Ray Nash Images

INCOMING!

2011-09-11T18:19:00.000-07:00

We recently visited St. Maarten in the Caribbean with some great friends. We decided to go to the airport side of the island to see if we could get some pictures of a plane coming in for a landing into the small international airport located on the Dutch side of the island.

We asked a local where the planes came over the beach and he pointed to a spot about 200 yards away from us. I just happened to look out to the horizon and saw a big plane headed into St. Maarten for a landing. I took off running while making some adjustments to my camera to be ready the pictures. I was standing next to three people on the beach who were also watching the plane come in. I quickly decided to run behind them and take the series of pictures to add some perspective to how large the plane was and how close it came to the beach and water. Once the plane when over us the wind from the engines and the plane were fierce. Sand was flying everywhere….it was amazing….Here is the series of 32 pictures I took of the event. ENJOY!

Now these are MOUNTAINS..

2011-05-16T13:28:00.000-07:00

I flew over Mt. Rainier, Mt. Adams and the snowy top of Mt. St. Helens dome over the last couple of weeks on my way down to California. I am glad I have had window seats and my handy Kodak EasyShare camera!

Dome on top of St. Helens..

Rainier close up...

Mt. Adams

Mt. Hood

San Diego

Brant Easter Geese!

2011-04-25T22:10:00.000-07:00

I received a call from my friend and bird buddy Chris Nelson yesterday afternoon... at around 5:30PM telling me that there was a large flock of Brant Geese on the shore in the back of his house along Shaw Cove in Gig Harbor. I told him I would be right over and me another friend of mine who was celebrating Easter with us jumped in my car and headed over to his house. We made it in less than 10 minutes and I am glad we made the trip. I was able to go down on the beach and get within 20 or so yards from the birds. This was the first time I had ever seen/photographed a Brant Goose!

Here is some information I found out on these geese from "WhatBird.com"..

Brant: Small goose, dark brown upperparts and brown-barred, pale gray underparts. Head is black; short black neck has partial white ring. Tail and vent are white. Western race, formerly known as the Black Brant, is darker. Heavy direct flight with strong wing beats. Flies in straight line formation.

Range and Habitat

Brant: Breeds in eastern Siberia and along the northern coast of Alaska and western Canada; Pacific subspecies spends winters along the west coast from British Columbia to Baja California. Preferred habitats include tundra and coastal islands in the Arctic during breeding, and salt marshes and estuaries during winter.

Capping off a perfect Saturday....

2011-04-23T21:14:00.000-07:00

Spring finally arrived today. This was by far the best Saturday weather we have had the entire year....and to cap it off.....the sunset...

HDR Shots

2011-04-18T20:29:00.000-07:00

I am still playing with some trial software called Photomatix. Part of me loves the cool effects and another part of me struggles with the effects. The type of photography is called HDR (High Dynamic Range). You must set your DSLR to "bracket" mode and take 3 rapid fire pictures all with different exposures. Photomatix combines all three photos to get the following effects...

Eagle Days....

2011-04-14T10:07:00.000-07:00

These were taken early this morning in our neighbors tree along Ray Nash Drive...(if you want to see the "full meal deal", just click on each photo)

Snail droppings

2011-04-11T20:06:00.000-07:00

The sun is out this late Monday afternoon so I am not going to complain (even though it is 45 degrees on April 11th....but I digress).

Looking out our window I noticed the Seagulls were busy picking off Aleutian Moon Snails off the beach and then dropping them on the beach to crack them open an evening dinner.

The Aleutian Moon Snail Typical size:is 4-5” length. It is a
miniature version of the Lewis's moonsnail.” lengthth brown mottling or blotching, light colored shell.
Comment: A miniature version of the Lewis's moonsnail, the Aleutian moonsnail tends to sport some mottling or brown spots on its soft body. Photographed at Sunrise Beach in southern Puget Sound.

Camp 6 at Pt. Defiance

2011-04-03T22:04:00.000-07:00

Cindi and I visited the Camp 6 Logging museum at Pt. Defiance this afternoon with some great friends. Camp 6 covers Washington State’s logging and railroad history from the 1880’s through the 1940’s.

My friend introduced me to a new a new photography imaging called high-dynamic-range imaging (HDR). It is a set of techniques that allow a greater dynamic range of luminance between the lightest and darkest areas of an image than current standard digital imaging techniques or photographic methods.

Here are some shots from the day....

Happy Song Sparrow, Skunk Cabbage & Sunset

2011-04-02T10:18:00.000-07:00

Me and the Lovely took a walk in the Harbor this Saturday morning....First glimpse of sun in days... Somehow the sun makes everyone a little more happy...including this Song Sparrow down by Murphy's Landing...

I came across this Western Skunk Cabbage along Whitmore Dr. NW in Gig Harbor today as well....

