All week I have been contemplating the subject of our photo challenge – treasure – asking myself, “what do I treasure and why?” As I thought about it while sitting under a bower of vine maple leaves, surrounded by old growth Douglas Fir trees with the sound of water falling into my pond, and mourning doves cooing nearby, I realized that what I treasure is the immeasurable whole.
My Pond
Then I decided to narrow it down a bit and settled on water – a life source that I love, that feeds the whole of what I treasure. From calm and tranquil like Salmon Creek and Crescent Lake below…
…to roaring and powerful, like the Spokane River and Salt Creek Falls above, water always captivates me.
And then there’s the Pacific, which I often feature in my posts. Here are two moods of this incredible ocean:
Bald Eagle – Haliaeetus leucocephalus
Above, the quiet swish of waves advancing or receding along the beach, and below towering breakers as they crash into the shoreline at Long Beach, Washington!
“Just as we place a higher value on certain objects because they are scarce, we might value moments in time precisely because of their transience. We may not be able to commodify transience as we can rare objects, but there are other, more intimate ways to confer value.” – Sebastian Smee
Thanks go to Aletta of nowathome, for hosting this week’s challenge. It is quite a distinction to be asked, and a big responsibility to provide the challenge subject and then reply to all who offer their treasures!
Wherever you find your treasures, please honor our earth, be kind and stay safe.🐾
Tina leads this weeks challenge asking us to present photographs of eyes. Getting good eye shots of birds has been one of my personal missions, and I have many. Here are two favorites.
Killdeer – Charadrius vociferus
The Killdeer above was present in the marshes every day in spring engaging in maneuvers to lead potential predators away from its fledglings. The large black pupil and carnelian almost square iris are quite stunning. Below one of many Bald Eagle photos in my collection. This one, looking down made me glad I wasn’t a small critter shuffling beneath in the dunes!
Bald Eagle – Haliaeetus leucocephalus
Animal eyes have different shapes, appearance and functions. The Humbolt’s Flying Squirrel below is a nocturnal creature. Its eye is larger than its nose, almost the size of its ear, round and dark. An accidental capture, this species is native to my back yard.
Notice the flat horizontal pupil in the eyes of these goats. Their rectangular pupils provide a broad field of view to see threats from afar, even while bowing their head while grazing. Similarly, deer focus horizontally; but when they look straight ahead (vertically) they are out of focus. With the head stationary, deer can see at a 300°. A slight turn of the head can reveal the other 60 degrees. Rabbits have really big eyes that are located on the sides of their head giving them a panoramic, 360° field of vision.
Sister Diana with her favorite Carousel character Harriett the frog.
Though not a real live frog, their eyes are quite amazing. Frog eyes have horizontal or vertical pupils, can see in color, bulge out to sit above water, and provide frogs almost 360° day and night vision. Frogs eyes also have three eyelids and use their eyes to swallow their food. My sister’s eyes twinkle when she is having fun.
More of my favorite people, Creighton with Max (soon after he came to live with us), classmate Charla and her husband Rishan (at our 50th high school reunion) and my sister Lori, engaging her grandson Micah.
Whatever eyes you peer into, please honor our earth, be kind and stay safe.🐾
Doors are portals into and out of contained spaces – usually. Some of my favorite doorways are simply arches that frame a subject or view, as in the following two photos.
Balboa Park – San Diego, CAMermaid Sculpture – La Jolla, CA
I have featured the Albany, Oregon Carousel Museum in a previous post. The entry to the building is welcoming and the door handles are a hint of the joy one experiences upon entering!
Doors have not been a photo passion of mine, though I love to see all the interesting and often ancient doors other folks post on their sites. I’ll conclude this post with a bit of whimsy from a friends yard decor.
May you find doors to pleasure open to you. As you enter, please honor our earth, be kind and stay safe.🐾
Thank you to Sylvia of My Colorful Expressions for hosting this week’s challenge. It is a big responsibility and I truly appreciate the thought that goes into being a host!
Though I have lived in Vancouver, WA forty-five years, the place I have been exploring with my camera is around the Long Beach Peninsula, WA. We have owned a condominium in Long Beach for five years and spend a good deal of time there during the “non-tourist” seasons. Here are some favorite vistas:
A level sandy beach beckons guests to walk, bicycle, fly kites, parasail, and dig for razor clams (in season) along the coastline. Vehicles are permitted to drive on the beach. I’m not a big fan of that, yet most people stay to the 25mph speed limit and are respectful and friendly.
Cape Disappointment State Park is a year-round attraction. With two light houses, camping grounds, a Coast Guard station and maritime history, there are many reasons to explore. For me the vistas are what draws me to return with my camera.
View from North Head LH
Because we choose to make our condominium available for guests during holidays and the summer season, I haven’t attended the many events that the peninsula offers to visitors during those times. From the Washington State International Kite Festival (https://kitefestival.com/), to the “Rod Run to the End of the World” (https://www.visitlongbeachpeninsula.com/event/rod-run-to-the-end-of-the-world/) there are loads of family friendly events to enjoy. Good food, fresh ocean air, and the beauty of nature are year round!
This challenge has inspired me to do some photo shoots this summer of sites around Vancouver, WA; places I haven’t visited for years, and new vistas in the making. Should be fun!
Wherever you find yourself, please honor our earth, be kind and stay safe.🐾
Thank you to Anne Sandler at Slow Shutter Speed for this inviting challenge. Being a host is a challenge in itself and I appreciate the attention all the LAPC hosts give to their followers!
Our host this week, Sophie Alves of photographia asks us to consider the subject of Minimalism/Maximalism and suggests we could think of it as Simplicity/Complexity or Sparce/Full. I admit that I love some of the understated/toned down/spare images I have photographed over the years. At the same time, I prize the bright/complex/full photos in my archives.
Light/hue
Above, minimal light and color as the sun sets on a foggy afternoon create a sense of quiet peace. Below, a similar view after sunset, washed in color and dappled light is infused with mystery.
Quantity
Above, a single songbird calling from atop a post on a misty day, creates a sense of solitude. Below, migrating shorebirds flock together filling the beach and sky. All four images presented so far have not been enhanced or filtered. These are the colors the camera caught when I took the photos.
Texture/Surface
Above, a drift of snow lies undisturbed on a winter evening. In contrast, frozen foot and paw prints on a sand trail to the beach, flanked by frosty dune grass is filled with movement.
Whether you prefer the quiet or the bright, please honor our earth, be kind and stay safe.🐾
Walking With Eagles is a collection of original poems and photographs by Lindy Low Le Coq. A lifelong naturalist, amateur photographer and bird enthusiast, Lindy’s verse, composition and photographs open a window into the essence of her subjects. Her poems and photography reflect the rich natural wonders of the Pacific Northwest.
Bald Eagles mature over the course of five years. Walking With Eagles invites the reader to take a poetic and visual tour of this odyssey.
view ~ Walking With Eagles ~ in top menu bar for a preview, though the folio is much nicer!
Lindy Low LeCoq 