Sunday, September 29, 2019

BACK FROM THE PHOTO CONFERENCE

I returned to Penticton yesterday afternoon after a wet drive home.  As I left Spokane it was 1C (about 33 or 34F), pouring rain with snow mixed in and the wind was blowing the car around.  I was back in BC before I was able to turn the wipers off.  There was snow alongside the road in several high elevation spots.
My week in Spokane flew by in a blur, it seems.  I went on two tours with the group and did lots of walking around the hotel area on my own.  Spokane Riverfront Park was right across the river from the hotel.  I tried to keep up on my photo editing so every spare moment between workshops, I would go back to my room and edit.
A few of the workshops were interesting but I didn't find myself as enthusiastic as in past years.  I did attend one on iphoneography that was pretty impressive.  It was good to see what some of the capabilities are for most smart phones since I intend to purchase one before long.  I don't think I will be abandoning my regular cameras but would have my phone for the times I don't have a camera.  Probably the main thing the phone will be used for is geocaching since I can look for caches most places I happen to be without having to preload my GPS.  I would be making more use of iNaturalist to identify flowers I'm not familiar with instead of having to spend a long time poring through my books or prowling the internet.  So far the few we have tried on Aileen's phone have given me the correct name quickly.   Now I just have to decide which phone!

Spokane River

Cataldo Mission, the oldest building in Idaho built by the Jesuits

Inside the Mission

Part of my group inside the Mission

We had a tour inside an old silver mine.  Our guide, Fast Eddy, demonstrated this drill.

Inside the silver mine

The view from my hotel window

On one of my evening walks I played with long exposure taillights on Division Street

  This was taken when it was pretty much fully dark and the long exposure brought up the saturated colour.

I got lucky with the weather in the Palouse.  The weather had not been good for several days.  A few hours after this it was raining.


Swans at a wildlife refuge we toured on a cold dark day.  I may have been the only one in my group that got this image as they were only visible for a brief moment.  I just happened to have my 100-400 on my 6D with the camera turned on so I quickly grabbed about four shots in a burst and then they were gone.
All the photos above were taken with my Canon 6D.  The rest below are from my Canon SX60 small camera.

Along WA Hwy 20 east of Tonasket on my way to Spokane

The old Great Northern Railway clock tower along the Spokane River

A back alley in Wallace, ID

Abandoned in Burke, ID

An old abandoned house in Burke, ID.  I'm shooting through the stove pipe hole from outside.  Notice the arm and camera in the window across the room.

Moss on a branch stub in the wildlife refuge

Tree reflection along the Spokane River

Using one of the many bridges to frame the fall colour

Art in the Spokane Riverfront Park

More Palouse


Steptoe Butte in the distance that you can drive right to the top of for great photo views.  This was as close as I got this trip.  I knew I wouldn't improve on the photos I had just taken and the light was starting to flatten out as we approached mid day.

There were just a few spots of new seeding of wheat.  To minimize the sun on my lens, I shot out the passenger window from the driver's seat.

Friday, September 20, 2019

HEADING TO THE PHOTO CONFERENCE

Busy days!   We spent six nights in Salmon Arm and boy did the time fly.  We caught up some business and visited several friends but missed others due to time constraints.  I didn't take any photos the whole time due to rain or walking in the late evening.  We did some more organizing in the motor home which led to more stuff going into storage.  That poor storage shed is going to explode one day!
Finished or not, we left Salmon Arm on Thursday and moved down to friend Karen's in Penticton.  Aileen will be staying here in the motor home while I go to Spokane for a week to attend the Photographic Society of America's annual photo convention.  I haven't been for several years so not likely to know many, if any attendees.  I have signed up for photo tours Sunday and Monday and am looking forward to the many feature presentations during the rest of the week.  I need to decide whether or not to make the effort to attend next September in Colorado Springs.  I went to one there several years ago.  If I decide to go to Colorado we need to be counting our days and perhaps returning to Canada a bit earlier in March to ensure we don't exceed our allowable days in the US.