And to end the nice Saturday.....a beautiful sunset off of Ray Nash Drive..

Rain, Rain.....please go away

2011-03-27T15:44:00.000-07:00

Wow, after 24 years here in the Pacific NW, I still can't get "used" to the rain....

What is a man to do? Take pictures of course. Here are some shots from around Gig Harbor...

Sea Otter with Starry Flounder...

Blue Heron at Sunset

Rain Drop reflections

Tree Reflections off of Ray Nash Drive

Common Mergansers looking for fish...

Rain Drops and sun...

Crow snatching a clam from the beach...

Cherry? Blosoms in the Harbor...

Belted Kingfisher looking for fish off of our dock...

Breeding time for the waterfowl....never boring around here.....the geese seem to be busy all night.

Gig Harbor boats...

this week...Flicker, Widgeon, Wood Duck, Harlequin, Scooter, Bufflehead, Bald Eagle and Towhee

2011-03-11T21:23:00.000-08:00

This beautiful Northern Flicker was in our backyard recently. Flickers are one of my favorite woodpeckers...

I took these two pictures of American Widgeon today off of Spadoni Hill above our house...

Spotted Towhee

Close second..all time favorite duck...the amazing Wood Duck

My favorite all time Duck...the beautiful Harlequin

Enjoy!

Saturday Spring walk?

2011-03-05T17:38:00.000-08:00

I took the dogs out this morning for their weekly Saturday AM walk... The sun was out and gave me a little hope that Spring is aroind the corner..

Enjoy!

Ahh...Gig Harbor and Mt. Rainier on a Thursday afternoon....

2011-02-10T18:29:00.000-08:00

...and now for something completely different...(except the animals)

2011-01-12T18:32:00.000-08:00

I was in New York City this week on a work trip. I decided this time to pack my rather large DSLR camera. I am glad I went through the extra effort! New York City had a large snow storm last night and I was able to get out and about this afternoon before rushing off to the Newark airport.

Enjoy...

Random December 2010 photos

2010-12-31T16:43:00.000-08:00

I am beginning to believe this vacation life has some promise.

Here are some random shots from the month of December. The first picture (above) of the Olympics was taken at around 4:30PM today.

Wood Ducks

With the Lovely at Cle Elum Lake

Sunrise Beach shot from yesterday

Swan Song on Sylvia lake

Cold Rainier

Morning Rainier shot from the Harbor

Frozen Nail on porch

Our son Matt and new Daughter in Law Emily!

Mizu Chef in Gig Harbor....(order the Salmon)

Moonrise shot from our porch

Our Christmas 2010 photo of family (no daughter was hurt while taking this picture)

Christmas Eagles

2010-12-23T18:29:00.000-08:00

There was a pair of Eagles along Ray Nash Dr. yesterday. Here are some pictures of the event.

Friday AM Majesty

2010-12-20T20:15:00.000-08:00

We woke up to an amazing Friday morning sunrise shining on the Olympic Mountains.

Enjoy!

Seattle Christmas Street scene

2010-12-19T13:43:00.000-08:00

Clam lunch

2010-12-08T18:01:00.000-08:00

It was quite a show today as I watched the Surf Scooters dive for Clams in our backyard.

I can't imagine how in the world they digest these good sized clams!

Santa is in town.....

2010-12-04T19:55:00.000-08:00

Santa visited Gig Harbor tonight. It was a fun and COLD night. Here are my two favorite Forza Coffee servers... (video of Santa below)

The Barrow's are back...

2010-11-27T11:26:00.000-08:00

The ducks are finally back down from Canada on their way down to Mexico for the Winter. One of my favorite species is the Barrows Goldeneye. Here are a couple pictures from today!

Towhee-ing

2010-11-26T19:13:00.000-08:00

The Spotted Towhee's have been very busy in our backyard around our bird feeder since the recent snow. Here are a few shots from my office window....

Loopy Robins

2010-11-24T21:34:00.000-08:00

I came across a bunch of Robins the other day getting a little tipsy on some local red berries. The one above would of been legally drunk for sure....

Snow Birds

2010-11-22T20:33:00.000-08:00

Snow Crow

Snow Seagull

Snow Junco

Snow Bufflehead

Snow Junco with snow flake eye

Chum Run!

2010-11-14T08:01:00.000-08:00

Snout out

Late Fall in the Gig Harbor area means one thing…..Annual Chum Salmon runs. These pictures were taken yesterday in the Rosedale area. The tide was high enough that the Salmon could go straight into the Culvert pipe that ends up running underneath a road and into a stream.

