Diehard Free Wifi Fan

I walked over to the Center House today to have coffee with a friend. It was POURING rain, cold, dark, dank. But that didn't stop this guy from enjoying the free wifi at the Mural Amphitheater.

Seattle Center offers free wifi at various locations - Center House, Fisher Pavilion, and this spot, among others. This guy was curled up with his laptop under the mural trying to stay dry. The obvious question: why not walk over to Center House?

Shot this with my iPhone 3GS using BestCamera app.

Which Way Do I Go?

As I was walking from my car into work this morning just before six, I noticed they'd just painted new lines in the parking garage. At that early hour all those arrows were REALLY confusing to my bleary mind.

This was shot with my iPhone 3GS and used the Best Camera app. I'm really liking this app. It still needs work but the ease of uploading to multiple sites simultaneously is just great. Looking forward to more control over the filters and an easier way to upload to Flickr. But the app is good. Highly recommended.

Tesla: Yes, I Want!

I had to come home early today and as I crossed the I-90 bridge this sweet little guy pulled in front. Wow!

It's the first Tesla I've seen in the wild. Holy cow is that thing sweet! Quick. Great looking.

Now, if I just had thousands to spend on one...

Taken with my iPhone 3GS and used the Best Camera app. Nice!

Tiltshift Generator Test

While on the front porch grilling some chicken I decided to test out the new Tiltshift Generator app for the iPhone. Threw this together in about 30 seconds. The image is nothing special but the app is pretty good though it still needs some work.

Thanks to the awesome www.iphoneography.com site I just learned of this new app this morning. Right now it's on sale for $.99 so I bought it. But like everyone else who played with it, my biggest complaint is the output. It's low-res. We're all told the next update will correct that. Hope so. Other than that it seems pretty slick. I did notice it saved the file without a date or name. When I use PhoneView to look at the files on my phone it doesn't show up without digging around. That may be because I just updated to iPhone OS 3.1 that came out today. Not sure.

All in all it seems like a solid app. When the updates come, and there's no indication to think they won't, it will be solid. The developer, Takayuki Fukatsu has some other apps that get rave reviews, so I say go get this thing while it's at this price. It will soon go up to $2.99 US. Let's hope the upgrade is free. Should be, one would think.

By the way, that's our little Monkey Puzzle tree out there.

Hoping For One More Season

Joyce and I installed our wood stove when we first moved to Hobart 25 years ago. It's on its last legs but we hope repairs made today get us through one more season.

When I went to light it for the first time yesterday the handle was frozen. Totally rusted. It took me a couple of hours this morning to drill and pound on it to finally get it open. That's when my son, Jesse and I engineered a new handle mechanism. After a lengthy trip to the local hardware store we returned with threaded rod, a small piece of steel, and an abundance of nuts and washers. When we were through sawing, drilling, twisting and pounding, it worked! Here's hoping it lasts until next spring.

Actually, when we started, Jesse and I were hoping we could submit this project to thereifixedit.com. But when we were finished, mickey mouse as it is, we realized it looks too good for that site. Next time we'll try harder.

Looking Good At 86

Today is my mom's birthday, so Joyce and I stopped by and had dinner with her. It was a good visit and we both came away remarking how good she looks now.

A few months ago that wasn't the case. She was living alone in a retirement apartment in Olympia and just wasn't taking care of herself. Now, she eats well, gets out for walks and short trips with her neighbors, is a voracious reader of trashy novels, and seems in the best spirits we've seen her in a long time.

This summer the family moved her from Olympia to The Lodge at Eagle Ridge in Renton. Can't recommend it highly enough. It's a beautiful facility overlooking downtown Renton and the south end of Lake Washington. Great people, excellent facility.

I shot this with my iPhone 3GS in a dark room with gloomy weather just before sunset. I ran it through Photoshop for a little cropping and vignette. Maybe not the best quality image, but the two smiles make it a keeper.

Firewood And Time Travel

My grandson Kelton and I spent about an hour or so today working on our firewood supply. We still have to get a bunch of it into the woodshed. He's four now and does OK as a helper, much like his father did when he was that age.

It still amazes me, watching him and talking to him as his father and I did years ago. My favorite stories have always been about time travel. Watching our son and his children is as close as I'll ever come to going back in time. It's like looking back, seeing myself then my son and now his son. Seeing some of the things my father and his father did as well. Kinda spooky.

Then there's my granddaughter. Oy! She's like a whole new chapter.

In A Pickle In Hobart

It's that time again, time to put up some of My Beloved's scrumptious garlic dills. About ten quarts this year.

The produce this time around wasn't the best. The dill was terrible and the little cukes were on the soft side.

