Bella la vita

Street Musicians

2011-02-22T21:39:00.000-08:00

Street musicians in Nice, France.

Scooter

2011-02-22T21:33:00.000-08:00

Scooter in Nice, France.

Cafe

2011-02-22T21:11:00.000-08:00

Cafe in Nice, France.

Cappuccino

2011-02-21T22:15:00.000-08:00

Cappuccino in Nice, France.

Place Masséna

2011-02-21T21:52:00.000-08:00

Place Masséna, Nice,France.

Mount Rainier National Park Washington State

2009-10-01T18:25:00.000-07:00

Mount Rainier, Washington State.

Ecola State Park-Oregon

2009-09-26T19:02:00.000-07:00

Ecola State Park, located off Highway 101, north of Cannon Beach, on the Oregon Coast.

Villefranche-sur-Mer, France.

2009-07-03T15:43:00.000-07:00

Villefranche-sur-Mer is located about 6 km (4 miles) east of the city of Nice, separated by Mont Boron, Mont Alban and Mont Vinaigrier, and 10 km (6 miles) south west of Monaco. The bay (rade) of Villefranche is one of the deepest natural harbours of any port in the Mediterranean Sea and provides safe anchorage for large ships, reaching depths of 95 m (320 ft) between the Cape of Nice and Cap Ferrat; it extends to the south to form a 500 m (1700 ft) abyss known as the undersea Canyon of Villefranche at about one nautical mile off the coastline.

The city limits extend to the hills surrounding the bay climbing from sea level to an altitude of 520 m (1750 ft) at Mont-Leuze, reflecting on land the features found offshore. The three "Corniches" or main roads linking Nice to Italy pass through Villefranche and offer spectacular vistas of the coast and surrounding hills.

Cinque Terre, Italy

2009-07-02T20:06:00.000-07:00

The Cinque Terre is a rugged portion of coast on the Italian Riviera. It is in the Liguria region of Italy, to the west of the city of La Spezia. "The Five Lands" comprises five villages: Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore.

The coastline, the five villages, and the surrounding hillsides are all part of the Cinque Terre National Park and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Cinque Terre is noted for its beauty. Over centuries, people have carefully built terraces on the rugged, steep landscape right up to the cliffs that overlook the sea. Part of its charm is the lack of visible "modern" development. Paths, trains and boats connect the villages, and cars cannot reach it from the outside. It is a very popular tourist destination.

On the road to France in Italy

2009-07-02T20:00:00.000-07:00

Alki beach Seattle

2009-02-22T18:13:00.000-08:00

2009-02-15T10:51:00.000-08:00

Juanita Bay Park

2009-01-26T18:48:00.000-08:00

Kirkland,WA waterfront looking across Lake Washington at Seattle.

Pike Place Market Seattle

2008-11-19T19:06:00.000-08:00

Seattle's Chinatown-International District

2008-11-19T18:59:00.000-08:00

Oregon Coast

2008-11-08T13:27:00.000-08:00

Where did summer go

2008-11-08T13:07:00.000-08:00

Artis the Spoonman, Seattle's best kept secret"

2008-11-08T12:53:00.000-08:00

Artis the Spoonman,

Taken outside the original Starbucks at the Pike Place Market in Seattle.

Fall pictures in Sultan,Wa

2008-10-22T18:31:00.000-07:00

I made a little friend On Vashon Island

2008-08-17T19:47:00.000-07:00

I had gone out to Vashon Island for the day to take some pictures, when I made a new friend. As I walked out to the beach there was this little bird sitting on a log as if he was in charge and I had to get permission to cross. Most birds would be scared and fly away, but it just sat there. I walked back by ten minutes later and it was still sitting there as if it were waiting for me to take it home.

Juanita Bay Park Kirkland

2008-07-12T22:50:00.000-07:00

It was absolutely beautiful out today so it gave me a chance to drive down to Olympia and visit Nisqually Reach and end the day at the City of Kirkland's Juanita Bay Park.The nice weather also gave me a chance to try out a new Nikon lens I bought. (Nikon AF-S 70-300 mm VR lens) It works great!

The Nisqually Reach Nature Center

2008-07-12T22:41:00.000-07:00

The Nisqually Reach Nature Center provides estuarine environmental education on the Nisqually River delta in view of the river’s headwaters on Mount Rainier.

