Shutter Eye

Early Morning Arrival at Incheon

2011-12-03T11:30:00.001-08:00

Boeing 747 descending out of the hazy morning sky at Incheon Airport

Venus Chasing the Sliver Moon

2011-11-26T17:31:00.000-08:00

Taxi into Position and Hold

2011-11-20T19:24:00.001-08:00

Two Tickets to Paradise

2011-10-30T21:05:00.000-07:00

Entering the park

A view of the mountain from just inside the gate

On the way up, a detailed view of the mountain
[Full Gigapan]

Pausing for a moment of reflection

Lunch at the Paradise Restaurant

Visiting the new Henry M. Jackson Visitor Center

The Visitor Center is fortified against the heavy winter snows
The old one ... wasn't

The mountain looms over Paradise

Life abounds in the highlands
A bee services this Avalanche Lily

Looking back down toward the Visitor Center

Closer and closer

Trekking

Buttercup

Aerial view from about 25,000'MSL taken a few days later

Magnificent Yosemite

2011-09-22T08:44:00.001-07:00

View from 36,000' - Half Dome, Nevada & Vernal Falls

Aerial View with labels - Half Dome, Nevada & Vernal Falls

Panorama: Half Dome, Nevada and Vernal Falls

Nevada and Vernal Falls

Nevada Falls

Vernal Falls


Vernal Falls: Rainbow in the Mist

Dead tree and Rainbow in the Mist at Vernal Falls

A Wider View

The top - Vernal Falls

Over the edge - Vernal Falls

Mist Trail at Vernal Falls

Half Dome

On top of old Half Dome, all covered with ... people

Half Dome at Sunset

Beneath Half Dome

Mirror Lake - Half Dome at upper right

Dolly Parton

Looking down on a slightly smokey Yosemite Valley

Yosemite Falls

Upper Yosemite Falls

Inside Yosemite Valley - Yosemite Falls right of center

Face of El Capitan

Bridal Veil Falls

Bridal Veil Falls wide shot

Smoke in Yosemite Valley - Bridal Veil Falls at right

September 11, 2011

2011-09-11T22:16:00.000-07:00

September 11th, 2011, on the campus of Pepperdine University in Malibu, CA, a memorial gathering to honor those lost in the tragic events exactly ten years ago.

On the green at Pepperdine University

People roaming the sea of flags

Many nations lost citizens on that terrible day

The Ocean, the hills, the flags and the green form flag-like stripes

F.D.N.Y.

An assembled crowd listens, mourns
Click the image for a larger view

Ceremonial flyover by two early warning aircraft from Pt. Mugu

Panorama of the scene from high on the hill
Click the image for a larger view

Getty Villa

2011-08-28T10:05:00.001-07:00

The Getty Villa, located in Pacific Palisades, California, USA, was inspired by the Villa of the Papyri at Herculaneum and incorporates details from several other ancient sites as well.

Many exhibits occupy the various galleries, but the architecture itself is a major part of its appeal.

It would be impossible to do justice to this place with pictures on a blog post, but here are just a few to suggest what awaits visitors.

Neo-Roman Amphitheater

Helical designs adorn these columns

Inner Peristyle

Fountain Pool in Inner Peristyle

Ancient Coin - one among a large collection

Architectural details

Herculaneum Woman, Roman, A.D. 40–60

Outer Peristyle

Emperor Caligula

Cycladic Idol

Column Detail

Pacific Ocean View

Olympic Peninsula

2011-08-25T21:00:00.000-07:00

The Olympic Peninsula is a lovely place to explore. Here are just a few pictures from the area, but none can compare to a visit in person.

Paved trail to Dungeness Spit

View toward the west from the land-end of Dungeness Spit

The trail back up

Lobby of the Lake Crescent Lodge

If a tree falls in the forest...

... does it eventually rot?

Sol Duc Falls

Forest trail

Storm King ranger station

Tall trees preside over the trail

Along a forest trail

Undergrowth

Marymere Falls

Through the trees, clouds hug the mountaintops

Rainforest

Lake Crescent through the trees

Lake Crescent - wide angle view

Olympic Mountains

A view from Hurricane Ridge

Snow accumulation at Hurricane Ridge Visitor Center

Olympic Mountains shrouded in clouds

Destruction Island Light Station viewed from Ruby Beach

"Needles" at Ruby Beach

Ruby Beach

A wider view of Ruby Beach

"Big Cedar"

Lake Quinault Lodge

Lake Quinault

Hummingbird at Lake Quinault Lodge

Watching You

2011-07-25T07:51:00.000-07:00

Watching you...