But come December and January they'll be tasty.

LOVE this annual tradition.

Mizu Japanese Steakhouse

A little video from our first trip to this new restaurant in Covington, not far from Hobart. This is the Mízu chain and the food is not bad. I missed recording the flaming grill and egg in the hat trick, but you get the idea.

Our two grandkids, 4 and 2 loved it. They also wolfed the food. A good experience, but kinda pricey. Not bad though.

The Needle, The Moon And Venus

As I was walking up John Street to Pacific Science Center just before 6 a.m. the sun was coming up. The sliver moon was hanging just to the south of the Space Needle and just below the moon was Venus, though you'll have to look closely to see it in this shot.

Unfortunately, I didn't have my DSLR so my iPhone 3GS would have to do. This shot was processed with the Photo fx app. I used the three stripe filter and added just a bit of a vignette.

Love watching the sunrise, but this time of year I always get a bit sad as the days become shorter. Fall will soon be here. Summer can't last long enough at this point in my life.

Smile Awhile For Me, Kira

So, our family (minus our son, Jesse who had to work) spent the day at Kelton's soccer practice and then the Maple Valley Farmers Market. I shot a bunch of pictures, as per usual. But lately I've been in a slump when it comes to getting my two-year-old granddaughter Kira to smile. Today was no different.

This shot was the best of the bunch. Her older brother Kelton was off to the right in this shot learning how to dribble and shoot a soccer ball. When the practice was almost over Kira's mom and grandmother (upper left corner on the ground) let her go and she ran over to me. Later at the farmers market I even plied her with ice cream and still couldn't get a smile.

So, I keep trying. But she's still a cutey.

Alicia Healey & Lisa Mills

The family stopped by the Maple Valley farmer's market this morning after Kelton's soccer practice. Had some ice cream, tasted and bought some great local produce, and picked up some gorgeous flowers. We also got to listen to a bit of live music provided by Alicia Healey and Lisa Mills.

I had my Nikon D40 around my neck but turned on my iPhone 3GS just to record a little bit of the end of one of their songs and the iPhone got some love from Lisa. I'd like to think it was me that got her attention, but we all know better. These little phones are just so darned cute...and powerful.

BTW...here's more about these two performers: www.aliciahealey.com/ They are very good.

Final Summer Of Fun Forest

The amusement park at Seattle Center, Fun Forest is due to be demolished next year. As I walked around there today it occurred to me that this is the final summer for the old place. I asked one of the teens running a ticket booth and she got a little sad and said yes. I know time marches on and things change, but it's still sad.

Seattle Center was the first place my friends and I got to go to alone when we were 12 or 13. We took the bus in from Burien and road the Ferris Wheel and played the games. Now it's going away to make room for...something. I'm not sure final decisions have been made, have they?

Here's to fond memories of summer as a kid.

Elvis Was Here

Early this morning as I was waiting for some video to render at work at Pacific Science Center, I decided to wander around outside. Happened to look down and spotted this little warning sign, It reminded me that Elvis did, indeed run across that wall in the film, "It Happened At The World's Fair" in 1962.

Not sure if the sign was posted because of Elvis, but it's kind of funny to see it there. Even funnier was me crawling around trying to keep my iPhone 3GS from ending up in the ponds.

ARGH! Stop For Just A Moment!

How in the world can I get these grandkids to stop and take a picture!?

When we had just one grandchild I could usually get him to sort of pose for me, or at least focus on me for a few minutes so I could snap a few pics. But now that his little sister is also jockeying for position, neither one will sit still long enough for me to get them together.

How do those photogs in the studios get them to do it!?

After MANY futile attempts outside this evening, Kelton and Kira's mom Jennifer grabbed them and we got a couple of shots. This was the best I could do. I just had my iPhone 3GS. If I'd gone in for my Nikon D40 the moment would have been LONG gone.

Any and all suggestions, ideas, tips, thoughts on getting hyper-active kids and adults to at least slow down for a few moments for a slow grandfather to snap a few shots would be appreciated.

RAWR Is Dinosaur For Good Morning!

RAWR Is Dinosaur For Good Morning!
Originally uploaded by Stan Orchard

The Orchards 1 - Yellow Jackets 0

Well, actually the yellow jackets scored a victory a couple weeks ago when they got my grandson and me while out geocaching. But this time they chose the wrong place to build their nest and we scored a major victory!

Due to my procrastination, our winter wood supply is still not inside the shed. Those pesky yellow jackets decided to build their hive right on top. So, my son Jesse went and sprayed the heck out of it and then pulled it out. Not one sting.

Now, if he could just do something about that woodpile.