At this magical place overlooking the shore of Puget Sound at the mouth of McAllister Creek ... or as the local Nisqually Indians called it, She-Nah-Nam ("place where they get a form of spirit power") ... we offer a hands-on experience for local school kids, research opportunities for local college students, internship opportunities for budding naturalists and educators, and volunteer opportunities for concerned citizens, maybe just like you, who want to help others appreciate and understand their sense of place in this part of the world.

The Nisqually Reach Nature Center is open to the public 12-4pm on Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday.

Deception Falls at Stevens Pass

2008-07-06T21:40:00.000-07:00

I Took a drive up to Deception Falls(At the base of the west side of Stevens Pass) for a hike and to see if I could get a few nice pictures, the weather turned out pretty nice. This is a very nice area for a hike if you ever get up this way but it's easy to miss the turn if you don't pay attention.

Mt. Baker and San Juan Islands

2008-06-26T22:20:00.000-07:00

2008-06-22T19:47:00.000-07:00

Sammamish River Trail

2008-06-13T17:11:00.000-07:00

I found these wild flowers growing in a field off of the Sammamish River Trail in Woodinville the other day and I will have to be sure and go back as there were others that had yet to bloom.

Walla Walla, Washington

2008-06-05T16:38:00.000-07:00

I took a recent trip to my hometown of Walla Walla and took some pretty good pictures...It rained on the first day so I was lucky to get any good pictures.

Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area

2008-05-29T20:46:00.000-07:00

The Columbia River Gorge is a spectacular river canyon cutting the only sea-level route through the Cascade Mountain Range.

It's 80 miles long and up to 4,000 feet deep with the north canyon walls in Washington State and the south canyon walls in Oregon State.

Recreation
Hiking, mountain biking, windsurfing, camping, fishing, boating, wildlife watching, birding, wildflower viewing, photography, picnicking, rock climbing. You can do all this and more in the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area.

WATERFALLS
Through millenniums of geologic events, waterfalls have found their home in the Columbia River Gorge. A visit to the area is not complete without a visit to its breathtaking waterfalls.
Multnomah Falls is the second highest year-round waterfall in the United States. Though Multnomah Falls is grand and popular, all of the falls in the Gorge are special and breathtaking.

Pike Place Market & Washington State Ferries

2008-05-04T21:45:00.000-07:00

We got a late start on the day today, and decided to take the bus downtown Seattle about 2:00 this afternoon. Once we got downtown and got off the bus at Westlake Center, we decided to run through the Pike Place Market and then run over and see if we could make a ferry run out to Bremerton. as luck would have it, there was a Bremerton ferry loading as we walked up and was leaving in ten minutes. usually we have to wait for the next ferry to arrive(30-60 minutes) when we try and do the walk on ferry. We ended up getting home about 7:30 this evening and were a bit tired from all the walking, but it was worth it to get some pretty good pictures and a visit to the Pike Place Market.

Kubota Garden Seattle

2008-04-27T20:55:00.000-07:00

For years I have heard people talk about the Kubota Japanese Garden in south Seattle, and how beautiful it was. This afternoon,I decided to make my way over there and take a walk. I grabbed my camera since it was a pretty nice day out and from the moment I got there we were just blown away at how beautiful this garden was. I have been to Japan before with a high school group in 1980 and this place is as close as you are going to get to being in Japan in the heart of Seattle. As I was leaving it started to rain as I got into the car, soon after it turned to a steady drizzle.(got lucky I did not get rained on) then I got caught in the Mariners post-game traffic on the freeway as I missed getting on the I-90 on-ramp. I can only say I am sorry I can't post all of the pictures I took there. It really was hard to choose.

Seattle Mariners

2008-04-13T08:16:00.000-07:00

Made it to my first Mariners baseball game of the year yesterday, the weather could not have been better. Seattle made it to 78 and Olympia even hit 82. Thats summer time weather around here and it is only april. The Mariners beat the L.A. Angels 8-3.

Sammamish River Trail

2008-04-03T18:30:00.000-07:00

Went over this afternoon and did a pretty good walk at the Sammamish River Trail in Woodinville and got what I think are some pretty good pictures. I found the ornamental heritage garden and Trapper O'Brien's cabin very interesting and a funny place for a cabin. O'brien lived in the cabin and spent the fall and winter on the Skagit River in the Cascade Mountains trapping. This was around the 1800's.

