Black Friday

 

Happy Turkey Day!

 

Rocks Under Your Feet

Playing with textures. What's this?

Beach sand under the microscope!

(Wish these images weren't so fuzzy).

Goodbye

Dale and Jodie and I watched this Goodbye, Yellow Brick Road concert on Disney+ tonight. Elton John and the band and the music are extraordinary. 

If you have a chance to see a replay, do it!

Subtle Saturday Sunset

Unlock This Mystery

Time for another game of Textures! This one might be easy to guess.

Animal, vegetable, or mineral? (Duh)

The shape comes into form

The key to my heart

This is my digital microscope set-up. I recently got this new stand which is far heftier than the one that came with the tool. It makes getting the objects in focus much easier. Now, if only the software worked better I could increase the detail even further.

This key is quite small - 1.25" long. 

Throwback Thursday: New Beginnings

Today I look back at photos I took on the rare occasions that I woke up at sunrise.

A Nudge to Wake Up

Light and Shadow

Sunrise Looking East

Reflected Sunrise Looking West

Frosty Mornings

Reflected Light

Ground Level

Where's My Creativity?

Through much of the pandemic, and this year of gradually coming out of isolation, I've been whining, "I miss my creativity!" But as I scrolled through my blog posts of 2022, I see that there are lots of pops of creativity that showed up. They're just not in the areas I expected -- lots of crafts and needlework and card-making and painted rocks.

I've been thinking about what my goals for 2023 might be. I think that they'll be more fluid, along these lines. I made this graphic in 2018. It spoke to me again today.

STOP! ... Haha

Laughed until I cried!  Every family car ride ...

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Morning Mood

The other side of bipolar syndrome

(Please don't worry. I'm doing fine. This is an artistic expression).

Throwback Thursday: Public Art

2008 - New Haven, CT

2012 - Seattle, WA

2012 - Las Vegas, NV

2013 - Newport, OR

2013 - Plummer, ID

2014 - Hood River, OR

2017 - Philladelphia, PA

2020 - Eugene, OR

2020 - Springfield, OR

Late Afternoon Fall Walk

Election Day

One of the things I love about living in Oregon is that it's so easy to vote. We all vote by mail. Dale and I voted last week, submitting our ballots in a nearby drop box (with NO armed and camouflaged nutjobs keeping watch).

How it is done? Here's what's on the Oregon Secretary of State's website:

Vote by Mail︿

​​​​​​​​Oregon has the most convenient voting system in the country. Since adopting vote-by-mail, Oregon consistently ranks as a national leader in voter turnout and security. 

Voters' pamphlets with information on ballot measures and candidates are sent to Oregon residents two to three weeks before each statewide election, giving voters time to research issues on the ballot, including state and local measures and​ candidates.

Active registered voters receive an official ballot to complete and return. The ballot can be mailed or dropped off at any official drop box​​ ​across the state. 

Ballots must be received or mailed with a valid post mark by 8 p.m. on Election Day.​​​​​​​​​

VOTE! 

Not So Much Rain ...

as snow clouds. At least, they brought us falling snow yesterday. At our house, it melted when it hit the ground.

The clouds of November are pretty nice, too.

Eugene Park Tour: Revisiting Alsea Falls

The first time I saw Alsea Falls was in February 2022 with Jodie. The woods were just starting to wake up, and the spring runoff was not yet in full swing. It's a gorgeous spot. Ever since then I've wanted to take Dale to the Falls. We got there last month.

Half the enjoyment of the Fall is the ride there. It's so beautiful driving in the Oregon countryside. And this time, we didn't get lost on the way. Bonus!

From the main bridge, looking upstream, the river looks so peaceful as it reflects the sky and trees.

Downriver, below the falls, the beaver dam looks bigger than ever. What crazy, intricate construction!

Dale and I crossed the river and found a nice hiking path. When we return, we hope to see where it leads

through the tall trees.

Closer to the waterfall, the path moves from evergreens into the colorful deciduous trees and ferns. These maple leaves are larger than my hand.

Since the water level was even lower in the Fall than it was in February, Dale and I were able to climb around the rocks even closer to the falls, feeling its spray.

Dale loved this trip. He said it may be his favorite park visit yet. We intend to return with a picnic lunch when the weather is warmer.