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June, 2008: Finally getting the Hawaii photos up. Tim and I attended his friend's wedding and had a wonderful time. With all the rain here of late, it's easy to yearn for those warmer days with clear blue skies. The golf courses were out of this world but very fast!
Sept., 2007: Here are photos from my birthday trip to Summerland, BC.
Tim and I had a wonderful time golfing, visiting various wineries with fantastic views of the lake, a train ride, and enjoying a lovely room overlooking the water. The locals were very nice, the weather was good and it was one of my better birthday trips. I would love to go back and spend more time there as the short trip we made wasn’t enough to experience a fraction of the wineries. It really was a mini Napa.
April, 2007: Tim and I visited his friends and family in Indiana and Kentucky. Some of the things we did included what is known as Thunder Over Louisville which is the largest fireworks show in the U.S. We toured one of the oldest and largest Bourbon distilleries in Kentucky
(Buffalo Trace). We also took pictures of one of the largest, and in my opinion one of the loveliest cemeteries called Cave Hill. We toured the Kentucky Horse Park, some waterfalls and took general scenery shots of the towns and countryside. We also went to The Oaks horse races, which is the filly version of the Derby. We got soaked! That dismal picture at the end is the drive home.
Spent a lovely weekend on Orcas Island. Flying up by seaplane is a lovely (and fast) way to experience the San Juans.
I spent an October weekend taking pictures of the fall colors, including Icicle Creek near Leavenworth. The towns folk said it was an unusually vibrant fall because it had stayed warmer for longer.
I turned 40 on September 12th and for my birthday I went to Port Townsend. I probably should have been depressed turning the big "40" but it was the most lovely day I can remember. Here are some shots from Port Townsend and the B&B.
Volunteer Park. A lovely photo outing at Volunteer Park. This is just a small percentage of the park, but the flowers and plants are quite pretty.
Deception Falls. I think my favorite part of summer is being able to go into the mountains and enjoy all the beauty yet still be warm. These are pictures taken from Deception Falls. I sat by the river, chased a butterfly and found a great swimming hole. Does it get any better? I think only if I had shared it with a friend.
Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon. Did a quick trip to Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon during the weekend of May 6th. The best part of the trip was the helicopter excursion into the base of the Grand Canyon. I can't think of a more glorious way to see this wonder of the world... To be where most people can't even access and just partake in all the sights, colors, smells, and sounds of this amazing place. It felt so spiritual to me as well. I really didn't want to leave. I could just feel the energy of the ancient ancestry imbued in the very essence of the rocks, air and soil.
I hope that these pictures capture, if even a little, the marvelous essence of the Grand Canyon.
Oh and Las Vegas was fun too, but it just couldn’t compare to Mother Nature.
Melbourne, Australia These pictures are from my March, 2005 trip to Australia. Two weeks certainly wasn't enough! I could have easily spent a month or more there just taking in all the sights, sounds and experiences of this place. My trip could not have been made more pleasant by Mike who was so kind as to allow me to stay with him for my two weeks, not to mention taking me everywhere I wanted to go! I owe him a world of gratitude. I cannot wait to repay the kindness when he, Peter and Mark come for their visit next year.
My River Sanctuary is a place I go to in summer where I can be alone and savor nature. Unlike the west side of the Cascades, it’s dryer, warmer and has less people. I wish I could jar up the scent of this place and make it part of the picture experience, but alas, you’ll have to go there yourself to appreciate the mix of raw beauty and delightful air.
Scenery is a mix of shots of some of my favorite places: an enchanting winery (China Bend Winery near the Canadian border), the scenic road to Leavenworth, and local trails.
Virginia City is an old silver mining town nestled in the craggily hills of Nevada. It is one of my favorite places to visit for its authentic aura of the Old West. The stark weather and scenery adds to the ability to feel the mining fortunes or dashed dreams of days gone by.
Eagle Falls Eagle Falls, though a beautiful place, doesn't quite
hold the same appeal as my river sanctuary. Unlike my sanctuary, here is a hot spot for people (especially teenagers)
to stop and enjoy the waterfall and river. Unfortunately, they leave their fair share of trash behind which is annoying as
hell (I had to pick out cigarette butts and trash just to get my shot of one of the craggily rocks!) So to take these
pictures without too much interference, I have to get up early and get there before the kids do which means lighting isn't
ideal.
N.E. Washington Here are some photos from my trip to N.E. Washington. I stayed at the China Bend Winery which had the most marvelous chardonnay that I had ever tasted (no sulfites). It was just gorgeous there! The winery was situated on about 100 acres right on the Columbia River. Heaven on earth!
Cannon Beach This is a nice little artistic community in Northern Oregon that I visited in summer '04. Would make for a nice retirement spot.
Whidbey Island The funniest set of circumstances prompted me to visit this island the weekend of January 15th, '05. In a dream I saw and heard a place called "Ebey on the water in the San Juan Islands." I had never heard of any "Ebey" anywhere and I'm fairly familiar with the San Juan Islands. Upon searching the internet, I saw that there was an Ebey inlet on Whidbey Island in the San Juans. In fact, it's the only reference to Ebey for the entire coastal United States. Well, I just had to go! I also found out that the second oldest Victorian cemetery was on Whidbey Island and so used the visit for that reason as well. There is also an interesting history to the man Ebey of whom portions of the Island are named after. History states that Mr. Ebey was a gentleman who did well in the gold rush and returned to Whidbey Island in 1850 to settle on a valuable claim. He unfortunately met with a rather dreadful death. Late one evening a large number of fired up Indians came to Ebey’s Landing. Outside of Ebey's home, throngs of Indians were gathering and when Ebey went outside to investigate they shot him dead and then cut off his head. The territorial governors of Washington and Vancouver Island decided not to pursue it because they were afraid of igniting an all out war with the Indians. Three years after the his death, Captain Charles Dodd recovered the scalp of Ebey of which he returned to his brother Winfield, who was a lawyer and handled most of Ebey's affairs. There are still rumors today of people seeing the ghost of Ebey near his home and the parks.
Ilwaco, Washington. This is from my trip dated February 19th, 2005. The face concealed by the Playdoe Princess Pony tube is my niece Madison. She's so cute! I took shots of their lighthouse, Black Lake, cemetery and a church in Oysterville. And I was also, for the first time, able to capture a raven that flew overhead. I heard its unusual 'caw' and took about five shots, but only one came out. Not many people know that ravens are not the same as crows. They are twice the bird (size, wing-span, weight, etc.) They are so magical...
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