Willows Lodge

2008-04-01T19:33:00.000-07:00

Willows Lodge in nearby Woodinville, is a beautiful setting for one of the best rated hotels in the country. Chateau Ste Michelle winery is right across the street and the Sammamish River Trail borders the hotel.

Washington Park Arboretum

2008-03-21T18:16:00.000-07:00

At last, spring is finally here...So after work today I drove over to the arboretum in Seattle, near the University of Washington.http://www.washington.edu/ Had a nice walk and took some pictures. Saw my first bald eagle in some time land in it's nest. I always love the cherry blossoms in the spring, but they don't last very long.

King Renny

2008-03-05T18:58:00.000-08:00

King Renny, as he would like to be called. Hails to us from Oklahoma City, OK.(he is an Okie) His former daddy abandoned him and everything he owned. So after three days alone, we went over and invited Renny to stay with us and become our little friend. He was more then happy to make our place his new home. He has a few issues from time to time that probably stem from some bad days at his old home but he is much better and does not charge me when I leave for work anymore...Well, he does still charge me when I leave in the day but only because he loves me so much. He is a proud handsome boy (Sheltie) who hates garbage bags and the coffee grinder. You should see him catch the frisbee! I guess that will be for another post.

Rattlesnake Lake and Rattlesnake Ledge near North Bend

2008-02-26T17:48:00.000-08:00

It turned out to be a beautiful day so, I packed up my camera and headed out for a new hike at Rattlesnake Lake and Rattlesnake Ledge near North Bend. Wow, it was a great hike with awesome views. It is about a 2,000 ft elevation and about a two mile hike to the top so it is a bit of a trek to reach. But well worth it. Spectacular views all around you of the mountains and Rattlesnake Lake. There was still some snow and ice on the trail and I am happy to report that I only fell once. The camera made it through just fine in the fall. The trail was very busy today, with many languages heard from countries such as Germany, France, China, India, Australia, England and Japan.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/getaways/145995_hike30.html

Snoqualmie Falls

2008-02-19T20:35:00.000-08:00

It was another cool spring like day yesterday so we went for a drive out to Snoqualmie Falls and somehow ended up going back through Fall City and Redmond.
http://www.snoqualmiefalls.com/

Index, Wa

2008-02-15T14:53:00.000-08:00

I took this picture just off of HWY 2 near Index,WA. The foothills of the Cascade Mountain range, the Wild Sky Wilderness area and Mt.Index.

Seattle Skyline

2008-01-28T17:42:00.000-08:00

Kerry park http://www.seattle.gov/parks/park_detail.asp?ID=342 has one of the best views of the downtown Seattle skyline and Mt. Rainier in Seattle. There is a new park that may beat this that I have yet to visit, the new Fremont Peak Park in the Fremont district. http://www.seattle.gov/parks/proparks/projects/FremontPeakParkDev.htm From what I hear, has just as spectacular of views.

Lake Washington Sunset

2008-01-25T19:09:00.000-08:00

I took this tonight from the Kirkland waterfront, there is a system moving in so this may be the last beautiful sunset we see for some time.
http://www.explorekirkland.com/

Mountains to Sound Greenway

2008-01-25T15:01:00.000-08:00

Being lucky enough to be able to have watched the beautiful sunrise over the Cascade Mountains all week(even though it was freezing) got me thinking about how spectacular the mountains to sound greenway are.http://www.mtsgreenway.org/ How lucky are we that we have saved all of this for our future to enjoy. I hope to make it up to Snoqualmie Point Park some morning and catch a sunrise to share with you.

Green Lake

2008-01-25T14:33:00.000-08:00

It was funny how this picture came to be, it was a pretty cloudy rainy day with a good breeze blowing in from the other direction so we started walking the other way away from the wind and as we came back around to the far side of the lake the weather took a turn for the better and I would say in about a ten minute span the clouds burned off and we got a beautiful sunset.
http://www.seattle.gov/parks/park_detail.asp?ID=307

The Gathering

2008-01-24T20:55:00.000-08:00

Index,Washington.