So Why Does Audio+Picture Seem Easier Than Video?

If you haven't been paying attention, I LOVE the new iPhone! The improved camera and video capabilities are just great. But something happened today that got me thinking. Maybe you can help answer my questions.

I've been snapping pictures and short videos and quickly uploading to YouTube and Flickr. LOVE that! It's quick and easy and the quality is pretty darn good. And the biggest plus is: the iPhone (camera/audio/video recorder) is always in my pocket and ready at a moment's notice. Today I added s0mething new: the Audioboo. Below is my first (and only as of this writing) example. Take a listen.

If you click this link and go directly to the Audioboo, you'll see an image associated with it. It was recorded on my new iPhone 3GS using the Audioboo app (free). The image was snapped with the iPhone camera. The question is: why didn't I just turn on the camera, record some video/audio and upload that? Is it because I spent so long in the radio world? The Audioboo technique is very much like recording a reporter on scene report (roser in the old vernacular) into my old Sony tape recorder. The only difference is (other than the better quality) that I included a picture with it. But the ability to include video is much more powerful. Why not just do that? With Flickr I can shoot a few seconds of video, send it via email, it shows up on Twitter and Flickr and Facebook automatically. So why does this Audioboo thing seem so much better to me? Not sure. Maybe someone can share some insight.

I do wish Audioboo had some rudimentary editing capability as the iPhone 3GS video offers. Seems like a simple thing to add. And frankly, I wish Flickr would buy them out or offer similar abilities. I'm afraid Flickr is falling behind quickly in the iPhone space. They need to ramp up, get some apps out there, and take over this realm. I hate having my material spread out over a bunch of spaces, especially some that may or may not survive. Pretty sure Flickr will. Would rather have all my images there.

Kelton's First Soccer Turnout

Joyce and I had just one child, Jesse. When he was five he started playing soccer and we spent many years traveling to practice sessions and games. And loved it. Today, Jesse and Jennifer's son Kelton began his soccer adventure at age four.

It was a gorgeous day at Lake Wilderness Park in Maple Valley. A huge bald eagle flying overhead and a doe with two fawns wandering by added to the scene. There were about 15 four year old boys and girls and one poor woman who was the only coach to show up on this first day of practice. For some reason, the other two coaches didn't make it.

But it was a fun half hour session. Our redheaded grandson in the orange shirt did quite well for his first time out. During the part where every kid gets to kick the ball in the net one by one, he joined the coach in giving each player a high five when they came back. We're not sure if the rest of the parents thought it was cute or that he was obnoxious. If they didn't agree with us, well...what do they know?

Couldn't help wonder as I looked at all the young parents how many of them did we watch play when our son was a boy? This whole getting old thing is strange, but fascinating.

Sunrise Moon

I love summer, especially early mornings during this season. When I walked out to the car to go to work this morning two deer were standing about 20 feet away. By the time I grabbed my iPhone to snap a pic they had sauntered off behind the barn. So, I looked up and saw the moon hanging in the trees and snapped it.

The iPhone 3GS does have a better camera than my first gen, but it still doesn't do great in low light. I ran this through Photoshop after using Image Capture to download the original from the phone.

It was the start to what I hope is a great day.

Family 4th In Hobart

Love it when our family spends the 4th of July at home. This year we didn't have a big barbecue (that's coming tomorrow). But we did set off some fireworks.

Kelton is four now, Kira is two. This was her first year of getting into it. They both got to hold sparklers and watch as their papa fired off some rounds. But they both would still rather sit on someone's lap with hands over ears, even though the loudest noise came from our neighbors a mile away.

All in all, a good time was had by everyone. Hope your holiday was good as well.

Kitchen Dragonfly

This little guy is one of MANY dragonflies that call The Orchard Compound home. They float by constantly then their lives end and this is what's left. Very much like butterflies. This one resides on our kitchen window sill.

I shot this with my iPhone 3GS in macro mode. Ran it through photo fx filter and uploaded with flickup. Frankly, I'm not happy with flickup but it's the best I can find that uploads to Flickr and then tweets it. If you know of another app please let me know.

OH! Hi There!

This evening we grilled some marinated pork chops on the grill out on our front porch. After a great meal, I walked out on the porch to cover the grill and put things away. As soon as I opened the front door, this great big bull elk and I scared each other! He was about 20 feet away just off the front steps. So, I stepped back in and grabbed my new iPhone 3GS and started rolling. He sauntered off and I covered the grill. By the time I sat back down and sent this to YouTube, a few of his friends wandered out of the woods.

LOVE that!