Up the pipe

View from below

Great Northern Loon

2010-11-02T20:21:00.000-07:00

I enjoyed watching a Northern\Common Loon today in our back yard. Here is a little info from Wikipedia...The Great Northern Loon, Great Northern Diver, or Common Loon is a large member of the loon, or diver, family of birds. The species is known as a Common Loon in North America and the Great Northern Diver in Eurasia.

Here is the Loon with a crab for lunch...

Down the hatch!

Stellar Jay

2010-10-27T20:21:00.000-07:00

I broke down and installed a bird feeder recently in our backyard. The most abundant visitor to the feeder is by far the Stellar Jay. I have actually enjoyed these birds since I was kid living in California. My parents have a cabin up near Lake Tahoe and the Stellar Jays have woken us up on Summer morning for over 40 years while sleeping outside on the porch.

The Steller's Jay (Cyanocitta stelleri) is a jay native to western North America, closely related to the Blue Jay found in the rest of the continent, but with a black head and upper body. It is also known as the Long-crested Jay, Mountain Jay, and Pine Jay. It is the only crested jay west of the Rocky Mountains. (taken from Wikipedia)

Tacoma leaves

2010-10-23T18:12:00.001-07:00

I had a little time today to wander around NE Tacoma and take some Fall pictures. What an amazing time of year!

Wings like Eagles

2010-10-12T20:06:00.000-07:00

There is a verse in the book of Isaiah that speaks of the "Wings Like Eagles". There is a verse in the book of Jeremiah that talks about "Eagles Swooping down on their prey". Lastly, in the book of Proverbs there is a verse that speaks about "the way of the Eagle in the air".

These recent Bald Eagle pictures taken in Gig Harbor sort of illustrate these versus ...

The ducks are back in town

2010-10-01T23:49:00.000-07:00

I always know fall has officially arrived when I start seeing waterfowl showing up in our backyard. Today was the first official day of duck viewing by the masses. I had a blast watching a large flock of Common Mergansers as they trolled Ray Nash Bay rounding up fish for lunch. These seem to all be female or juvenile Mergansers.

Barred Owl

2010-09-09T19:38:00.000-07:00

I took the dogs for a walk this afternoon during my lunch break. While walking through the woods I saw a large bird fly deeper into the woods. I had a hunch it was a large owl, and much to my surprise....sure enough there he/she was, sitting in my favorite tree, the Pacific Madrona.

The diet of the Barred Owl consists mostly of mice, but it also feeds on small mammals mostly rodents and also birds such as grouse, hawks, doves, and even domestic ducks. It occasionally wades into water to capture fish.

The Barred Owl hunts by waiting on a high perch at night, or flying through the woods and swooping down on prey. It generally hunts near dawn or dusk, though it may also hunt on cloudy days. It may fly even in full daylight when disturbed. Of the North American owls, it is the species most likely to be active during the day, especially when raising chicks...(found this on Wikipedia).

Pacific Madrona

2010-09-05T13:43:00.001-07:00

I have always admired the Pacific Madrona tree since we moved here back in 1987. Not only is the tree beautiful, it can heat your house to about 90 degrees in minutes when you throw it in the wood stove!

The Madrona is found on the west coast of North America, from British Columbia to California (mainly in the Puget Sound, Oregon Coast Range and California Coast Ranges but also scattered on the west slope of the Sierra Nevada mountains).

The leaves they are a changing

2010-08-27T20:54:00.000-07:00

It is quickly becoming my favorite time of year here in Gig Harbor. I came across these cool maple leaves on my walk today with our dog Bama.

Gig Harbor Bike Race....

2010-08-14T15:13:00.001-07:00

There was a bike race just down the road from our house today. I walked down and took some shots...(taking pictures seems much easier than a 20 mile bike race in 90 degree weather)

Bee fun

2010-08-09T21:21:00.001-07:00

Had some fun taking pictures of Bumble Bees today. I get about one decent pictures for every 20 I take......Here are a few..

Seattle to Vegas

2010-07-26T17:54:00.000-07:00

I had a window seat while recently flying to Las Vegas. Pretty spectacular views and sure beats driving!

Las Vegas housing art....

Mt. Adams

Mighty Columbia River

Bohemian Waxwing on Crescent Valley Drive

2010-07-19T21:37:00.000-07:00

I visited a good friend today at his home on Crescent Valley drive. He has an amazing garden that happend to be loaded with Bohemian Waxwing's. The Bohemian Waxwing is larger and greyer than the Cedar Waxwing and has bright yellow tips on its tail feathers and a yellow or white stripe along the wing feathers. Both beak and feet are dark and the brown eyes are set in a narrow black mask underlined with white. In other words.....very cool bird...

Ray Nash Valley walk

2010-07-08T11:57:00.001-07:00

Cindi and I took long walk this past Monday morning past Kopachuck ridge and down through Ray Nash Valley. The wildlife was abundant and we especially enjoyed watching two black tail fawns running a playing together in a field.... Enjoy!

