Saturday, November 5, 2011

Fall in Seattle

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

A few pictures from this year:

Japanese Gardens (1 of 3)


Japanese Gardens (2 of 3)

Japanese Gardens (3 of 3)

Sunday, October 23, 2011

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.

London Last Day (2 of 5)
You can see how the images are backlit, and the room is pretty dark to give the images maximum impact

London Last Day (1 of 5)
We were surprised to see that the image was 1 of 4 available in convenient posters to go!

London Last Day (4 of 5)
On the way to the underground, we had to admire Proper Hamburgers, in honor of Jennifer's sister, Stephanie

London Last Day (3 of 5)
Then we were careful to mind the gap on the way to dinner

London Last Day (5 of 5)
Finally, our day ended with Spanish Tapas in Notting Hill, with the most delicious asparagus (and some yummy Spanish wine).

Saturday, October 22, 2011

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.

Portobello (4 of 5)
Our flat is in a quiet neighborhood....

Portobello (3 of 5)
Where, if you don't follow proper trash guidelines, it transforms into an "Environmental Crime Scene!"

Portobello (5 of 5)
As we mentioned, it's a quiet neighborhood, so drive slowly

Portobello (1 of 5)
Fun to see the big pans of Paella with the steam rising out of them


Portobello (2 of 5)
Enjoyed the street performers, single flipper and all

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

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....

Portobello Road Typewriter

Monday, October 17, 2011

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.

Iceland_Moss


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

Saturday, September 17, 2011

Bandon, Oregon (Day 1)

Drop dead gorgeous weather here in Bandon!

Bandon Day 1 (2 of 4)
Face Rock and the Starfish

Bandon Day 1 (4 of 4)
Kelp Rock

Bandon Day 1 (3 of 4)
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.


Cloudy Rainier (1 of 1)
Long exposure used here to highlight the moody, foggy conditions

Rainier Waterfall (2 of 3)
Fun long exposure on a waterfall in the rain

Rainier Waterfall (3 of 3)
Interesting waterfall detail

Rainier Waterfall (1 of 3)
View from the bottom of Narada Falls

Thursday, August 25, 2011

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.

Seattle Pastel Sunrise

Sunday, August 7, 2011

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.

Blue Angels Seattle Seafair

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

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.

Iceland Last Day (2 of 2)
A pretty typical roadside view

Iceland Last Day (1 of 2)
One of many unnamed waterfalls on our trip

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

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.

Puffins (4 of 4)
Puffin portrait

Puffins (2 of 4)
Front view

Puffins (3 of 4)
Me and my shadow

Puffins (1 of 4)
It's always best to squawk when you have an audience to listen


Flatey Island House (1 of 1)
One of the colorful houses in the town

Church Mural (1 of 3)
1st of 3 Murals in the Flatey Church


Church Mural (2 of 3)
2nd of 3 Murals in the Flatey Church

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

Monday, June 20, 2011

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.

Iceland Part 5 (5 of 5)
Dirt Road stop #1

Iceland Part 5 (4 of 5)
Dirt Road stop #2

Iceland Part 5 (3 of 5)
Dirt Road stope #3

Iceland Part 5 (2 of 5)
Playground artwork at the local school

Iceland Part 5 (1 of 5)
The harbor in town

Iceland Part 5 (6 of 6)
The old lighthouse looking over the town

Sunday, June 19, 2011

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.

Puffins Whales Horses (1 of 7)
One of the curious horses on the property of our rental house

Puffins Whales Horses (7 of 7)
Our boat spent some time watching a juvenile humpback whale

Puffins Whales Horses (5 of 7)
Puffin in flight #1

Puffins Whales Horses (3 of 7)
Puffin in flight #2

Puffins Whales Horses (4 of 7)
Puffin in flight #3

Puffins Whales Horses (2 of 7)
Jennifer in her survival suit

Puffins Whales Horses (6 of 7)
Laurence in his survival suit, ready to shoot!

Saturday, June 18, 2011

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
Dettifoss waterfall

Godafoss 1
Goðafoss waterfall

Godafoss 2
Goðafoss in Black & White

Travel IQ Challenge


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