Category Archives: Scenic

Japan

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A lone cherry tree blossoms in the East Garden of the Imperial Palace in Tokyo

My mind turns to Japan at this time of year as soon as I see a cherry tree in the neighborhood start to bloom. I visited Tokyo six years ago on a business trip, unfortunately a week or two too early for the full bloom of the cherry trees. Nevertheless I had one free day on my own which I spent wandering the grounds of the Imperial Palace, delighted to at last find a tree blossoming in the East Garden, even if it was not the traditional cherry.

My heart aches for the people suffering from the earthquake and tsunami, I pray healing follows tragedy as spring follows winter.

Boolie vs. the iPhone

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Oak trees in Portland's Irving Park on a foggy night in the fall

Old oak trees on a foggy night in the fall in Portland's Irving Park

Even though Irving Park is only a few blocks from our house, I never set foot in the park the first six years we lived here. But since adopting Ellie two years ago, I’ve visited daily during our walks. But during those two years I never took one picture. Not a single one!

A few weeks back while walking Ellie I was struck by the beauty of the old oak trees on a foggy fall night and wished I had brought along my camera. Then I remembered I had an always-with-you camera in my pocket and pulled out my iPhone. Its tiny sensor doesn’t do well in low light — which unfortunately is my favorite light to shoot in — but I’d rather have these pictures than none at all.

The next few posts will contain some pictures taken with the iPhone. It’s not good enough to make me forget about my big camera, but it has reignited my desire to take a camera with me more often. May be time to get a small camera bag to complement my shoulder bag. Maybe a small camera too.


A basketball court in Portland's Irving Park on a foggy night in the fall

Hoop Dreams


Portland's Irving Park on a foggy night in the fall

While on our walk Ellie suddenly started barking into the night. I couldn't understand why until I noticed the lights of this spaceship hovering over the horizon. Unfortunately the aliens that emerged were rather small and hedgehog-shaped. First contact did not go so well.

Ripples at Rest

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Ripples on the surface of Rest Lake created by coots diving under the water at Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge

The end of one year and the start of the next offered a dazzling display of wildlife subjects, but the third day of the new year was quiet and the animals distant. At first disappointed, I soon matched my mood to the day and enjoyed the subtle moments. As I watched coots diving under Rest Lake to feed below, I was struck by the pattern of light dancing across the ripples and turned my lens from birds to water.

I certainly didn’t have pictures like this in mind when I bought the big lens, but it was the right tool to capture this unexpected beauty.

Birds in the Rocks

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A petroglyph of a bird in Rinconada Canyon at Petroglyph National Monument

We hiked the Rinconada Canyon Trail at Petroglyph National Monument amidst the many petroglyphs new and old, many depicting the animals of the canyon, such as this petroglyph of a bird (a roadrunner perhaps?).

I spotted another bird in the jumbled rocks, this one very much alive, a mourning dove sitting on a thin nest of grasses. We hiked during the evening hours and heard doves calling from all around the park, bringing back fond memories of growing up back east where the coo-coo-cooing of doves serenaded us on many a night.

A mourning dove sits on its nest in Rinconada Canyon at Petroglyph National Monument

Tragedy at the Refuge

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Trees on a foggy day at Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge

I haven’t been to Ridgefield yet this spring and was going to make my triumphant return today, but I’ve been feeling pretty rundown this weekend and decided to stay home and rest instead. Late in the afternoon I heard some sad news, a couple was bird-watching on the auto tour at the refuge and drove off the road next to a shallow channel of water. They landed upside down and both drowned in a few feet of water, still buckled into their seatbelts.

Not many details have been released yet, although I know how easy it is to be watching wildlife and not pay enough attention to the narrow road, but the speeds are so slow I always assumed a mistake would be embarrassing rather than tragic.

Regardless of how it happened, my thoughts and prayers go out to their friends and family, such a sad end to what I’m sure had been a lovely day at the refuge.