A 3-hour tour?

No, it's not the wreck of the SS Minnow. This is a 1970 photo of the SS Catala, an equally ill-fated ship that, after a long life as a steamship, served as a floating hotel in Seattle, a floating restaurant in California, and finally again a floating hotel ("boatel") near Ocean Shores, Washington. This was her last port of call, as a freak 1965 storm grounded her and the ship's carcass was largely swallowed up by the sands. Recently some of her metal has been emerging from the sand along with -- less romantically -- some reamining oil. Scan from a recently rediscovered slide, retouched in Photoshop.

Sunrise on the Isthmus

Sunrise over mirror-calm Capitol Lake and Puget Sound, Olympia USA.

Classic Lines

Walking along the Portland, OR, waterfront recently I ran across a classic boat show. Beautifully restored speedboats and cruisers lined the docks, looking like they'd just been launched yesterday with their gleaming chrome and perfect woodwork. Pinstripes like those in this picture seemed to be a common design element of the period, and I had fun shooting this picture and others including this. Groovy, no?

A tiny beach mystery

It was a cloudy day on the Washington coast, the breeze blowing the sound of the waves up the wide expanse of beach. Past the part of the beach that you can drive cars on(!) it was relatively quiet between the surf and the red cliffs. Lost in conversation or my own thoughts, I never would have noticed this unusual scene if my companion hadn't pointed it out. A single ladybug (ladybird, if you wish), was slowly walking along the sand. If you look closely, you can even see the trail it's leaving behind it. What brought it there? Was it in love with a sea turtle? Did it need a break from the rat-race of chasing aphids in the garden? It didn't say.

reluctance vs. determination

A little experiment with Photoshop focus blurring. I went to the county fair over the weekend, a place awash with kids and critters and great for photographers. Some of my favorites are the photos I took (and which I'll post soon) of the bird show put on by a raptor rescue and rehabilitation center. The llamas were also great, awash in sunlight and, in this case, being coaxed onto a stand by a young handler. The background of the shot was busy and distracting, however, so I did some experimentation with layers and focus/blurring to come up with this dreamy image.