We’re back from the desert and before I say more, I want to thank both Lewis Bennett and Ardythe Wyndt for filling in for me last week. It helped to make our stay in Phoenix much more enjoyable, and I know you readers appreciated seeing their work.
With that said…it was quite a week, and I came home with hundreds of images from our trips to two botanical gardens (I was craving a “green” fix from the moment we stepped off the plane) and Butterfly World in Scottsdale. I hope you’ll enjoy sharing in our adventures in the week ahead. If anything, this trip made me appreciate the Pacific Northwest and Sequim much more than I ever envisioned!
This is really getting a jump on the season, but when I got an email from Puget Sound Express yesterday announcing their March whale watching trips, it got me browsing through my photos to relive a trip we took with them in 2021.
In 2021, whale watching boats were required to maintain a distance of 200 yards, and given that, I had come prepared with my longest telephoto lens, as well as a collection of others to ensure I wouldn’t miss a shot.
While cruising the Salish Sea searching for orcas, humpbacks, and grays, these sea lions kept us entertained by barking, twisting and turning on the rocks, and sending occasional waves with flips of their tails; and when the captain stopped the boat, I knew we’d be getting our monies worth.
Within what seemed like minutes, a humpback was swimming directly under our boat and within such close proximity to me that my longest lens was way tooooo long. Anxious to get some shots, I had to make a quick trip inside the cabin to change lenses, while dodging a crowd of onlookers, and navigating a rocking boat.
Back on deck, the crowd had dispersed, along with the whale, but I found my husband holding a railing, drenched from head to toe from the spray of the whale’s blowhole!
As I burst into laughter, we both relived an experience where years earlier, when I had fallen head over heels into the water at Des Moines Marina when he had taken a sharp turn with our boat…
and while I refrained from shouting, “touché” I did try to help him dry off – even while he reeked from the smell of the whale. So the moral of the story is…go, but when you go, remember your rain gear!
This striking image was photographed by my friend, and fellow photographer, Lewis Bennett. You’ll be seeing more of his work (and others) throughout the week, so enjoy, and rest assured that whatever comments you may have will be shared with him.
“Early Morning Fog—On a Thanksgiving trip to Victoria, Canada, we visited the Malahut Tower, about an hour’s drive north of Victoria. This is the first time I have seen the fog and mist intertwine and dance among the trees!”
Although not my car, I can well relate to the owner and maybe you can too. While I’m able, I want to see it all and do it all…and therefore, I’m on the road again, this time to Phoenix, returning in about a week.
In the meantime, beginning tomorrow, a number of friends and fellow photographers have offered to provide photos in my absence and I hope you’ll not only enjoy their work, but celebrate it by providing feedback, if at all possible.
Otherwise, have a great week, thanks much, and Adios!
Rather than collecting souvenirs that require dusting and storing, I prefer to come home with images instead, ones that I don’t always print, but that more often than not, remain stored on my computer for my enjoyment after my return.
Revisiting them takes me back to the time, place, and emotion I felt while enjoying a location’s draw and beauty. And while during yet another trip to Port Townsend, this beauty was waiting to be “captured” and to go home with me. I love boats, boating and just about everything associated with saltwater, and this lovely creation was no exception.
And as the years pass, it never wears on me, gets old, or begs me to donate it just to get get it out of my sight; it simply acts as if seeing a dear friend after a long hiatus, one I can go back to whenever the mood strikes me, or whenever I stumble on it in my computer. And I hope you enjoy it as much as me.
