Winter Sundown, Long Beach, WA
Wind-farm on the north ridge of the Columbia River Gorge, near Goldendale, WA
Knife-sharpener, Crescent Creek, OR
Sunset Through Reeds, Long Beach, WA
I adore silhouettes! Thank you Patti, for this opportunity to feature some favorites.
Tommy was my first best friend; a black and white, short-haired tomcat who was my responsibility, and who, when no-one else was looking, slept on my bed when I was a kid. He comforted me, inviting me to think while he purred. I loved him, and still enjoy cats. However, decades later, in 1991, when my husband’s business kept him away for weeks at a time, I decided I needed a dog to come home to when Creighton was gone.
At three months old, Scooter came home with me, and our love of beagles began.
With a six foot fence built into six inches of concrete, our yard became a safe haven for beagles. Over the years we took in Jacques, a scoundrel who had been dumped in the neighborhood, and we adopted nine-year old Mattie, the only beagle we’ve had who came with papers.
You can imagine the challenge it was to take a walk with three sniffing hounds on retractable leashes. Often I was wrapped up like a maypole! When Scooter, then Mattie passed, and knowing Jacque was aging fast, we adopted Josie from the local Humane Society. Small, scared and sweet, she thrived in our loving home.
Our hearts broke when, within a year or so we noticed Josie was not eating and learned that she had terminal renal failure. Such a loss – we took it hard. She passed before we left on a two week trip. Immediately upon returning home, I was in beagle withdrawal. Through Portland Beagle Rescue, we found Jello. She was 4 when we adopted her – this Christmas she’ll be 9.
Jello is a frequent subject in my posts; she is smart, photogenic, and an absolute love.
To Tina, thank you for this sweet challenge. I’m thinking of you as Hurricane Dorian storms along the Carolinas. Hope you are safe and sound.
What is the cause of all this bounty?
It could be the soil enhancers I added to the garden this past spring, or it might be the particular variety of tomato plants I purchased at our local Master Gardeners sale in May. Then again, it’s possible that the mostly temperate summer weather has created conditions for a bumper crop in this region. Probably it’s all of the above!
Windows offer a challenging way to frame shots. Sometimes the results are lovely, as in the photo below.
Pacific Ocean view, from a window in North Head Lighthouse, Ilwaco, WA
Because many of my photos are taken in natural settings, I often frame with flora to add dimension.
Suffused sunset view from Beach Haven, to West Beach and Waldron Island, WA
Megler/Astoria bridge, view from Fort Columbia State park, WA
Sunrise at Crescent Creek, OR
Another challenging way to add interest, is to use natural and manmade frames.
Anacortes Ferry Landing, WA
Driftwood at Long Beach, WA
Structures and walkways often provide lines that direct our eyes to the subject as in the photo below.
Marina at Port of Ilwaco, WA
For this challenge I looked back through my archives to photos taken long ago, and stored on an older computer. Thank you Amy, for a prompt that took me into the “way back machine”!
Chestnut-backed Chickadee (Poecile rufescens)
