SAY HEY!!

This is Pasha, for those of you who haven't met him. Beautiful eyes, huh? Or maybe, singular eye.

This other photo here is one of my David Austin's taken from underneath and into the light. Interesting effect in how it lights up the perimeter.


Today we had a good day of shopping up in the thriving metropolis of Coos Bay and North Bend. Hit all kinds of great sales. Have you noticed how the traffic is starting to really pick up and lots of out-of-state license plates are being seen. Most of it seems to be coming from the south....and lots of motorcyclists. Hopefully, it will be a good tourist season for all the shops and businesses that rely on that trade.
So.....just sort of a laid back day but happy. I'm looking forward to doing some different type of shooting tomorrow of moving water. Some waterfalls and streams. And I think the weather is going to cooperate! And I hope you all have a great weekend and do something fun in the sun!

SOMETHING DIFFERENT

I thought I'd play around with some photos I took the other day. They turned out a little different from the usual, and it's a good thing to experiment, right??
A couple of these have sort of a painterly effect to them.......at least certain aspects of the image do. The first one was a fairly clear shot of the grass.....which was surprising because it was so windy. Not without some blur, but I liked the really blurred background so much and the way the two contrast each other, that I thought to post it even though it's not perfect.

This second one has blurs all over the map! And I think I must be breaking every rule there is as far as composition and distracting elements away from the main subject.......but that yellow in the water lily is just jumping out to be noticed regardless of anything around it! In fact, you can't miss it! I wish the lily had been just a wee bit more sharply defined, but again, it's an experiment.

The final photo had interesting textures to it. I love the floating leaves on the water and some hazy reflections of the clouds showing through it all. So.....any comments, one way or the other are always welcome.

Busy days lately........This morning after having a blood test, followed by breakfast out, I visited the so-called Evil Twins. Our friends are away and I went over to scratch a few ears, rub a couple of tummies, chatter away, take photos and they weren't evil at all. Sweet little guys. Even if Pasha gave me a guilt-inducing look just before I left. Peering at me through the glass and saying his "Meow's". Gosh darn!!! I hope I got some cute and postable photos of them. They are always moving.......so I get a LOT of blurs. Forget trying to use a tripod! Even a monopod. I think there are some good ones, though of Pasha just loving my shoe........tomorrow, guys!

Hope you all have a great Friday and have fun plans for the weekend!

AN HOUR AROUND TOWN

Had a few things to pick up at the store and since I seldom leave home without my handy little D90, off I went exploring. Actually, it was so windy today that I didn't think I'd get much but was surprised when I got home and downloaded onto the computer. I thought this first photo here of Cape Blanco in the distance would be so hazy and distant that it was a waste of a click. I was happy with the result though. And the wind was battering me around so it was hard to find a place to lean where the camera could remain fairly steady. Of course, my mono-pod was safely at home! The wind up there was pretty cold too. There was a man in a truck who waved, and then got out with a folding chair, set it up next to his truck and something to read and he was good to go. I had to fight a little to get our truck door open so I can't see how his reading time could be very pleasant. But who knows.....maybe he traveled out from the Mid-west and had never seen an ocean and this was his fantasy......to experience your hair being pulled out by the roots by our crisp Oregon breezes.

So.....this second shot was from a mill pond over by Buffington Park. I liked the colors and the sense of serenity in this one. While I was there I kept hearing what sounded like a duck in distress. Well, I don't really know what a duck in distress actually sounds like, except that it was persistent. So I started up a path that eventually would lead to the park, to take a look. About half way up a couple of crows or ravens came into view, just cawing like mad, and the 'duck' was silent. I guessed that the duck was actually a young offspring who hasn't gotten the adult voice yet. I remember my chickens before they were ever pullets making very odd noises that sounded nothing like any chicken I'd ever heard. I figured that there was no duck needing any rescue so left.

I got a number of other shots today and will post them in the coming days. Everyone have a Happy Wednesday! Enjoy the sun, and even the wind, since I see hints in the weather reports that we might have some more of that stuff we think we've had more than enough of.

MUTANT POPPIES

The other day while I was 'mucking about' in the garden I came across this poppy plant that had mutated far and wide from the original state of the typical California poppy. Very pretty. A soft cream color...

Today I was really dashing around! Maybe it's the exercising in the morning or the walks in the afternoon......or it could be that I'm somehow trying to keep up with the wind that keeps blowing in gusts.....enough to blow my hat off more than once. Whatever.... I got more done in preparation for Norm's up and coming birthday party next month. Yesterday I got a hold of a very good local singer and guitar player who will entertain at the party. We've hired Steve in the past at some of our 4th of July parties and we like him a lot, both professionally and as a very neat person. So......now I'm definitely committed to do this! And I will NOT think about all that still needs to be done! I will NOT!! Into my blanket of denial I now climb.........

