~ Lens-Artists Challenge #342 ~ It’s a Wild Life ~

Posted on April 3, 2025 by Lindy Le Coq


This week Egidio is curious to see what we Lens-Artists contributors consider to be wild. In this post I present images that personify my sense of wild as: undomesticated, untamed and natural. Below, a photo of the demure blossom of salmonberry, “a species of bramble in the rose family native to the west coast of North America…the salmonberry plant bears edible fruit, typically yellow-orange or red in color, resembling raspberries in appearance.”Wikipedia

Last June I participated in a hike, sponsored by Friends of Willapa Bay, to visit Bear River on a trail not yet open to the public. The Willapa National Wildlife Refuge is rewilding Bear River to provide critical spawning and rearing habitat for native salmon.

As I considered the photos in my archives, I realized very few are truly wild simply because I was there with my camera. I had driven, walked a path and/or had access to where I was without needing to cut my way through bracken or confront predatory creatures on the way!

Columbian black-tailed deer are residents on the Long Beach Peninsula. The large grassy meadow in front of The Breakers, provides lush grazing for this family. Stands of evergreen trees on the north and south borders of the meadow offer shelter. This 24 acre summer meadow/ winter marsh is owned by the Breakers Condominium Association Long Beach, and is maintained as a natural habitat.

When this Dall’s porpoise washed ashore at Long Beach, it didn’t take long for the gleaning community to congregate. Above, three Bald Eagles (2 mature, 1 immature) feast while a crow looks on. Below, a Bald Eagle flies over a Turkey Vulture waiting in the queue.

This view of Salt Creek Falls is accessible via a short, steep trail from the parking lot and upper viewing areas.

Willamette National Forest is one of countless wilderness areas maintained by the US Department of Agriculture and US Forest Service. The current administration has gutted both agencies and many more; not good for those of us who like to visit wild places.

Pacific Ocean storms often are quite wild. This shot, taken from my deck at The Breakers, gives you a sense of the power in those waves.

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

Thank you to Egídio for giving us an opportunity to delve into the wild side of our lives.

Posted in A Photo a Week, Lens-Artists, Lens-Artists Photo Challenge, nature, nature photography, outdoors, pacific northwest, pacific ocean, photography, travel | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 18 Comments

~ Lens-Artists Challenge #341 Personal Favorites ~

Posted on March 27, 2025 by Lindy Le Coq

This week Tina invites us to select only 5 photos that we consider our Personal Favorites. With so many possibilities in my archives and with all the memories attached, this was a tough assignment! However, I have done my sifting and present these photos that I love, most of which I’ve shared on Lens-Artists challenges previously.

Jello in golden sunrise

I’m starting with a dawn photo of Jello looking out across the misty dune-grass meadow as we headed out for our morning beach walk. The light was beautiful and she almost seems to be posing for me. She was such a sweet girl, and though I love Max & Daisy, I miss Jello to this day.

Ducks in the Fog

The quietness of the ducks gliding on a pond in morning fog captured me then and still calms my spirit whenever I look at it.

View from Inside North Head Lighthouse

When I took this shot I knew it had potential to be stunning. When I looked at it in processing I was excited at how well it turned out.

Brown Pelicans & Friend

In this shot there is so much animation and movement it feels like I’m there again when I see it. The sunlit waves washing towards me, four pelicans and a gull resting in the surf and one pelican suspended in flight, create an energetic impression.

Sunset Through the Reeds

Another golden hour, this one a sunset over the Pacific Ocean at Long Beach, WA. Why do I choose this photo over all the other spectacular sunset shots I’ve taken there in the past eight years? Because it is subtle and peaceful, yet brimming with hope for another quiet night and golden morning.

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

Lens-Artists Challenge #341 – Personal Favorites
Posted in Beagles, birds, jello, Lens-Artists, Lens-Artists Photo Challenge, nature, nature photography, outdoors, pacific northwest, pacific ocean, photography, travel, weekly photo challenge | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 15 Comments

~ Lens-Artists Challenge #340: Portraits ~

Posted on March 17, 2025 by Lindy Le Coq

This week, Ritva invites us to “capture the essence and personality of our subjects,” using portrait photographs. Lucky for me, she has graciously suggested the portraits can be of humans or other living creatures! Ritva guides us saying, “The goal is to connect with another person or subject and tell their story through your image.”

My next door neighbors in Vancouver take care of their Grandson Remy, once or twice a week. On sunny days Dee-Anne and Remy sometimes wander into my garden, which has an arbor connecting our two properties. Remy isn’t sure about me, though it’s clear he loves Max!