Okanagan Grapes


Okanagan Apples



Penticton Creek on our walk this evening



Saturday, September 14, 2019

VANCOUVER ISLAND IN THE REAR VIEW MIRROR


Yes, we have left Vancouver Island and are now in Salmon Arm for six days.  Since we have brought the RZR with us, Aileen drove the car and followed me towing the trailer with the motor home.  We stopped Thursday night along the Brookmere Rd just off the freeway and had a nice spot along the Coldwater River.  It was nice and peaceful.  We walked up the road then along an old rail bed Thursday evening then in the opposite direction on the rail bed Friday morning.  It was raining when we drove to the ferry Thursday morning with a nasty forecast for the Island but we had all dry roads the rest of the way to Salmon Arm.
The RV rally at Seal Bay went well and we welcomed five new people who, I think, enjoyed the experience.  I led a group outing on Mt Washington around Paradise Meadows and up to Battle Ship Lake.  We went out for supper with a group one evening.  Aileen was in charge of meals for the rally and had a potluck Tuesday evening.  Thursday, she did ribs in the electric roaster, baked potatoes in the crockpot, beans in another and a couple of salads and two desserts.  Everything was totally gluten free and all the food for the seventeen of us was prepared in and beside the motorhome.  On the Friday night she made beef stew and dumplings, again totally gluten free for fourteen of us.  A couple of us guys did pancakes and sausages Wednesday morning and I did pancakes again Thursday since we had lots of mix left.  Saturday hitch up breakfast was done by another couple.  None of the breakfasts were gluten free so Aileen avoided those.
We stayed two more nights at Seal Bay after the rally ended then spent Monday night at Cousin Bill’s driveway (without Bill of course as he passed in the Spring).  His son Tony joined us for supper Monday evening and we had a good visit.  Tuesday morning saw us visit friends Bev M and Jean at a resort near Bill’s.  Wonderful ocean front cabin they had for five days!
Tuesday we drove back to Charlie and Sheila’s for one night.  We returned the cooking appliances Sheila had lent us.  John R and I went to Port Alberni Wednesday morning and renewed our ATV club membership.  After renewing the ATV insurance in Parksville, I spent some time preparing the RZR and the trailer for the drive to Salmon Arm.
Since we had some things we needed to do in Nanaimo, we spent Wednesday night in the Home Depot parking lot (Walmart no longer allows overnight parking) then it wasn’t far to get to the ferry Thursday morning.  We were on the road just before six.  After waiting for the ferry and the ride, it was 9:45 when we arrived on the mainland and were able to start our drive.  As is usual, the traffic was heavy through the Vancouver area and out into the Fraser Valley. 
Our six days here in Salmon Arm will go like a flash, I imagine, just like elsewhere.  There were several people we didn’t get to see during our time on the Island and we have some here that we hope to see.  Our apologies if we missed you and if anyone in Salmon Arm wants to see us, contact us soon.   We will be going to Penticton next and I will be going to Spokane Saturday for a week attending the PSA photo conference.  Aileen will get to stay and play with Bev and Karen in Penticton.



On our last evening in Duncan, we walked up a trail for this view across Cowichan Bay

Zooming in on the village

Lichen on a rock face along the road

Out walking in the park next to Seal Bay RV Park, we spotted lots of little frogs



Still were a few flowers in Paradise Meadows

Paradise Meadows

Paradise Meadows

Black Huckleberries at Battle Ship Lake

Battle Ship Lake

Paradise Meadows

Twisty Hemlock

Paradise Meadows

Paradise Meadows and Mt Washington ski area

Paradise Meadows

We got to watch some beavers in the park next to the RV Park

One evening we walked down to the ocean and I thought this looked neat in B&W

On the trail back from the beach

Crown-tipped Coral Mushroom

Campbell River Marina in colour and B&W


A tree against the wall of the theater in Campbell River

Rathtrevor Beach, Parksville, looking across to mainland BC

A dewy spider web at Charlie and Sheila's

It was dreary as we departed Vancouver Island on the ferry at 7:45 Thursday morning

Wasp nest alongside the rail bed we walked on Thursday evening

Coldwater River

Morning along the rail bed trail

American Dipper with his catch

American Dipper.  I got some great video of him going underwater after prey and will try to get it posted some time.