I ordered a lot of new photos.........larger than I usual. Again, I misjudged the size for the mats that I already have that I could use. So.....I found a good buy on Amazon and ordered a mat cutter! I understand that one sheet of mat paper costs about the same as 1 pre-cut mat!! That's a very big savings! I think it will be a good investment. I LOVE Amazon. Whenever I need either information or a product, I generally have excellent luck with Amazon.

Today is my niece, Lauren's birthday. Since I can't get catch her at home via phone, I'm going to wish her a Happy 2nd day of your New Birth Year, Lauren! And it is going to be terrific.... I can just feel it in my bones!! (or is that just residual aching from the gardening??) Naah! It's going to be a great year for her!! 8-D))

SLEEPY SUNDAY

It's been a nice quiet weekend with the sun shining for most of the day. We had a little patch of fog for a while, but that's nothing compared to the ongoing winter we had, ad naseum.
I got some of my yard work done.....not all, mind you, but a good start. Some of the blooms I'm showing here actually came out fairly sharp in spite of the wind. This first one is of a watsonia. Their tall stalks get blown over by the wind and those I cut and bring in the house. I think the flowers are so pretty and soft looking.

The second here is one the first of the David Austin's I bought many years ago. It's planted over the septic tank and it grown almost like a tree!! It's VERY happy there!! With all the rains this year most of my roses are loaded with black spot and some scale. But the blooms are still there and it's nice to have different vases in the house with various flowers from the garden.

So......is everyone ready to have a great week? I'm still so "up" after that afternoon shooting the kids at play. BTW....my neighbor, Nanci, corrected me on my post yesterday in saying that it was the end of the year party for the 'after-school group' kids. Apparently, it was for ALL of Driftwood School. I think the main title should just be titled "FUN 101".

RE-VISIT CHILDHOOD

Here are a couple of photos I found that give the spirit of yesterday's day of fun and games. This first one is of the slip 'n slide. The so called rules speak for themselves. Before they came out for this temperature-testing torture test (My description) they got to 'paint' their hair however they'd like. One boy had white circles stenciled over his very dark hair. There were lots of pink and garish orange, too. This photo is fun, though, because it shows so many different positions and angles of body language-----which all spoke of FREEZING!! The screaming was loud, and again today in looking over all the shots I took, it was just amazing to see how many different positions, outside the mouth, that the tongue can twist and turn into.

This second was of a few of the girls in The Great Potato Sack Race. Don't you just love that hair flying all over. They were jumping just as hard and fast as they could~but I imagine our famous Port Orford 'breezes' might have helped with their various hair styles. Wow! How I wish I had that energy!
OK.....the sun was out and about today and it does look like it means to stay with us awhile. This weekend calls for me to do some kind of yard work. And I hope all of you have a terrific weekend!!

LAST DAY AT DOG BEACH

Well, at least for a while!

This first shot was of a little boy who was visiting the beach and gentle surf with his mother (I assume) and his dog. I would have liked to have gotten some shots of boy and dog, but they seemed to want to go in different directions...so......nada. In this first image, the boy is obviously being splashed a little by an incoming wave....if it can be referred to as a wave. It was pretty small.....It must be the swiftness of the incoming water that causes the splash. This is another one that looks much better enlarged. And his head wasn't very sharply defined so I just cropped it off. That takes care of that!! (hands are now dusting off).

This second photo is just another long range view of wave action and the background surrounding Dog beach. It sure was a beautiful day......and I'm hearing that the nice sunny weather will be re-visiting us next week. In fact, I also heard that there were no more new storms or disturbances on the horizon. Let's all cheer!!

Today it did shower and the skies were gray. There was a sort of wind-up party held at the Driftwood Elementary for the kids that were involved in the After School Program....although I think ALL kids attended. They divided the big kids from the little ones to engage in their various games. I shot mostly the little ones. I know most from other activities and they are so cute and unself-conscious. The first of the games was tying a balloon on their ankles and running. The object was to stamp and pop as many balloons as you can, then run back to the fence. It was bedlam. The wind was blowing and the hair on many of the girls was just flying all over the place.

The second was a potato sack race. It was funny to watch (as I think ALL of these are). Nanci, the facilitator, is yelling "Jump! JUMP! JUMP!" All these kids, probably 40 or more, are jumping and bouncing and falling over. Then you see some of the girls, climbing OUT of their sacks and jumping, which looked pretty funny. Nanci is still yelling at the top of her lungs "Jump!!" So they jumped! There were more and more climbing out of the sacks and jumping, running and eventually walking back to the fence, getting tired. One boy (wouldn't you know it would be a boy?) decided he wanted to wear the sack OVER his head. Naturally, he fell down after a few hops.