Seattle Skyline in Sunset Light & Sea-based X-band Radar

2011-07-17T18:13:00.000-07:00

Updated July 25, 2011

Click image for larger version

In case you're wondering what that huge golf ball is on the right side of this image, that is the U.S. Missile Defense Agency’s Boeing-built Sea-Based X-band Radar. This bizarre object is actually a ship. The dome houses a remarkably powerful and precise radar system that can track something the size of a baseball thousands of miles away. At a cost in the neighborhood of one billion dollars, this mobile radar facility is designed to track missiles, not baseballs. It is in port in Seattle for several months undergoing a variety of power and redundancy upgrades.

More information [SeattlePI].

After reading about this monster, I realized I had seen it before.

Aerial view on approach into Seattle/Tacoma International airport

Aerial on departure from Honolulu International Airport

A closer view

From shuttle boat en route to the USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor

A closer view from the shuttle boat

Qwest Field is Becoming CenturyLink Field

2011-07-15T05:00:00.000-07:00


Crews have begun to paint CenturyLink logo art on top of Qwest Field


A ground-level view a few days later. "CenturyLink" is now fully in place.

All done

Volcanoes in the Mist at Sunset

2011-07-13T19:23:00.000-07:00

Mt. Bachelor

South Sister

Middle Sister

Rainforest

2011-07-02T20:35:00.000-07:00

On the trail to Sol Duc Falls

Sol Duc Falls

History

2011-06-04T14:03:00.000-07:00

Heritage Square Museum
Located in the Highland Park district of Los Angeles, Historic Victorian houses illuminated in the golden hour light.

Wind Power

2011-05-15T17:30:00.000-07:00

A pair of huge wind turbine generators illuminated in the sunset light

These are a little smaller, older models

Aerial view

Together

2011-05-13T12:39:00.000-07:00

Mmmm it's always better when we're together

Rainbow

2011-04-26T19:28:00.000-07:00

Not Quite Yet Sailing Weather

2011-04-21T22:21:00.000-07:00

Sailboats wait for warmer weather

I-90 Sunset

2011-04-18T08:52:00.000-07:00

Sunset behind I-90 bridge over Lake Washington between Bellevue & Mercer Island

Spring is Here

2011-03-30T09:00:00.000-07:00

A daffodil sprinkled with droplets from early spring rain

Sierra Charlie Clear for Takeoff

2011-03-26T15:09:00.000-07:00

Heat ripples distort the background behind this private business jet taxiing into takeoff position on runway 16R at Van Nuys Airport in California

Perigee Moon

2011-03-19T23:19:00.000-07:00


Still the same moon

Velvet Antlers of the Forest

2011-02-22T22:57:00.000-08:00

Quichua Mashis

2011-02-21T16:12:00.000-08:00

Information on Quichua Mashis

Free as a Bird

2011-02-19T10:58:00.000-08:00

Seagull takes flight on the Santa Monica Beach

G. Company, 361st Infantry, U.S.N.A, Camp Lewis, American Lake, Washington

2011-02-13T17:39:00.000-08:00

G. Company, 361st Infantry, U.S.N.A, Camp Lewis, American Lake, Washington
Click to zoom

Davy Crockett Breaking up and Leaking into Columbia River

2011-01-30T17:58:00.000-08:00

January 23, 2011, Camas, WA

The 431-foot derelict vessel, Davy Crockett, slowly breaking up, sinking, and leaking oil into the Columbia River.


Davy Crockett

More information [Washington State Department of Ecology]

More information [The Columbian]

Old Times

2011-01-28T22:12:00.000-08:00

Dreamliner

2011-01-24T19:27:00.000-08:00

Boeing 787 rolling out on Boeing Field runway 13R
(Click image to enlarge)

Of Mountains and Mole Hills

2011-01-22T16:25:00.000-08:00

Distorted Space (Needle)

2010-12-19T19:38:00.000-08:00

The Space Needle distorted by EMP

Borders

2010-12-13T20:13:00.000-08:00

South

North

Memorial

2010-12-07T00:01:00.000-08:00

Images taken August 26, 2010.
Click to enlarge.

