2013, Day 242 - Head boogers

Shame!  Shame on Frankie!  Look at him wearing a headful of dead bugs!  On our walk this morning he found the perfect poop spot right behind a giant spiderweb.  When he finished his business he walked through the web and ended up with eight dead bugs on his noggin.  Initially there was also a massive garden spider on his head but I used the end of the leash to knock it back into the shrubbery.  I let him wear his crown until I got a few pictures and then removed the corpses.

Fuji X-Pro1, Fuji 35/f1.4
35mm, f1.4, 1/100 sec @ 640 ISO

2013, Day 241 - Grumpy

I found this guy sunning himself on a beautiful white dahlia.  He stood out against the bright backdrop and I was able to get a few pictures before he got annoyed and left.

Canon 5D Mark III, Canon 100/f2.8L IS
100mm, f5.6, 1/320 sec @ 200 ISO

2013, Day 240 - Nibbled

This flower is almost perfect with the exception of a few petals that turned into someone's snack, probably a slug or an earwig.  Still, I love the raindrops and the beautiful colors.

Canon 1D X, Canon 100/f2.8L IS
100mm, f5.6, 1/250 sec @ 250 ISO

2013, Day 239 - Sneaky sleeper

While I was at Old House Dahlias yesterday I espied this little guy sleeping in the flower.  He's so much smarter than the bumble bees that sleep on top of the flower, they looked like downed rats because of the rain.  This little bee was smart enough to nestle inside the flower to keep the rain off!  So although it isn't the most photogenic blossom the bee deserves recognition for his resourcefulness.

Canon 1D X, Canon 100/f2.8L IS
100mm, f5.6, 1/320 sec @ 2500 ISO

2013, Day 238 - Hitchhiker

This morning, while we still had cloud cover, I made a run out to Old House Dahlias.  The owner, Mark, is an incredibly nice guy and he grows at his home which means he essentially invites the public into his home.  It was still quite early and because it rained last night I was hoping for water droplets and I was not disappointed.  There were also a large variety of insects just waking up from the cool overnight temperatures.

I chatted with Mark while I took pictures and even though I am not in a position to buy more plants right now he was still eager to show me some of his favorites and he invited me back to see other flowers not yet at their peak.  I normally don't push people to buy anything (other than real estate) but if you are looking for cut flowers or tubers to grow your own Old House Dahlias should be your first stop; of the many things I learned today the most interesting is that dahlia tubers are edible and served in restaurants.

Can you spot the hitchhiker in this photo?  I didn't even notice until I was processing it.

Canon 1D X, Canon 100/f2.8L IS
100mm, f5.6, 1/320 sec @ 200 ISO

2013, Day 237 - Burning skies

The rain seems to have returned to Portland and the forecast is calling for clouds and showers through the next week.  Either way I ended up walking Johan again after our final evening walk because he neglected to answer the call of nature.  We were home for almost and hour and he stood next to me panting so I snuck him out for another short walk in my boxer shorts and t-shirt; I thought he would just make use of the yard but apparently he is too good for that.  Oh well, the call was answered and now I am sharing with the world that I walked my dog in my underwear.  Some people have no shame!

Fuji X-E1, Fuji 14/f2.8
14mm, f8, 20 sec @ 200 ISO

2013, Day 236 - Morning meal

When I was out driving through the countryside in California I saw these sheep trotting in a couple lines across the field.  I stopped and took a couple quick pictures and realized that their organized movement was the result of their automatic feeders being filled.  When I got back to my parent's house my mother watched some of the pictures loading over my shoulder and this is the one she has been asking about so I am sharing it this evening.  Happy now Mom?  :)

Fuji X-E1, Fuji 55-200/f3.5-4.8
200mm, f5.6, 1/210 sec @ 400 ISO

2013, Day 235 - Zipping

As the Hood to Coast runners were making their way through Portland I was taking pictures of another dramatic evening of clouds.  You can see their ghosts on the Hawthorne bridge and the trails of tail lights from passing cars.  I love long exposures, the capture the world in a different way and chaos evaporates.

Fuji X-E1, Fuji 18-55/f2.8-4
18mm, f11, 8 sec @ 200 ISO

2013, Day 234 - Bleeding

I can't get enough of the clouds recently.  This was an in-camera panorama I took to see how well it would stitch and I was pleasantly surprised, there was very little ghosting but there are some JPG artifacts that I don't care for.  Still, it captures a lot of the clouds in the sky and the rim of golden light along the horizon.

Fuji X-Pro1, Fuji 14/f2.8
14mm, f5.6, 1/450 sec @ 200 ISO

2013, Day 233 - Solitary

Back to my morning adventures in California.  I was trying to find a little visual interest to anchor the wispy clouds and this lonely tree was perfect.  It was still early and there is a blush of sunrise color on the horizon.  These kinds of morning are rare and I am so happy I was there to enjoy it!

