Hack photographer

You've got tumbleweed

2012-02-07T09:08:00.000-08:00

I took this photo with my cell phone while I was out for a run on Sunday.

I thought it was funny not only that a tumbleweed had gotten caught in a row of chest-tall mailboxes, but that no one bothered to remove it. I didn't either.

When I looked at the photo, I really liked the contrasting colors of the mailboxes, the tumbleweed and dry grass, and the deep blue winter sky. I am a bit annoyed at the telephone pole sticking up in the background.

Entertaining advertisements

2012-02-01T11:24:00.000-08:00

Here are a collection of advertisements I saw in the passing pages of The Athena Press.

Thinking of 1909 as the 'new year' is a bit astounding. It's also interesting it held as much importance as it does now.

Suits for $1.50!

The elixirs and cold remedies are always entertaining.

I just thought this last one had a neat design.

Bright and shiny

2012-01-31T09:21:00.000-08:00

Here are the pages of The Athena Press as they come out of the laminating machine, looking a lot like when they leave a printer. Even moments after the process, the print already looks a bit bolder encased in plastic.

The ladies rolled the pages up to transport them back to the Athena Public Library. There they cut them apart and straighten the pages out, sometimes weighing them down with heavy books. If the pages were laid flat to begin with, they told me, the drying plastic would warp and make the pages wavy. The best way to let them cool is to roll them, the ladies said.

Toe the line

2012-01-30T09:56:00.001-08:00

While laminating the pages of The Athena Press, the ladies had to be precise and line things up exactly right. This meant not only watching to prevent wrinkles and folds, but also making sure there was enough distance between the pages for a border of plastic, but not too much to be wasteful.

The Athena Press

2012-01-26T10:23:00.000-08:00

Monday I visited with volunteers laminating 100-year-old pages of The Athena Press.

Kayla Durfee and Deborah Johns put in several hours' work at the machine. The pair operated much like a machine themselves, sorting, aligning and feeding pages into the laminator, and rolling pages as they come out.

Melting

2012-01-25T08:33:00.001-08:00

I took these photos Saturday when everything started melting. I did this from the safety of my dry porch. It wasn't until late afternoon that I was able to safely leave the house without shoe chains or ski poles.

A lot of ice collected on the rose bushes in our front yard.

Frozen

2012-01-24T08:53:00.001-08:00

Yes! I am back!

The recent ice storm has inspired me to take photos, and post on my blog again.

The last few months have been busy, and it's hard to make time for the little things.

Speaking of little things, I took this photo on one of my haphazard walks to work last week. One of my neighbors has a cute little sapling, that had one cute little red berry left . The ice perfectly encased it, as if coated in glass. The dim light made it hard to catch, and this is my best effort.

Protest

2011-11-03T08:52:00.001-07:00

As I said before, I spent a bit of time with the protestors at the Nixyaawii Governance Center on the Umatilla Indian Reservation.

I didn't spend the night, though I commend those who did. When I spoke with them Wednesday morning, my car temperature gauge read 18 degrees. I think it was about 10 degrees warmer the second morning.

Though it was a short occupation, about four days, it was still interesting to see people out and talking about what they are passionate about.

Sunrise

2011-11-01T16:55:00.001-07:00

I spent much of last week visiting the protestors at the Umatilla Indian Reservation. I heartily respect the fact they spent some of the coldest nights this year with little shelter other than a sleeping bag or heavy blanket. They said they watched shooting stars and listened to coyotes sing.

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T13:14:00.000-07:00

I visited the Harris Jr. Academy Fall Festival on Saturday. Here are two photos — Spiderman vs. a storm trooper in a pillow fight and a witch riding a mechanical bull — I took in addition to the one that ran in Sunday's paper.

Cogs on the prowl

2011-09-01T10:34:00.001-07:00

At the risk of becoming one of 'those' people, I've posted these photos of our cat, Cogs, bravely exploring the front porch.

Cogs is an inside cat -- we've done this on purpose as we live on a busy street -- but we're starting to let him out every once in a while.

As shown in the bottom photo, he was very nervous at first. But by the middle and top photo he had carefully walked out to the edge of the porch.

This particular evening, sometime last week, had a brilliant sunset. The yellow, orange an pink light turned everything a nice summer color.

Jumpin' Jack

2011-08-30T16:52:00.000-07:00

Here are two of my more off-kilter shots of the Hacky Sack guy in Seattle. Of course, these could have been some of the best shots, if I had aimed right. But I still like how they turned out.

Hacky Sack

2011-08-29T10:22:00.001-07:00

I know it's been a while since my last post. I have been on vacation for part of this month, then in a manic rush to catch up at work after being on vacation. Apologies, apologies.

I spent last weekend in Seattle. At a park near Pike Place Market a guy was feverishly playing Hackey Sack in the afternoon sun. He was great to watch, especially because he kept flinging out his arms every time he did a difficult move.