Fun 4th of July!

2010-07-05T15:05:00.000-07:00

We hung out our house yesterday afternoon/evening with friends and family. Had a great a barbq and enjoyed all of the fireworks our neighbors lit off.... Here are some shots...

Gig Harbor!

2010-07-02T13:35:00.000-07:00

Wow, it has been way too long since I updated my blog. I wanted to get back into the swing of things with pictures from where we live (and love)...the amazing.. Gig Harbor, WA

Plane, Tepee and lighthouse at moth of Gig Harbor
Ray Nash Valley ranch

Christmas tree lighting, downtown Gig Harbor

Coyote off of Rosedale Street

Eagle and black tail deer off of Fox Island

Fall Colors, Gig Harbor

Street sign, downtown Gig Harbor

Happy boating feet somewhere between Gig Harbor and Fox Island

Kayaks and reflections off off Ray Nash Drive

Olympic Sunset, Raft Island and Old Glory

Amazing sunset from Eagle Crest development in Gig Harbor

Majestic Rainier....picture taken from mouth of Gig Harbor

SEA to SMF and back

2010-06-14T21:25:00.000-07:00

Sacramento Rice fields...
I took another flight from Seattle to Sacramento last week. I made sure to get a window seat both ways and I was not disappointed.

Majestic Rainier

Cool storm clouds

Seattle from the North

Random Cushman Trail shots

2010-06-07T22:21:00.001-07:00

Cindi and I have been taking our 3 mile Cushman Trail walk almost daily this past week. Here are a few shots from the journey....

Daisy and Fox Glove

Wilkerson barn and Foxglove

Grass potpourri

This week in photos..

2010-06-06T07:58:00.000-07:00

Will you marry me proposal at Gig Harbor Maritime Parade..
Amazing Saturday Sunset taken at 9:16PM

Iris on Spadoni Hill

Break through

Peninsula Marching Band

Bee and Foxglove

Circling Seattle…

2010-06-02T20:33:00.000-07:00

Cindi and I flew into Seattle this past Monday. I happened to be seated in a window seat so I was able to snap these pictures as we circled Seattle before our landing into SeaTac Airport.

Enjoy!

View looking East
View of Ballard locks..

View of entrance into Lake Union..

View looking West (click on the picture and you can see the Space Needle and the Experience Project)

View from South

View of SafeCo and Qwest field..

California Poppies...and bees

2010-05-30T19:56:00.000-07:00

I took these last week in Davis, California......

Enjoy!

Weekly photos

2010-05-21T21:08:00.001-07:00

Bama & Cindi walk

Friday evening reflections

Red Tail Hawk over Cushman Trail

Morning Kayaking

Abstract pictures

2010-05-16T07:40:00.001-07:00

I decided to change things up a little yesterday while taking my Saturday morning pictures. There is a technique I call “painting” that can create some pretty cool shots. They key is setting your camera to a slow shutter speed (1/8, ½, second, etc.) and moving the camera in a vertical motion while taking the picture. Here are a few examples… (The one of Cindi and George was taken with a slow shutter speed while zooming the telephoto lens)..
Enjoy!

The Red Barn

2010-05-09T19:27:00.000-07:00

Our son is getting married this summer in a barn in Chehalis, Washington. We were a little surprised when he and his fiancé first told of us their decision…. We visited the “barn” this past Friday and quickly realized why they chose this venue. This former Gothic dairy barn was barn was built in 1937 and was converted for weddings and social gatherings by the owners Jason and Laurie Dix . It is located on 25 acres of rolling grass along the Chehalis River…. What and amazing place! http://redbarnstudios.net/

Here are some shots from the other day.

Enjoy!

New Orleans

2010-05-08T20:05:00.001-07:00

I was in New Orleans over this past week for my work. One of these days I am going to visit these cool locations and spend and extra day or two just taking in the sites.

Here are some shots that I was able to take on quick get away...

Creole Queen on the Mighty Mo..

Amazing lunch that the folks next to me were eating.....

View from my hotel window

Dogs of the NW

2010-05-02T19:18:00.000-07:00

The ball moves....and he dies
Duck hunting retriever

Leo the Lion

Picked up hitchhiker

April Meanderings

2010-04-26T19:16:00.000-07:00

Paint & Cujo
Just a bad day....

Solace

Dude, are you for real?

Cuthroat Trout lunch

2010-04-21T20:50:00.000-07:00

Matt and I were out taking pictures today of a seal that was hanging out on Ray Nash Bay….. when much to our surprise an Osprey dove about 30 feet from us and hit the water hard. Making this spectacle even cooler was that the Osprey came up with a decent size sea run Cutthroat Trout. We both were had our Nikon’s blazing. Here are some shots.. (most of these were taken by Matt...but I am not bitter)

Enjoy

Raptor viewing

2010-04-15T19:13:00.001-07:00

Observing this magnificent Eagles never gets old! These were taken yesterday along Ray Nash Drive in Gig Harbor.....

