01-31-11 Raspberry Repetition

01-31-11 Raspberry Repetition, originally uploaded by roswellsgirl.

There are lots and lots of berries grown in our valley. Today I went looking for repetition for my Daily Shoot photo. Found lots of repeating berries. This was not my favorite photo from today, but I am working on not repeating my subjects as often.  Trying to mix things up... :)

01-30-11 Warm Beach Waterfowl

01-30-11 Warm Beach Waterfowl, originally uploaded by roswellsgirl.

Roswell and I joined Erik at work today. For once, it wasn't raining. Enjoyed a nice walk along the dike. Always see so many wonderful birds while out on our walks.

01-29-11 Northern State Hospital

01-29-11 Northern State Hospital, originally uploaded by roswellsgirl.

Inspired by photos earlier this month from @thewakingdragon, I decided to go out and explore the grounds of Northern State Hospital which has now been turned in to a county park with lots of neat trails. There are several dilapidated buildings that make for cool photos. There is a sign asking you not to go into the "historic structures" but you are free to walk around. This was a really gray and rainy day. I hope to come back on a better day and get more photographs. This used to be the grounds for a mental hospital. The hospital has long been closed but there is still a since of mystery about the place. This photo is of the remains of an old barn.

01-28-11 Amy's Red Bell

01-28-11 Amy's Red Bell, originally uploaded by roswellsgirl.

This afternoon I was in my friend Amy's classroom as the sun was setting and I still didn't have my dailyshoot or photo of the day. Since the dailyshoot was "red", this bell caught my eye. Decided to use another photo for the Dailyshoot, but I kept this one for my photo of the day.

This bell is going to be a reminder to me of what resourceful teachers are capable of doing when they seek out solutions instead of excuses. Amy is one such resourceful teacher.

01-27-11 Sunset at the Mall

01-27-11 Sunset at the Mall, originally uploaded by roswellsgirl.

Had to pull into the mall parking lot to catch this amazing sunset.

01-26-11 Surprised by Rainier

01-26-11 Surprised by Rainier, originally uploaded by roswellsgirl.

This morning while still a bit foggy and cloudy, I was surprised to see Rainier to the South. It is not often that we can see Rainier this far north. I could actually see Rainier, but not Baker this morning.

01-25-11 Skagit Trees and Flooded Field

01-26-11 Skagit Trees and Flooded Field, originally uploaded by roswellsgirl.

I am enjoying the new "depth" to the view with the flooded fields. Lots of cool reflectio

01-24-11 Heather

01-24-11 Heather, originally uploaded by roswellsgirl.

Heather is one of those things that takes on new beauty when examined at a macro level. These were the only blooms I could find in my garden. Very busy day of leading meetings today so it was welcome to find this pretty bloom at the end of a long day.

01-23-11 Winter Garden

01-23-11 Winter Garden, originally uploaded by roswellsgirl.

Was able to get out and work a bit in my garden this afternoon. After weeks of cold and wet, it is nice to be able to start thinking of Spring with this reminder from last year's garden.

01-22-11 Winter Wonderland

01-22-11 Winter Wonderland, originally uploaded by roswellsgirl.

We enjoyed a beautiful drive to Leavenworth today. Finally a day without rain. Leavenworth is a funky little town up in the mountains that has adopted a Bavarian theme. It works well for them. Lots of touris

01-21-11 Rainy Skagit Morning

01-21-11 Rainy Skagit Morning, originally uploaded by roswellsgirl.

Tried to go out this morning before work to get a photo. It was dark and rainy and definitely not ideal for nice photos. The DailyShoot called for a monochromatic picture and I thought of that when I saw this house. But I like the way the colors are soft and blurred in this photo due to the rain and gray, so I decided to keep the color and make this my photo of the day. Here's hoping for a little sunshine tomorrow.

01-20-11 Wet Witch Hazel

01-20-11 Wet Witch Hazel, originally uploaded by roswellsgirl.

Looking back over my daily photos for the last 3 years. I remember that Witch Hazel has been one of the first flowering tree photos of the year each year. It is a winter bloomer and we still have more winter to come, but seeing blooms gives me hope for Spring.

01-19-11 Foggy Flooded Field at Sunrise

01-19-11 Foggy Flooded Field at Sunrise, originally uploaded by roswellsgirl.

Wishing this photo would have turned out better, but I was shooting into the sun and the fog. The reflection of the morning sky in the flooded field was pretty cool.

01-18-11 Red Truck Camo

01-18-11 Red Truck Camo, originally uploaded by roswellsgirl.

I've been eying this scene for a few weeks now, just waiting for the right day for this to be my picture of the day. Glad that the truck stayed put.

01-17-11 Soggy Bison

01-17-11 Soggy Bison, originally uploaded by roswellsgirl.

Poor bison had to slog through a flooded field today. Lots of farm fields under water today as the rains continue. Interesting to watch the birds of prey circle and swoop as they look for drowning critters in the fields. Decided to go with a non bird photo just to break things up a bit today

01-16-11 Warm Beach at Dusk

01-16-11 Warm Beach at Dusk, originally uploaded by roswellsgirl.

