red boats

This scanned slide is of the same harbor in Andoya, Norway that was featured in my post from March 13.

japanese garden

This is another image that came right out of the camera and didn't seem to need any further adjusting.  As with yesterday's photo, It's a scene from the famous Butchart Gardens.

sunken garden

This must be one of the most photographed scenes in this corner of the planet.  But that doesn't seem to be stopping me from posting my version.

From springtime in the beautiful Butchart Gardens, north of Victoria on Vancouver Island.

finlayson point rocks #6

Here is another rock photo, this time from Finlayson Point on the beach at Beacon Hill Park in Victoria, B.C.  As with my Myra Falls Rocks photos (posted in March), it has been modified (inverted, solarized) to increase interest.

blind date

Since I'm doing animals, here is a black-and-white interpretation of another scanned color slide, this time of a strange scene found in a petting zoo.

let's eat!

This Lake Louise chipmunk was ready for lunch and expected me to serve it.  Made it easier to get a good photograph.

This image is a scanned 35mm color slide.

blue hole

The blue hole is at work over Sequim, Washington, known for being in a weather shadow.  As seen from Sequim Bay.

sauvie row

A row of trees in spring on Sauvie Island, northwest of Portland on the Columbia River.

sauvie stand

A stand of trees at the edge of farm fields makes for another unusual image from Sauvie Island, near Portland, Oregon.

sauvie island pond

An unusual scene from this island in the Columbia River near Portland, Oregon.

the longest day

The sun is putting in a long day today, at its farthest northward excursion- a big difference from six months ago.  It's all downhill from here.

Happy summer solstice!

morning on the zodiac

Shortly after sunrise at our last overnight anchorage.

the homeward run

patos island light

Another lighthouse, and the view toward Mt. Baker from this island state park.

Zodiac seen from a kayak at evening's anchorage

light airs

Under auxiliary power once again on the schooner Zodiac.

adornments

Decorative touches are everywhere on the schooner Zodiac.

a door for the ship's cat

under sail 4

Furling a lowered sail is another job that takes many hands.

the ship's bell

under sail 3

The bow lookout keeps a watch while a crew member does some mending.

Looking for a breeze.

lime kiln light

On the second day, we pay a visit to Lime Kiln Light on San Juan Island.

under sail 2

With canvas up on a sunny day on the schooner Zodiac.

under sail

When the breeze freshens, we get some sail up on the Zodiac.

Because the ship is gaff-rigged, throat and peak halyards have to be hauled together to raise the sails, for both the fore and mainsail.  The more hands you have, the easier and quicker it is.  This keeps passengers as well as regular crew busy.  Good leather work gloves help.

new dungeness lighthouse

The Zodiac visited the New Dungeness Lighthouse, on the Dungeness Spit, north of Sequim.  We had a chance to tour the lighthouse and climb up to the light.

underway

The view from the helm of the schooner Zodiac, and the view looking aft.  We were under power, obviously, in light airs with the sails still furled.

the schooner zodiac

A couple years ago in early June, we sailed on the schooner Zodiac out of Bellingham, on a four-day Northwest lighthouse tour around the San Juan islands.

Zodiac was launched in Maine as a schooner yacht in 1924.  Beginning in the 1930s, she spent 40 years working for the San Francisco Bar Pilots before moving to the Puget Sound area and undergoing a thorough restoration.  Now, as the largest working schooner in the Northwest, she offers cruises, charters, and training programs.

mount shasta

This northern California mountain catches the late afternoon light.

on the trail

Horses (and riders) on the trail at Castle Rock Park near Mount Diablo in the San Francisco Bay area.

Other news:  It's been a busy six months astronomy-wise: a lunar eclipse, a super moon, the usual solstice, equinox, and four meteor showers, a solar eclipse, and now a rare transit of venus.

Some of these things were clouded out for us, but the sun did decide to put in an appearance here yesterday, a little before sunset.  So we took the opportunity to see a bit of the transit, projected onto a white card at the prime focus of a small telescope.  The black dot of venus was easily visible.  I tried to get a good photo of it but was ill-prepared.  Anyway, it was fun to see it!

castle rock trees

Many of the trees in this area have a very lively character.

Sometimes I find that a photograph is ready to use right out of the camera, without any cropping or other adjustment.  For me, it doesn't happen very often.  This is one of those images.

shell ridge trees

Here is another early spring view from the Shell Ridge area near Walnut Creek, California, with Mount Diablo as a backdrop.

castle rock

Castle Rock is a scenic sandstone feature in the foothills of Mount Diablo in the San Francisco Bay area.  This early spring view is from Shell Ridge, with the slopes of Mount Diablo in the background.

crescent bay island

This photograph is a bit of an experiment.  Rather than use high dynamic range techniques which are all the rage today, I let the light areas go to white for a high-key effect.  The resulting image has the darks connected in a large zig-zag through the scene.

The island is just offshore from Salt Creek County Park west of Port Angeles.

the joseph conrad at mystic

Able-bodied crew do some work up on the footropes of this training vessel at the famous Connecticut seaport museum.