Olympic Moss

This isn't even in the "Hall of Mosses" in the Olympic rain forest. It's just a tree by a lake. But it certainly gives a good sense of how much rain there is there.

Near Lake Crescent, Olympic Peninsula, Washington. September 2006.

Rocky Irish Hills

Somewhere on the west side of County Cork, on the road to Mizen Head. Ireland, May 2006.

Mount Rainier and Tahoma Peak

Mount Rainier is very unsatisfyingly asymmetrical. The bulging growth on the right side of the frame is one thing, but the jagged bit of mountain on the left is quite another. The jagged bit is called the Tahoma Peak, and I wish someone would just file it right off. Probably hard to get funding for that, though.

Near Sunrise, Washington. July 2007.

Fall Color

Lake Crescent. Olympic Peninsula, Washington. September 2006.

Rural Bliss

There are days when I look at photos like this and wonder what on earth I was thinking when I turned down permanent relocation to Ireland.

County Cork, Ireland. May 2006.

Pacific Morning

Early morning at the Pacific Ocean, with the sun coming up behind me. On the Olympic National Park beach by Kalaloch Lodge. September 2006.

Big Tree

The narrow road branching off from Hwy 101 north of Forks says only 'BIG TREE', with an arrow. Who could resist such an intriguing invitation?

The big tree in question is actually quite dead and rotting, but it is no less awesome a sight than if it were alive. The centuries old cedar still has 130 feet of height, and more diameter than the length of my car. It's in the middle of the rainforest and so somewhat difficult to photograph, which is why I contented myself with close-ups and details on this trip.

Olympic National Forest, Washington. September 2006.

Backyard Finches

My parents spend a small fortune on finch food, but it's worth it for the hours of entertainment the birds provide in return. Judging by how much both of these birdies have stuffed their mouths to capacity (view large to see what I mean), it's no surprise that more seed falls on the ground than gets eaten. You'd think after a while they'd understand that the feeder isn't going anywhere and they can just slow down a bit, but they are definitely slow learners.

Prior Lake, Minnesota. August 2007

Deccan Rocks

As I wrote in my blog at the time:

The other striking feature of Hyderabad, perhaps the most striking of all, is the rocks. They're everywhere, and noodling about their origins and history is diverting. One website describes them as "... eccentric looking rounded boulders perched precariously as if giants piled them up....", which is a better description than I could muster. Picture ant hills - they're solid enough for the ants to move around, but they're really made up of hundreds and hundreds of rocks, each of which is tiny on an absolute scale but enormous compared to the ant. That's Hyderabad. There's also a decent story with some good images here.

Hyderabad, India. August 2005.

Cool West Cork

I love the soft, cool colors in this photo. West Cork is really beautiful. I know this is somewhere between Kinsale and Mizen Head, but I can't recall exactly where.

County Cork, Ireland. May 2006.

Luxembourg Stairs

Deep gorges slice through even the capital city of Luxembourg, helping to explain how such a tiny country has held its own against such powerful neighbors for so long. No enemies could ever make it through to take over.

Luxembourg, February 2006.

Cascades

Lesser (but still pretty!) mountain peaks adjacent to big dog Mt. Rainier. Near Sunrise, Washington. July 2007.

Mt Rainier

After nearly nine years in Seattle, we finally made a trip to see Mt. Rainier today. Is pretty.

Near Sunrise, Washington. July 2007.

Lake Michigan

It's almost inappropriate to call this a lake. Something on the scale of Lake Michigan needs a different moniker. I tried to prepare myself for something that looks like an ocean without waves, but the gorgeous turquoise color took me completely by surprise. This is completely unretouched.

Milwaukee, Wisconsin. July 2007.

Lake Crescent

Among competing attractions like the sea stacks of Ruby Beach, the vistas of Hurricane Ridge, the whale pods in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and the Hoh rainforest, it's easy to overlook the beauty of Lake Crescent out on the Olympic Peninsula. But it's one of my favorite stops every time we visit.

Near Piedmont, Washington. September 2006.

Spider

We were visiting a coffee plantation in Coorg where they also grow pepper. I don't know if it was the coffee or the pepper that attracted them, but I've never seen so many spiders in one place in all my life. And the size of them! Honestly, I can barely even bring myself to look at this picture even after all this time has passed.

Coorg, India. September 2005.

Chameleon Karma

This little dude was my only steady animal companion during my time in Hyderabad. There was the little neighborhood puppy that I watched grow into a young dog, but I was always a little afraid of him and the violent temperament or diseases he might be hiding. The lizard had no such complications. It was always a bit of a thrill to see him in my room, but he'd disappear in an instant if I turned my head for even a moment, and I'd never even see him move. He'd be gone in a flash. There was nothing creeper than the "he could be anywhere! he could crawl across me in the night!" feeling that accompanied his sudden disappearances.

Hyderabad India, October 2005.

Ring-Tailed Lemurs

Last year, I gave myself a half-day off work to enjoy Memorial Day, even though I was in Ireland at the time. The weather was gorgeous, and I spent most of the afternoon at Fota Wildlife Park just outside Cork.

