Morning Light

Plum blossoms at their peak, caught during breakfast before work.

Pratt Lake

I had planned on hiking down to Little Pratt Lake, but the strong spring sun was warming every surface, and I chose a higher route instead. This is above Pratt Lake looking east-northeast.

Ridgeline

Cornices form along a ridgeline separating two watersheds. Composing with this 20mm lens remains a challenge.

Evergreens

Good snow and good light combine to fill this slope with a pleasing pattern.

Mt Rainier, Olallie Lake, another trip

Last year up the Pratt Lake Trail in the winter, I took the exact same picture.  The trees have grown a little, and it's earlier in the day this time, but it's basically the same view.  You might think that taking the same trip twice would be repetitive, but with conditions so spectacular, it was well worth it.

Totem Poles

Also at the museum: a fine collection of west coast native totem poles. Some of the figures are unambigously birds, frogs, or beavers. The humanoid figures are a bit more confusing, and it would take some study to learn the differences between the different forms and faces.

Woolly Mammoth

This excellent full-scale model of a Woolly Mammoth is the star attraction of the Royal BC Museum. It is as spectacular as I recall from my childhood.

Victoria's Inner Harbour

The Empress Hotel, the Royal BC Museum, and the provincial Parliament nicely frame Victoria's inner harbour.

Seattle Iconography

Many of Seattle's icons conveniently packed into a single image:

• the Space Needle
• a Washington State Ferry
• the Alaskan Way Viaduct
• the Big Wheel
• both the football and baseball stadiums
• Boeing Field on the horizon

Experience Music Project

Frank Gehry's Experience Music Project was founded by Paul Allen with a few dollars left over from his success at Microsoft. Like much of Gehry's work, it is as confusing inside as it is on the outside.

The Seattle monorail runs through it.

Lowland Snow

Unlike in Colorado, snow in Seattle is wet, heavy, and fleeting. This February snow was gone by midday the following day.

My overwintered garlic is sleeping soundly in the bed in the right foreground.

Delicious Gin

On the left: Oola Distillery's flagship gin, Capitol Hill, Seattle.

On the right: Uncle Val's botanical gin, Sonoma, California.

Classy Homebrew

This is the fanciest homebrew setup I've ever enjoyed. The two-tap kegerator was stocked with a delicious blackberry cider, and a complex honey ginger lime pale ale. Yummy!