124/365 Jessica

My daughter Jessica lives in town with me and we do a lot of things together...which mean she often ends up being my model - a lot.  She's a good sport most of the time, always willing to pose for me patiently when I find an interesting spot to take a photo or beautiful lighting I want to experiment with.

I took this photo of Jessica on her birthday in early May up by Skamania Lodge.  We were walking through the woods and stumbled across an old metal shed.  I asked her to stand in front of the wall.  She scooped up Skeeter, her 3 pound dog, and tucked her inside her coat and posed.  I'm not sure why I love this photo so much.  Maybe it's the grungy backdrop, or the beautiful diffused lighting, or the way Jessica's amazing cheekbones and blue eyes stand out...I think mostly though it's because to me, this photo capture's Jessica gentle spirit.

123/365 Chicago's Cloud Gate

In the middle of Millenium Park in Chicago sits what's called the Cloud Gate (nicknamed "The bean" ). It is a large mirrored pod shaped somewhat like a cloud, or a bean.  The day we saw it was hot, about 90 degrees, and sunny.  Tourists were swarming around the gate taking photos, laughing at their reflections and admiring the skyline view reflected in it.

Of course Eric and I couldn't resist taking our photo in the funhouse mirror like reflection.

Sort of like "Where's Waldo?"...where's Eric and Nancy?  Hint..I'm wearing an orange tank and Eric is wearing a cream shirt and standing behind me.  We are reflected three times in this image taken from inside the cloud.

122/365 Nature Conservancy and Hart Cove Trails

While at the beach this weekend, we decided to go on one of our favorite hikes, the Nature Conservancy Trail.  Just north of Lincoln City, this trail goes through about 1 mile of forest before emptying onto a beautiful alpine meadow overlooking the coastline.  The meadow is owned by the Nature Conservancy and it's a butterfly refuge.  The views are stunning...but thick fog this trip obscured a lot of view.  It was still breathteaking.

A clearing in the meadow is a great spot for picnics, enjoying the view, or a little sunbathing.

After picnicing at the Nature Conservancy Trail, we headed a little further north to hike to Hart's Cove.  We'd never done this 6 mile roundtrip trail, but were drawn to the promise of a waterfall that descends to the ocean, sea lions and more awe-inspiring views.  We hiked the 3 miles down steep and rocky switchback trails through stunning old-growth forests to Hart's Cove.  When we reached the bluff over the cove, we couldn't see a thing...thick fog had enveloped the coast (as well as us)...we could hear the sea lions barking and hear the ocean waves, but in front of us was a wall of white.  So we rested a bit and then hiked the 3 miles back up to the trailhead. I was dissappointed not to actually see the cove, but the beautiful forest trail was worth the hike all by itself.