Foxglove And A Bee

This evening, as the sun was going down and the summer solstice was happening, Joyce and I went for a walk around The Orchard Compound in Hobart. We spotted some foxglove on the neighboring property that's been abandoned for many months and snapped a shot.

This was taken with my brand new iPhone 3G S. I ran it through the photo fx app but think the original was a bit better and larger. Now that the new iPhone has a better camera, I need to change the way I was taking pictures with the old one.

Strawberry Tweets Forever

After what seems an eternity, the strawberry plants in pots on our deck are finally starting to ripen. If we could get a few more days of serious sun we'd have a basket full of them.

Now, if only the tomatoes would do the same.

This was snapped on my first generation iPhone and enhanced a bit with the photo fx app. My new iPhone 3GS arrives next Friday. YAY!

Also, trying out the beta for sending strait from Flickr to Twitter. Hope this works.

Blueberry Fields Forever

Every Friday I get to work at the Mercer Slough Environmental Education Center in Bellevue. It's always great, but when the weather is about as perfect as it can be, then it's awesome!

Today I had the chance to get out and hike around. Found a geocache. Saw a bunch of birds including a Goldfinch, Heron, and many more. The Goldfinch is the Washington State Bird...but I also saw some beautiful rhododendrons, the Washington State Flower. There was a cool garter snake, a frisky squirrel, and other assorted wildlife. The air was filled with cottonwood, almost like snow. My beloved, Joyce is sneezing her head off now. She's allergic.

This shot was taken with my Nikon D-40. The trail I was on consisted of dirt and boardwalks. I took the bridge over the Mercer Slough and followed the Heritage Trail around to find this cache. The trail skirts a wonderful blueberry farm. You can buy the berries at the stand on Bellevue Way. They're great! Come fall, this area will turn quite colorful.

All in all, a great day for a short walk in the wild...just a stone's throw from the big city.

Foggy, Salty Seattle Morning

When I pulled into the Pacific Science Center parking garage this morning before 6 a.m. I was greeted with fog and some salty air. Could just make out the top of this construction crane working on a new church across the street. Just LOVE that smell. Always reminds me of our boating days.

This was shot with my first generation iPhone and run through the Mono filter in the CameraBag app.

Arizona Trip Video...Sort Of

So, I'm stuck at home nursing my sore shoulder. Decided to try making a quick video with a program called Fotomagico. I got this through Macheist last year so it was quite inexpensive. Not sure I would have paid full price for it. But it's quick and easy, for sure. This whole thing took me about two minutes to throw together, then had to wait for it to render. But all settings were default. Could have tweaked each shot a bit to avoid the black seen on some of the slides. Very easy. Here's the resulting HD video posted to Facebook.

A Fishy Geocache

Today is Friday, so I get to work at the Mercer Slough Environmental Education Center in Bellevue. This place is like heaven in the heart of the city. Just gorgeous.

After slaving over a hot computer for six hours, I grabbed my GPS and went out for a little geocaching. Found one about a half mile away, but what I really found was serenity. I've driven by this thing a thousand times and never saw it. It's a fish ladder right in downtown Bellevue. This heron was standing there looking like a salmon sentry. As cars and trucks rumbled by right behind me, this little spot was serene. The name of the geocache hidden there is Save The Salmon. Not sure the heron had that in mind.

Some of the interns from Pacific Science Center helped plant the area around this spot. A great program.

Chihuly In The Desert

Being from the Seattle area, we know full well how wonderful Dale Chihuly's work is. Seeing it in the desert was something else. We strolled through the fabulous Desert Botanical Garden on a hot April evening. We saw a snake and small lizard, hummingbirds and ducks, and enjoyed the incredible fragrance of the spring air while mesmerized by the glass.

Another aspect of this stunning exhibit and the garden itself was the photography taking place. Nearly everyone had a camera! Dodging photographers, trying to stay out of shots, waiting for people to move, it was all just as much part of the experience as marveling at how the glass was created or what inspired the artist to place the pieces where he did. While most of us don't have the eye of an artist like Chihuly, many of us are out capturing the sights of the world around us. I think that makes the world a bit better. Here are a few more shots.

Poston Butte Beauty

My brother-in-law, Jim Rodal and I climbed Poston Butte in Florence, Arizona to find a geocache planted up there. It was Jim's first cache adventure and his first climb up there. I'd been up once before, in 1998 BC - before caching :) - and it was even better this time.

If you've ever been to Florence you've seen this hill with a huge, white F on the flanks. It's one of the few pieces of higher ground in an otherwise flat area. There's a monument on top placed there in 1907 when Arizona was still a territory. The view is spectacular. More images can be found here.