Funicular

2010-11-19T20:49:00.000-08:00

Angels Flight (or Angel's Flight) is a landmark funicular railway in the Bunker Hill district of Downtown Los Angeles, California.

Station at the top.

Track and Trestle.

Empty car at the top.

Empty car on the way up.

Interior.

More information [Wikipedia].

Disney Concert Hall Inside Outside

2010-11-16T20:36:00.000-08:00

This exterior shot is deep inside the Walt Disney Concert Hall building.
Full Exterior Shot

Bradbury Building

2010-11-10T22:25:00.000-08:00

The Historic Bradbury Building of Los Angeles.
More information [wikipedia]

Autumn Begins Again

2010-10-17T10:22:00.000-07:00

Sax

2010-10-14T09:25:00.000-07:00

Let me Bee

2010-09-23T05:00:00.000-07:00

Step into my Parlor

2010-09-22T20:17:00.000-07:00

Click to zoom.

Banyan

2010-09-16T20:56:00.001-07:00

Diamond Head

2010-08-29T14:37:00.000-07:00

Diamond Head aerial. Lighthouse is visible in lower-right quadrant.
Click to enlarge.

Diamond Head Lighthouse.

Water on Mars

2010-08-24T01:04:00.000-07:00

Starry Night's Dream

2010-08-15T12:11:00.000-07:00

Click to enlarge

Rugged Terrain

2010-08-10T22:31:00.001-07:00

Mountain ridges east of Yosemite towards evening.

Rooster Rock Fire in the Sunset

2010-08-03T20:44:00.000-07:00

Rooster Rock Fire and South Sister viewed from 37,000'
Click image to to enlarge.

Incident information [inciweb]

Smoke plume. Some flames can be discerned in the full-resolution.
Click image for full HD1080.

South Sister

2010-07-20T16:33:00.000-07:00

South Sister Volcano, Oregon

Hyatt

2010-07-13T20:49:00.000-07:00

Hyatt Regency San Francisco Atrium

San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge Suspension Span

2010-07-10T19:25:00.000-07:00

Illuminated in the waning daylight, the suspension portion of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge spans the gap between San Francisco and Yerba Buena Island.

Golden Spike

2010-07-02T16:46:00.000-07:00

Sunset light illuminates the Transamerica Tower in San Francisco, CA. Lights receding into the distance line the pier from which this picture was taken.

Bellevue from Lake Washington

2010-06-22T12:05:00.000-07:00

Bellevue skyline seen from Lake Washington

Shasta

2010-06-17T08:03:00.001-07:00

Mt. Shasta from 39,000'

Boating Season

2010-06-15T21:22:00.000-07:00

A warm, sunny weekend after many days of rain and everyone is on the lake.

Finally Sunshine

2010-06-01T20:29:00.000-07:00

Sunshine after the rain
Mist rising from the puddles
People strolling through

Morning Surf

2010-05-03T17:04:00.000-07:00

Start the morning in the gentle surf.

Stainless in Seattle

2010-04-24T14:38:00.000-07:00

"Split"
(Stainless Steel Tree)
Roxy Paine [Wikipedia]
Olympic Sculpture Park [Seattle Art Museum]
Seattle, WA

Sea of Color

2010-04-16T22:28:00.000-07:00

Colorful Display at the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival.

April Showers bring ... April Flowers?

2010-04-05T14:22:00.000-07:00

Newly opened tulips after a brisk spring rain.

Spring in Southern California

2010-04-03T21:43:00.000-07:00

Rainfall far in excess of seasonal norms has hillsides in Southern California blooming. Here are a few images from a short hike in the Santa Monica Mountains.

Flying Fish

2010-04-02T22:33:00.001-07:00

Alaska Airlines "Salmon Thirty Salmon" theme aircraft.

Tern, tern, tern... (by the birds)

2010-04-01T07:44:00.000-07:00

To Everything (Tern, Tern, Tern)
There is a season (Tern, Tern, Tern)

Tsubibo

2010-03-21T20:38:00.000-07:00

Sliver

2010-03-17T20:36:00.000-07:00

A delicate sliver moon graces the sky.
Click to enlarge.

Foucault Pendulum

2010-03-15T06:51:00.000-07:00

Foucault pendulum [Wikipedia] at the Griffith Observatory, Griffith Park, Los Angeles, California.

A closer view showing a rack of pegs that get moved by the spike beneath the ball as the earth rotates, changing the pendulum's effective angle.

Griffith Observatory

2010-03-12T21:47:00.000-08:00

Griffith Observatory

Salty Embrace

2010-02-25T07:37:00.001-08:00

Found these in a booth on Venice Beach.
Web site for more information.

Waves

2010-02-19T10:38:00.000-08:00

Brightly illuminated by winter sunshine, a safety fence sculpted into a wave pattern guards passers by from falling into the storm runoff at a Southern California beach.

Skating Away

2010-02-15T20:07:00.000-08:00

Feb 15th, 83F.

February 14th

2010-02-14T20:51:00.000-08:00

Winter

2010-02-12T06:13:00.000-08:00

Record snows in the east along the central Atlantic coast, snow in the deep south almost to the Gulf coast. A chill in much of the United States.

This weekend in Los Angeles, forecast highs in the 70sF with sunshine, clear air, and green hills...

Santa Monica

2010-02-11T08:20:00.000-08:00

A lazy evening stroll along the beach in Santa Monica.

Rustic

2010-01-30T17:43:00.000-08:00

In the Sky

2010-01-24T09:36:00.000-08:00

Popcorn clouds in the foreground give way to a strip of coastline; sunlight glints golden off the ocean beneath offshore cloud layers.

Sunbeams caress Pacific mountain ranges.

Haze clinging to the mountains and the ocean flooded with the sun's golden glare.

Rolling Hills

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

Golden brush carpets these Southern California rolling hills like a wrinkled, fuzzy blanket.

Hsi Lai

2010-01-10T10:38:00.000-08:00

Hsi Lai Temple encompasses 15 acres and a floor area of 102,432 square feet. The temple's Ming (1268-1644 C. E.) and Ching (1644-1911 C.E.) dynasty architecture is faithful to the traditional style of buildings, gardens and statuary of traditional ancient Chinese monasteries. The ten-year planning and construction was completed in 1988. Hsi Lai means "coming to the West" and signifies the dedication of the Fo Guang Shan Buddhist Order to spread the teachings of the Buddha to those in the West. The International Buddhist Progress Society, a nonprofit organization, is the chartered name for the temple. The organization's headquarters is in Taiwan.
[Hsi Lai Temple Web Site]

Main Entry Gate

Front Entrance

Guarding the entry way

Large Plaza

Drum on the ceiling

Good Morning, Buddha

Panoramic view of the main plaza with the main shrine at the top of the steps

A small, simple garden behind the main shrine

Roof edge detail

Roof corner detail

Mono Lake

2010-01-08T08:34:00.000-08:00

Mono Lake at the top of the image with part of Yosemite in the foreground. Half Dome is visible in the lower part of the image just to the right of center.

Mono Lake

A few morning clouds hang over the lake's Paoha Island.

Seattle Central Library

2009-12-27T11:12:00.000-08:00

Mt. Rainier in the Setting Sun

2009-12-25T11:45:00.000-08:00

Mt. Rainier illuminated by the setting sun, a small lenticular cloud formation hovering over its peak.
Click on the image for a larger view.

Delicate

2009-12-24T10:48:00.000-08:00

A little sunshine on a frosty morning.
Click on the image for a larger view.

Cold Snap

2009-12-19T14:50:00.000-08:00

Dead trees frozen in a slow-moving river-bend.

Underside

2009-12-15T06:45:00.000-08:00

The sun glares off icy lake water clinging to the pilings supporting this small car bridge.

Stuck

2009-12-12T16:43:00.000-08:00

What resembles a seal frozen in the ice atop this small lake is actually driftwood debris.
No actual animals were harmed in the shooting of this image.

Snoqualmie Falls in Winter

2009-12-11T14:00:00.000-08:00

Taken on December 9th after several days of temperatures ranging from about 15F overnight warming to maybe 35F for the highs have frozen the spray to the usually shaded rocks.

Two days later on December 11th, a wider view.

Station Fire Aftermath

2009-12-06T11:28:00.000-08:00

In the late Summer of 2009, the "Station Fire" burned a huge area in the Angeles National Forest. Several months after the fire was finally extinguished, the roads have finally been repaired to the point where they have been opened to public traffic. Here are some images of the scene as it appeared on a weekend foray into that area.