Enjoyed another nice walk at Warm Beach today. Loved the lighting as the sun was beginning to set.

01-15-11 Watching

01-15-11 Watching, originally uploaded by roswellsgirl.

Lots of birds today, but not many good photos. Went out to the Samish Flats this morning and then Roswell and I went with Erik to work at Warm Beach this afternoon. Enjoyed a nice was, but it was really gray and almost raining. Still pretty great when you get to see an amazing bird like this.

01-14-11 Olympia Mural

01-14-11 Olympia Mural, originally uploaded by roswellsgirl.

There is lots of interesting wall art in Olympia. Some of it looks more intentional than others. This piece caught my eye. I wish I knew the story behind it. Time for some Googling.

http://olympiarafahmural.org/

01-13-11 Roswell

01-13-11 Roswell, originally uploaded by roswellsgirl.

Seemed like the time for another Roswell photo. He is so handsome.

01-12-10 Spoons

01-12-10 Spoons, originally uploaded by roswellsgirl.

Busy day today, so I decided to use my dailyshoot for my photo of the day too...

01-11-11 Raspberry Snow

01-11-11 Raspberry Snow, originally uploaded by roswellsgirl.

Had a few minutes to get out to the fields while it was still light and there was still snow.

01-10-11 Snowy Mount Vernon

01-10-11 Snowy Mount Vernon, originally uploaded by roswellsgirl.

A view from the viaduct. Still lots of snow and ice today. Goes with my feeling of being snowed under at work.

01-09-10 Blueberries and Snow Fog

01-09-10 Blueberries and Snow Fog, originally uploaded by roswellsgirl.

Lots of snow here today. Tonight we decided to brave the roads and head to Anacortes to check out a furniture. Since we didn't have much time before the store closed, there was no stopping for photographs. We entered in to this amazing wonderland of snow, fog and and sunset. It took all I had not to jump out of the car going 60 miles an hour to take photos. So, I did my best to snap a few shots as we headed down the road. Hoping to see this scene again some day. Really amazing.

01-08-11 Hovering Kingfisher

01-08-11 Hovering Kingfisher, originally uploaded by roswellsgirl.

Excited that it was sunny when we headed to Warm Beach this morning. Erik needed to do some lab work so Roswell and I were going to go walk on the dike. Got to warm beach and it was cold and rainy. Roswell and I went out anyway. Hard to take good photos when your camera is covered in a plastic bag and you are being pelted by hail. Got a few shots with better quality, but I liked this one with the Kingfisher. We first noticed him from the lab. I didn't really expect him to still be there posing when I got near. He wasn't as close, but he was still in the area. In this photo he is hovering in one place like a helicopter waiting to dive in for a fish.

01-07-11 Rainy in Seattle, Imagine That!

01-07-11 Rainy in Seattle, Imagine That!, originally uploaded by roswellsgirl.

Today I attended an advisory board meeting at the University of Washington. The meeting was in the corner conference room on the top floor of the tower. On a clear day, there would be an amazing view. But, as it often is in Seattle, today, it was raining. So the view isn't quite that clear.

01-06-10 Out of Print

01-06-10 Out of Print, originally uploaded by roswellsgirl.

I am always intrigued by this used bookstore. Looking inside, you can see that it is full of treasures just waiting for the right person to find the treasure that is perfect for them. Because it was dark all day and had a late meeting, a night shot was my only option.

01-05-11 Vintage

01-05-11 Vintage, originally uploaded by roswellsgirl.

Two of my favorite neighborhood vehichles posed for a photo this morning.

01-04-11Skagit Sunrise

01-04-11Skagit Sunrise, originally uploaded by roswellsgirl.

Gorgeous sunrise this morning. With my busy schedule, might be a lot of sunrises and sunsets or night or indoor scenes for a while.

01-03-11 Up A Tree

01-03-11 Up A Tree, originally uploaded by roswellsgirl.

Back to work today and although the views out over the valley this morning were glorious from my office window, I didn't have the photo opportunities I have had in the last week or so. These playful snow people are across the street from my office. I haven't had many opportunities in my life to build a snowman. But the thought has never occurred to me to put a snow man in a tree. These guys have been hanging out since Wednesday as it has yet to get warm enough to melt.

01-02-11 Snowy River Walk

01-02-11 Snowy River Walk, originally uploaded by roswellsgirl.

Erik, Roswell and I went on such a nice long walk along the river today. I am going to really miss my long walks and photo opportunities when I head back to work tomorrow. The lighting in this photo isn't the best. I liked the way it looked in black and white. Might have better photos from today, but I want to remember this special walk with my two special guys.

01-01-11 Not So Warm Beach

01-01-11 Not So Warm Beach, originally uploaded by roswellsgirl.

Erik had to go to work at Warm Beach today. I jumped at the chance to go with him. I love walking along the dike and taking photos of birds, etc. Today was a beautiful crisp, cold day and the Olympics were really showing their stuff.