There are three Geodetic Survey markers up there along with the cache. We found only two of them. We spotted some prairie dog-type critters, a number of lizards, a few bee hives, and strangest of all, the entire pyramid is a gigantic ant hill! Fascinating to watch the millions of ants swarm all over it.

Another mystery to us: how did the people who built the monument pound those big iron rods into solid rock? There are a bunch of them up there. Talk about a tough job!

Since Jim and my sister Janice live down there for half the year, and since Joyce and I vacation here every year, we're thinking of making this sort of an annual pilgrimage.

Slithery Geocache

Joyce and I were out geocaching while on vacation in Arizona when we came upon this little guy near one of the caches. Needless to say, we gave him a wide berth. We did find the cache though and were none the worse for the encounter. He (she?) just ignored us.

Not sure what kind of snake this is. If you do, please let us know.

Dead Skunk In The Middle Of The Road

Way back when I was playing the hits on small market radio stations, one of my favorite novelty tunes was by Loudon Wainwright III. It came out in 1972 and we played it on KUPY 1450 The Voice Of The Valley in Puyallup, WA and I think we even played it on KTKN in Ketchikan, AK. Anyway, it's a classic. Today, while on vacation in Arizona, Joyce and I came upon this smelly little guy stuck to the road just outside Florence and couldn't resist. Had to dodge some cars and a buzzard circling overhead. But fortunately, the smell had subsided. Loudon, wherever you are, thanks for the memories. Would love to buy you a beer sometime.

This was taken with my first gen iPhone. Ran it through the camerabag app using the 1974 filter.

First Skunk Cabbage of 2009

I was out tromping around our woods this afternoon and spotted this guy poking his head up through the marsh. They don't smell great, they're not all THAT pretty, and they have a funny name. But it was good to see it.

Yes, today is another typical Pacific Northwest winter day, even though it's officially spring now. Cold, rainy, dreary. But seeing the skunk cabbage starting to poke up from the wetland is a welcomed sight. This was the only one I could find that was up, but there are many others out there. A little bit of color - and the promise of more to come - on an otherwise dismal day with sky the color of a battleship. Can't wait for warmer weather.

Games People Play

So, we were sitting around this afternoon as the sun was setting. Snow, hail, rain were all falling...and the sun was shining. Had a fire burning in the stove. Joyce and Kelton curled up in her chair and she continued teaching him the finer points of solitaire.

It's no surprise that three-year-old Kelton has been playing video games for quite awhile. His father started when he was two and still plays them now. But our grandson hasn't yet mastered solitaire. So, that's his grandmother's job.

I snapped this with my first generation iPhone and used the CameraBag app with the Lolo filter. Even in the low light it works OK.

Early Morning Dinosaurs

Next month I celebrate my third anniversary at Pacific Science Center. Many things have become routine, but I still find myself in awe of the place. Hopefully, that feeling won't go away anytime soon.

I get to work at 6 a.m. It's still dark most of the time and I'm pretty much alone in there. It's still spooky and scary and totally awesome to walk around in the dark through all the exhibits. I especially like the dinosaurs. They're turned off, there's no sound, and very little light. But their eyes still glare down and those teeth look terrifying. Love that!

Hope to be writing something similar many years from now.

Sweet Cache

My geocaching buddy/grandson and I went out to run some errands and find a cache today. Kelton turns four next month. He's got this treasure hunting thing down quite well. This particular find was soggy and in need of serious repair. But it was still fun and we topped it off with a trip to the bakery just around the corner for some maple bars and apple juice. Sweet times.

Tough Old Cat

Joyce and I were out walking on our road yesterday when we spotted this black cat. He came right up to us and started purring. We recognized him right away - it was Midnight, one of our old cats who vanished years ago.

Midnight was one of four kittens we took in from some friends. They were the friendliest cats we've ever had. Great molers and mousers, they were always purring and wanting attention. But one by one they all disappeared. We've never seen any of the others, just Midnight. He's sorta feral now, mean as heck with ragged ears but he still purrs for awhile before running off to wherever he lives now. For as old as he is and living outside, he's actually looking pretty good, so somebody must be feeding him somewhere and giving him shelter.

Cats. Weird little critters.

Sunrise Moon

Sunrise is my favorite time of day, so you'd think getting good shots at home would be simple for me since we've lived here so long. It's not. The Orchard Compound is carved out of the forest so when the sun comes up it takes quite awhile for the light to actually get into us, especially in winter. So, this shot is pretty boring. A few minutes later the light was better on the trees, but the moon was gone. A few minutes earlier the moon was brighter but everything else was too dark. This was taken looking to the southwest with the sun off to my left. A few more clouds up there would have helped, maybe catching a bit more color from the sun. Next time.

