Lake Crescent

Lake Crescent has this milky, minty blue water that I tried to capture on film. As always, I love what reflects in the water and how this changes the surface.

Ruby Beach

Kalaloch Beach

Note my husband walking on the driftwood in the middle of the frame. This stuff is gigantic!

Again, note the two tiny people on the beach.

The large flower-like root system of the dead tree in the foreground was easily 20 feet in diameter.

Ruby Beach

This was my very first glimpse of the Pacific Ocean. Ruby Beach is a gorgeous place to have done this. One of the most surprising things about the Pacific Coast was the amount of driftwood and the enormous size of the individual pieces. They were just huge.

Man's Best Friend

I found the Pacific Northwest to be a very dog-friendly part of the country. These pooches were in Port Townsend, WA.

Art?

Lichen on rock with bird poop, Port Ludlow, WA. Remember, you saw it here first.

Fauna at Huricane Ridge

Deer hunting is not allowed in the park so these guys had little fear of humans. Check out the toes on the chipmunk.

Engine No. 35

Port Gamble, Washington

Avalanche Lily

Avalanche lily at Hurricane Ridge.

Sea Holly - See!

Erigeron or Sea Holly in the gardens at the Chittenden Locks, Seattle.

New Growth

This evergreen sporting new tips was near Hurricane Ridge.

Cafe Next to the Locks

More Locks

This blogger thing only lets me upload a certain amount of photos at a time, so I had to split this grouping up - here are some more from the Chittenden Locks.

Locks

My cousins took us to the Hiram M. Chittenden locks on Lake Washington in Seattle. You can go underground to a viewing room with glass walls and see the salmon running upstream underwater. I tried to photograph interesting bits of the workings and channels.

Pike Place Market Fish Stand

This is the place in Seattle where the guys throw your fish around. They looked like they were having a good old time at their work, shouting out catchy phrases, pulling a string on a rigged-up monkfish to make it seem to snap at customers and curious children, performing a choreographed presentation of professional fish sales to appeal to the crowds gathered around their stall. It was fun to watch, I'll admit. I didn't stick around long enough to see fish tossed, but this is where they do it.

Pike Place Market

We had a wonderful time running around Pike Place Market in Seattle. I could have spent a couple more hours there at least, browsing the shops and taking photos along the way. We saw the original Starbucks, a street magician and cheese being made at Beechers Cheese. I loved it.

View From Hurricane Ridge

Tree Skeletons

This was taken near Hurricane Ridge on the northern part of the Olympic Peninsula in Washington. The bleached trunks of dead trees stood out nicely against the evergreen background.

The Pacific Northwest

I have just returned from a family reunion/vacation in Seattle and various parts of the Olympic Peninsula. It is after 3 am and I just had to download and post a few before collapsing. There will be many more to come.

A Real Live Cougar

Actually, his name is Cougar and we dog-sat this furry keeshound last week. Isn't he handsome?

Here, Kitty Kitty

This pretty kitty posed so nicely for me. This was taken through glass in an indoor exhibit, though there was natural light in the enclosure from above. I used my new long lens with vibration reduction, hand-held. Love that lens - thanks, Dad!

No Guesses?

Maybe that one was too easy? I just never saw these guys in such a sad, shedding state before. Other than that, they were kinda cute, in an ugly sort of way.

Guess Again

I have a few more zoo photos to post, but first let's try the guessing game again. I think this is easier than the last one, but then again, I have already seen the whole thing.

Nuthin' Like a Clean Dog!

Lexie just before, and just after grooming today. Last day of school. Clean dog. Let the summer begin.

Obsession Guaranteed

While searching eBay for knitting needles, I came across an auction with this description of a pair of Addi Turbo circulars: "Owing to Harmony of Materials, addi-needles satisfy natural needs. Super-smooth sufaces give life to all wool ideas. The trade-name addi stands for premium needles made of steel. We know: the better the needle, the more the knitting fun. Obsession Guaranteed."

Answer

I am amazed you could figure that out, except for Mike, who used super-special means to come up with the answer, and because of whom I had to delete the entire original post and rename the photo file before starting from scratch, thank you Mike. Here are more photos of the same bird.

What Am I?

It is now time for another round of What Am I?! I've been travelling and have scads of photos to post, but first a little fun. Guess what this is and win! (Winners will receive the ability to say they won my What Am I? challenge of the day/week/month.) Check back in a day or two to find out what it is.

More Tropical Leaves - Mitchell Park Domes