My challenge was in aiming the camera just right to get his silhouette while holding the camera low to the ground. This meant I couldn't look in the viewfinder, so I was shooting blind. I do this pretty often, but it is still a haphazard technique. My post tomorrow will show a few of my less on-target shots.

Smoke screen

2011-08-11T09:25:00.000-07:00

There has been a lot of field burning going on around Hermiston and Pendleton this past week. I spent some time on Saturday chasing smoke, until I realized it had to be a controlled burn because there were no sirens or lights.

This smoke stack is from Monday, when a field burned just of Interstate 84. This picture doesn't seem to give the sight justice. It seemed much larger when I drove by it.

Learning lessons

2011-08-10T15:31:00.000-07:00

OK, these are my last camp photos.

Though the above photo isn't the best shot, I like the look on the girls' faces as they laughed. As teacher Trisha Shell, the one holding up the thermometer in the lower photo, put it: the kids really got into the science when they split into their small groups. However goofy they may act as a pack, those who came to camp were focused, inquisitive and very interested in the world around them.

In the details

2011-08-10T15:25:00.001-07:00

Sorry my posts haven't been up to date, but I still have camp photos I want to post!

These more photos of kids counting rings, with the help of Katy Gray, with the Umatilla National Forest.

Counting the years

2011-07-21T08:36:00.001-07:00

I learned about an increment borer at science camp. This T-shaped tool drills into a tree and takes out a pencil-width cylinder. The kids can count the rings on that sample to find the tree's age.

This girl had great expressions. Above she works hard to drill into a dense Tamarck tree. Below, I like the look of intense concentration as this girl carefully counts the rings on the sample. The wooden piece was also delicate, and often fell apart as soon as she took it out of the device.

An eye for the forest

2011-07-20T07:47:00.001-07:00

Here two boys at the camp measured the slope a patch of ground using a kilometer. One boy held it up to his eye, while pointing it at the other boy, who was about the same height. The instrument told him the difference in slope between the two of them was 10 percent.

Then the boys drew the landscape around them in their camp journals.

I really like this photo, as both of them look so intense on what they're doing

Off to camp

2011-07-19T16:19:00.000-07:00

I had fun at a science camp with Milton-Freewater kids last week. Other than getting eaten alive by mosquitoes, it was a great day in the mountains.

I was only able to use one photo for my story over the weekend. But I took many more. Deciding on which photo to submit wasn't easy (I actually submitted four, but the editor only used one). Fortunately I have lots of room here to post many more science camp photos.

This was my best group shot. It has all the kids following their intrepid leader, Bob Chicken, with the Walla Walla Basin Watershed Council. In addition to running the camp, he also runs a science club during the school year.

Get 'em sheep

2011-07-18T15:33:00.001-07:00

Another competitor at Caledonian Days — this one had four legs and not kilt.

I always enjoy watching dogs do what they love. This was no exception. Though some of the sheep dogs had trouble getting the sheep to comply, a few handled them masterfully.

We stood at the bottom of the bleachers, where dogs took the sheep through one gate and around another. It was a good spot to get them on the run, if my shutter is fast enough.

Hi-Ho-Hay

2011-07-13T10:52:00.001-07:00

Another event at the Caledonian Days is the sheaf toss. It's a bit like the high jump, but with a bale of hay.

The competitors have to chuck the bale over a horizontal bar which is progressively moved higher and higher.

To the left, one of the finalists narrowly makes it over one of the highest settings.

Above, I found the Jolly Roger flags atop the bars humorous.

Kilts-a-flyin

2011-07-12T16:47:00.001-07:00

Over the weekend my husband and I visited Athena's Caledonain Games. It was the first year I went for fun, not for work.

The games were very busy with officials from Scottish-American Athletic Association running the competitions.

But it made for good fun, watching this guy, and others, throw stones.

This man seemed to have an advantage, as he was taller than his competitors. And he really gave the stone the old heave-ho when he threw!

I'll post a few more photos from the celebration, including a few of the animal competitors (sheep dogs).

New Sweet Home

2011-07-08T11:30:00.000-07:00

Here is my last post about the bees' moving day.

After the beekeepers took the old stump apart (see the background of this photo) they put the bees into new colony boxes. These boxes, which the beekeeper is grabbing in the photo above, hold square plates where bees can build their new honeycomb. Then the beekeepers take the colony home where they can use it to harvest honey.

Here is the results of the beekeeper using the beevac - a vacuum modified to pull bees into this container. I really liked this photo, with all the bees inside as a mottled mess. But that mottled mess would not show up on newsprint.

To calm them down, one beekeeper sprayed honey on the bees.