You know what they say, the first rule in improving your photography is to shoot more often. Just need to get my lazy butt out of bed and shoot more!

Hobart Hell Hole

The property next to The Orchard Compound in Hobart, WA has been the scene of a bloody suicide, a recent shooting, years of illegal dumping, and some squatters who moved in and have been stealing from all the neighbors. My wife, Joyce and I are on a mission to have King County clean this place up once and for all. The video below gives you a sense of what's been buried on this small piece of land for the last quarter century. What you can't see are the years of abuse, violence, heartache and more. The unimaginable that is buried there makes us cry just to think of it all. Please, can someone help us get King County out here to close this little bit of hell and help some family move in and bring life back to this place?

Hobart Sunset

I've been so focused on the awesome sunrises this week almost forgot about sunset. On Wednesdays, Joyce and I telecommute from Hobart. So, as I was sitting at my desk at home today, just happened to notice the great light at sunset. When I grabbed the camera and ran out, there was a great sunset to the west that I started to shoot. But when I looked over my shoulder I saw the moon and this great vapor trail from a passing jet way up high. But what really got me you can't see. At this time of day, the bats are very active. They zip between the trees at dusk. And believe it or not, there had to be at least three big bats fluttering around when I shot this, but they didn't show up.

Either way, east or west, it was a great evening.

No Pat Down, Just Search

Pacific Science Center is preparing for a great new exhibit at the end of March. It's all about geocaching and GPS technology. So, I'm doing some research. That means doing some geocaching when I can. Today was another gorgeous winter day in Seattle, so I went out for about 20 minutes and found a cache near Key Arena. It was kinda sad since the arena, which I still think of as the Coliseum from my youth, is rather empty since the Sonics left town. The other thing...this was a puzzle cache which means you have to do some puzzle solving to find it. The puzzle involves Sheryl Swoopes' number. But today the Storm announced they've released her. Anyway, a fun search. No pat down involved as the sign says. Just a nice walk and some fresh air.

Seattle Sunrise

Although sunrise is my favorite time of day, yesterday's was more or less bland. Not so this morning. The sky held many colors. I almost worked right through it, but my beloved called to remind me to look outside. Joyce is blessed to be working on an upper floor of a downtown Seattle skyscraper, so she has a gorgeous view. My office has a panoramic view of Pacific Science Center's loading dock and dumpsters. And within a couple of week's our office will move to a room with no windows at all, so I need help remembering to look at what's going on outside.

Hopefully, if you're in the Seattle area you, too caught a glimpse of sunrise today. Looking the other way brought a terrific view of the Olympic Mountains. Well, just the VERY tops of the tallest peaks. There was a huge fog/cloud bank shrouding everything else. But it was still beautiful.

Sunrise Geometry

I've been thinking a lot lately about Pacific Science Center's arches. Trying to come up with a new way to photograph them, a different perspective, something I've not seen before. So, I wandered outside this morning at sunrise to see what I could see.

Unfortunately, the sunrise was rather uninspiring. The sky held very little color, which may be a good thing. No red sky in morning warning to worry about. But nothing leapt out at me as I wandered around beneath those famous landmarks looking skyward.

But as they usually do, the arches continue to amaze me. The many shapes that emerge are fascinating. And while they're concrete structures in the heart of the city, they're also teeming with life. Birds are everywhere! Somehow, I managed to snap this and not get one of those feathery inhabitants in the shot.

Deer Friends

It was just after dawn this morning when I spotted a half dozen big bull elk out in the pasture. With no time for setting up a tripod in the gloomy light, I tried to get some shots. Only one amounted to anything, and it wasn't much. Then these two wandered by, so I tried again. Same story. Too dark, and my hands too shaky to get a good, focused picture. But I had fun trying.

Just like the elk, these guys will be back. Actually, the deer never really leave. They're like our quiet neighbors.

Ghost Elk

I was up before dawn this morning and spotted a half dozen big bulls out in our pasture. All with enormous racks. Didn't have time to use a tripod but I attempted to get some shots anyway. All failed. This was the only one to amount to anything, and it's pretty bad.

Funny how the smaller the image, the better it looks when the focus and other attributes are off.

Still had fun trying to get pictures and not scare them off. They all eventually ran off as I tried to be discreet with my Nikon D40. At that time of day on a Saturday morning, it is deathly quiet. The sound of the shutter firing is like a gunshot. But I know they'll be back.

Learning To Hike Quickly

The weather was great again today in Hobart, so after work I forced myself to get up and go hike for a couple of hours. Since the Taylor Mountain Trail is just down the road two miles, I drove down and started out. It's all uphill the first mile or so and while that doesn't sound too tough for most, for this flabby old computer idiot it's tough enough. Just enough to get my blood pumping and lungs working. Hopefully, I can keep this up for awhile.