YAHOO!
BEELINE

SHADOW

Livin the Dream, take 2

2010-04-09T18:11:00.000-07:00

...UPDATE since this post yesterday...OK, so the Mariners were getting killed by the 5th inning so we took our sunflower seeds and headed off to the Rainiers game...turned out to be a much better game even though we froze! Here are some shots..

Matt and I are hanging out together while the women are headed to Leavenworth for a Women's retreat. We are livin the dream sitting on the couch eating sunflower seeds and watching the Seattle Mariner's whoop (OK, we are losing 3-1) on the Rangers.... We practiced this tradition since Matt was old enough to eat solid foods....

Here are some shots from this afternoon from our deck and on Spadoni Hill off of Ray Nash Drive...

Immature (STILL HUGE) Bald Eagle

Mallards in Flight

Any idea what kind of flowers these are?

Pair of Canadian's getting ready for the little one's to arrive..

Spotted maple bark..

No idea here....

Birds of Mexico

2010-04-05T22:01:00.000-07:00

It is always fun visiting a new location and checking out the different species of birds. Here are some from our recent trip to Mexico

Crazy George

2010-03-26T22:03:00.000-07:00

OK, it is official...we are convinced (as well as our Veterinarian) that our 18 lb. George is not a "Teacup Chihuahua" that the Pet store salesman (our son) told us he was five years ago. We all believe he is some kind of Terrier mix. Hmm....we have papers for him, but they must be bogus....
This kind of reminds me of the story a friend of mine told me about his friend that went to a nice restaurant in NY and gave his keys to his new Cadillac to the Valet driver out front. When dinner was over he went to the front of the restaurant and handed his valet ticket to the head waiter for his car....the waiter told the man that he was sorry but that their restaurant did not offer valet parking....the man's face dropped and said "but I have a valet ticket"......needless to say he caught a cab home that night...a duped man.. George did not cost quite as much as a Cadillac...but close..

Blackberry Shots

2010-03-24T20:59:00.000-07:00

One of the bummers of work travel is that I can't bring my digital SLR camera with me due to it's size and weight. I am left relying on my Blackberry phone to take pictures. Once in a while I get lucky and get some decent shots. All of these were taken from an airplane window seat...

Seattle waterfront...Mt St. Helens volcano

Mount Rainier

Snowy Denver (taken yesterday)

Cushman Trail Amphibians & Gastropods

2010-03-21T19:14:00.001-07:00

Cindi and I took a walk today on Cushman trail (phase 2). We experienced quite the Spring mix of weather. Nice warm sunshine and freezing rain all within one hour.

While walking we kept noticing Salamander's and one large slug... I don't believe there were any casualties on the walk..

Good morning Gig Harbor! (Towhee style)

2010-03-17T11:35:00.000-07:00

This happy Towhee was singing away this morning on my early morning walk... I think he is excited about Day light savings and the fact that Spring is just around the bend...

Mexico

2010-03-09T19:41:00.000-08:00

Cindi and I were fortunate to visit Cancun Mexico this past week. This was our first time we had been to Cancun and we enjoyed it very much. The beaches and water were amazing. The wildlife also is unbelievable. Here are some shots...

This picture of this lighthouse and newly married couple was taken from a Catamaran that we were sailing on at the very tip of Cancun ....
If you click on this picture taken from my seat on our airplane you can actually see the light house on the very end of the point!

Cool birds...

Black Iguana

Amazing beach

Ant eater type of critter called an Coati

Large rodent called an Agouti...

Seagulls

2010-02-28T15:47:00.000-08:00

We had some friends over today for brunch. As always, we had a wonderful time hanging out and catching up with life. As an added bonus, we headed out to our deck to take seagull pictures.

Enjoy!

Misc...pictures

2010-02-15T19:56:00.000-08:00

OK, it has been a while since I have updated my blog...so here are some random picture from Gig Harbor and one from the Lake Tahoe area..

Enjoy!

Barrow's in flight

Hoody's

2010-02-07T20:10:00.001-08:00

The Hooded Merganser's are coming closer and closer to our house recently. I will be putting up nest boxes soon that my Dad made out of Cedar. Hopefully a pair will stay here for the Spring and have little ducklings...

SNAIL Hunting

2010-01-30T08:15:00.000-08:00

The Seagulls are out hunting again daily over Ray Nash Bay for their favorite delicacy…sea snails. I covered this pursuit in another blog about a year ago. This ritual still amazes me and thought I would share. All of these pictures were taken yesterday except the first two.. If you click on the pictures you can see the snails (especially the last one) much better.

