Cactus!

It looks soft and furry but...


... dare touch and those tiny feather-like tenticles will pass through your skin more-or-less unimpeded. Once inside, tiny bits break off and itch for days.


A little more obvious, the needles protruding from this one would happily penetrate a finger and draw blood.


Mean though they may be, cacti produce some amazingly delicate and beautiful flowers.


Looking almost plastic, this yellow bloom contains a sweet nectar.


A bee dips in for lunch.


Almost like a flame, one of these blooms practically glows in this side view.

Summer's Gentle Goodbye

The end of Summer in the Pacific Northwest. Tomorrow will officially begin Autumn. Already the leaves are showing early signs of changing color. Several days of rain have given way to a mostly sunny day with clouds drifting silently overhead.


Morning after the rain, a Rhododendron bud preparing already to bloom next Spring.




A few Gladioli still bloom. Soon enough, even they will take the hint and enter their dormant phase.


Late in the afternoon, the soft glow of low angle sunlight filters through these Rhododendron leaves.




Late afternoon sun imparts its magical glow on these Japanese Maple leaves as well.


A narrow beam of light strikes just one leaf while the others remain in shadow.


A dark maroon most of the summer, this bush is already beginning to change color. At the height of its display, it will glow in almost fluorescent hues.

Late Summer Rain

Sunlight streaming through a break in a late summer rain shower brightly illuminates droplets clinging to this Japanese Maple tree.

Neighbors

The Neighsayers.


A deer friend.


A youngster.

Sunset from 41,000'

Looking east at the clouds illuminated from the sunset in the west.

Brightly illuminated mountains visible through a hole in the darkened clouds.


Blue of the upper atmosphere gives way to vivid orange gradually darkening to red and the deeper indigo to purple colors of the land beneath.

Sunset through smoke from the "Day" fire

The sun sets through a thick blanket of smoke on the horizon from the huge "Day" fire burning in the Los Padres National Forest north of the Los Angeles area.

Sunset From Orbit

ISS013-E-65751 (10 Aug. 2006) --- The profile of the atmosphere and the setting sun is featured in this image photographed by an Expedition 13 crewmember on the International Space Station.
Courtesy NASA

El Matador State Beach

Updated September 9, 2006


Erosion carves the cliffs deeply over time. Smoky red sunlight illuminates them in the moment.


Rocky "needles" poke from the water.


Bathed in the low angle light of early evening, a seagull spreads its wings in preparation for take-off.


Sunlight filters through the saltair cut by the sharp line of shadow cast by the cliff.


Seagull struts across the sand as the last wave retreats.


Reflected light from the water surface seen through passages beneath a large rock formation and above the crest of another smaller one in the foreground.


As the water rushes in, the gull begins a running take-off.


A wave crashes on, around, and through a large rock formation, glowing with sunlight.


The gull lifts off just as the wave overtakes him.


Sunset glow scattered in the saltair.

Lunch in the park

Eating lunch in a nearby park, the local wildlife took an interest in our meal so we decided to trade a few choice morsels for a photo session.


Squirrel munches on a Doritos Nacho Cheese chip.


Ginkgo leaves overhead cast a pleasing shade.

Cool Lake on a Hot Day

Lake Sammamish, Washington - 90+ degree weather brings people and wildlife alike to the lake to cool down.


Three share a personal watercraft on the lake.


Feeding the ducks.


A man relaxes with a fishing pole at the lake shore as recreational boaters look on in the distance.


A colorful moth probes the rocks on the beach.


A pair of ducks cruise the gently rolling surface of the water.

A weekend in Juneau

A relaxing weekend spent in Juneau, the Capital City of Alaska, provided these scenes.


Snaking down from the Juneau Ice Field, the Mendenhall Glacier calves into Mendenhall Lake, itself fed primarily by glacial meltwater and runoff from the mountains on either side.


A bear searches for fish from atop a beaver dam near Mendenhall Glacier.


Peeking through the woods at the Mendenhall Glacier.


Tree debris in a pool beside Mendenhall Lake.


Float planes parked in a scenic cove in Auke Lake.


Boats on the glassy calm water as we slowly motor out of Auke Bay Harbor.


A sail boat in Auke Bay Harbor.


A view from the fishing boat in a quiet moment of reflection (translation: looking around while waiting for a bite).


The forest towers over boats back in Auke Bay Harbor.