It all started with geocaching, but that's just the premise. The real goal is to get out, get off my butt, and get moving. So far, it's working.

By the way, this was taken with my first generation iPhone, then run through the CameraBag app (I threw text on in Photoshop). Thanks to Chase Jarvis (chasejarvis.com) and some timely iPhone tips, I now know to frame the shot with the button already pushed. Then let go when the shot is ready. DOH! I am SO stupid! Why didn't I notice that before?! SO simple.

Kira's First Swing

Here it is, the middle of January and the weather's so nice our grandkids are outside playing in the sun. After all the snow, rain, and flooding this is heaven.

Kira turns two in April. Her brother, Kelton turns four in March. The last time it was nice enough outside to play, Kira would have nothing to do with the swings. Now, it's a different story.

Spring and summer should be fun this year.

Hobart = Heaven

For anyone who's never been to Hobart in Washington state, this is the perfect place to view it. A once thriving logging community is now a simple hamlet with mountains in the background and small farms, livestock, wildlife and families below. The community you see between Mount Rainier in the distance and where I shot this is Hobart. This trail takes you above it with panoramic views in all directions. I could even see the highest skyscraper in downtown Seattle from here. It was behind me.

On this day it was quite breezy, but so incredibly warm. After recent record setting snow and torrential rain and flooding, it was like a dream come true in the middle of winter. Just wish I'd been there earlier in the day for better light. The trail is easy to navigate, but a bit steep if you’re not used to it. Those on horseback or mountain bike will have no problem at all.

If you are inclined to visit, follow the Issaquah-Hobart Road south from Issaquah until you get to the Highway 18 interchange. The trailhead is clearly marked. There's plenty of parking, many trails, and more than a few geocaches up there. Horses, kids, hikers, mountain bikers are all welcome. Those with strollers or wheelchairs should probably go down the road a few miles to Landsburg and the start of the Cedar River Trail. It's much easier.

By the way, The Orchard Compound is just off to the left in this image. We’re up against the Cedar River Watershed, where Seattle and surrounding communities get much of their drinking water. Much of the forest in the left of this image is the watershed. One of these days I’ll have to arrange to be up there while someone is out back of our barn burning something smokey so we can pinpoint our little place with Mount Rainier in the background. It’s on my list of things to do.

Cold, Hard Cache

My three-year-old grandson, Kelton and I went out today for what’s fast becoming our weekly geocaching adventure. This time we stayed close to home. We drove down to the start of the Cedar River Trail at Landsburg. That's about three miles away from home. This is where Seattle and surrounding areas get most of their drinking water. They suck it out of the Cedar River at Landsburg, send it down a huge pipe to the Lake Youngs Reservoir near Renton, then from there it goes out to Seattle and surrounding areas.

The trail is the old railroad right of way. Years ago, we used to walk along the river when the tracks were still there. We even have a couple of old glass insulators from the telegraph poles that lined the route. All of that is long gone now and the trail is great. It runs all the way to Renton, crosses some old trestles along the way, and ties into all the other big trails in the area. Very nice.

Today’s find was hidden near one of those stream gauge sites. It has a zip line across the river and they use the site to gauge the flow of the river. After all the recent snow and rain and flooding, the river was still running very high and fast today. Our hike was just shy of two miles, round trip from truck to cache and back. An easy hike, but Kelton’s little legs were giving out toward the end. But he made it. He’s turning into a pretty good hiker and treasure hunter, even when the weather’s cold.

One Of Those Days

Today was one of those days. No, not one of THOSE days. It was one of those days you savor, like a fine wine. It was good.

It started, as all our days do, very early in the morning. Joyce went to work in downtown Seattle and I got to work at the Mercer Slough Environmental Education Center in Bellevue. On the way in I stopped at a Starbucks in Issaquah and ran into none other than the legendary Dick Foley. For the uninitiated, Dick was a familiar face on KOMO TV in Seattle back in the 80s and 90s. But before then he was one of the wonderful voices of The Brothers Four, an incredibly popular folk group of the 50 and 60s. I’m happy to say he still looks great and that melodious voice of his is as smooth as ever.

After that, I arrived at The Slough and went through my normal routine of online duties. Managed to help a few fans of Pacific Science Center (where I work), contributed to an ongoing discussion of how to help people, linked up with some people I haven’t heard from in years, and handled a bunch of other issues related to work. All in all, it was a rewarding time. But at the end of my shift I spent about 45 minutes hiking around The Slough and that’s what capped off a great day.