Enjoy!

Seagull sees Sea Snail under water and DIVES (call me Dr Seuss)

Collision with the water...
The Prize!

Getting ready to break the pinata

The drop
Is she going to break?

Oh yeah, medium rare, just the way I like it!

Sweet Home Alabama

2010-01-28T14:50:00.000-08:00

I took this picture today in Georgia with my Blackberry....Heading home now...

Cushman Trail, Phase 2

2010-01-23T18:33:00.001-08:00

Cindi and I headed out today for our first walk on the new expanded Cushman trail. We started at Rosedale Road and headed East up the hill about a mile until it ended at Grandview. We then headed back West on the trail back over Rosedale road to the end of the trail down by Burnham Drive (around 1.5 miles). We were very surprised at of what a nice trail it was and the cool views that we had never seen before. Just be aware that there are very few level stretches on the entire hike.

Give it a try!

So, you think you can dance?

2010-01-18T20:00:00.000-08:00

I watched from my office window (and snapped pictures) this morning a pair of male Barrow’s Goldeneye duck’s (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barrow%27s_Goldeneye) courting a female friend. It was quite entertaining. Their dual sort of reminded me of my Junior High days when the guy’s would show off in front of the girls hoping to get one of them to care…. Enjoy..

Male #1 stargazer move

Male #2 stargazer move

Check out these muscles!

Electric water slide...

Male #2 wins her heart..

Death, Taxes and Tides

2010-01-05T17:04:00.000-08:00

One of the things I love about living near the Puget Sound is watching the tides change throughout the day. This morning at around 8:30AM was an extremely high tide of +14 feet. At around 3:00PM it was down to around a +2 feet. Check out the differences!

Neighbors bulk head at 8:30AM +14 feetNeighbors bulk head 3:00PM +2 feet

Our dock at 8:30AM +14 feet

Our dock at 3:00PM +2 feet

Seattle Scene

2010-01-02T17:42:00.000-08:00

Cindi and I took our Nephew Dan Pleau and our youngest daughter, Ashley to downtown Seattle this afternoon. The crowds were considerably less than a couple of weeks ago. It is always a good time checking out the sights and sounds around Pike’s Place Market and Westlake Mall.….There is always something going on…live music on the streets, War protests, street preachers, etc…

Singers in front of Pike Place Market..

Cindi, Ashley and Dan at the original Starbucks...Established in 1971

The one and only, Pikes Place Market

Shoppers and protester going about their day... Gum anyone?? pick your flavor
Dan hanging out with the family...

2010 Blue Moon

2010-01-01T13:13:00.000-08:00

Taken this morning (1/1/2010) at 12:35AM. Blue moons occur about once every two and a half years, which is the origin of the saying "once in a blue moon."

Bird Watching with Dad and Bro Rich

2009-12-29T23:11:00.000-08:00

Cindi and I travelled down to Northern California this past Sunday to visit our family. We had a great time catching up with everyone. On Tuesday (today) my Dad, Brother Richard and his best friend of 40 years, Jeff Gale went out the Yolo Causeway (located between Davis and West Sacramento) to take pictures of critters. The Causeway is located smack dab in the middle of the Pacific Flyway. Waterfowl (and many other kinds of birds) were abundant. We had a great time and took pictures of many different species.

Here are some of the shots from today.

Brother Rich and best friend Jeff

Blue Wing Teal

Cinnamon Teal jump

Red Tail Hawk

Great Horned Owl

Drake Pintal

Sparrow Hawk

Shore Birds (no idea what kind)

Fox Sparrow?

Christmas Day Eagles

2009-12-25T19:35:00.001-08:00

A pair of Bald Eagles put on quite a show for us today. What a blast to have family, sun and eagles visit us all in the same day!

Glory

2009-12-20T21:44:00.000-08:00

I was thumbing through some photos on my computer tonight. I came across some reminders of God’s awesome power and majesty……….Enjoy!

Four calling birds..

2009-12-12T09:03:00.001-08:00

Woke up on Thursday morning to a toasty 19 degrees, when much to my surprise, four drake Wood Ducks hanging out in the back yard. The Wood Duck is tied for my favorite duck species (next to the Harlequin) of all time. My guess is these four could not find a fresh water pond or lake nearby that was not frozen…they had to opt for saltwater and seaweed…

Excitement and Remembrance

2009-12-05T21:16:00.000-08:00

Cindi and I went to the Gig Harbor Christmas tree lighting event this afternoon/evening. It was freezing out but was still very well attended. It is always fun to see and hear the excitement of the kids as they count down for the lighting of the tree and as they watch for the arrival of Santa on the back of a fire truck. The large American flag next to the festive tree was flying at half-staff in remembrance of the four Lakewood Police officers who lost their lives less than a week ago in a senseless act of violence. I think all who attended appreciated this visual reminder of those who have given their lives for us. It would be great if we all could remember and pray for the families of these fallen officers.

