Winemaking

Chardonnay Grapes.


Cabernet Franc Grapes.
These grapes are growing on garden vines adjacent to the Seth Ryan Winery and Vineyards.


The crush at John H. Bookwalter Winery begins here as grapes are dumped from the bin to a conveyor on the way to the stemmer-crusher.


Workers sort the grapes and reject those that don't meet their quality requirements.


From the sorting belt, the grapes drop into the stemmer.


Stems.


Out of the stemmer, the grapes drop into the crusher.


The crushed grapes and juice are pumped through this hose to fermentation.


The crushed grapes and juice reach the liquid-cooled stainless steel fermentation tank.


Crushed grapes, called "must" sitting in a vat.

Good Morning Richland

Sunrise on the Columbia River, Richland, Washington.


A little early morning fishing.

Half Moon

Early morning on Friday October 13th, this approximately half moon image was shot from Western Washington State.

Wood Duck

This colorful little fellow was standing in a nicely lit spot just going through the motions of being a duck.








... and then he left.

Bamboo

I've been experimenting a bit with this one. Below are four variations. I find that I like them all. Which one do you like best?


1. Full Color, picking up the aesthetic flavor of a sume-e (墨絵) bamboo painting photographically.


2. Inverted Monochrome. Capturing more of the feeling of sumi-e painting but still clearly photographic.


3. Stll making no pretense of being anything other than a photograph, the enhanced contrast more closely resembles the contrast of a painting.


4. With a sumi-e algorithmic filter applied, to interesting effect.

Flowers and assorted other plants

Following are a number of plant pictures.
Thanks to Jodie for contributing some of the identifications and corrections.


Papyrus.


Fortnight Lily.


Eucalyptus blossom.


Crepe Myrtle bark.


This Salvia looks more like a shrimp than a flower.


Some type of exotic grass.


Daylily.


Also a member of the Salvia family, this mint is called Lemmon's Sage.


Mexican Sage Mint.


Tecoma "Sunrise" Yellowbells - A member of the Trumpet Vine family.


Cannas.


Autumn blossom of the South American Pink Silk Floss tree.

Peek-a-boo

A turtle pokes his head out of the pond to investigate strange creatures with cameras.

Insects, small and large

We'd scarcely notice this tiny creature standing in the middle of such a colorful flower, but a closer look reveals its ornate adornments.


It moved to the edge of the petal as I got in close to get its picture.


This big guy was kind enough to pose for me while I took a series of close-up shots. One can only wonder how it perceived me and my camera moving so close to it.

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.