Fall in Seattle

The Japanese Gardens here in Seattle are always in enjoyable in the fall.

A few pictures from this year:

Last day in London

Our trip is drawing to a close. It's been a lot of fun to be part of the Natural History Museum Wildlife Photographer of the Year awards and to be recognized. We started our day (after Coffee, but that's a given) by taking the tube to the Museum to see the display now that it's open to the public. It was a totally different experience to see the display with large crowds as opposed to the insulated viewing with other photographers and the press.


You can see how the images are backlit, and the room is pretty dark to give the images maximum impact


We were surprised to see that the image was 1 of 4 available in convenient posters to go!


On the way to the underground, we had to admire Proper Hamburgers, in honor of Jennifer's sister, Stephanie


Then we were careful to mind the gap on the way to dinner


Finally, our day ended with Spanish Tapas in Notting Hill, with the most delicious asparagus (and some yummy Spanish wine).

London Update

As our week in London winds down, we were excited to revisit the Portobello market on it's busiest day. The difference from Tuesday was remarkable - totally different experience.


Our flat is in a quiet neighborhood....


Where, if you don't follow proper trash guidelines, it transforms into an "Environmental Crime Scene!"


As we mentioned, it's a quiet neighborhood, so drive slowly


Fun to see the big pans of Paella with the steam rising out of them



Enjoyed the street performers, single flipper and all

Portobello Road

First full day in London - we are staying in a quiet residential area on the edge of Notting Hill. We took a walk along Portobello Road, enjoying the sights, sounds, and smells of the market atmosphere, even on a down day for the vendors.

This antique typewriter caught my eye....

Iceland Moss

We are now in London, for the Veolia Environnement Wildlife Photographer of the Year award activities (hint: preview will tell you why we are here Wildlife Photographer of the Year Awards)

We flew through Iceland, and spend a night working through jetlag at the Blue Lagoon hotel. We had a wonderful time, and if you are going to be in 50 mph winds at 38 degrees, what better way than in hot volcanic seawater!

This was the view from our room. The hotel is out in the middle of an old volcanic bed, that has been covered in the most beautiful deep green moss.




Look forward to some posts later in the week from London!

Bandon, Oregon (Day 1)

Drop dead gorgeous weather here in Bandon!


Face Rock and the Starfish


Kelp Rock


Starfish Hug

Mount Rainier

Since we in Seattle have been (finally) enjoying our late summer, it seemed reasonable that an overnight trip to Mount Rainier would result in some clear skies. However, as every skier knows, "Mountain weather can change quickly." In this case, it meant that it was mostly rainy and pea soup fog. However, there were brief periods of the mountain peeking out through the fog.



Long exposure used here to highlight the moody, foggy conditions


Fun long exposure on a waterfall in the rain


Interesting waterfall detail


View from the bottom of Narada Falls

Seattle Pastel Sunrise

Our summer weather finally has arrived in Seattle, and nothing beats nice weather in Seattle!

It was a beautiful sunrise this morning with soft pastel colors.

Blue Angels

It's Seafair here in Seattle - and that means the Blue Angels are in town.

We caught the show out on Lake Washington, and enjoyed the weather and the show.

Iceland - last day

We had a terrific drive today back to Reykjavik. Tomorrow we head to the Blue Lagoon until it's time to head to the airport for our return flight home.

Iceland has been magnificent, and we highly encourage anyone considering a trip to go for it. We've loved our time here.


A pretty typical roadside view


One of many unnamed waterfalls on our trip

Flatey Island

Today we took a ferry out to Flatey Island. It's a very small island, with 15-20 houses, a hotel, a restaurant, and a church. It is also home to lots and lots of birds, including Puffins.

After the 90 minute ferry ride, we stretch our legs with a quick walk around the island, then spent some time watching the puffins. We worked our way back to the restaurant and had a very yummy lunch, then over to the church, where we were surprised to find such amazing murals.


Puffin portrait


Front view


Me and my shadow


It's always best to squawk when you have an audience to listen



One of the colorful houses in the town


1st of 3 Murals in the Flatey Church



2nd of 3 Murals in the Flatey Church


3rd of 3 Murals in the Flatey Church - and we hope the guy with the net doesn't catch any Puffins!

Sunny Iceland

It only took a week, but we had our first full day of bright sunshine in Iceland. The good news is that it's the 2nd longest day of the year, so we got to enjoy plenty of it.

We drove from North Iceland to the Snæfellsnes Peninsula. We are staying in Stykkishólmur, a very cute (but windy!) town on the sea.

We spent quite a bit of time on dirt roads with our Hyundai 4WD, including some quality time herding sheep. Sadly, there is no photo evidence of the great Norton Icelandic Sheep Roundup.


Dirt Road stop #1


Dirt Road stop #2


Dirt Road stope #3


Playground artwork at the local school


The harbor in town


The old lighthouse looking over the town

Horses, Whales, Puffins, oh my!

This morning we went out on a 4 hour whale & puffin boat ride - the weather cooperated, but towards the end we were both getting cold. The boat company provides all the passengers with survival suits, which given the climate here in North Island, makes a lot of sense.


One of the curious horses on the property of our rental house


Our boat spent some time watching a juvenile humpback whale


Puffin in flight #1


Puffin in flight #2


Puffin in flight #3


Jennifer in her survival suit


Laurence in his survival suit, ready to shoot!

Iceland Part 3

We are in the North portion of Iceland, where the sunrise is listed as 0:00 and sunset as 0:00!

We've had some socked-in fog for the past 2 days, with on and off showers, but the blue skies have emerged as of 9PM local time, and we should have sunnier weather for the remainder of our trip.


Dettifoss waterfall


Goðafoss waterfall


Goðafoss in Black & White