Road Warriors - NV, UT, and WY

Butterfly on the Beach

In the Cool of the Evening

When the Sun Goes Down

Grey Day on the Coast

Grace and Joy

A rare sunny day at the beach in Oregon's Seaside. The sun set just as this young girl discovered the joy of ballet in the waves.

A Fish Story

There's a story to this series of pictures.

While sitting on the beach in Florida, I watched a man walk back and forth across the sand at the edge of the waves, casting a huge, Biblical-style net into the gulf waters. He'd pull the net in and check it for fish, then send it back out. Over and over he did this. Any small fish he caught, he put in a small, clear plastic tackle box that he carried with him.

One bird caught wind of the smell of fish and began to follow him. Up and down the beach this bird walked, like a puppy at a master's heals.

Soon other birds began to notice and they joined in.

Before long, the man had a flock following him. At first, they pecked around his net when he'd bring it in, but it didn't take much time before they discovered the tackle box.

One bird fluffed his feathers in an act of ownership and fiercely fought others when they came too close.

He could smell the fish. He could see the fish. They flopped right at the tip of his beak. But he could not get to them.

And then the fisherman took his nets and his fish, and he walked away.

Twilight

Spin Art: Earth Rotation Style

We sat on the beach this week and watched the sunsets: one of my favorite activities. My kids were amazed at how fast the sun disappeared once it reached the horizon. All day it seemed to creep across the sky in almost imperceptible increments, but once it sets, you can tell how fast the earth is spinning, swallowing the sun in a gigantic, quick gulp.

The Trees for the Forest Grove

When I was up at Forest Grove, Oregon for my MFA residency, I took one afternoon to walk around with my camera. The trees there are gorgeous and diverse.

An Evening at Elk Cove Winery

Dude is on FIRE!

Not that I don't love taking pictures of landscapes and flowers, but if I could make a living by photography, I'd want to be a photojournalist. I am amazed by photojournalism, and the way a picture really can be worth a thousand words.

I, however, have no real talent for that. This is evident by my lack of ability to adequately even cover a piano recital or t-ball game. But at Disney, everything is possible. Dreams come true. All that jazz. So here I am, pretending to be a photojournalist.

It isn't war or anything. It's a stunt show. But still - look!! That dude is on fire, and I caught it!

Okay, off to get a few shots of the roses blooming in the backyard. Sigh. Back to reality.

Postcard Shots

I don't think shots like these are great photographic shots. They're the stuff of postcards, that anyone in the right place with a decent camera could take. There's no "making the photo" here, but still - I like getting the postcard shot every now and then. If for no other reason than I no longer have to spend twenty five cents on them. :)

Chasing the Dream

I think most photographers have something they spend years trying to capture that seems to elude them. There's been lots of those for me: bees, butterflies, hummingbirds in flight, and fireworks. I've read articles, taken thousands of pictures, and still not been able to capture the color and crispness of fireworks without also overexposing the smoke that inevitably overpowers them.

At Disney World last week I was able to finally figure it out. I don't know if it was chance, or I actually figured it out. But I'm thrilled for once I got the shot.