After the Storm, Bellingham Bay, Washington

I was up in my home town of Bellingham, Washington last early spring.  The weather, all week, was incredible!  Massive storm clouds, interspersed by sun, then rain and cold, and back and forth.  I love stormy weather.  In California we have such long periods of totally blue skies; exactly what I longed for when growing up in the damp NW.  Now, I really appreciate the power of a good storm.



King Frederik VII & Christiansborg Palace, Copenhagen

I found Copenhagen to be quite elegant, clean, the people friendly, and very easy to get around in.  We were there in the spring of 2008 for a friend's wedding across the bridge in Sweden and got to spend 2 days exploring this beautiful city. 

One morning I went off wandering by myself, taking in the ambiance and shooting pictures.  I love wandering, going where my legs take me, then catching something out of the corner of my eye and following that.  I spotted the King in front of the palace.  During his reign, there were no streets made for cars.  Was I standing where the horses used to graze?  Where he addressed his court?  Ah, the imaginings of another time.

 

Sunset over El Cap, Yosemite NP

Since getting home from the Grand Canyon trip in May, I've been taking quite a few HDR shots.  I'm really enjoying this mode of processing and after 4 months I'm just starting to get shots that I like. 

A couple of weeks ago I was up in Yosemite with some of my family.  We wanted to hike up to Sentinel Dome for the sunset and chose to go the loop route of 4 miles.  A great little hike that took us to the edge of the south canyon wall, then up the hill to the Dome.  From up here, there's a 360 degree view to get lost in.  The air was getting cooler the longer we stayed, but the color of the sky seemed to increase in direct proportion.

 

Glorious Morning, Colorado River, Grand Canyon NP

I'm so lucky!  In May I was fortunate to spend almost 17 days in the Grand Canyon, 15 of them rafting down the Colorado River with a group of very dear friends.  What an incredible place to be; the ancient, daily changing face of the rocks; the cold, flowing snow-melt waters of the river always a constant companion.  Sometimes the water was gently flowing, carrying us down deeper into the canyon.  Other times she was bright and quick, bubbling with energy and force at one of the many rapids.  On this morning, somewhere in the middle of the adventure, morning broke  with such color and softness.  I can still taste it.  I'm so lucky.

Water Resevoir, Central California

Last winter I was up in Yosemite and decided I would come home a different way.  I wound my way through the central California backroads, quickly into and out of small rural towns.  The weather was quite dramatic and the clouds were changing constantly.  On my way through one of the towns; I forget which one, maybe you recognize it, I spotted this resevoir next to the RR tracks.  Is it still in use?  Maybe not.

 

Sonoma Coast Setting Sun

I love the Sonoma coast!  There are so many little cubby-hole beaches.  It's one of my favorite places to make photos.  Nothing could be quite so dramatic and powerful than a storm along the ocean.  Of course we're lucky not to have such huge ones as many other areas, but that's just fine with me.  This winter scene was quite a bit more tranquil, but powerful none-the-less.



Bodega Schoolhouse

This schoolhouse was used in Alfred Hitchcock's movie "The Birds".  It's in the tiny town of Bodega, just a few miles from the California coast.  I didn't see many birds here on this day, but I could imagine....