How Nervous are the Coots?

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I have posted shots of coots on Juanita Bay getting attacked by bald eagles and trying to get away while staying as a pack. I was back there a while back and there was a large flock of them out on the lake and they seemed to be constantly taking off and landing. They seemed to be spooked by something and bolting but then settling down before being spooked again. Strangely, there was nothing there. I think they were spooking each other. I did get some shots but it seemed that a video was a better way to convey what was going on so the clip below gives you some idea of how they were behaving.

Wrong Lens for Night Photography

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I had a trip that took me to Los Angeles and, while it wasn’t a photography trip, I did take a camera in case I had the chance to get some images. I took the 200-800 as my one lens since I didn’t know what my shooting options would be so wanted maximum flexibility. The only downside to this choice was that this is a slow lens with small maximum apertures. As it turned out, I got to my hotel at the airport in the evening and the roof terrace was open so I had a chance to get some shots of the planes arriving to the norther complex.

Having a slow lens when doing night photography is not the ideal plan. However, you work with what you have. Also, since I know the R3 can produce some good results at silly high ISOs, I figured I would see what I could get. Even at the the max ISO of 51200, the shutter speeds were very low. While I wasn’t always at the full extent of the lens, this was not going to make things easy. There were areas where the ambient light provided more illumination for the planes, but I still went with high frame rates to see if I could get a few sharp results.

Surprisingly, things worked out pretty well. There was definitely a very low hit rate but the fact that I was getting sharp shots at all was very pleasing. The Enhance AI noise reduction in Lightroom could then do its thing provided the shot was basically sharp to start with. This combination gave me results I was very happy with. If I were to be back at this spot another time, I would definitely bring other lenses along that would provide better light gathering capabilities. Even so, knowing that this can work was a pleasant surprise.

Woodinville Cruisers Car Club Christmas Light Parade

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The run up to Christmas brings with it the annual Woodinville Cruisers Car Club Christmas Light Parade in our town. This might be an annual event but it isn’t something we had been to before. The evening was looking dry so we decided to pay it a visit. We didn’t have any idea what to expect but, as we drove down towards the town center, one of the cars for the parade was ahead of us. It wasn’t hard to know where it was going given how many lights were on the outside of the car. (We did spot it in the parade later.)

We went in plenty of time because we didn’t know how crowded it was going to be. This proved to be unnecessarily cautious as the town was still pretty quiet when we arrived – a Sunday night is not hopping in Woodinville – particularly when there is a Seahawks game on TV. We killed a bit of time but as it got close to the 6pm start time for the parade, plenty of people started to show up and, once the cars started rolling, lots of spectators were out.

A firetruck from the local fire department started things off. Then the cars came rolling through. We had no idea how many there would be so we were curious as to whether we would soon be back at home. We needn’t have worried. There were loads of vehicles coming through. Some were vintage vehicles that were interesting in their own rights. Others were modern cars but adorned with tons of lights. Some looked like they had barely bothered to prepare! I was surprised how willing some of the owners were to tape a ton of lights to their paintwork!

I would say that the parade took about half an hour to roll through. There was plenty of pausing as things backed up but there were definitely a ton of different vehicles. Local businesses also took part with their trucks decorated or, in the case of the local balloon pleasure flight business, they had a basket on a trailer with the burners providing a blast of heat and light on a regular basis. A local Facebook group had someone questioning whether there was a fire downtown!

The whole thing was a fun time and we were really pleased to have made the trip out. It far exceeded what we had anticipated and everyone seemed to be having a good time – particularly the kids grabbing the candy thrown from a bunch of the vehicles. There didn’t seem to be any left where we were. Thanks to everyone that took part for making it such an enjoyable event and congratulations to the organizers.

 

A Brief Moment with Great Light

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I was swinging past SEA one morning and, as I got closer, the sun was not much above the horizon and still below a solid cloud layer. I could see that departing planes were catching the light really well and diverted off my planned route to see if I could get a couple of shots. Things immediately went wrong as I got in a turning lane at the lights behind a coach. Two long cycles of the lights without our filter arrow turning green ate a ton of time up.  I eventually pulled out and turned right instead of left before making a U turn and coming back the way I originally wanted. By this time, I had missed a few interesting departures. I did get one Alaska 737 as it climbed out but, by the time it was level with me, it was in shadow. The next departure was almost totally shaded. The sun had risen enough to go behind the cloud bank. I went on my way, but I could have had some gorgeous light if the signals hadn’t screwed things up.