Christmas Tree Lighting this Saturday

2009-11-30T20:45:00.000-08:00

Gig Harbor's annual Christmas tree lighting event is this Saturday starting at 5:00PM. This is always a fun event..

Here are some shots and video from last year....

Spawning Salmon

2009-11-28T14:58:00.000-08:00

I took a walk this morning in Ray Nash Valley and quickly noticed Chum Salmon making the annual pilgrimage up Ray Nash creek. Here are some sights and sounds of the fish...

Gig Harbor snow...please..

2009-11-26T09:24:00.001-08:00

Here are some pictures of Gig Harbor stores in the snow last year in November.... We all would love snow over 50 degrees and rain any day!

Home of the Macho Burrito...
The Christmas Shop

Whole Foods

Westbay Auto

Seasons

Mustard Seed

Harbor Peddler

Harbor Greens

Gig Harbor Yacht Sales

Forza

Brix 25

Tides Tavern

Semiahmoo Sights

2009-11-14T07:03:00.000-08:00

We took a trip to Semiahmoo near the Canadian Border yesterday. The weather was amazing. We had everything from beautiful blue skies to black skies and hail. This type of weather makes for great pictures..

A pair of drake Pintail ducks

Rainbow and Waterfowl

Eagles in our midst

2009-11-08T15:43:00.000-08:00

Cindi and I are just hanging out watching the Seattle Sea Chickens try to beat the lowly Detroit Lions. The Bald Eagles in our back yard are much more entertaining!

Enjoy!

The Ducks are back in town!

2009-11-06T14:56:00.000-08:00

I look forward every fall for return of ducks here on Ray Nash Bay. Today I saw (and took pictures of) Bufflehead's, Common Mergansers (pictured above), Barrows Goldeneye's and Mallards.

Enjoy!

Bufflehead take off

Brilliant Male Bufflehead..

Lunch walk

2009-11-04T21:25:00.001-08:00

I took the pooch out for a walk today at lunch time. It is sure nice living in Gig Harbor where you literally just have to walk out your front door to see amazing sights and sounds. Enjoy!

Downey Woodpecker

Fall decorations..

Final Fall Shots

2009-10-25T16:50:00.000-07:00

The fall colors are starting to wind down here in the Puget Sound region.

Here are some final Fall pictures for 2009... ENJOY

Ray Nash Drive colors...

Fall love leaves...
Maple and white washed fence near Kopachuck Ridge

Mushroom and Fungus off of Spadoni Hill..

Maple with cloud reflection on the Puget Sound

Aspen's near Kopachuck State Park

Maple and Moon taken in Davis California

Up to Chinook Pass....wind (cold) in our hair....

2009-10-12T14:13:00.000-07:00

Cindi and I headed out this past Saturday in the convertible up highway 410 to Chinook Pass. We were excited for the ride and the opportunity to see the Fall colors….

Here are some pictures of the God's amazing handiwork!

She said yes....

2009-10-11T08:38:00.001-07:00

Little break here from "Images from the Pacific Northwest"....

Our son Matt asked for his girlfriend's hand in marriage this past Friday..... and she said YES! We are so excited for Matt and our soon to be Daughter in Law, Emily...What a blessing from God....

Window Seat

2009-10-05T16:37:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned in my last blog, I brought my SLR camera with me on my recent trip to Northern California. I also was able to get a window seat on Alaska Airlines. This, coupled with beautiful weather made the flight very exciting.

Sunrise reflections on the Columbia River...

Window view of Oakland, California..

Moon shot from 34,000 feet

Cloud cover over Oregon

Pillow clouds with airplane reflection...

Rice Fields

2009-10-03T19:49:00.000-07:00

Usually when I travel for business I never bring my SLR. This trip, I decided to bring my Nikon D90. Here are some interesting shots from my Alaska Airline flight the other day over rice fields near the Sacramento airport.

Columbian Black Tail Deer

2009-09-27T14:44:00.000-07:00

We recently have started a 4.5-mile walk starting from our house through Ray Nash Valley, past Kopachuck State Park and back to our house. We continue to see Columbian Black Tail Deer along our walk. I actually used to bow hunt for Blacktail back in California near Lake Tahoe. The Black-tailed deer’s range is from northern California through Oregon, Washington, British Columbia to the Alaskan panhandle.

Here are some pictures from this past week..

Fall 2009

2009-09-22T13:51:00.000-07:00

Wow, it is already Fall! What happened to Summer? Before you know it, Costco will have Christmas merchandise up in their stores (they actually already do).

Fall is probably my favorite season of the year. The colors are absolutely amazing. I also like the fact that Fall leads us into the holiday season (not to mention football until January).

