Growlers over Mt. Baker

The EA-18G Growlers from NAS Whidbey were flying their practice runs towards Mt. Baker.  Can you imagine the views the pilots have?  The recent storms provided new snow for the majestic mountain and its foothills.   

February Sunrise

After weeks of clouds, a clear morning.  This sunrise was taken from the west side of Oak Harbor, Whidbey Island.

Rainier Dawn from Oak Harbor

A recent dawn view of Mt. Rainier from Oak Harbor, Whidbey Island.

Whidbey Island Storm

It was a stormy day in the Pacific Northwest.  We did what many Whidbey Islanders do on a stormy day, head to a rocky beach.  We chose the Deception Pass State Park and joined the others there, watching the crashing waves.  I was amazed the seagull remained on that rock for quite some time.  Hardy birds, the seagulls of the Pacific Northwest.

Mt. Baker from Whidbey Island

This view is from a farm on the northern end Whidbey Island.  It is near the one on which I grew up.  If I would walk to the west end of the farm and climb up on a tall stump, the view would be similar to this one.  I grew up catching glimpses of Mt. Baker wherever I could.  Sixty some years later, I still find awe in its majesty.

Using ICE for Panorama Stitching

Who doesn't like a free program to do amazing feats with your digital images?  Today I tried a free download from Microsoft, ICE, or Image Composite Editor.  Here is the result of combining ten JPEG images.

I left the image as it was finished in ICE, dust spots and all.  I did crop slightly, in ICE, but see now I left a bit of error cropping at either end.
The positives about this program: it was fast, much faster than, say, Elements.  The quality for web viewing is great.  For free, it is wonderful and allows anyone to try making a panorama.
The negatives: the resulting file is much smaller than would be produced in Elements.  The end file was 5.11 MB, smaller than each of the ten JPEGs.  If you need the several hundred MB images that Elements produces, this program will not work for you.
So, get out your camera, put it on a tripod, take a series of overlapping images, load them into ICE, and you have your panorama.  You can even go further and make an interactive 360 view using Microsoft Silverlight - but that is for another day.
(Note: the above image has been greatly reduced in Paint to an 82 KB file.  I do that so no one is tempted to "take" the image and use it.)

Cascade Mountains from Whidbey Island

A view from the hill above San de Fuca on Whidbey Island.  The North Cascade Mountains are seen over Camano Island.  On the lower left is the historic San de Fuca schoolhouse.  At the lower right is Highway 20.  Barely seen is the historic San de Fuca dock.  A century or so ago, San de Fuca was anticipated being a thriving community as settlers came to the area.  But the development fizzled and is now only a fading memory.
I grew up on a farm walking distance from here.  As a child, I would often come to this hill and contemplate this inspiring view.

Olympics from Libbey Beach

The first week of February was great for views of the Olympic Mountains.  This photo was taken at Libbey Beach, an Island County Park.  The park is on the west side of Whidbey Island.  The Olympic Peninsula is the the southwest.  You may notice the snow cover is not as great as it has been in years past.  Our January was exceptionally dry so we are looking for more moisture.

Olympic Mountains Sunset Panorama

This is a recent sunset from Ft. Ebey State Park on the west side of Whidbey Island.

Coupeville Statues

Coupeville was founded in 1852 by Captain Thomas Coupe and is the second oldest town in

Washington state.  Coupeville was officially incorporated on April 20, 1910.

These statues are in Cooks Corner Park at 9th and Main Street. 

Perego's Lake, Whidbey Island

This is a recent view at dusk from Ft. Ebey State Park on Whidbey Island.  The Cascade Mountains are in the distance.  The barracks at Camp Casey can be seen in the distance.  Near is Perego's Lake, just north of Ebey's Landing.  This view point is just a short walk from the parking area.  The trail is quite level.

Sunny Day View

Even on overcast days we can remember the view.  This was the scene a few days ago.  In the distance are the North Cascade Mountains.  In the foreground is Oak Harbor.

It's Raining Again

We had a dry January but I think we are making up for it today.

We do need the rain.  And if we didn't have the rain we wouldn't have the green.

Winter Farm on Whidbey Island

A few acres on Whidbey Island...  This is a recent view from the west side of Whidbey Island, just west of Oak Harbor.  In the distance are the Olympic Mountains.

This was the view from nearly the same place about a year ago. 

Can you imagine, going out in the morning to feed the horse and having a view like this?

Olympic Sunset

This time of the year the sun sets behind the Olympic Mountains.  These people are enjoying the sunset from Fort Ebey State Park. 

There has been a high pressure system over the Pacific Northwest and on this evening, the sea was particularly calm.

Fort Ebey State Park, on the west side of Whidbey Island, is a great place to watch winter sunsets.  The hike to the cliff is about a hundred yards from the parking area.  The views are spectacular and the access is easy.

Mt. Rainier Dusk

Finally, after seems like months of clouds, we had a sunny day.  I went out to Ft. Ebey State Park on the west side of Whidbey Island to capture Mt. Rainier at dusk.



I was not disappointed.  Even after the sun had set behind the Olympic Mountains to the southwest, its light still graced the grand mountain to the south.

The location for this photo is a very short hike from the gun mount parking lot.  The trail, though narrow, is quite level.  The views are amazing: Mt. Rainier, the Olympic Mountains, the Salish Sea.  I hope to see you there next time.

Sunlit Cascades

The seagulls and I enjoy the sun drenched North Cascades.  This view is from the park at the end of Dock Street, Oak Harbor, Whidbey Island.  The Oak Harbor Marina is in the foreground.

Jet Stream Flower

There are times when the Jet Stream makes itself evident.  On this day, it was coming out of the northwest, bring down cold Canadian air.

Sunset from Deception Pass Bridge

This is the view while driving over the Deception Pass Bridge at sunset.  I literally rolled down the window and shot as fast as I could while speeding along at 30 mph.  (No, I was not driving.)  Smith Island can be seen on the horizon just south of the setting sun.  Farther south are the Olympic Mountains, mostly enshrouded in a huge fog bank.  My view out the window was too low to avoid the railing of the bridge.