




Patti asks us to add some cheer to the dreary darkness of winter by sharing photos with a pop of red. Since it’s raining and mostly monotone in Long Beach, WA right now, I’ve reached into my archives to find shots that caught my eye.

The luscious red Rose, complimented by cerise hues of Sweet William and lavender tones of Hydrangea, fit Patti’s suggestion to feature something with several red components.
Port of Ilwaco, Washington
This bright red building complimented by the deep blue hull of a boat, leads our eyes out the pier and across the mooring dock, to where flashes of red draw our attention.

Moss and wild strawberries – quintessential Pacific Northwest!
As winter breaks to spring, beach strawberries (Fragaria chiloensis) send out bright red runners to establish daughter plants. These wild native strawberries grow anywhere they can get a foothold along the Washington and Oregon coasts.

From inside North Head Lighthouse, this photo shows how rugged and remote these places are. Perched upon the headland, with stunning views of the Pacific Ocean, the terrain is jagged and rough. The russet roofs below, lead our eye up the narrow footpath to the lighthouse keepers living quarters.

Nandina (or heavenly bamboo), is a mainstay of landscapes throughout the Pacific Northwest. Their bright red berries provide pops of cheer throughout winter.

🐾 My favorite posts have a snap with Jello! 🐾
Here she snoozes in my sister’s boat on our annual fishing trip. It’s mid-August, and the sun will soon feel as red-hot as the handle of our fish-net looks!
This week, Tina has challenged us to feature photos with, “leading lines [that] carry our eye through a photograph.” I’d been waiting two years for a reason to post the photo below.

These cyclists were on a “Cycle Oregon” tour in the mountains near Crater Lake. The single-file line of bicycles and riders, the lines of the two-lane hi way, and the tree tops lead our eye to the back of the pack, where sag-wagons bring up the rear – and the gear!

One of many pathways in Cape Disappointment State Park, this view with its curving downward slope to the footbridge crossing over wetlands, creates an inviting mood.

Sandpoint, Idaho offers lovely boutiques, excellent restaurants and nicely landscaped sidewalks. This is another shot that’s been waiting for the right challenge to be featured!

Some of my favorite leading lines are made by the shadows, wind action and stems of dune grass. See how they work together to tell us the story of what is happening? Just goes to show that not all leading lines have to be straight!

Long Beach, Washington offers many opportunities for leading lines! In this photo, the sun reflecting on clouds and ocean, and waves gently rolling in along the shoreline draw our eye from a gull floating in full sunlight to North Head in the far distance.
To the many WordPress folks who follow me, my apologies for being out of touch for such an extended time. Illnesses and other duties kept me from the fun stuff for far too long. I’m looking forward to catching up on your blogs this evening, as I sit in the warmth of my condo at Long Beach watching what had been meadow transform into duck attracting wetlands, with heavy rains and strong winds day and night!

In response to my end-of year favorites post, Steve Morey of theoutershores blog, wondered what the Ruddy Turnstone I featured might be eating. Since I had were a few more nice snaps of the bird, here is a gallery.




Something (maybe me) startled this guy. Fortunately he settled down. In the below photo he spies something in the shallows




Looks like a small fish to me – maybe a herring fry.