Here are some pictures from around Gig Harbor over the last couple of years...

Sunsets

2009-09-19T08:48:00.001-07:00

I have always loved sunsets. Fortunately, we live in a place where beautiful sunsets are fairly common. Here are some shots from around Gig Harbor...

Sunset over the Key Peninsula
Sunset in our backyard
Sunset over Fox Island

Jamaican Sunset (OK, not really near Gig Harbor)

Sunset from Eagle Crest (Gig Harbor)

Back to reality

2009-09-05T14:18:00.001-07:00

OK, back to reality….no more impressionistic pictures…

Here are some shots from the last couple of days…

Blue Heron with Perch entree

Ray Nash Valley sights...

Cattails in Ray Nash Valley

Summer Rain....

Art Photography

2009-09-03T21:40:00.000-07:00

I am not much of a fan of abstract or art photography. Shoot, my favorite photo magazine is Outdoor Photography not Photography Art. That being said, I read a cool article the other day on how to take "Monet" like pictures with a digital camera. I thought I would give it a try….here you go….(I would rather take a picture of a Bald Eagle catching a duck on the Puget Sound, but it is still kind of fun).

Aspens in Sepia
Fall Colors

Random Images

2009-08-31T22:02:00.000-07:00

No “themes” for this blog update. Attached are shots I have taken over the weekend and today.

Enjoy!

Aspen coverings
Fir branch with moon background

3/4 Moon Sunday evening

Pine cones and blue sky

Bee and Thistle (at 1600 ISO!)

Post Cards take #4

2009-08-23T15:48:00.000-07:00

I am updating my blog from 37,000 feet over Nashville TN on my way to Atlanta. Delta just started offering WiFi on some flights. This is just wrong. I can't get away from this computer.

OK, here are some more picture card shots...(above picture taken in Commencement Bay, Tacoma)

Orcas Island colors

Horses on Spadoni Hill
"PICK NO BRUSH" and Wheelbarrow, Ray Nash Drive, Gig Harbor
Tulips, Rosedale, WA

Blacktail Deer and sailboat, Gig Harbor/Pt. Defiance

Eating off the vine Yellow Lab style

2009-08-15T09:47:00.000-07:00

The sighting......
Confirming....

Partaking

Enjoying....

Picture Cards take #3

2009-08-11T10:51:00.000-07:00

The “theme” of these picture cards.. is Birds….All of these were taken in or around Gig Harbor. (above Geese taken in Ray Nash Bay)

Drake Wood Duck in tree on Ray Nash Drive
Seagull knobby Knees (Fort Warden)

Singing Tern taken over Gig Harbor

Black Capped Chickadee on Spadoni Hill in Gig Harbor

Drake Barrows Goldeneye with Fall reflections taken near Raft Island

Lake Tahoe & the Sierra Nevada Range

2009-08-07T08:42:00.001-07:00

As I mentioned in my last blog, we spent last week in the Sierra’s near Lake Tahoe at our family cabin. The wildlife and scenic views were plentiful. Here are some MORE shots from the trip.

Enjoy! (above picture of Male Western Tanager)

Stellar Jay fluffling his stuff

Curious Red Squirrel

Frog Mountain view near our cabin

Will work for Pine Nuts

Wild Band Tailed Pigeon

Damselfly

Lilly Pad on Cody Lake

Rattler!

2009-07-31T21:28:00.000-07:00

We visited the Lake Tahoe area this past week with friends. We had a great time and also some adventure. Yesterday we hiked to the top of beautiful horse tail falls which enters into desolation wilderness area (http://www.waterfallswest.com/waterfall.php?id=227) . The hike is 2.8 miles and reaches elevation of 6,800 feet. It took us about two hours to get to the top. Along the way my friend almost stepped on a Western Rattle Snake. Thankfully the rattles were blazing and he did not get bit. On the way back down the mountain we saw another Rattler on the side of the trail. This one was just little easier to take some pictures….

Here they are!

Winter Theme picture cards

2009-07-21T13:44:00.000-07:00

Picture cards take 3.....Winter Theme.... (Not that I am wishing for winter in any way. I am loving Gig Harbor and 87 degrees!)

Snowy Downtown Seattle Starbucks (I can smell my Vanilla Soy Latte through this picture)
Snow Berries, Leavenworth, WA

Snow over mini pine cone...

Picture Cards Take 2

2009-07-19T17:34:00.000-07:00

OK, picture cards take 2....Coastal Theme...(I just received my 4x6 pictures and blank note cards back from the on-line stores. The cost for each card/picture works out to under 50 cents each....beats Hallmark!).

Light House off of Friday Harbor...
Mount Rainier and Vashon Ferry

3 Crosses, Gig Harbor....