I scored two geocaches, something I’ve become obsessed with as we prepare for a new exhibit at Pacific Science Center this spring. Just hiking around the Mercer Slough Park is rewarding, but finding some caches while you do it is great. Plus, the weather was outstanding! After all the recent snow and rain and flooding, walking around in cold, sunny weather was intoxicating.

Then I came back to Pacific Science Center’s offices at The Slough and had a short, impromptu brainstorming session with some co-workers. My job is to tell the stories of what our people do. Since they spend their time teaching young students how to care for the environment, and then teach others how teach even more people about the same, it’s a great story to tell. Listening to our people talk about what they do was rewarding and renewing. I never tire of it. I came away with new story ideas and an even deeper appreciation for what our organization stands for.

Today is Thursday where I am. Tomorrow is a day off without pay for me. It’s all part of our organization’s painful efforts to deal with the economic realities of this time. That includes layoffs that mean we no longer get to work with some very talented folks. But going through my routines on this day reaffirmed my love of what we do, of my belief in our commitment to lifelong learning, and my desire to try to help others on a daily basis. It’s a simple thing, but enjoyable and rewarding. Today was a great day for me. Hope yours was as well. If not, hopefully tomorrow will be. Let’s make it so.

The Dark Knight Is Back!

The biggest movie ever? The best movie ever? The best sci-fi movie ever? You could argue the answer is yes to all those if you're talking about The Dark Knight. One unarguable point: this film is best seen on an IMAX screen. And if you're in the Seattle area, it is best seen on the biggest screen in town at Pacific Science Center's Boeing IMAX Theater. If you didn't see it last summer then you owe it to yourself to see it during re-release starting January 23. Awesome is an understatement.

Magnificent Moles

I really hates moles. They tear up The Orchard Compound constantly. But today I discovered they are even more industrious, clever, malicious than I thought.

Almost all the snow and ice from the recent storm is gone, so I went hiking around our place. I'd seen mole hills in the snow but today I saw the tunnels they had been digging UNDER the snow! Crazy! With all the vegetation pressed down, you can see their tunnels that had been dug while there was still lots of snow and ice on top. The tunnels were not quite in the dirt, mostly in the grass and weeds. There is a deep hole there on the right of the image, but the rest were above ground. They were all over the place.

They may drive me crazy, but ya gotta admire their abilities.

Geocaching Mystery

So, my grandson, Kelton and I headed out to do some geocaching on a very dreary, wet winter day. We had great fun, found two caches, but ran into a bit of a mystery with one of them. If you're a geocacher and can shed some light on this, please let me know.

Here's the deal: I went to geocaching.com with my brand new Garmin Nuvi 500 attached to my MacBook Pro. Found this cache (GC17B78) and clicked the "Send To GPS" link. No problem. But every time I opened the cache on the Nuvi, the device turned off! I thought maybe the GPX file was corrupt somehow, so I overwrote it several times. But it still didn't work. The Nuvi works fine on all the others and we've had no trouble with it at all. It's just this particular cache. Has anyone ever encountered this? Any clue what might be going on?

We ended up just printing the page and walking until we were at the coordinates. It's an easy cache and loaded with lots of good stuff. Sadly, the fish hatchery is covered with mud right now because of recent flooding, but no fish were lost. We look forward to going back when the weather's nice and the mud is gone.

One Very Wet Find

My grandson, Kelton and I went geocaching today. A very cold, wet, dreary winter day. But we had great fun. This cache was placed in the shadow of I-90 in the heart of Issaquah, WA. Pretty easy to find, but since this was just his second find and my third, it was perfect for us. One of these days we need to hike that trail. It's the old railroad line that goes up the east side of Lake Sammamish.

Wii Straps? Use 'Em!

For anyone who doubted the veracity of the warnings to use those wrist straps while playing with the Nintendo Wii...we on The Orchard Compound have proof. USE THEM! Our daughter-in-law's brother was bowling and this is the result. Actually, you can't see any damage until you turn it on. Then the wrist-rocket strike is all too apparent. For those who entered the World of Wii this holiday season, a word to the wise. For those who've had one of these wondrous machines for some time (as was the case here), know that it can happen to you, too. Strap them on!

Kelton's First Find

Our family has entered the exciting world of geocaching! I have become obsessed with this fascinating pastime ever since being introduced to it at work. Pacific Science Center hosts an awesome GPS exhibit in spring 2009 and I got hooked while researching the subject. This particular cache was hidden right in the heart of Issaquah. Pretty easy to find. I had previously found one cache with two co-workers in Seattle. This was Kelton's first "treasure hunt" and he was ecstatic. We're looking forward to many more years of a great hobby.