Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Sunshine

The sun, although appearing a little bit more frequently, has been a bit fickle this year. A flurry of activity occurs all around town when the sun comes out and warms us all. Making sure not to let it go to waste, we all headed out for a walk the other day.

On a completely different matter, I've decided to play around with my white balance on my camera this week. When I leave it on AWB (auto white balance) it really seems to wash out some of the colors and depth from my shots making them very white (like the ones in this post). I'm sure this is what you'd want if you were photographing a beautiful bride in her pristine white dress but when I'm out and the colors are rich and warm, I want to get THAT feeling into my shots. So I am venturing away from the AWB setting, not sure where it's going to take me yet but I'll be sure to let you know.

Noah leaning on one of the coolest bike racks I've ever seen!

Oliver on same bike rack adding his own special goofiness to the shot.

This boy is silly, silly, silly!

I saw these reeds and the phrase, "...out with old, in with the new," came to mind.

Really cool composite bridge. Do you see the fish swimming underneath?

This guy was running back and forth across the path. Cute and hard to catch on film!

There is a section of this refuge that is closed for a part of the year to allow the wildlife to migrate, rest, breed, etc. in peace. I thought this was a very clever and beautiful way to remind us when the area is or is not open. I kind of want one in my yard even though I have no room/place for such a thing.

Saturday, June 11, 2011

The River is Full

We took a little family outing to the banks of the Columbia River today. It's full right now, very full. Lots of rain and some run-off from the snow melting have caused the waters to rise. We decided to go to Cottonwood Beach to check it out.

This is the path that leads down to the waters edge. Let me rephrase that, this is the START of the path that leads down to the waters edge.

To the left and right of the path the normally, dry or slightly damp area was flooded and covered in water.

As high as this water is, it still doesn't quite reach the levels of the flood that happened in 1996.

I posted this picture in hopes that Bre and Brandon would remember the start of the path to the water. That way they could see just how high the water is right now.

This is on another path that you can take to get down to Cottonwood Beach. I used my zoom lens to get a shot of the covered picnic area. According to reports and other folks we've talked to, the water has started to go down.  Look close, can you see the water just under the bench seats on that tables? All of that fuzzy looking ground in the foreground is actually debris floating on the water.

Sunday, June 05, 2011

A Little of What I See

Anyone that knows me or has read this family blog at all knows that I have a special relationship with my camera. What you may not know is how much I think about my camera and taking pictures. Honestly, I really just need to find a professional photographer that would be willing to take me under their wing and apprentice me in exchange for menial labor. I go through my day thinking, "now that would make a stunning picture" or "the lighting on that is amazing" or "I wonder what shutter/aperture combo would make that stand out the best" or "I need this lens" or "That polarizing filter would really make this pop." This dialogue is constantly running in my head, it doesn't stop but I don't mind, not one bit. I love it, it makes me happy and I have fun. As we walked around Lopez Island these pictures are just a few, yes few, that made me stop and play with my camera...













Wednesday, June 01, 2011

More Milestones

A couple milestones have happened over the past week or so. First off, Joel finally hauled Noah outside and taught him how to mow the lawn. It's been so wet this Spring that mowing the lawn is an exercise is muddy futility. It was wet, it was slick, it was dirty but the jungle claiming to be our yard was in desperate need of a trim. Can't wait for the day when Joel calls and tells Noah to have the lawn mowed before he gets home from work. The torch has been passed...

Don't just stand there looking all handsome and grown-up, mow the lawn already!

If you are going to mow the lawn, you have got to be able to start the mower, pull!

A little guidance and help from dad.
The other milestone around here is that Oliver was advanced to and earned his white with yellow strip belt in karate. He has been working hard and having a ton of fun in class. He watched Noah's classes for 3 plus years before he got to FINALLY join in himself. Next time you see him, ask him to show you some of his moves.

One more picture as a white belt.

Listening in class.

Mr. B tying on his new belt.

Congratulations, Oliver!

Look at all of those cute smiling proud faces!