I'd never been so close to exotic animals before, and never in a setting with so little separation between peoples and animals. These are Ring-Tailed Lemurs, and they were just hangin' out in the grass less than ten feet from me. I love the guy on the left, who's staring right at me while showing off his flexibility. Or stretching so he doesn't pull a hamstring when he leaps out to kill me. Either one. The guy on the right needs a lecture about his posture, though.

Cork Ireland, May 2006.

Freelancers

Rural Karnataka (Coorg / Kodagu), India. September 2006.

Henrietta Park Tree

Flowering tree found in Henrietta Park, Bath England, April 2006.

Sunset on the River Arno

Despite being an uncorrected scan of a photo taken with a cheap film camera ten years ago, this one still brings back for me the magic of Florence.

Taken from the banks of the River Arno on the walk back to the friend's apartment where we stayed for just five glorious days. Florence Italy, March 1997.

Banyan Tree

I love banyan trees so much. The way new trees are born (an existing tree shoots new roots down towards the ground from the upper branches, until they take hold in the soil and begin to grow on their own) is so delightfully topsy-turvy, so up-is-down subversive.

I always thought that the new trees disengaged from their parent once the roots were strong, but I think now I was mistaken or at least that it only works that way with some species. The world's larges banyan tree is in Kolkata. It has nearly 2900 roots and covers 14,000 square meters of space, forming its own forest.

I also love how sad they always seem to me, drooping down towards the earth rather than rising to the sun and stars.

Nagarjuna Konda, outside Hyderabad India. October 2005.

Irish Beach

Taken just south of Kinsale, on the road towards Mizen Head. I love the different layers of colors here. If you view large, you can get a sense of the scale by noticing how tiny the cows are. They're easy to miss.

The vivid yellow flower is everywhere, and is so bright it almost hurts to look at. I've been wondering what it is - gorse, maybe? - and would appreciate any definitive comments.

West Cork, Ireland. May 2006.

Generic Indian Curs

The Dubare Elephant Training Camp is only accessible by water, which always makes me wonder how all the dogs got to be there. These are your basic Indian cur model, seen on every street in every city in the country. They have it pretty good though, as they are nimble enough to nab anything the elephants miss at feeding time.

Coorg, India. September 2005.

Bizarre Plant Macro

I took a weekend away from Hyderabad once, and checked into a resort outside town called Alankrita. The stay wasn't great overall, except for the botanical diversity on the lush grounds, and the crazy Chavutti Thirumal (full-body Ayurvedic massage, given with the feet) treatment I'll never forget. I took lots of pictures of flowers and plants I couldnt begin to name, including this one.

Near Hyderabad India, October 2005.

Cascade Morning

Third in a series of completely un-retouched photos taken from my porch, all of which taught me to never curse jetlag-induced insomnia again. Cascade Mountains as viewed from Seattle Washington, July 2006.

Kalaloch Beach

Early morning on the beach by Kalaloch Lodge, Olympic National Park, Washington. September 2006.

Cherry Blossom Macro

The cherry blossoms last so little time. We've got, at most, a couple of glowing pink days after they burst forth before they flake and fall.

It's cold and grey and raining, and we're talking about snow where I am now. In these circumstances, it's hard to remember that Spring happened a month ago.

Seattle Washington, March 2006.

Cactus

Detail from a giant cactus shrub on Nagarjuna Konda, in the middle of Nagarjuna Sagar. Andhra Pradesh, India, October 2005.

Spring is here

The truest sign of Spring for us is when the trees out front burst into bloom. It happened this week. Taken last night after work. This one is much better when viewed large. Seattle Washington, March 2007.

Early Morning, From the Porch

Sometimes, jetlag isn't so bad. When it wakes me early and shows me such sights as these, I don't mind a bit. This is the Cascade mountain range, taken from my front porch at 5am. This is exactly how it came out of the camera; no retouching or editing at all. Seattle Washington, July 2006.

Mom's Heather

This was the third picture I shot with my new camera, just a few minutes afer taking it out of the box. I'd longed for years to be able to do macro shooting and shallower depth of field, and this pleased me to no end. Prior Lake, Minnesota. May 2005.

Pacific Northwest Ocean

The light was strange and wonderful. It was very early in the morning and the sun was just coming up over the hill behind me, leaving some of the areas bright and leaving some still shadowed. I don't think I've ever really focused on a sunrise from the opposite side of the golden rays. The tide was just changing and the gulls were getting a rich breakfast. Kalaloch Lodge, Olympic National Park, Washington. September 2006.

Irish Shoreline

Beach just south of Kinsale in County Cork, Ireland. May 2006

West Cork Cows

Rural herd on a rocky hillside in County Cork Ireland. Seems like a pretty good life for a cow. May 2006.

Dahlia

Puyallup Fair, Washington. September 2006.

Southwest Coast of Ireland

On the road somewhere between Kinsale and Mizen Head. May 2006.

Fuschia Plant

Fuschia plant - more like a tree, really - growing in the front yard of a house in my neighborhood in Cork Ireland. May 2006.

Sunrise from the Porch

Cascade mountain range, taken from my front porch at 5am. This is exactly how it came out of the camera; no retouching or editing at all. I like how it's still really dark and almost ominous-looking at the top of the frame. July 2006.