POTD CHALLENGE 2009

"Lions 'n Tigers 'n Bears...Oh my!"

noreply@blogger.com (periwinkle eye images) — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 01:03:00 +0000

Finally! Pat and I were well enough to go on our first photo outing in weeks 'n weeks. We chose the zoo because we could sit in the shade as often as we needed. So, the lions were sleeping out of sight, but I did get the "Tigers 'n Bears" and the "oh my"s:

"Hey...you wouldn't be following me, now would you?":
"I don't care how sappy I look; I love this water on a hot day!": (This bear was behind smudgy glass)

"Ahhhhh!":

"Boy, did hat feel good!":

This baby gorilla was behind glass - phooey. He looks like he is reaching for help, but oh no! He could scamper like a pro clear to the top:

I call this, "Happy Anniversary!":

ICE PATTERNS ALL AROUND

noreply@blogger.com (periwinkle eye images) — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 04:34:00 +0000

During our recent quick-freeze, which included a White Christmas - yay! - the Old Mill Pond road was open for only a brief time, and I lucked out. This is my favorite reflection perspective, but ice was there instead. Not an exciting photo, but it was an exciting outing.

The refraction in this ice drop (the size of an infant's fingernail) is of some trees in our front yard and the mountain in the background:

This refraction shows our porch trellis and a spray of this same daphne bud. These are melting ice drops:

For this I wanted to use my macro lens, but didn't dare switch out because of the bitter cold and the floating ice chrystals. Do spiders stop construction when it freezes?

The ice was melting from a branch, but hadn't quite lost its grip:

This ice drop shows a tree still flocked in frozen snow and a little bit of our first blue sky; no macro lens here either:

During the most frigid of the winds, snow was blasted against our windows and stayed for days:

Snow enhances the design on a patio table:

A WHITE CHRISTMAS!

noreply@blogger.com (periwinkle eye images) — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 07:40:00 +0000

All snuggled warmly below our Christmas tree:

Snoqualmie Falls, just 2 miles from home, after the first frigid blast. The Falls are reduced to 1/3rd the width while miniature ice falls have formed on the borders. This was taken early in the morning with the sun barely sweeping across the top of the Falls:

Flanking the Falls, all things get an special coating from the icy mist:

I was there long enough that the atmosphere changed. Did the temperature dip even lower? An ice cloud form? I dunno', but everything turned a magical cold blue. I was not using a polarizer nor did I enhance the photos, this was the real (though other-wordly) color:

Feeling cold was well worth the experience!

THE LAST OF THE 'ANGLES' ASSIGNMENT

noreply@blogger.com (periwinkle eye images) — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 00:57:00 +0000

I think I have found most of my Angles by looking up!

Yep, because here I was standing inside the skeleton of a de-skinned teepee:

A very close angle on a bridge:

Looking up yet again; a campus library ceiling:

The ribs of an umbrella; I love the angles-on-angles:

POTD CHALLENGE: ANGLES

noreply@blogger.com (periwinkle eye images) — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 00:50:00 +0000

I guess this will be the last of my Angle shots because the week is over. I have had fun looking for angles! Here is a playground climbing rope:

Study in starkness with this bridge support overhead:

Another bridge overhead support, my favorite:

I love bridges! Here are angles in more detail on an old railroad bridge:

Looking up:

POTD CHALLENGE: ANGLES

noreply@blogger.com (periwinkle eye images) — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 13:55:00 +0000

I am having way too much fun with this category! I know I have used my piano for other categories, but this perspective highlights some angles:

Another interior shot; almost too many angles:

This features the new structure of our local ski area's snow/foot bridge:

Simplicity:

NEW CHALLENGE: ANGLES

noreply@blogger.com (periwinkle eye images) — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 01:29:00 +0000

Look what a doctor's appointment turned up! These were taken at the hospital parking lot today.

