The first day of Potlatch had two US vs. Canada games. The Shazam vs.
Team Fisher Price game was the most interesting. Plus, better names.
Though, the Canadian men's team had much better jerseys.
An indoor photography adventure in salmon and Seattle history. Because
if you're going to a Museum of History and Industry in Seattle, it's
mostly going to be about salmon. And indians. And fires.
Also, this is my first time out with my D300.
I finally made it out to the Garden d'Lights at the Bellevue Botanical
Gardens. Of course, this was the last possible day for it. But better
late than early. It was definitely worth it.
Photos from my trip from Kailua-Kona to Hilo. The big stop was the
Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden. Complete with rainforest, humidity,
waterfalls, and mosquitoes.
After leaving the National Park, I drove to Kailua-Kona (one of the two
major cities on the Big Island). On the way I stopped at Black Sands
Beach and Green Sands Beach. I had lunch at the Southernmost bar in the
US (or so it claimed). I also went to Pu'uhonua o Honaunau, which was
the home of the ali'i until 1819.
My final day in the park. I hiked through Kilauea Iki. This hike goes
through rainforest, down to a giant crater, and back up through
rainforest. It's quite a transition. Also, you can see the Coriolis
effect in the solidified lava.
I finally got around to driving around Crater Rim Drive and down the
Chain of Craters road. Even though it rained on my parade, it was still
excellent. I saw:
Offerings to Pele
Steam and sulfur vents
The end of the road where it was covered by a lava flow
Conclusive proof that there is no pot of gold at the end of
a rainbow
The main event on Big Island. This was my first day in the park.
I hiked through the rain forest and into a lava tube. In the afternoon
I hiked the Mauna Ulu trail (and went way off the trail).
Coincidentally, both tours were with the same ranger (David Barnes). He
gave two very informative talks.
A museum of Hawaiian history and culture. As well as a section on
volcanoes for kids. And some hula dancing. Don't think the dancers
aren't enjoying themselves. Apparently they're not allowed to smile
when they dance traditional hulas.
After saying goodbye to my cohorts, I spent another day in and around
Waikiki. The Foster Botanical Garden is an open garden with various
trees (including a number of legally protected ˝Exceptional Trees").
Also, check out the sausage tree and watch out for falling cannonnballs.
They call driving around Oahu the "Circle Island". I only did half of
it. We stopped at numerous view points, Matsumoto's Shave Ice [sic],
and the Dole plantation. The Dole plantation has a M*A*S*H-like
signpost.
For the second day of my vacation I figured I'd check out more wildlife. The
day before was fish, and today is San Francisco. Oh, and while I was in San
Francisco, I also went to see seals and fish.
Friday was for killing time. We played the slowest game of croquet ever played
by man. And as a reward for surviving, we then had the rehersal dinner.
Afterward the party continued in the game room at the Annex.
My first trip to the Woodland Park Zoo since moving to Seattle. Even in bad
weather it was a lot of fun. Also, even though the Komodo Dragon looks dead, I
swear that it's alive.
A family trip to San Francisco. Mostly is was a reunion of my mother's
childhood friends, but I got to see Alcatraz, the Golden Gate, and the
surrounding area.
From a long weekend in Vancouver and Victoria. First stop was Stanley Park in
Vancouver, BC. The next day was a trip to the Buchart Gardents to look at
flowers and othe foliage. Finally, there are some photos from the BC Day
festivities.
With my few days off I did some photography around Seattle. I took trips to
Juanita Park and Medina Park to play with my new 80-400. I love photographing
ducks.
These are from my trip to Montana. They include photos from Glacier National
Park, the Ranch on which my sister was housesitting, and many other photos of
my family.