SHUTTER SPEED PRACTICE

 A couple of days ago the boring weather actually relaxed with a sigh and let the sun brush in.  My photo buddy P called, and I knew right away why: "Let's get out there!"  Turned out to be a momentary temptation; the sun left as we left the driveway. So we just went close-by to practice getting waterfall shots.  Even for that, the sky made for blow-out pics in our practice.  So, I post only one in order to remember that we tried:

Okay, I am really upset with the posting process here.  I call this shot, "Bubble Beetles", but it is supposed to be horizontal, not vertical.  This blog insists on making it vertical.  To see the "beetles", you have to turn your head sideways.  These little guys were scooting around in the pool at the bottom of the little waterfall:

I gave up on the waterfall because the pool at the bottom caught my attention.  The sky was changing moods like a chameleon and so did the shadows and colors in the pool.  Here, the sky was momentarily brighter:

And this reflects a sudden change to a darker mood.  Same camera settings; same place; different sky colors:

Looks a lot like water and oil.  But the water was clear.

A DAY AT MOLBAK'S !

 Do I love front door decor?  On our recent trip to New England, it became one of my favorite photo subjects!  I spent most of the day with photo friend, P, and we giggled with the pure joy of all that Molbak's has to offer at this time of year!

 Same door, taken through a wrought iron gate:

 Up close to some Christmas trees:

It was actually sunny and warm (in the high 70s!), so we broused around in the outside nursery as well.  What with the weather forecast, it was probably the last time we could do this.  How lucky we felt!

 I think this bee has his seasons mixed up.  Well, it did feel just like spring, after all!

 The last coneflower:

Well, maybe not quite the last, but this one was on its last, um, petals:

 And this wonderful species of Japanese maple - so delicate! - looks like a hanging Christmas ornament:

 Ahhh - poinsettias!  Molbak's is getting ready for their annual, unbeatable poinsettia display.  This is my new favorite variety, "Ruby Frost":

To end the tour on a jolly note, items like these just make one want to sing "Jingle Bells!"

What a blatant jump from holiday red and green, to blazing autumnal colors!

The next 2 photos are from Molbak's also, outside.  On one I focused on the maple trees, and on the other I focused on the rusty gate.  Not sure which I like the best, but the colors didn't change!

 Somewhat on the same theme are the last 2 photos.  These were taken yesterday from inside an office building.  Outside, the parking lot is rimmed with trees, and this was the perspective from an interior stairway.  Sure did light up the way!

BEAUTY and the BEASTIES

The end of last month I had a wonderful visit with Dick's sister - like a sister to me! - in Orange, California.

During one of our outings, her car was parked near a fence with the most unusual pod-like things growing on it.  She is a gardener/flower-lover extraordinaire; I, an amature photographer, so we were both equally captivated by its uniqueness.

These pods, in various stages of drying and dying, were about the size of a small orange.

We learned only that this is "some sort of a milkweed", which makes sense, considering all its components.  I have researched, and still do not know the variety.

Nor do I know the varieties of all the types of bugs which inhabited it! 

We only saw the type shown on the left photo, below.  The smaller ones did not show except because of my macro lens.

The left photo shows a sort of beetle, and a weensie mite:

Then we see, on the right, the mite and an even weensier "thing":

More mites and beetles: (as if we need more!)

Ahh...back to the beauty of just plain pod.  I think the part in the middle looks like a feather:

Leftovers:

And lastly, the pod's seed spores, making sure the beauty will be there next year:

'ROUND THE MOUNTAIN

Since the trip to Mt. Rainier was driven by the hopes of seeing wildflowers still in bloom,

I post here a sampling of the happy encounters we had.

Beargrass with a View:

Beargrass:

Alpine meadows of blue:

False Hellebore:

Mountain Lupine is more stunning to me than the nursery variety

because it is not fat ad compact, but much more delicate:

Magenta Paintbrush and False Hellebore play peek-a-boo with The Mountain:

... and a Ptarmigan plays hide-'n-seek with us:

On the trail to Myrtle Falls just before sunset:

Pasqueflower stands tall enough to be back-lit by the setting sun,

like candles stuck in the meadow just before dusk:

(click to enlarge)

To correct a typo in the following post, Pasqueflower is jokingly referred to

as "Mouse ON a stick", not "in" a stick.

I CAN'T WAIT!

When Western Washington natives exclaim, "The mountain is out!", they mean that Mount Rainier is visible, and not hiding amongst the frequent clouds, looking like a high mass of clouds itself.

Well, for me and a photo friend, not only was The Mountain "out" for us a couple of days ago, but it was "in", "on", and all "around" for us!

This was our first glimpse of Rainier as we drove to Sunrise early on a gorgeous morning, "in" our laps:

We knew we had the ideal weather; it was even shirt-sleeve warm.

Here, from Sunrise, is the Tatoosh Range:

We timed this outing in hopes of seeing the wildflowers still in bloom.

The view, the weather, and yes - the wildflowers - made this

the perfect day:

This is the seedhead for the Pasqueflower, which I think is lovlier than

the bloom itself.  A ranger said they like to call it, "Mouse-in-a-stick"!

This photo is of Yakima Peak, taken from Lake Tipsoo.

It looks like I used a fish-eye lens, but I don't have one of those!  Must be the

perspective; I was on my tummy:

Another Pasqueflower seedhead:

Meet this teeny butterfly, about 1 inch tall.

I call him "Blue Angel":

The more we drove, the more we felt "on" the Mountain:

Lake Tipsoo:

This trip was to be all about wildflowers, so in my following posts, I hope

there will be some of those.  I am only partially along in the viewing of

my photos, but, as I said above, I just couldn't wait to start sharing!