Rosario Beach is located just north of Deception Pass, near Anacortes, Washington. These images are from a few weeks ago.

…or, unofficially, “Show Me the Monet!”



Reflection shot taken at Lake Wilderness several years ago.

…on an evening (several summers ago) when I was lucky enough to get amazing sunset light.

Some iPhone shots from the Highline SeaTac Botanical Garden south of Seattle.

Taken at a lake in the Lake Desire Natural Area about twenty minutes from home. I know the second image is the “money shot,” but I really find myself drawn to the first, where I was lucky enough to get light that reminds me of the works of a nineteenth-landscape painter whose name I should remember, but don’t.

Two weeks ago, conditions looked right for woodland photography, so I set out for the Hoh Rain Forest in Olympic National Park. After around five hours of driving, I approached the entrance to the park, only to be brought to a complete halt by an approximately one-hour wait at the entrance gate. I was sorely tempted to turn back, but decided to stick it out, mainly because I figured that the near-solstice day meant that I'd have until the early evening to have enough light.

While waiting, I took an iPhone shot from my car window of the wetlands along the side of the road.



Once I got inside, I realized the obvious: that long lines outside meant dense (collectively and, shall we say, individually) crowds inside. While much of what follows may seem serene, it really was a matter of run-and-gun, wait at a given location for ten minutes so the tourists could finish taking their selfies, etc. Definitely one of the higher-stress shoots I've ever conducted.

Close-up of branch over the Hoh River.



Scenes on the short ascent to the Hall of Mosses trailhead.





Hall of Mosses Trail

















Although the forecast had been for clouds, I was surprised, upon exiting the forest, to realize that the conditions for good sunset light were starting to develop. Therefore, I raced down to Ruby Beach, a frequent location of mine, and one where I have tried repeatedly to capture the ultimate sunset, but always fallen somewhat short. Indeed, when I got there, I could see the beach itself had a thin mist in the air, precluding good images from down there; however, the upper viewpoint offered a scene that could only be described as "epic."







So, while this might have started out as an incredibly stressful photo trip, it proved, in retrospect, to be one of my most-rewarding ones.

I don’t know how I lived here almost thirty years without knowing there was a small rainforest about a five minute drive away. Maybe because it was hidden behind an upscale housing development, but it was only about a week ago that I discovered it was now designated a county park, and had trails running through it. In honor of #ForestFriday (which is something that may or may not exist but, if the latter, I just created it), here is a record of my first couple of hikes through only a small part of it.

It's been a while, hasn't it? Just thought that, for #WaterfallWednesday, I'd post these recent shots from an old favorite, Snoqualmie Falls.





More installments to come (hopefully)...

Some images I took at Roozengaarde last month during the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival.