Wind and Sea

Carved by Wind and Sea, this rock formation is at the aptly named Windandsea beach in La Jolla, California.

Morning News

Note: Faces have been blurred to protect the privacy of fellow passengers.

Stairway to Heaven

Birds at the Lakefront

At the Lake Sammamish Waterfront, the water level is well above normal. Birds of many species share the lake.

Geese.



Gulls.


Crow.

Urban Growth

Bellevue, WA is undergoing major growth. The tower crane that collapsed Thursday night was but one of many currently dominating the skyline.

BELLEVUE, WA, November 16, 2006 7:45PM-PDT - Crane Collapse Kills One, Damages Buildings

Just as the crane operator was shutting down for the night, the unthinkable happened: it collapsed. Amazingly the operator survived his bumpy ride down. A resident of the apartment building across the street was not so lucky. He was killed when the walls and ceiling of his unit were crushed by the falling heavy steel crane. Microsoft identified the man who died as Matt Ammon, 31, a lawyer in the company's patent group.

Paul Leeper and Linda Rosario, residents in the unit below his were outside looking at the scene as I took these pictures. They described the experience as a loud rumble and explosion-like noise as the equipment impacted their structure. As they told of their ordeal, I was reminded of earthquakes. Only this of course was a lot more localized.

Local media coverage

Google Maps overhead view of the scene

 

Late Fall

Autumn will soon give way to winter. The last of the intensely colored leaves, still clinging to their branches against a backdrop of dimly lit piles of color on the ground.


A few leaves shone brightly in a beam of sunlight filtering through breaks in the passing storm clouds.













Some leaves still remain on the Japanese Maple trees.


Blue sky is revealed, however briefly, between storms. Large maples still holding most of their leaves, now illuminated in their bright yellow-orange hues.


Even the shrubs put on a display.


Firewood stacked for the coming winter.




Fallen leaves are still very pretty.


Tiny mushrooms grow from garden debris as it is consumed by the flames.