Fuji X-E1, Fuji 18-55/f2.8-4
26.5mm, f5.6, 1/280 sec @ 200 ISO

2013, Day 232 - Blushing

Sometimes a little bit of color goes a long way!

Fuji X-Pro1, Fuji 60/f2.4
60mm, f5.6, 1/1400 sec @ 400 ISO

2013, Day 231 - Seeded

I rarely get a chance to look at sunflowers when they are at this stage.  The petals of the flower are withering and but the seeds aren't yet ripe and the florets are blooming.  It's actually really pretty because there is still a lot of life in this flower even though it looks haggard from a distance.  I suppose everything deserves a closer look.

Fuji X-Pro1, Fuji 60/f2.4
60mm, f5, 1/250 sec @ 400 ISO

2013, Day 230 - Hidden danger

I can't take credit for discovering this little beastie, my friend's daughter Ana found him.  This afternoon I went to collect Frankie from my friend Karen's house and when I arrived our friends Jason and Melissa were also there with their two daughters.  They are precocious girls and Ana picked this flower off of a clematis vine.  When she noticed the spider she brought it to Jason who in turn showed it to me.  Ana was gracious enough to allow me to borrow her flower so I could take a few pictures.  Later we saw the spider catch a small bee, it was really neat to watch and Ana was just as fascinated as I was to see how the drama of life played out.

Fuji X-Pro1, Fuji 60/f2.4
60mm, f5.6, 1/1000 sec @ 200 ISO

2013, Day 229 - Sun worshippers

I awoke to another pretty California morning.  As before, I grabbed my camera and headed out the door.  Although I drove in the same direction I passed the furthest point I made it yesterday and almost immediately found a field of flourishing sunflowers!  Most are already dying and soon the seeds will be harvested but this must be a late field and it looked amazing.  It was a nice visit to see family and although it was brief I've got a busy week ahead of me.

Fuji X-Pro1, Fuji 14/f2.8
14mm, f11, 1/200 sec @ 400 ISO

2013, Day 228 - Broadcasting

This morning, as I was half asleep stumbling around my parent's house, I caught a glimpse of the morning sky.  Bright blue streaked with clouds!  Being rather atypical I quickly got dressed, grabbed a bottle of water, found the keys to my sister's car, and headed out towards the country.  It was stunning, one of the prettiest mornings in California that I can remember.  As I was making the loop back to my parent's house I spotted this tower, it is used by the FAA apparently, and had to jump out to take a picture.  I liked how lonely it looked in the field and am rather happy with the final image.

Fuji X-Pro1, Fuji 14/f2.8
14mm, f5.6, 1/340 sec @ 200 ISO

2013, Day 227 - Departing

I always feel like I am going to be accosted by security when taking photos at US airports.  It has never been a problem but people are increasingly being conditioned to fear photographers.  Disappointing.  Anywho, I took this picture before boarding my flight and if you look in the distance there is a tiny speck above the US Airways logo which is a Southwest plane taking off.

Fuji X-Pro1, Fuji 14/f2.8
14mm, f4, 1/1500 sec @ 200 ISO

2013, Day 226 - Slash

Estacada is filled with Christmas tree farms.  Over ninety percent of the Christmas trees grown in the United States are farmed in Oregon.  This afternoon, after running an errand, my little sister pointed out the clouds over the field of trees and little white flowers.  It doesn't take much prompting to get me to jump out of the car to take some pictures.  I love the rolling landscape and the stand of trees in the distance.

Fuji X-Pro1, Fuji 14/f2.8
14mm, f6.4, 1/800 sec @ 400 ISO

2013, Day 225 - Brilliant

Simple beauty.

Fuji X-Pro1, Fuji 60/f2.4
60mm, f5.6, 1/1250 sec @ 400 ISO

2013, Day 224 - Farming

While walking the dogs this morning I noticed these ants all lined up.  Upon closer inspection I saw that they were tenting to what looks to be aphids.  On a great David Attenborough documentary I recall hearing that some ants tend to aphids because they secrete a sugar rich fluid that the ants feed on and in exchange the ants protect the aphids from predators.  I don't know if this is true but I am going to tag Alex Wild to see if he can shed some light, after all he is the Ant Master.

Fuji X-E1, Fuji 60/f2.4
60mm, f11, 1/60 sec @ 200 ISO

2013, Day 223 - Fuzzy buds

Flowers are still blooming!  The mild summer has extended the growing season and the plants just keep on flowering.  These guys will be opening soon and I can't wait to see them put on a show!

