The view from Bonesteele

I went over to Bonesteel County Park this morning to get some shadow pictures, but wound up getting a picture of the Turner countryside that was blanketed in fog. The golden sunrise made for a golden-colored landscape...

Golden Hour

October 5th Barn Drive

I have decided to try to get one good picture of an old barn each week so I can, in essence, document the ones that remain here in Oregon. As I live in Marion County, I have decided to start within the borders of the county and then expand into the rest of the Willamette Valley once I have gotten every barn within this county that has good character and isn't blocked by other buildings. After the Willamette Valley, then I will expand my search into other parts of Oregon. Here is today's barn picture, and so far one of my favorites due to its unique character...

This morning's sunrise and a trip to Aumsville Ponds County Park

I have been wanting to get a good sunrise picture for a while now, so early this morning, I headed out to a nearby county park known as Aumsville Ponds to get a shot with the sun rising through the trees and reflecting off Young Lake. Unfortunately, the park was not yet opened and the sunrise was not a spectacular one, so I drove a little further south and got a picture of the Cascade Mountains silhouetted against the sunrise...

Once at Aumsville Ponds, I took some pictures of the Pied-billed Grebes (birds that look like ugly duckings) and some pictures of the tree colors reflecting off the small lake...

The Oregon Lavender Farm

Wanting to get a good picture of lavender fields, I headed up to the Oregon Lavender Farm near Oregon City and was allowed to get some pictures after waiving my rights to press charges in case I was injured while at their farm. All I have to say about their location is Wow--they not only has a clear line of sight of Mount Hood, but also could see Mount St. Helens from less pretty areas of their farm. Walking fast through the rows of lavender covered with honeybees, I found a nice location that would feature the lavender in the foreground and Mount Hood in the background...

Marion County Fair and Pratum Co-Op Photoshoots

This morning, I decided I would go to the county fair with the intention of just taking pictures and enjoying the arts and farm animals and that I could get a quick photoshoot of the Pratum Co-Op buildings on the way home...

The 2014 Marion County Fair

 Bygone Era

 Pratum Co-Op

The Life of a Farmer

July 7th Sunny-day Drive

I decided to go for a nice drive and found myself at the Weddle Covered Bridge in the town of Sweet Home, Oregon. As I laid eyes upon this bridge, I realized it had striking similarities to the Stayton-Jordan Covered Bridge in Stayton, Oregon as you can see below...

Weddle Covered Bridge

vs.

Stayton-Jordan Covered Bridge

On the way back, I stopped at a Marion County Farm east of Stayton and got a picture of the farm with Mount Jefferson in the background.

Farm with a View

First Prints and the Salem Shutterbug Photo Contest

Earlier today, I headed over to the Shutterbug store at the Lancaster Mall in Salem to print off what I considered to me the best 8 pictures I have so far. These photos include three waterfalls of Silver Falls State Park (South, Lower South, and Middle North), a landscape (South Fork of Silver Creek), two plants (Common Camas and Oregon Iris), and two animals (a Townsend's Chipmunk and a Red-winged Blackbird). As I was walking through the mall, I noticed that the Shutterbug was having a photo contest that ends June 30th.

After I printed off the pictures I wanted, I decided to enter since I didn't have anything to lose and I got the three pictures that I entered for free. I entered the Lower South Falls for the "action" category, South Falls for the "landscape" category, and the Townsend's Chipmunk for the "general" category. The other category was "portrait," and as I don't have much experience in that category, I will not be rushing to get a picture of someone. If you happen to live near Salem, check out the contest and see which pictures you like. There are quite a few talented photographers that entered the contest.

Silver Falls State Park May 20th Hike

Once again, I headed out to Silver Falls State Park this morning with the idea of checking out the Upper North Falls and the Campground Nature Trail. As I was on the Nature Trail, I also recorded the sounds of various birds and a babbling creek. The compilation of the two (pictures and audio) will give you a sense on the idea I am working on--that is to create a video of what the park has to offer that includes many pictures, several short video clips, and audio of the natural sounds. Unfortunately, since this video makes the pictures look good only small, I will still be posting them like normal below it.

 Upper North Falls

 Red Elderberry

 Invasive Yellow-flowered Lupine

 Common Camas

Pacific Rhododendron

Two photowalks at two parks within a day.

Around noon, I headed over to Aumsville Ponds County Park to get some pictures of the place. While I did see some wildlife, the Great Blue Heron that I saw flew away before I even knew it was there. After I left this park, I headed over to Bonesteel County Park for more photo opportunities...

Aumsville Ponds County Park:

 Camas Lily

Canadian Geese

Red-winged Blackbird

Bonesteel County Park:

 "The Boardwalk"

"The Woods"

Silver Falls State Park April 22nd Hike

This time, instead of walking a few miles on relatively flat ground, I hiked into the canyon toward Lower South Falls...

 Hooker's Fairybells

 Lower South Falls

 Short Oregon Grape

 Small-flowered Blue-eyed Mary

 South Falls

South Fork of Silver Creek

Silver Falls State Park April 15th Photowalk

After getting back out to the park, I decided to hike the trail from the day-use area to the campground and then continue on the Nature Trail that circles the campground. Though I got to see beaver dams, I unfortunately did not see any beavers...

American Robin

 One of three picnic shelters

 Trail though the Woods

 Oregon Anemone

Steller's Jay

Bonesteel County Park April 13th Photowalk

I love how close this county park is to where I live. It is a rather nice place to visit and get pictures of the flowers and of the wooded portion of the property...

Wild Cucumber

 Violets in the woods

Silver Falls State Park April 8th Photowalk

 Starting today, I will be going to Silver Falls once a week partly to volunteer and partly to take pictures as part of my project that I am starting. That project will include photos, videos, and audio from the park that will be compiled as a video for visitors to buy. I expect the project to take at least one year to gather all the pictures necessary. As usual, the best photos from today are posted below.
 

Red-breasted Sapsucker

Red-flowering Currant (should have been called pink-flowering currant)

Salmonberry

 Scouler's Corydalis

Skunk Cabbage

South Falls

 South Fork of Silver Creek

Tall Oregon Grape (Oregon's state flower)

Western Trillium