Twisted Tree Trunks

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Two different places got me interested in this subject. When we were at Moraine Lake in Alberta, I saw a tree trunk along the shore of the lake that was stripped of its bark and showed a spiral pattern in the wood that was exposed. I was rather curious how this would come to be and took some photos of the log before moving on.

When up at Washington Pass a while later, there were some trees that were still upright but that also showed the same pattern of the wood. I wondered whether exposure to wind over time would cause the trees to twist, perhaps, resulting in this sort of pattern in the wood. Alternatively, does it naturally grow that way? Whatever the reason, it makes for some very interesting-looking wood. Anyone know how this happens?

Do Whales Look Better in the Rain?

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A rainy weekend and not much going on but I saw that Alaska Airlines’ West Coast Wonders jet was coming into Paine Field and, with nothing else going on, I figured I would swing by. The weather was far worse than I expected. It was pouring as the jet was on approach. I had gone so might as well try. At the last moment, I wondered whether I should have gone with video but too late. The jet’s lights were appearing out of the gloom. Streaming vortices from the flaps, it was soon by me and touching down. I was pessimistic but, as Nancy pointed out, the dark blue of the paint kind of suits a gloomy day and it didn’t look so bad!

Visit to The Shop

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It is always strange when you have lived somewhere for a few years to find out about a place that is nearby, and you should have heard of but that you knew nothing of. Even more embarrassing is to find out from a friend of yours from another state that visited it while in the area and then told you! Such is the case with The Shop. Located in the SODO part of Seattle, I must have driven close to it more times than I can imagine.

This is a storage location in which people can keep their cars and even have restoration work undertaken (although the waiting list for the restoration guys is quite long apparently). There is a heated shed if you want to pay more or an unheated one if you are less fussed. When you want your vehicle, you let them know and they will retrieve it from the location in which it is stored (which might be above another vehicle or behind one) and you can drop off your daily driver for them to look after while you take out your precious beast.

They provide tours of the facility which, while quite brief, do give you a good look at what is stored there. There are some seriously expensive vehicles kept on site. A Ferrari Dino was one of the more valuable ones but not the most expensive while we were there. The young lad showing us around was happy to regale us with the information on some of the more unusual types on show. Owners were not generally discussed but they were not hiding that some of the vehicles belonged to Macklemore.

While there are some exotic vehicles in there, there are also some rough looking cars that are going to get restored at some point I imagine. They are clearly prized by their owners, but they might not be top of the list for others. Given how they are stored, it isn’t always easy to get a clear look at some of the more interesting vehicles – particularly if they are behind others and in the shade. Doesn’t stop you having a good nose around, though, even if the guide does keep you moving. They are not too officious and seem to welcome the fact you are curious.

Planes on Poles in Arizona

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Early 2024, during the trip to Arizona with Mark, we saw plenty of planes moving but also a few that won’t be flying again. Mark knew of a bunch of planes on display in the area and we were able to swing by a few of them during our trip. Some were in odd locations – a school would not be a place I expected an A-26 for example. A Veterans center was a more logical one. Old airframes show up in the oddest places. Here are some from our explorations.

How Brave Are the Baby Buns?

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The rabbits in our back yard are a regular thing during the summer when the grass must be tasty. We’ve had plenty of smaller ones show up and they seem to have less of a fear of us for some reason. Not sure that is a healthy approach for a small rabbit, but I was able to get quite close with the camera to some of them. It did involve keeping myself out of sight or at least a little away with no sudden movements but here are some of the small buns we had visiting.

Philippine Mars Awaits Its Turn

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By the time this post goes live, Philippine Mars will probably have made its final trip from Vancouver Island to Arizona where it is joining the Pima museum collection. Whether I have got to see it on that journey or not, I don’t know when I am writing this. It is supposed to make a couple of stops en route but will I be there? During the visit to see the Hawaii Mars prepare for its last flight, Philippine was sitting on the ramp at Sproat Lake being prepared for its move. From the water we could get a reasonable view of it up on the slipway. Fingers crossed I get to see it fly but who knows.