and work together to build their nests and raise their young. I felt fortunate to be trusted by this pair as I walked in their territory during spring, 2020.

I’ll close with a photo of Max & Daisy that I snapped just a couple days ago. The top of the couch is a favorite place to sleep and watch the world outside the window. Usually, if they’re both on top, they each take an end. This time, Max cuddled up with Daisy, and I couldn’t resist their happy harmony!

Thank you to Anne Christine for reminding us of the importance of Harmony in all its various definitions!

On your walk with life, please honor our earth, encourage dignity and share kindness. 🐾

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~ Lens-Artists Challenge #413: Bridges ~

Posted on September 17, 2026 by Lindy Le Coq

Beth of Wandering Dawgs, invites us to share our photos of bridges this week. Though I live in a community with many rivers and streams, therefore bridges, I have few photos of them. Usually I am driving over them and it would be unsafe to stop and take pictures. In her post here, Beth has a shot of the Astoria-Megler Bridge, a masterpiece of engineering that we cross on our way from home in Vancouver, WA to our condominium on Long Beach, WA.

Located fourteen miles (23 K) from the mouth of the Columbia River, this is the longest continuous truss bridge in North America at 21,474 feet (6,545 meters).

While driving the sleepy back roads of the Palouse in eastern Washington, I pulled over to photograph what I later learned is the Rosalia Railroad Bridge. Built in 1915, it’s impressive concrete arches beckoned me. Due to its design, it is listed in the National Register of Historic Places

The Discovery Trail on Long Beach Peninsula (WA) follows portions of the route traveled by the Lewis and Clark Corps of Discovery when they encountered the Pacific Ocean in 1805. As the trail wends its way through rolling dunes and into the coastal pines and shaded landscape of Cape Disappointment State Park, foot bridges provide easy passage across marshes and ravines.

Crescent Creek, at the summit of Willamette Pass in Oregon a fast flowing and cold. A foot path over the creek leads to a well established trail through the forest.

I’ll finish with a favorite photo you have seen before if you follow my blog. The lovely curve of this classic foot bridge in the Missouri Botanical Gardens (St. Louis), is accentuated by bright autumn foliage.

Thanks to Beth for a refreshing subject that allowed me to “visit” some favorite places!

On your walk with life, please honor our earth, encourage dignity and share kindness. 🐾

Posted in Lens-Artists, Lens-Artists Photo Challenge, nature photography, outdoors, pacific northwest, photography, travel | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

~ Lens-Artists Challenge #412: Places Shaped by Water ~

Posted on September 10, 2026 by Lindy Le Coq

John Steiner leads this week with an invitation to present images “focusing on the landscapes, structures, and stories that unfold around water features.” Since much of my recreation and leisure time centers around bodies of water, the challenge for me has been to narrow my choices to no more than six.

In September 2024, I participated in a trail walk through the Willapa Coastal Forest to witness a recently restored section of Bear River that had been logged and left a mess. It is one of the small but highly important rivers that help form Willapa Bay, on the Long Beach Peninsula, WA

“The roughy 250 acres of wetland concentrated around the stream corridors support a diverse array of plant and animal species, including critical spawning and rearing habitat for salmonids.” https://www.westernrivers.org/projects/wa/bear-river-willapa-bay

Willapa Bay Wetlands, Long Beach Peninsula, Washington – USA

Lucia Falls is located on the north shore of the East Fork of the Lewis River in Washington State. The river wends its way through channeled bedrock and both Salmon and Steelhead can be viewed leaping up the falls during their migration cycles.

With the Pacific Ocean slugging and tugging day and night at the shoreline of Orcas Island, WA the rocky beach is in continual flux. Solid rock is both smoothed and broken by wave action. This photo looking north and west from Orcas, includes Freeman Island, in the foreground and Point Doughty on the right, along with other islands in the distance. This is Orca Whale territory.

When the moon is nearest the earth (perigee), its gravitational force is stronger, resulting in higher high tides and lower low tides. In this photo of a super low tide, taken on Long Beach, WA the ocean formed tide pools and rivulets as the tide receded. This is the Razor Clam Capital of Washington State.

