Flying Home!

So part of the great thing about flying out during the middle of they day was that I got really great views from the plane.

This is Mount Hood!


and interestingly enough, as we were flying over Fargo and I was waving at my brother, we got to witness a massive storm front which I was quite glad we were going to be ahead of - it came through central Minnesota later that evening.

the Last Full Day of My Vacation

Sadly, this was the last day to just hang with my friends and go somewhere because I was flying out the next day. So we took a drive out to the ocean. Haystack Rock is about an hour and a half west of Portland (if I remember correctly) and we spent the morning on the beach there playing in the tidal pools. Then had lunch at this AMAZING seafood place overlooking the beach and scooted over to Ecola State Park. You can literally see Haystack Rock from an observation deck built on a cliff point in the park so you can tell we didn't go very far. We hit a couple of spots in the park too so it made for a GREAT day with the camera. When you click on the picture, the password for this album is tidal - oh yeah, and I was simply amused by that first sign. It's a tsunami warning right on the beach. My sick sense of humor found it kind of funny.

Photobucket Album

Day 3 and It Was Raining...

Day 3 of my vacation involved a massively fun trip to Powell's Book Store but I didn't take any pictures there because, well, I was busy. However, earlier in the rainy day, my friend and I once again hit Washington Park. This time, we went uphill to the Japanese Garden - and got lucky enough to catch it on a day with the annual Bonsai show! I love Bonsai but still am very good at killing it. Someday, if you want an interesting story, ask me how I got two ivy plants home in my carryon luggage from that sale because I didn't check any baggage on this trip... on second thought, you basically just heard all the interesting parts so don't bother. BUT, the garden itself was amazing and is a wonderful place to visit in the rain. It was a downpour but it was enough. The password for this album is bonsai when you click on the picture.

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Day 2 of my Oregon Vaction

So the next day wasn't quite as nice weather-wise but despite being a bit on the gray side, my friend and I made a visit to Washington Park which is conveniently near her house. It was a beautiful way to spend an afternoon in the International Rose Test Garden before going on to our plans for the evening. These are a different style of picture for the most part from what I took while hiking. I was caught up in the details - and they were cool. Two things that still impress me from those two days: the size of the Douglas Firs (yes that is me standing by one just over the fence of the garden), and massive variety of blooming plants at the end of May from Roses to Rhododendrons. The password for this album is rosegarden when you click on the picture.

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A Lovely Day In May - Day 1 of my Vacation

Alright, step one of the catchup on a summer's worth of pictures is Day 1 of my Oregon Vacation. I spent the day hiking in the Columbia River Gorge region at Multnomah Falls. It was a magnificent day - the only day of the vacation that didn't rain - and a fun light hike. These are certainly not ALL the pics I took on the hike since I'm pretty sure I added at least 45 minutes to the hike by stopping every three feet but they are most of the fun ones. You will notice that it doesn't matter if it is huge scenic expanses or tiny little details, I just love to stop and capture the photo. To view the photos in the album, click on the picture and the password is "hiking".

Photobucket Album

Someone is always watching...

actually, I was just playing with the camera today and got a startlingly cool and unexpected result. It's kind of creepy but I liked it so I decided to share. For the record, this is a completely unretouched photo - not even any cropping. That is exactly how it came out of the camera. Just lucky this time.

haven't posted in WAY too long..

man, I have a whole bunch of stuff I should have posted in the last 6 months. I'll have to get a few going here really soon so keep your eyes open for pics from my trip to Oregon, maybe some baby pics from my new nephew, some wedding pics (my brother's, not mine), some fun stuff of just playing with the camera and who knows what else I will dig up.

I promise to get a bunch of stuff in here soon!