The third game was the most fun. A large blue tarmac made of plastic was laid down and sprayed with water (plus some soap for the older kids). The children changed into swimming suits or shorts, or something that could get wet. Then then run down the tarmac and slide, if not just fall on any part of their bodies that happened to hit first. There was a LOT of screaming, many shots showed tongues hanging out, or up or just out, and laughing and hilarity. Some of the mothers or aides were on the sidelines and were wearing warm coats. These kids were gleefully running in their bare skin, soaking wet and as kids do, not feeling the cold at all. Fun is a good conductor of heat, I think. I wish I could show some of the photos. I used to but I'm just not comfortable anymore putting the children's pictures on the web. Maybe I can find some later that would be OK. I'll try.

This kind of an afternoon can sure give you a charge of energy! I took over 500 photos, and that was only a little over an hour! Snap..snap...snap...etc. etc. etc...........

ON THE WATERFRONT

A shame it's lacking Marlon Brando.....Ah well.
This first shot of a seagull is one that reminds me of skydiving. If you can view it on large and focus on the bird, you really get a sense of how the bird appears so free and soaring up close to the clouds.
And of course it's another beautiful view of our coastal foothills.

The second shot seems to be a little artsy, doesn't it? It looks much better being unsaturated than the actual color. As I said yesterday, the sea was very gentle and flat.....the wave action, very gentle. There was a little boy and his dog.....maybe tomorrow you'll see them, playing in the surf. Hopefully, this is a sign of weather to come??!!

ONE STEP CLOSER TO SUMMER??

OK.....we did have one incredible day yesterday where the sun shown, the ocean water was lying down flat and "Life Was Good". I haven't taken any shots from this vantage point looking from the dock out onto 'dog' beach. There are a few other snaps I took that I like pretty well and I'll be showing them in the next few days.

One of my Flickr friends looked and commented on one of my photos of a beautiful sunny day, taken from Battle Rock SP and looking south. Now he's thinking of retiring here!! It'd be interesting to see exactly how many travel to Port Orford, or at least the south coast, after seeing some of the beauty here that's reflected by my postings on Flickr.....or here. I do hear a lot about how various photographers would like to take a trip here and snap away.

BTW......saw a couple of excellent movies during the last week. #1 was "The Hurt Locker". #2 was "The Blind Side". Norm thought The Blind Side was a 'chick-flick'.......but he enjoyed it a lot. Lots of football to keep the guy interest alive and kicking.

Everyone have a great day in spite of our gray skies. Someone told me that next week should be more summer like. Fingers crossed!! XXXXXX

LEST YOU FORGET

This photo is for those living in or around Port Orford.......This is what a sunny day looks like. This is what the sun on the beach looks like.......this is blue sky and calm blue water. There is even a couple of people out on the ledge of the grass looking at the vista.

And this kind of view is what someone must have been looking at when they wrote the song "On A Clear Day You Can See Forever."

Now, today, here in reality-ville, you see a lot of rain, mist, fog and it all swirls around in the wind. So, I never even bothered getting out of the car to take a photo.

At least it wasn't raining yesterday and I managed to get a small patch of thickly grown together weeds turned over. The soil was like clay (possibily because it IS! 8-))

And it really would have been a messy and miserable job to try and separate the weed roots from the clay. For that I'll let things dry out a little. Come to think of that possibility and I might never get out into the garden again!

It's very neat to see how much of life goes on around us, same as nature's clockwork. Birds are still nest building, the are flowers continuing to burst into bloom and the weeds and grass continue to grow. We have a new buck deer in the neighborhood this season. Last year some man illegally shot and killed a buck that had about 5 points......such a waste and more than a couple of people were upset about this. The newest Lothario to move in is just a single spiker (I'm not sure I'm using the correct terms here, so excuse please). He's been busy rounding up all the does he can find. Unfortunately for my neighbor, they seem to very much enjoy all her hard work and beautiful blooms to nibble on. I was hoping to get a couple of photos of them a couple of days agao, but after Nanci found them in her garden, yet again, the only snap I would have had was of their backsides high-tailing it up the road. I bet they'll be back.

FULL FRIDAY

Today was a very fun-filled day for me. Getting together, running into, or just connecting with a number of friends here and there.......mostly at Siren's Coffee Cafe.

And speaking of Siren's, just look at these wonderful and tempting ice creams. There are more flavors than I photographed here and you just have to come in and check them out yourself.......better yet, try the taste test...........Yum!!