Fuji X-E1, Fuji 60/f2.4
60mm, f4, 1/420 sec @ 500 ISO

2013, Day 222 - Trapped

I found another crab spider!  Typically lying in wait, read to grab and hold its prey while their innards are dissolved and slurped up.  Spiders are great and disgusting all at the same time!

Canon 5D Mark III, Canon 100/f2.8L IS
100mm, f5.6, 1/100 sec @ 640 ISO

2013, Day 221 - Trolling

I was hoping for another colorful sunset this evening so I camped out by the Fremont bridge to wait.  It didn't happen, we had good clouds but no color.  Still, I didn't want to have waited around with nothing to show for it so I went exploring.  I hadn't intended to take any pictures away from the river but I loved the truck perched on top of the asphalt and this might be my favorite shot of the evening.  I love cloudy summer days even if the humidity is out of control.

Canon 5D Mark III, Canon 16-35/f2.8L Mark II
16mm, f8, merged layers of 0.6, 1.3, 2.5, 5, and 10 sec @ 100 ISO

2013, Day 220 - Painted

My baby sister was in town tonight and on our way home for an awesome dinner we were treated to an epic sunset.  I had to pull over and take a few photos.  The neon sign for the Avalon just cinches it for me!

Olympus OM-D, Panasonic 12-35/f2.8 OIS
18mm, f4, 1/80 sec @ 1600 ISO

2013, Day 219 - Crinkled

These matilija poppies just keep blooming!  My neighbors have a really large plant in their yard and this must be the third time they've bloomed this summer.  The bees love them and I will freely admit that they are pretty spectacular given their sprawling shape and large flowers.

Olympus OM-D, Panasonic 45/f2.8 OIS
45mm, f4, 1/800 sec @ 200 ISO

2013, Day 218 - Deflated

The best way to spend a hot day is laying around in the shade doing as little as possible.  Sadly, some of us have to work, but Frankie set a good example so I am going to bed early to make up for the nap I didn't get earlier.

Fuji X-E1, Fuji 55-200/f3.5-4.8 OIS
116mm, f4.2, 1/25 sec @ 1000 ISO

2013, Day 217 - The second rising

When I was at the zoo last week I worked pretty hard to avoid people but eventually it becomes unavoidable.  When that happens you either work around them or incorporate them.  These kids were having so much fun watching the seal swim up against the glass; they were counting his passes and then trying to count his whiskers.  It was pretty funny.

Fuji X-E1, Fuji 35/f1.4
35mm, f1.4, 1/750 sec @ 500 ISO

2013, Day 216 - Delightful discovery

On my way to the gym this morning I stopped off to check a large patch of flowers for bees.  Unfortunately most of the flowers were past their prime and therefore there weren't a lot of bees but I did find this crab spider lying in wait.  His chances probably aren't too good what with the lack of prey but he remained hopeful and was a great model for me.  Too bad his camouflage isn't very effective on this particular flower.

Canon 5D Mark III, Canon 100/f2.8L IS
100mm, f8, 1/60 sec @ 400 ISO

2013, Day 215 - Wrapping it up

I actually witnessed the little fly get caught in this web.  As soon as the fly got caught the spider scrambled down and started wrapping it in silk.  You can see the strands as the fly is being enveloped.

Canon 5D Mark III, Canon 100/f2.8L IS
100mm, f4, 1/400 sec @ 640 ISO

2013, Day 214 - Tripped

There's no such thing as a free meal, this little guy had to work hard to get to his dinner plate.

Canon 5D Mark III, Canon 100/f2.8L IS
100mm, f4, 1/250 sec @ 400 ISO

2013, Day 213 - Lawn ornament

With the cool overcast morning I decided to make a quick stop off at the zoo before it got too busy.  Well, in summer the place gets busy early and even though I got there ten minutes after they opened the gates I still had to book it to the far end to get away from the crowds.  Fortunately there were only a couple other people when I came to the flamingos.  They are a relatively new addition to the zoo although it seems that they have displaced the spoonbills which I also enjoyed.  I was able to get a few good shots before it got overrun.

Fuji X-E1, Fuji 55-200/f3.5-4.8 OIS
200mm, f4.8, 1/1400 sec @ 800 ISO

2013, Day 212 - Fresh picked

This morning I dropped my car off for a little attention at the shop and when I walked back to pick it up this afternoon the Buckman Farmers' Market was being set up.  Unfortunately I didn't have the means to carry any purchases and a long walk ahead of me but I did wander through and take some pictures.  These golden raspberries caught my eye; I liked the color and the contrast and the perceived abundance that goes hand-in-hand with berry season.

Fuji X-E1, Fuji 60/f2.4
60mm, f4, 1/640 sec @ 320 ISO