Downtown Bellevue Evening

This week's part of Our World is in the early evening in Bellevue, from our visit last summer. I also chose these for Tina's PicStory theme of "evening mood." First is a pleasant path I found just outside downtown.

Next is a fountain inside the Microsoft building, with water running down a tall sculpture. This was next to the amazing glass sculpture I posted a few weeks ago.

And finally, a street at dusk. It wasn't too lively, despite being near a major shopping area. But it was still an attractive city.

Cloudy Garden

For Scenic Sunday, here are some less than perfect shots from a cloudy day in Garden of the Gods.

The colors come alive in the sunshine, but that wasn't to happen on this particular day.

Simple Blue Skies

Here's a set of simple blue skies for this week's Skywatch Friday entry. These were all taken over the last couple of weeks on short hikes with Socks, the first in Pulpit Rock park, and the last two in the nearby Black Forest Regional Park this past Saturday. These are the skies we see most of the winter - we're lucky as the mountains shield us from most bad weather.

Stanley Park

This week's theme at Tina's PicStory is "A Walk In The Park," and I think one of the best city parks I've ever seen is Vancouver's Stanley Park. So here are a couple of shots of rainforest growth that I took on a trail in that park last May. It's also a wonderful part of Our World Tuesday.

This is a large and varied park, and I've got more photos to come.

Corsica's Mountains

Here are my last worthwhile photos of Corsica. Much of the island is mountainous, and I remember getting very carsick on this bus trip, so I believe my father probably took these shots with my camera.

These are also just about the last of my ancient, discolored prints. From here on any scans I post are either from slides, or from more recent prints that are in much better shape. A couple of years ago I spent a couple of weekends scanning in every photo I've ever taken, so I've got lots of them!

Monument Rock

One of my favorite local hikes is Monument Rock. A couple of days ago I posted the sign at the trail-head, and here are the rest of my photos from that hike last summer for the Scenic Sunday meme. First, I found this barbed wire right next to the trail.

 I enjoyed this sunny meadow.

 I'm not sure what these few remaining wooden planks were part of.

 I loved the shape of this tree against the sky.

 And in contrast, these rows of trees were obviously planted.

 Here's the obligatory shot of Monument Rock, this time reflected in a muddy puddle.

 And finally, a cocoon with caterpillars still inside.

It's amazing what you can find on a short, nearby hike if you keep your eyes open!

Mountain Lions?

Signs, Signs is an interesting idea for a meme, although I've not participated before. But when I saw this sign at a local trail-head, I had to take a photo and link it there. I'll post the rest of the photos from this hike later this week.

It didn't stop me from hiking with my dog Socks, and we both survived. I've seen bears (mama with two cubs within 30 feet of me on a trail), coyotes, and I'm pretty certain that we encountered a mountain lion this summer although it quickly moved off the trail. We've even had a bear walk through our front yard. It's a wild area in which I live!

Wynn, Las Vegas

For this week's view of Our World Tuesday, and for the theme of "Last Year" on Tina's PicStory, here are the last of my photos from last year's trip to Las Vegas. This time, it's the very upmarket Wynn Hotel and Casino, with lots of waterfalls.

I'm surprised they even let me in there, as I'm definitely not an upmarket guy!

Calvi Citadel (2)

For this week's Sunday Scans entry, here's a close-up view of the imposing walls of Calvi's Citadel, on the island of Corsica, taken back in 1974.

Office Owl

An owl has been hanging around our office in the daylight hours. There's an owlprint on one of the windows, so we think he flew into a window and got injured. He's doing much better now, and is flying around properly again. Hopefully he will remember that he's not supposed to be out in the daytime!

 I'm keeping an eye on you!

He's landing on top of the building. I wish I'd caught this a split-second earlier and had his whole reflection.

All these photos were cropped and slightly sharpened using the free GIMP photo editing software. It's been a while since I've entered the Camera Critters meme, but this seems like a perfect entry for it.

Strange Summer Light

This week's Skywatch Friday post captures a couple of strange skies on one evening back in July - these photos are cropped, but in no other way edited, and were taken from our back deck. The colors and clouds really were this strange.

My White World

From a recent trip to north Denver (actually Westminster) to visit family, here are some snowy photos. I thought they'd work well for Our World Tuesday, as well as a perfect fit for Tina's PicStory theme of "White".

Calvi's Citadel (Corsica)

For Sunday Scans, here's a shot across the water to the Citadel at Calvi, on the island of Corsica, in 1974.

Lions Gate Bridge Views (Vancouver)

My first Scenic Sunday post for the year takes us back to Vancouver, for some views taken while walking on and near the Lions Gate Bridge. First, I'm looking towards the ocean.

Next, I'm looking back over Stanley Park towards downtown Vancouver.

And finally I'm looking towards the port. I'm not sure how scenic this is, but I thought it was interesting.

Some of my favorite shots of Vancouver from last year's vacation are still to come, so stay tuned!

Moontree

When I was taking Socks for a walk on Sunday in the Red Rock Canyon open space (on the edge of Colorado Springs), this juxtaposition of a lone tree on top of the rocks, and the moon in that lovely blue sky, caught my attention.

For more skyward photos, visit the fantastic Skywatch Friday meme.

Airplanes

I love airplanes, so it's surprising I haven't taken many photos of them. For Our World Tuesday, as well as for Tina's PicStory theme of "A" this week, here are a couple of photos from the Wings Over The Rockies museum in Denver. First is a B2 bomber, mounted outside the museum. My ultrawide lens makes it appear much smaller than it is - this is huge!

And here's an overview of some of the planes inside the museum, which basically consists of one large hanger.

One of the unusual things about this museum is that you walk right in among the planes, so you can look right into the engines, bomb bays, and get some great closeups. I've got several more shots from here that I want to post.

Calvi, Corsica

Continuing with my photos from a 1974 trip to the Mediterranean island of Corsica, here's the beautiful harbor of Calvi.

And that's my first Sunday Scans entry of the year - there are plenty more to come!