In fall and winter, heavy rains blow in from the Pacific Ocean forming ponds in front of the Breakers at Long Beach, WA. What bcomes a meadow in spring and dune-grass through summer, is shaped into welcome marsh habitat for frogs, and water birds in autumn.

Here’s to John Steiner for taking us on a visual tour through the beauty of water that shapes the world around us!

On your walk with life, please honor our earth, encourage dignity and share kindness. 🐾

Posted in Lens-Artists, Lens-Artists Photo Challenge, nature, nature photography, outdoors, pacific northwest, pacific ocean, photography, travel, weekly photo challenge | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

~ Lens-Artists Challenge #411: What Is It? ~

Posted on September 3, 2026 by Lindy Le Coq

Sofia urges us to have some fun this week by finding and showing photos that are puzzling and curious, leaving us to wonder, “What Is It”? She encourages us to edit images to hide obvious clues, and most of all to play and enjoy. Just scrolling through my catalogue relaxed me by taking me out of the present day-to-day angst of life into moments of serenity and joy. In keeping with the spirit of the challenge, I invite you to ponder and guess what you think is depicted in each of the 5 photos selected. I’ll save the reveal for the end.

1. The first image is the claw-print of a Bald Eagle in wet sand. The shadows tell you it was early morning, and the feathers reveal the eagle had feasted on a bird.

2. The fish weren’t biting the morning I took this shot of my line in the water on Odell Lake. I liked the tension of the line and it’s shadow and wake on the intense blue water.

3. Only in the morning does this little nook receive sunshine, so I was lucky to walk by and capture the play of shadows from the porch railing on the lovely bench.

4. Did you guess garlic sizzling in a pot of olive oil? That’s the first step of making basil infused olive oil for my pantry, which I make every September to enjoy through the seasons until the next September rolls in. It’s on my current to-do list!

5. Those who have followed me over the years will recognize this “dune rune” left by a little wood louse, Alloniscus, who forages at night under the surface of sand leaving all kinds of amazing patterns.

Thank you to Sophia for a relaxing and amusing challenge. You can see Sofia’s post here.

On your walk with life, please honor our earth, encourage dignity and share kindness. 🐾

Posted in Lens-Artists, Lens-Artists Photo Challenge, nature photography, pacific northwest, pacific ocean, photography, weekly photo challenge | Tagged , , , , , , , | 17 Comments

~ Lens-Artists Challenge #410/154: One Photo Two Ways ~

Posted on August 28, 2026 by Lindy Le Coq

Ritva invites us to explore the different methods we use to create images, a throw-back to a challenge Tina posted on June 26, 2021. To see Ritva’s lovely images, go here.

Cropping is my go to method to create a less cluttered and more dramatic image from the original. It’s almost impossible to get a bird to pose, though sometimes it seems they do! So, cropping and cleaning up the image is usually essential. When the bird’s eye is in focus, I follow the rule of thirds to get a cross line in the center of the eye. Below the original shot of a Bald Eagle and then the cropped version.

Along with cropping, another handy tool to accentuate a photograph is to use filters; essentially the adjustment of light and color. The wonderful birding trail where I walk my beagles on the Long Beach WA Peninsula, has some handsome sweeping turns. I took this photo thinking “what mystery might be around this corner?” In it’s original form, it’s just another bend in the road. Cropping and filtering made it a bit more evocative.

I’ll finish with a goose floating on the marshes at the Breakers, Long Beach, WA. The nearly perfect reflection was what attracted me to capture the original shot. By cropping and enhancing it became a keeper, and in black and white I find it quite striking.

Thank you to Ritva and Tina for this theme. It’s important to recognize that taking a photo is easy, however turning it into a keeper, takes some work!

On your walk with life, please honor our earth, encourage dignity and share kindness. 🐾

Posted in Black and White Photos, Lens-Artists, Lens-Artists Photo Challenge, nature photography, pacific northwest, photography, weekly photo challenge | Tagged , , , , , , , | 15 Comments