Not Fade Away

Most pictures I take are of reflected light.

Now and then I take a few of the light source itself.

If you know the right spot to stand, every summer solstice . . .

. . . you can watch the sun set exactly . . .

. . . behind . . .

. . . the Gerald . . .

. . . Desmond . . .

. . . Bridge.

It’s our local Stonehenge.

More’s the shame, legislators in this broke state are talking about tearing down our solstice bridge and putting up something else, no doubt with a less perfect shape for the sun to frame.

Everything goes away eventually.

Rendezvous at the River (a fragment)

Turns out Facebook’s tools for video upload let me use a larger frame size. Sorry, Blogger.

Shasta from Klamath Falls

Whenever I get around Mount Shasta, my shutter finger gets itchy. I always come away with more fresh shots than I know what to do with. The mountain so dominates the landscape for hundreds of miles around that every turn in the road seems to bring a new angle worth capturing.

On this trip I was headed south from Klamath Falls, Oregon, not my usual route. So all these angles were new to me, and on top of that, the weather was perfect for clear pictures of the whole volcano, an unusual treat for a mountain that normally wears clouds around its crown.

At one of my stops to take pictures, I picked up a hitchhiker.

It’s always a treat to get back to the City by the Bay.

The rest of my trip was less well lit.

Columbia River and I-97

Mount Hood and Mount Jefferson dominated the horizon today as I drove south. Normally I see them on my left as I drive south through Oregon, but today I was winding down a route through the heart of the state, so they were off on the right, between me and the coast. As clouds rolled in around their feet, I have a feeling by sundown only inland travelers could see them.

This vista is from Stonehenge, Washington, just east of the I-97 bridge over the Columbia River. Stonehenge is a replica of the layout of the original Stonehenge, but instead of being made of great dark monoliths, it's built tidily of lighter stones and mortar.

Mount Hood

Mount Jefferson

Better with cows.

Across Washington

A lot of travelers never see more of Washington State than Seattle and the Puget Sound area. Eastern Washington has lots of farmland that feels more like the Great Plains than the Olympic Peninsula.

Spokane, WA

The cousins are always excited to see each other.

Spokane has a clean, rain-washed feel, and a lovely riverfront park, with a carousel, public art, a fountain for kids to play in, and toys too large to keep in the garage at home.

Plenty of cities have rivers, but Spokane lucked out with a very handsome set of falls that run right through the middle of downtown.

I had been in Spokane once before, many years ago. Some new stuff has been added. A few old features are still around.

The central event of the trip was a high-school graduation.

Got the diploma! Now, as Diana noted, she’s a freshman again.

The boys appreciate art.