The honey made them all stick together, like a thick bee ball. The other beekeeper rotated the container around a few times, turning it over and over. Once the bees were well stuck together, they opened the container and plopped the bee ball into the colony box. Then they quickly covered the colony box with a screen and duct tape.

Unfortunately I missed the moment when they dropped the bees into the box. That was right about when I got stung. And the photos I took of the new colony box are not worth showing here. So I'll leave it up to your imagination.

Shining in the sun

2011-07-07T09:44:00.000-07:00

One of the beekeepers I tagged along with holds up a piece of honeycomb. The closed-off spots are the brood -- the baby bees.

I am amazed at the intricacy of what bees build, whether it's sweet honey or the architecture of their combs.

Swarm

2011-07-05T09:48:00.001-07:00

Though it wasn't the huge cartoon-like swarm I was expecting, when the beekeepers cut into the stump home of this bee colony, they flew out to defend.

These bees were relatively gentle. I only got stung once and the beekeepers didn't get stung at all.

Still, I was happy with how the camera was able to capture the tiny buzzing bees, even as they zipped from one place to another. A few hovered or sat on the stump, as shown below.

Bee time

2011-06-27T11:14:00.000-07:00

Last week I spent a morning with two men who moved a bee colony from an old stump to a new home.

I doubt I've mentioned this before, but I find bees fascinating and I love honey (I put it in my coffee every morning).

I have to admit, I did suffer an injury. I am slightly allergic to bees, but the last time I'd been stung was more than 1o years ago. On little guy got me Thursday, between my middle and ring finger on my right hand. As a result, my hand was swollen all weekend. It's back to its normal size now.

Considering the men were chain-sawing the stump apart, I count myself very lucky these bees were relatively docile.

I wore a mask during this operation, which made taking pictures very difficult. I couldn't bring the viewfinder to my eye. So I would take a photo, see how it turned out, adjust, and take another. The result was a LOT of photos.

A story did run on Saturday, but I'll post more bee photos this week here.

Enjoy

So long, cyclists

2011-06-09T08:31:00.000-07:00

These are my last CROC photos.

I wanted to enter a one or both of these for the newspaper, but I worried the cyclists would be too small to show up in newsprint.

I had fun with perspectives on the first photo, making the sign for Missouri Gulch large, the cyclists small, and even smaller (squint!) a kite tied to the sign.

I'm sure that kite was a welcome sign to riders after 20-or-so miles cycling.

The second photo is from another boisterous volunteer, cheering a bicycle rider on as he left the rest area.

It was a fun weekend, for all involved, including myself.

A bad influence

2011-06-07T08:17:00.000-07:00

What could this member of the "Bodine" family (the "white trash" name the volunteers give themselves at the rest area for the CROC ride) be pulling from her handy pocket?

Why, cigarettes, of course!

Just kidding. These are candy cigarettes.

I didn't know they even made them, or sold them anymore. I vaguely remember candy cigarettes from when I was a kid, but I thought government regulators pulled them for being a bad influence on children. I never understood that. I wanted the candy cigarettes because they were candy, not because they were cigarettes.

Nevertheless, someone had found them and brought them to the rest area. Even better, they were "Round Up" candy cigarettes. What could be more perfect for Pendleton?

I especially liked this shot for a to show a bad influence. The volunteers gave the candy cigarettes to the bike riders who, just like everyone did when they were kids, pretended to smoke them. It might be hard to see in this photo, but the volunteer is raising a candy cigarette right to the waiting lips of the cyclist.

Fun atop Cabbage Hill

2011-06-06T11:01:00.000-07:00

I visited the "white trash" rest area for the CROC last Sunday. This is the stop all the riders and volunteers were talking abut - the one they said I shouldn't miss.

There the volunteers dressed in their backwoods party best, though they had to layer up because the temperatures were in the 40s.

Last year's theme was a shotgun wedding, so this year they celebrated the "burf-day" of the new "baby." In case you can't tell, the baby is the red-haired doll in these photos.

Goofy stretch

2011-06-02T11:15:00.001-07:00

Goofy is drawn to goofy, I guess.

Saturday morning Pendleton on Wheels member Chuck Wood, dressed in a CROC hat, showed some stretching moves to the five cereal guys.

Five guys from the Vancouver area (and one from Athena) dressed in cereal jerseys: Apply Jacks, Smacks, Corn Flakes, Frosted Flakes, and Pops. They were total hams, ready for a photo, or two, or 10. They even had me pose a photo with one of them.

CROC: Century Ride of the Centuries

2011-06-01T08:46:00.000-07:00

I spent the weekend with cyclists taking part in the Century Ride of the Centuries - a series of rides through Umatilla County covering land from the wheat fields to the Columbia River to the Blue Mountains.

