Snow Day

There have been rumblings in Seattle Media about the snow coming! We haven't had any yet this winter, so there was quite a bit of anticipation! And it actually did snow!

During a break in the snowfall, Maddie and I went out front to get her perspective...

She pronounced it Chilly! (this is her abused look)

Apparently Chihuahuas aren't on board for 34 degrees and snow. Who knew?

Wishing you a beautiful day in your neighborhood!

Warmly, AG

Take 2! Auction!

Although I didn't decide until the very last minute, these are the two shots I selected and framed for the auction.

Some good friends of ours that attended the auction bought the set of prints which made me very happy.

I like to think that whoever hangs them on the wall will really enjoy them!

As we head into the Thanksgiving holiday, I am wishing you and yours the happiest of times with your family and friends.

Peace

The Adventure Continues!

The weather was beautiful the second day as well! After a morning swim and breakfast at the tea room behind the hotel, K3 and I strolled down to the harbor. We signed up for a harbor cruise and then waited while the harbor ferries performed their morning water ballet to the Blue Danube! Very entertaining!

The harbor cruise was wonderful! We met some of the locals who were also out sightseeing...

We even ran into a pirate ship full of scurvy sea dogs! Beware those cannons matey, they spray the unsuspecting wayfarer with water!

Unfortunately, it looks like they lost one of their crew members ashore. We spotted this wayward sailor on a street corner trying to sing for his supper!

 K3 loved the shrubbery in front of the hotel!

Other sights we enjoyed included this seafood tower at the pub....

This gentleman who appeared to be somewhat lost on the street corner...

As we started our ferry trip back home, Mount Adams floated in the distance...

And the sky was crazy beautiful...

And then.... it happened....

Scotland by rail

Anytime I find a few moments to edit images, it ends up taking forever because I get lost in the memories. Not so much the memories of the trip, even though they are awesome memories, but the way I felt when I saw places for the first time. For me, seeing Scotland for the first time was magical. I'd always, always wanted to see Ireland, but somehow didn't think I'd ever see Scotland. And while they were similar, parts of Scotland was so much more remote and "less settled".

Our first veiws were from the train. When we planned the ferry trip from Ireland to Scotland, we decided to take Scot Rail from the coast to Glasgow because TOG didn't want to drive and miss anything. Our first impressions were of the low lands, but the scenery changed as we climbed higher and made our way inland.

There were more trees but the rolling hills remained the same.

The conductor noticed TOG and I snapping away and invited TOG to come up and take photographs from his open window. TOG sent me because I had the better camera! What a guy!

The conductor's words were succinct. "Keep your head in at all times, Missus. And there's a lovely view of the Galloway Forest around the next bend."

He might as well have handed me the keys to the kingdom!

Yes, it's just as green as Ireland!

That ridge of trees just below the sky is the Galloway Forest.

I tried to focus on the big picture, but I kept getting distracted...

By things like this.

I was so enjoying the scenery that the train ride was over before we knew it.

And there we were at Glasgow Central... smack in the middle of the biggest city in Scotland!

AG out!

A Dark Scottish Loch...

Since I woke up early this morning, I had some time to do some editing of pictures. One of the things I loved most about Scotland, were the lochs. This loch is located in Cairngorms National Park, which we drove through to get from Glasgow to Inverness and then back to Edinburgh.

And then there's Loch Ness (above)! If you look at the little finger of land, you can probably make out the castle ruin!

Off to work... with the big server/laptop/workstation upgrade only a week away, I barely know my own name!

Have a great weekend!

AG out

Jumble

It's a mad scramble now, getting the house ready for Blog Fest West. While I want everything to look nice for the guests, mostly, it's things TOG and I needed to do anyway. It's all just crammed into the next few weeks!

While out in the back yard escaping from the paint fumes yesterday, I captured a jumble of images to share. Such as the shot above from my garden. TOG's favorite flower and my favorite flower...

K2 with 2/3 of the Brute Squad, Fiona and Cassie!

The size of this raspberry that's coming on on one of my first year plants!

And my favorite flower, captured with the macro lens!

And no, I haven't had to time to process any more Ireland shots. I'm pathetically overbooked!

AG out!

PS~

Here's a shot of Baby Alice I took right after we got back from Ireland. Because Baby Alice makes everything better!

Rock of Dunamase

The first ruin we visited in Ireland was the Rock of Dunamase on our way from Dublin on the east coast to Ennis on the west coast. Although the rock was first used as a fortification hundreds of years prior, the current ruins are from a castle built in the 1200's. Without going any further into it's history, I just wanted to show you the beauty of the site. I think whether I saw it first or last, I would have been charmed by it.

The path to the top is easy to navigate and impossible to resist. I left TOG at the bottom of the hill in my hurry to see what the ruins held.

There's a beautiful little church at the bottom of the hill...

And no matter which way you turn...

The view is stunning!

It doesn't take much imagination to think the view might have been awfullly similar 900 years ago.

The Rock of Dunamase was just a beautiful place to visit!

AG out!

Cultivating Patience

There I was sitting in my hotel room, just finishing a chat on Skype with TOG and K3. I looked out the window and saw this beautiful sunset. Once I took the picture, I uploaded it to my laptop and put the camera away.

But I kept looking out the window, appreciating the difference between this inland sunset and what I'm used to seeing around Puget Sound. And I'm glad I kept looking.

Yet another reminder that patience pays off.

Wishing you a beautiful weekend!

AG out!

Distracted

It was so sunny yesterday, I took my camera outside when I got the mail. Ten minutes later, the mail is still in the box and I'm laying in the dirt next to the driveway again.

It has been a cool, wet spring so any degree of sunshine is reason enough to go throw yourself in the dirt and take pictures!

Even the Lithodora is getting into the act with it's tiny blue flowers.

These hyacinth smell amazing. TOG has them out next to a golden barbary shrub and the color contrast is lovely!

Oh, nothing intersting in the mail so it was a good thing I took the camera!

AG out!

Signs of Spring

There are definitely signs of spring in our yard. TOG's daffadils are amazing! I've had a few odd looks from neighbors as I lay on the ground shooting them with the new macro lens!

However the results are so rewarding that I could give a fig if I look like an idiot crawling around next to the driveway! I love the variation and intesity of color on these.

I love that you can see the transparancy of the petals. As bold as the colors are, I'm intrigued by the proof that they are so delicate.

The macro is just such a change from how I shot them last year with the portrait lens.

Which do you like better?

AG out!

PS - I lost out on an auction for French Tarragon plants on Ebay yesterday. Who knew they auctioned off herb plants on Ebay???