I caught this a little after 8 pm this evening.
I am still having fun getting some of those close-ups in the garden. Hand held, I take about twenty shots to get a good one in focus.
I hiked out to the bluff at the Sharpe's Park, a Skagit County Park on Fidalgo Island. The hike is through forest and the trail is frequently quite rough and steep. The trail is quite close to the bluff in some places and is, it seems to me, very dangerous. I'm glad I went, but I doubt I'll go again. The photo of the path is near the beginning of the trail. The rest of the hike is definitely not like that!
I went up to the Mt. Baker ski area at the end of July. Artist Point was not yet open but the Heather Meadows area was wonderful. Mt. Shuksan was in its glory. It is a great place for a picnic. The kids had fun playing in the snow that remained. Watch out for bugs, though.
I read an article where one can produce close-ups without buying expensive lenses by adding macro filters at the end of your existing lens. I purchased a Close-Up Macro Filter Set (through Amazon) for under $20. It is a set of four, +1, +2, +4, and +10. The company that made the filters is Digital Concepts. I decided to try out the +4 filter today. These photos were taken by literally holding the filter (basically a magnifying glass) to the end of my telephoto lens. I was hand holding the camera as I was just planning to get an idea if the lens was any good. Next time I'll have my tripod! I am very pleased with the results.
The Lady Washington and Hawaiian Chieftain were in Penn Cove (Whidbey Island) over the weekend and staged a mock sea battle.
Last week the skies were particularly clear and Mt. Rainier was beautiful. This week you wouldn't even know there was a mountain there, the skies are so hazy.
The air was clear so Mt. Rainier, Mt. Baker, and the Olympic Mountains were all "out."
The Ebey House and blockhouse.