Of the many photos I took at my friend Joellene’s wedding, I especially like this one. Taking a tip from Ritva, I decided to try it in Black & White and found that without the distraction of color, the focus stays right on the faces of the happy couple.

A guest at their wedding wore this beautiful outfit and graciously agreed when I asked to photograph her. In addition to stunning fashion, she has a lovely smile!

Micah, who is now 10, had just turned 4 when I took this photo of him sitting in his mom, Molly’s lap while she read to him. The intimacy, trust and love between them shines through, as he appears to be about to drift off to sleep.

I’ll close with these portraits of an adult Killdeer and a Cottontail Rabbit. It’s always fun to catch a clear photo of wildlife subjects in their natural habitat!

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, photography, portraits | Tagged , , , , , | 15 Comments

~Lens-Artists Challenge #339: Life’s Changes ~

Posted on March 13, 2025 by Lindy Le Coq

This week Anne Sandler of Slow Shutter Speed asks us to “share a passion, hobby or life experience that helped direct your life’s passion.” When Covid 19 was declared a global pandemic five years ago this week, life changed. As it happened, my husband Creighton and I were at our condominium in Long Beach with beloved beagle Jello, when Washington State’s governor Jay Inslee, issued a stay in place directive on March 17th, 2020. We had a day or so to decide whether to stay at the beach, or head back to our home in Vancouver, WA. After checking the infection and death rate data from both Clark and Pacific counties we chose to stay right where we were, in Pacific County.

Human activity on Long Beach was steady. Visitors walked and bicycled, made sculptures out of beach materials, vehicles drove at 25 mph along the beach which is a legal highway, families enjoyed clamming and recreating, and younger folks partied into the night. All of that came to an end on March 17, 2020. Vehicles were prohibited from driving the beach, hospitality businesses closed their doors, and Long Beach was like a ghost town.

Every day Jello and I would take morning and afternoon walks to the now deserted beach. The absence of vehicles was a pleasant change, and though I would see people now and then, they were few and far between. The other life change I began to notice was a significant increase in Bald Eagle activity. From mid-March through the end of May, I was in the company of several Bald Eagles; individuals and pairs. Wind and tide had washed two big snags onto the beach and they were favorite Eagle perches.

After a while, an adult pair became accustomed to seeing Jello and me on our rambles, and did not startle when we were about.

Bald Eagles in different stages of maturity showed up, hung around and departed.

By the end of May, 2020 a vaccine had been developed for Covid 19, the beach was re-opened to vehicles and residents and visitors returned. To my dismay, within a day or two, both Eagle perches had been chain-sawed into firewood, and the stumps were all that was left.

Soon after, the Bald Eagles wisely retreated to more protected places, and our time of peaceful co-existence ended. To this day, I feel privileged and blessed to have had those few weeks to walk among them.

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

Posted in Birding, birds, Lens-Artists, Lens-Artists Photo Challenge, nature, nature photography, outdoors, pacific northwest, pacific ocean, photography | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 23 Comments

~ Lens-Artists Challenge #338: Pick-A-Word ~

Posted on March 4, 2025 by Lindy Le Coq

On the last day of February, the weather was mild and welcoming, so I gave myself the joy of grubbing around in my gardens to see what might be coming up. As a consequence, I’ve selected “emergence” for John’s Pick-a-word challenge. Emergence is “the process of coming into view or becoming exposed after being concealed.”

Perennial plants hibernate through the winter months and after sunlight shifts toward spring, they emerge as buds from the ground. This Jack-in-the-pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum) lived happily in a shady, damp patch of my garden for three years.

King Swallowtail (Papilo Thoas)

One of the more dramatic examples of emergence is the issuing of a tender butterfly from pupation. Here it clings, barely out of its chrysalis, bathed in still air and warm light.

On Orcas Island, WA at Point Doughty, the headland is battered by ocean and buffeted by wind. This is where beach sand we love to play in begins; as pebbles and rocks emerging from sedimentary deposits.

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

https://photobyjohnbo.com/2025/03/01/lens-artists-challenge-338-pick-a-word/

Posted in butterflies, Gardening, Lens-Artists, Lens-Artists Photo Challenge, nature, nature photography, outdoors, pacific northwest, pacific ocean, photography, plants | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 19 Comments

~ Lens-Artists Challenge #337: BOLD ~

Posted on February 27, 2025 by Lindy Le Coq

This week, Sofia invites us to think BOLD. “Being bold is a statement, translated in ideas, views, colour combinations, designs. A break from the norm.”

