09-JUN-2014
Playing in the Fountain
This is the fountain at the Springfield City Hall. I was attracted to what the backlighting did to the water. While I was getting ready to photograph, this girl suddenly ran into the scene and dances across the base of the fountain. I guess she wanted to dress up my photo. So naturally I included her in the picture.
29-MAY-2014
Exploring The Pond
This baby goose was getting a little bold, exploring the edge of the pond at Alton Baker Park. It's momma was a distance away though keeping a close eye on its offspring.
07-JUN-2014
Tex Rankin Jewelry
Carol's brother came to see us and showed us a jewelry piece that had belonged to their great-uncle, Tex Rankin. Someone had given this piece to Dale after searching for a relative to give it to. Somehow he found Dale's name and contacted him. The father of the fellow that gave it to Dale knew Tex. Dale was thrilled to get it and brought it over for us to see. Of course, we had to have a photo session too. LOL This is a photo I made of it. Evidently, it is some kind of Elks jewelry, and the Elks likely presented it to Tex. There is an elk's head on the other side of the stone, actually part of an elk horn.
Tex was a world famous flyer in the 1930's and 40's, and for a time was world champion stunt pilot. He died on February 24, 1947 in a plane crash at Klamath Falls. Oregon. Some history about him can be found here - "https://www.iac.org/hall-fame-1998-jg-tex-rankin" If you type in 'Tex Rankin' in a web search you will find an abundance of information about him.
06-JUN-2014
Prickly Perch
It seems this bird chose a mighty prickly perch, but then blackberry barbs don't seem to bother birds. I think I have photographed this type of bird before, but can't seem to find it in my bird book. Appreciate the ID - Yellow-Rumped Warbler Thanks to those who shared the ID..
05-JUN-2014
Masquerade
We have masquerade roses in our yard, planted by Carol's Mom. they are so beautiful! This rose, however, was photographed at Alton Baker Park. Nothing is so sweet as a rose! :)
04-JUN-2014
How's the Blood Pressure?
Today was the halfway point for my cardiac rehab program. One of my exercises was walking a mile at 2.2 MPH in 30 minutes. The only thing is I didn't get anywhere! It was all on a treadmill! I would rather be out with my camera doing that walk. :) This is a shot Carol took of Megan checking my blood pressure.
03-JUN-2014
Porch Decoration
I believe this is Clematis that is beautifying a neighbor's porch. Such a gorgeous flower! Isn't nature wonderful? I see wisdom there!
02-JUN-2014
Sure Hope They Weren't Following Me!
I watched several turkey vultures at Delta Ponds this morning. Some of them landed in this tree. When they started stretching their wings to sun themselves, I made some photos of them. I liked this one where two of them have those bare red heads turned to the side.
01-JUN-2014
Floral Delight
These gorgeous flowers were photographed at Alton Baker Park. They added to the beauty of the park and brightened my day!
31-MAY-2014
The Morning Sun Over Springfield
This morning's walk took me to a spot where I can get a good view of the morning sky. The only thing is that it also puts me where the International Paper Company plant lines the horizon. Sometimes the smoke and clouds make the sky quite interesting. I think this view is one of those.
30-MAY-2014
Beautiful, But Beware!
The tall plant, called Giant Hogweed, with beautiful flowers if found in the wooded areas of Alton Baker park. It is becoming quite common throughout our area. I didn't realize how dangerous it can be. Check the link below and check out all eight photos. Just clink on the right arrow for the next photo.
Note this report by CBS - "Giant hogweed - a dangerous, invasive weed - recently began spreading across New York, sparking fear and warnings from the state's Department of Environmental Conservation. They say the plant can burn, scar, and even blind you - but what exactly is it and how can you avoid it? Keep clicking to get the scoop on this toxic plant..." (
http://tinyurl.com/pf2azqz)
Also somilar to Giant Hogweed is Poison Hemlock. It is acutely toxic to people and animals. The flower looks much like both Giant Hogweed and Queen Anne's Lace. For photos, see -
http://tinyurl.com/mqgomqa All three are found in the Pacific Northwest.
So there you have it, three similar plants! Whichever one it is, it is a noxious weed!
29-MAY-2014
Nesting Osprey
This osprey has a nest provided for it by the University of Oregon. Ospreys kept building nests on top of the floodlights for their practice field. So the University extended the pole on top of one of the floodlights and installed a platform on top for the osprey to use to build nests. This they have done and the nest is quite large. You see part of it in this photo. It took all of the 60x zoom on my Nikon P600 to get close enough for pictures. Even then I had to crop by 50%. In one of the pictures I could see a baby, but it wasn't good enough to use as the mother was blurred. Still, I got a number of good shots of the mother handheld. Not bad for a camera with a tiny sensor.