PLAYING CATCH-UP

noreply@blogger.com (periwinkle eye images) — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 16:56:00 +0000

As I explained below, I am way behind in posting. So, here are a couple for the Photo of the Day category "Paths". The season is well gone now, so thought I would give tribute to summer with this pathway to the surf, here on our coast:

And a trespasser ( actually, we are the trespassers!) on the path to the cottage:

(noting below, I really do know how to spell "catch"!)

PLAYING CATCH-UP

noreply@blogger.com (periwinkle eye images) — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 16:46:00 +0000

I haven't posted on Photo of the Day for ages and ages. I love the topics, but I am really far behind. So, I pick "Paths" to cach-up, and then I will move on to be current!

I think Pat posted one like this recently - we were on a "leafing" outing. Don't you just love to crunch and kick your way through a path like this? The wind certainly does!

My dh and I use this bike path every Saturday morning:

I love Nature's natural arches and pathways:

With any new snowfall, I take myself across the street to check out the mood of this pasture:

A local path after the first snowfall:

POTD CHALLENGE: REFLECTIONS

noreply@blogger.com (periwinkle eye images) — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 03:41:00 +0000

This submerged log doubles its shape through such a clear reflection:

Caught sight of this reflection in the mirror while browsing a gift shop:
Only the reflected part of a boat shown here; the real thing is moored at the pier:

POTD CHALLENGE: REFLECTIONS

noreply@blogger.com (periwinkle eye images) — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 03:12:00 +0000

I have missed the opportunity to post for this theme all week, so here I am on the very last day. Therefore, I have a variety of reflected objects, all straight out of the camera, and hand-held. The first one is ancient architecture reflected in modern:

This is a local scene; Mt. Si reflected in the old mill pond on a blah-weather day:
Piers look twice as long as they really are:
The last 2 are Cranes! I love that they are the same color and position. This is actually a blue heron:
And this, a construction crane on a sunny day:

POTD CHALLENGE: SUNFLARE

noreply@blogger.com (periwinkle eye images) — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 02:26:00 +0000

This first one is taken at sunset from the beach house back porch:

This one is taken at sunrise from the beach house front porch:

POTD CHALLENGE - NATURE: CAN BE WHIMSICAL!

noreply@blogger.com (periwinkle eye images) — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 02:05:00 +0000

Unfortunately, there is nothing near to this shore pine to show its size relative to its environment in this old-growth forest. So, imagine that my SUV could be cradled between the two lowest limbs, quiet easily, with room to spare. It reaches probably 150' skyward, but it is the limb growth that looks so outrageously indecisive! Yes, this is all one tree:

POTD CHALLENGE: NATURE

noreply@blogger.com (periwinkle eye images) — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 05:28:00 +0000

This is Nature at work. The coastal seastar, below was relaxing in the outgoing tide. This photo was taken with it underwater in a shallow tidepool:
Here, it begins attaching itself to a rock covered with mussels. Such rocks are exposed only on an extremely low, or minus tide:
This is a close-up of the same thing: the seastar will "capture" a mussel and make a meal of it. The time it takes to do that could be clear until the next low tide:

POTD CHALLENGE: NATURE

noreply@blogger.com (periwinkle eye images) — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 05:16:00 +0000

Nature amazed me the other night with a sun that wouldn't set in the prescribed way. There was no color stretched across the sky; instead it seemed to all be contained within the perfect orb of the sun. Even after complete darkness, the sun hung above the horizon. This, and the ones below are all sooc:

POTD CHALLENGE: NATURE

noreply@blogger.com (periwinkle eye images) — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 05:05:00 +0000

I am still here on the southern Oregon coast. This sunset photo was taken from the front porch of my sister's home. I have never seen a sunset like this before, where all the usual colors were gathered in the orb itself and not stretched out across the horizon. The sun looks like it is a cut-out, just pinned up on a backboard. It was amazing. This is one of several in a series; the last one I took during pitch darkness, but the sun looked the same. I will post it next time.
My sister's home is settled in an old-growth forest:
I am still (and ever will be!) learning my Nikon D300. I was amazed that what I saw in the viewfinder was darkness, yet because of certain settings, the photo turned out showing the real post-dusk glow:

POTD CHALLENGE: LANDSCAPES

noreply@blogger.com (periwinkle eye images) — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 06:13:00 +0000

I am far, far from my PC with its collection of my landscapes; I have brought a new laptop to the southern Oregon coast to my sister's summer home. So, mostly I will have "sea"/landscapes for the rest of this week for the challenge.
These were both taken at sunrise this morning from the bluff on my sister's property, in front of their house.