Get off my rock!

2009-12-02T14:05:00.000-08:00

Sea Lions 'negotiate' for a position in the sunshine.

Startled!

2009-11-28T15:04:00.001-08:00

A seabird startled by a breaking wave jumps up and catches its balance.

Positioning itself to land again perhaps on higher ground.

Anchor Chain

2009-11-25T21:36:00.001-08:00

Along San Francisco's Marine Drive, on the way to Fort Point, this rusting anchor chain serves as a decorative guard rail.

Pine Cone

2009-11-13T19:32:00.000-08:00

Autumn is Here

2009-10-20T08:34:00.001-07:00

Early morning sun pokes through the trees, illuminating golden leaves against dark trunks.

Sandpipers

2009-10-19T21:06:00.000-07:00

Sandpipers forage behind the receding waves.

Water Under the Bridge

2009-09-26T09:51:00.000-07:00

Ripples in the water cast their reflection onto the underside of the bridge.

Las Vegas from "Eiffel Tower"

2009-09-17T14:34:00.000-07:00

300 degree panorama of Las Vegas panorama from the "Eiffel Tower" at the Paris Hotel & Casino.
Click on the mage for a wide panorama view.

"Eiffel Tower"

"Eiffel Tower" at night.

Mt. Wilson Surrounded by "Station" Fire (with MODIS satellite image links)

2009-09-14T07:00:00.000-07:00

Clean-up burn-off activity from another camera angle 9/11-14.

Clean-up burn-off activity 9/10-11.

A short clean-up burn running from about 9/9/09 18:50 to 9/10/09 02:50.

(updated) The Towercam is back and pointing toward the Hooker Telescope dome. Here's a time lapse from Sep 4 through morning Sep 9. This may be the final installment, as the active sections of the fire are now quite distant from the Observatory. I'll continue to collect images for a while though in case something interesting does happen.

This short time-lapse video was assembled from images captured from the UCLA Towercam atop the solar observatory tower at the Mt. Wilson observatory. It ends when the Towercam dropped offline as a result of fire damage to a communication conduit. The camera has since returned to service.

This is likely to be the final update to this segment as the camera has ceased updating. Speculation is that the fire has burned the telecom facilities that provide internet connectivity to the Observatory. The good news is that the fires in question are backfires set by firefighters. There is reason for cautious optimism that the Observatory will survive this ordeal.

Incident Information [Inciweb]

"Station Fire" Information [City of La Cañada Flintridge]
Observatory Status [Mt. Wilson Observatory]
UCLA Towercam

MODIS Satellite Imagery
9/02 20:55 UTC Satellite image [MODIS]
9/01 18:30 UTC Satellite image [MODIS]
8/31 21:05 UTC Satellite image [MODIS]
8/30 18:45 UTC Satellite image [MODIS]
8/29 21:20 UTC Satellite image [MODIS]

Driving up Angeles Crest Highway in the aftermath of the fire

The roads are closed and an eerie calm pervades the scene. Brush and trees are blackened or just completely gone. Wooden road signs and the posts that once held roadside guard rails are in places completely gone, leaving the metal rail just sitting on the ground. This post-apocalyptic scene continues for miles and miles of road. I did not shoot this video and have not yet seen this place for myself but when it is accessible, I will have to head up there and capture my own photographs.

At the height of the blaze.

Mt. Saint Helens Gigapan

2009-08-28T16:04:00.001-07:00

Mt. Saint Helens
Click on the image for the full Gigapan.

Avalon Harbor Towards Evening

2009-08-03T14:59:00.000-07:00

Avalon, Catalina Island, California illuminated by the late afternoon glow.

Thunderheads

2009-07-27T19:38:00.000-07:00

Thunderheads shroud the Cascade Mountains

Dam It

2009-07-17T18:08:00.000-07:00

Grand Coulee Dam
Click for Gigapan

Summer

2009-06-18T20:03:00.000-07:00

Nature is in full swing, doing its thing, at the end of Spring.

Berry interesting.

Mt. Rainier

2009-05-26T10:26:00.000-07:00

Just a Buck

2009-05-12T15:30:00.001-07:00

A young buck rests in the shade.