I had a mocha coffee there this morning that had me wired and ready to tackle the day......It's my favorite. Had a visit with one good friend and then returned to have lunch with a couple of other good friends........(still heavily charged with this morning's coffee!)

So, we had more rain this morning......not bad after that loud thunder and lighting show of last night. But this afternoon it was only down to a weak drizzle. I went for a badly needed walk which felt so good. The air smelled fresh and there were beautiful little raindrops on every leaf and new flower......which made me regret that I didn't have my camera with me. When I returned home I saw that my favorite rhoddendrum at my neighbor's house was in full bloom. This is the blossom you see below. (For someone who might confuse which is the flower and which is the ice cream, please note that the flower is BELOW! You know who you are.)

This flower is another shot that is even more beautiful when viewed large. You can see the water droplets in greater detail.

So ends a neat day with lots of good friends warming me up inspite of the continuing rain.

Hope you all have a safe and fun-filled weekend!

OUR DAILY FLY-OVER

Everyday we hear the comings and goings of our local Coast Guard. They travel from their station in North Bend down to Brookings and then back. I assume they travel along the coast looking for any kind of potential trouble......but we don't live right on the coast line, so why they take a short cut over us, I don't know. Not that I mind.......I like things that fly over us. Ravens, buzzards are beautiful and graceful in flight. Geese just thrill me to no end; the dipping flight of juncos, and our local heros of the air, the Coast Guard. In this shot, it was actually a series of shots that I took as it flew over, it shows enough movement of the blades to show motion. And I like the blue sky showing through the clouds. At the 4th of July parade, when they show up and fly low, waving to everyone, I think it's one of the highlights of the parade. So, send them a big wave when you see them next time!! One year they flew practically at ground level right along IN the parade. Wow!! That was one of the best!

LIGHT ON THE LAKE

I took two separate shots of Lake Garrison.....one on the south side, shown on top here and one on the north side, below. I always find it interesting how the light can make such a dramatic difference in how a photograph will present itself. This top of of a boat house surrounded by fairly dark forest is lit up some, the further out towards the deeper water of the lake. And the entire picture might be a little gloomy except for that what-ever-it-is that's floating on the top of the water in front of the reeds. That lighter color is carried through by the boat house's dock and railing. For me, anyway, it makes this snap more interesting.

This lower photo is just lightness of spring! It feels sort of "bouncy". 8-)) The light is such a beautiful blue as is the sky and even the clouds appear friendly.

On another subject.....a funny thing happen today while shopping up at a major chain store in Coos Bay. I was looking for something in the cosmetic department. There was a man and older woman looking around also. Then the man turns to me and asks "Do you know any man who wear make-up?" I answered, "No, I don't". Then a few seconds later he turns again and asks me "Do you think I need make-up? I know I have bags under my eyes, but don't know if make-up will help?" I asked him if he was serious. The reply was "Yes." As gently as I could, I told him, "No, I think it would look terrible." Anyway, he thanked me and we all went our separate ways. Later, in another part of the store, a little while later, I could hear a masculine voice, yelling at the top of his lungs...."Cathy!! Cathy!!" This kept up for a few minutes with a short break in between bellows. "Cathy!!". Finally, I was over in the part where I could see who was doing the yelling.......You can guess......Yep! It was Make-up Man!

It was good to get home.

A VIEW.........AS PROMISED

GARDEN BRIGHT SPOTS

I'd like to take credit for having these two beautiful flowers in my garden......but, Alas! They are in a friends garden instead. This first rhodedendrom is so fragile in white with that bit of yellow....actually I upped the saturation so in reality it's more muted and delicate than appears here. It's a fairly large and very full shrub.....quite the show-stopper.

The iceplant flower below is wonderful to view since there is a large patch overlooking the blue of the Pacific. What you see is a field of vivid pink flowers....then the ocean blue and beyond. There are rugged hillsides and craggy rock thrown in for good measure. In fact, I'll go back and include that photo also. It's pretty spectacular.
Had lunch today with a friend up at Bandon Dunes today. It was fairly crowded but we spotted one table and grabbed it. Found out that today was the first day opening of their newest golf course, Old MacDonald's. Our waitress quoted how many hundred golfers had descended upon the place, and they must have been serious golfers, seeings as how a number were decked out in their plaid knickers and other stylish (???!!!) apparel. Hope they all get their fill of golfing in today because tonight and for the rest of the week it's......you can guess........rain again.heavy at times. That might not discourage some of the die-heart golfers though. I've been there (safe and dry in the dining room) and watched some out there swinging their clubs while the wind whips up their coats, pulls down their hoods as they wade through what must be soggy grass, chasing after the little white ball. Sound like fun, huh?? NOT!