It was a minus low tide:

POTD CHALLENGE: PATRIOTIC

noreply@blogger.com (periwinkle eye images) — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 22:55:00 +0000

This was easy, because I have been watching these plants grow and knew that soon the flags would join them. This is an entrance to a small business in our little town:

POTD CHALLENGE: SUMMER

noreply@blogger.com (periwinkle eye images) — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 02:40:00 +0000

This is going to be interesting, because I haven't seen Pat's post yet; I bet we are putting up the very same things! Yesterday - great summer day! - I took her up to my old stomping grounds for a short hike. We lived in the mountains for many years, and our home is located behind the trees in this pic, where the red mark is.
You can see what a fabulous day we had for our summer hike!

What to our surprise, but the trail was lost under snow! So, my subject for this POTD is
"Is it really summer?" This is Pat; my token photo of proof! The trail is "somewhere out there":
With our trusty hiking sticks, we ventured toward Franklin Falls anyway. We could not get beyond this point because the horrendous water was sending too much spray for our camera lenses and the trail dips steeply - still snow-covered. The pool at the bottom was a roiling pot where, as I told Pat, I took grandchildren to swim in the summer (!) because it is usually a calm, deep pool with great jumping-off rocks all 'round:

But we were so excited to look down and all around at the very late-blooming things on the forest floor. The first things to show in the wake of a snow melt are the wood violets, above; and of course, then comes the trillium - what I always think of as a magical bloom. We rejoiced that we hadn't missed what would usually have shown up 6 weeks ago! Didn't pack my macro lens, so this is the best I could get:

noreply@blogger.com (periwinkle eye images) — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 02:40:00 +0000

POTD CHALLENGE: SUMMER

noreply@blogger.com (periwinkle eye images) — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 20:53:00 +0000

Summer in the Northwest, to some of us, means hitting those trail-heads!

POTD CHALLENGE: SUMMER

noreply@blogger.com (periwinkle eye images) — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 04:53:00 +0000

Summertime..."and the livin' is easy..."

All this toad needs is a barefoot boy with quick hands! Big hands; this guy was about 5 " across:

POTD CHALLENGE: SUMMER

noreply@blogger.com (periwinkle eye images) — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 20:17:00 +0000

I am happy for this particular theme, but the season hasn't really come to us yet. Anxious to be back, I am posting just a couple of ho-hums; no great photography. But at least we had one day to be in the sun this week! Note the actual shadows - something we haven't seen all year!
Here is dgr.gr.son, helping out:
Sometimes ya' just gotta' get the job done:

POTD CHALLENGE: WINDOWS

noreply@blogger.com (periwinkle eye images) — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 05:11:00 +0000

"Windows to the soul":

"Windows to the world":
"Giggly windows":

POTD CHALLENGE: WINDOWS

noreply@blogger.com (periwinkle eye images) — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 02:23:00 +0000

The following sets of posts are for catching-up with the current challenge. I have been out of town this week, and unable to post, OR take photos.
I have made this set the category of "alley-way" windows:
One could never guess how much fun it is to walk down alleys; what looks SO uninviting and even scary sometimes, can be so rewarding for the photographer.
For instance, who would imagine that such a soft-looking place was actually in a muddy alley:

This is obviously an alley, but what fun to work with the darkness for a natural sooc B&W:
Yes, this one is ancient:
And here is the heart of old Pioneer Seattle, which has character-enough to spare, but even more by poking down an alley!
What alley would be complete without broken windows?
Next time you have the opportunity, poke down some alleyways for the fun of it!