Dia de los Muertos

Dia de los Muertos – Day of the Dead is a celebration observed by numerous cultures where they remember, pray for and celebrate the lives of friends and family who have passed over. Today Larry and I went to Seattle Center to participate in this yearly event, we had a great time! From the minute we walked through the door we felt part of this festive event. The ambiance was one of folklore, love and much laughter. Many of the traditional dances, pastries, painted sugar skulls, face painting and even the art of making marigolds (the flower used in remembrance) engulfed the building. Here are just a few photos from this amazing day.

Barred Owl

While eating lunch today I was watching the large yellow leaves falling from a stately Big Leaf Maple in our yard. I was thinking that very soon the birds won’t be able to hide behind the foliage. Scanning the branches and trunks I almost missed this Barred Owl, so carefully camouflaged against the tree. Forget lunch! I grabbed my camera in hopes of just one photo in focus (as I was behind the window and knew I’d probably scare him off if I went outside). He actually stayed there for a couple of hours before chasing after a Northern Flicker. I love the nature here in our little wooded meadow.

Wooden Boat Festival

Every year the Wooden Boat Festival draws thousands of wooden boat enthusiasts to our little town. This year was about as good as it gets with perfect weather and an overflow of boats. These are a few of the photos I shot that day.

Lavengro & Nevermore

Lorraine's Reflection

Pia's Rudder

Nautical Lines

Vito Dumas & Flowers

Pax & Lilies

One of my favorite subjects to photograph is flowers, especially close-ups. While eating lunch outside the other day I happened to notice the beauty of the underside this potted Gerber daisy. I particularly loved the softness of color. After lunch the camera came out. These are two of my favorite shots from that set of photos.

Mt. Shuksan & Picture Lake

In the past few weeks we’ve taken a few days each week to do some hiking and camping in the North Cascades. A ferry ride and short drive from here are some of the most breathtaking scenes in the West. We’ve found the perfect campsite in one of the forest service campgrounds on the Nooksack River. Here are a few photos I took during our visit last week while hiking the Chain of Lakes Loop. It’s a great hike with a photo-opt around nearly every bend of the trail.

Mt. Baker from Chain Lakes Loop trail

Another shot of Mt. Baker

Iceberg Lake

Nooksack River

Warm Summer Sunrise

We've been enjoying an amazing summer up here in the Pacific Northwest. Seattle broke all records last week with temps reaching 103 degrees. Over here on the Olympic Peninsula we saw 100 degrees in the shade! The heat had me up earlier than normal and I took advantage of it to take these two photos out at Point Wilson. These were taken at about 6:00 a.m., notice how high the sun already was and the warm glow.

There's something about Harry

Harry came into our lives from the local animal shelter last September. He's about a year and a half and very much still a kitten. We keep him inside as there are much larger animals roaming our property daily, especially coyotes. He’s a real entertainer and I’m pretty sure thinks he’s one of us as we’re his only playmates.I hope to do a photo shoot of Harry in the next few months to hang in the gallery I’m in. Some of his antics and positions are priceless.
I think he's a happy cat, he's always smiling...note his constant smile.