This playground feature at the Spokane Riverfront Park is BOLD in its conspicuous and prominent size. Children of all ages are captivated by it!

So many scenes in nature are BOLD, like the sunset sky at Crescent Creek, OR reflecting a striking orange-red on the water. Flowers are designed to be showy so that they attract pollinators. Both the Parrot Tulip and orange Calla lily are eye-catching examples.

Dowitchers probe the shoreline of Long Beach, WA. There are two kinds of Dowitchers; Long-billed and Short-billed. I have tried to determine which these are and every time I do the research I realize “it’s difficult to say for sure”! In any event they are BOLD looking birds with their impressive beaks and imposing posture.

Chihuly Garden Glass art is indeed BOLD and beautiful. Individual works, like the large bowl, are spectacular in size and color. Installments like marshland “birds” and red spires set behind a bank of evergreen shrubs are arresting.

Boldly this young woman paddle-boards through President’s Channel between Orcas Island, WA and Waldron Island. The scene is both stunning and gorgeous. On this peaceful note I conclude my visual exploration of BOLD in which I’ve used most of the synonyms of the word without repeating them!

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

Posted in Art, Lens-Artists, Lens-Artists Photo Challenge, nature, nature photography, outdoors, pacific northwest, pacific ocean, photography, travel, weekly photo challenge | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 18 Comments

~ Lens-Artists Challenge #336 ~ Only One Picture ~

Posted on February 21, 2025 by Lindy Le Coq

This week Ann-Christine asks us to select one photograph that we “find important, meaningful and perhaps sends a message.” Though I usually attempt to remain upbeat no matter what is going on in the world around me, the political actions of the current US President leaves me too edgy to pretend everything is okay. It’s not, and I am extremely distressed. One slice of my dismay is the reversal of investment in and support for climate change mitigation. So, for this challenge I have selected this dramatic cloudy sunset photo to pair with one of my poems titled, Mayflies in March.

every day
planet earth
recomposes
balances

elements
mix and swirl
transform

the survival
of homo sapiens
is not her concern

she will spin
around her sun
circled by her moon
regardless of our fate.

2018/2025©Lindy Low Le Coq

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

Posted in climate change, clouds, Lens-Artists, Lens-Artists Photo Challenge, nature, nature photography, pacific northwest, pacific ocean, photography, Poetry, Report from the Edge of a Continent, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

~ WOW~ Words of Wisdom ~ Y25 #1 ~

Posted on February 15, 2025 by Lindy Le Coq

“Trust is a precious commodity — useful and valuable — like time and water.” 2025©Lindy Low Le Coq

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

Posted in nature, nature photography, outdoors, pacific northwest, photography, Waterfalls, WOW - Words of Wisdom | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

~ Lens-Artists Challenge #335: Exploring Color vs Black & White ~

Posted on February 13, 2025 by Lindy Le Coq

This week Patti challenges us to select three photos and present them in both color and black & white. She asks us to compare the differences in each one, and share our thoughts about how color vs B&W process impacts them. This was a great learning experience for me, and I was lucky that Creighton helped me get the possible pairings whittled down to three.

This knife sharpener attached to a fish-cleaning station drew me in. I love old pieces of iron work. In the color shot the grass and trees of the landscape draw my eyes away from it. Although I love lush backgrounds and its rusty surface shows better in color, I prefer the black and white because it keeps the grinder as the main focus.

What is this odd thing on the ground? A skull? A castaway piece of rubber? Maybe a Chihuly bowl?

Actually, this is a large toadstool that has shed its spores and is beginning to fold in on itself. I almost always favor color in photos of flowers, plants and natural landscapes. Big toadstools have something akin to an architectural structure though, so I like them both ways.

The Astoria-Megler Bridge is a masterpiece of engineering, which I have featured in previous posts. In black and white the photo becomes a study of geometrical shapes and strong shadows. In the color version the texture and color of the Columbia River adds a sense of space and depth to the photo. Both work, though I prefer the color shot.

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

Posted in architecture, Black and White Photos, Lens-Artists, Lens-Artists Photo Challenge, mycology/mushrooms/fungi, nature, nature photography, outdoors, pacific northwest, photography, weekly photo challenge | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

~ Wordless Wednesday ~ B&W au naturel ~

Posted on February 12, 2025 by Lindy Le Coq

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

Posted in nature, nature photography, outdoors, pacific northwest, pacific ocean, photography, Wordless Wednesday | Tagged , , , , , , | 7 Comments