In the photo above, Herb Bitting, my unofficial guide to the event, holds up one of the patches cyclists can earn. This one, conquering the Blues, is for riding all the way from Pendleton to the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center past Cabbage Hill. There's another one for conquering Cabbage Hill, and a third one that says, "I'm a weenie, I drove Cabbage Hill." That one is for riders who drive up to Deadman Pass, then bike to the interpretive center.

Below are a couple riders getting their start on Saturday at Tamastslikt Cultural Institute — the starting point for all the rides.

Cowboy

2011-05-31T14:56:00.001-07:00

Here is another photo from the Helix Heart of the Country Rodeo. Seth Hopper, of Stanfield, won the prize for calf roping. I liked the way this shot included his horse, his prize (a framed rodeo poster) and the grain elevators in the background.

I turned the color to sepia just for the fun of it.

Helix Rodeo

2011-05-31T09:16:00.001-07:00

I worked on Saturday, which means I took far more photos than I needed for the newspaper. So I get to post them here.

I got nice and sunburned by spending the afternoon at the Helix Heart of the Country Rodeo.

I was surprised how much fun it was to watch. I expected a very small, toned down rodeo. Boy was I wrong. It was exciting, loud, and busy - a very good time.

Hey there

2011-05-24T09:26:00.001-07:00

On the other end of the spectrum, this goat was persistent in pushing me for treats. He kept rubbing his head against my leg, either to scratch or check my pockets for apples. I'm not sure which. He was a friendly fella.

zippie

2011-05-23T16:53:00.000-07:00

I was kneeling down to take some of my first photos of the goats when this little guy zipped past me. I was looking in the viewfinder when I felt a whoosh. Rather then just walking or trotting by, the kid felt the need to do a little hop, almost over my shoulder. I quickly snapped another shot as he whisked away to join the others.

Get yer goat

2011-05-17T09:51:00.001-07:00

FYI: "Get yer goat" was also my suggested headline for the story I wrote about goats on the Milton-Freewater levees on May 7.

These 240 goats spent a week eating away at all the bushes and trees on the levee - a much needed improvement to let inspectors get a look at the structure.

I got to spend about half an hour with the goats for the story. At first they shied away, but soon enough they were rubbing against my pant leg, looking for treats in my pockets. It was fun.

I will likely post a few more goaty photos this week.

Dogs a-flyin

2011-05-10T10:31:00.000-07:00

Here are more photos from Bark for Life. These two border collies just love the agility obstacle course. I liked taking photos of dogs with all four paws off the ground

Liftoff

2011-05-09T13:23:00.000-07:00

I spent Saturday at the Bark for Life event in Hermiston. At the beginning of the day Duelly, this less-than-a-year-old border collie, was going crazy for his Frisbee.

I love seeing dogs loving what they're doing. Duelly clearly loved this game. And jeez, that dog can jump.

Of course, sometimes he did miss.

Music to my eyes

2011-05-02T11:04:00.000-07:00

I've been brushing up with my musical instruments, which means my violin is sitting out on its stand.

Last week spring sunshine crept in through through the blinds, throwing some nice color on my violin.

Yes there are a few more instruments in the photo. We have quite a collection going.

Birds on the water

2011-04-27T08:21:00.001-07:00

I celebrated Earth Day with Athena residents at the new wastewater treatment wetlands. It's not as bad as it sounds. It was actually quite nice.

Even though the wetlands are less than a year old (I think) birds are already flocking there, at least in small numbers.

It was a good way to spend a nice spring day.

Pastel sky, dark wheat

2011-04-05T09:34:00.001-07:00

I'm not sure what it is about Weston, but sometimes when I leave there at sunset, it has the most amazing colors in the sky.

This was last Saturday, when it was very windy outside. The wheat in the foreground is only a few inches tall, but the wind was whipping it around like whitecaps on a lake.

Even in the few minutes I took to snap a few photos of the amazing cloud, the colors changed, getting darker and darker as the sun sank below the opposite horizon. Had I been a few minutes later, I would have missed it entirely.

Elk everywhere

2011-03-10T07:52:00.001-08:00

Elk were everywhere, both inside and outside the park. When we arrived in Gardiner, elk were lumbering around town, wandering through streets and yards. It got to be a joke to say, "Look! An elk!" They became a part of the scenery, and not such a big deal.

I liked this shot because the elk in the foreground was digging at the snow with its hoof to get to the grass underneath. The elk behind and above it is looking back, with a tiny amount of snow on its nose.

In the photos I take after this, the one looking back puts its head back down to keep eating. Apparently people in cars become part of the scenery for the elk, too.

Can you see me?

2011-03-09T09:13:00.000-08:00

This is another photo from the afternoon in Yellowstone National Park. Here I found the limits of the only lens for my camera. (Hey, it's a new camera, and I plan to buy more lenses in the future.) Surprisingly, the other reporter with the point-and-shoot got some better photos because she had a better zoom. I'm not complaining, just explaining why these may look a little grainy. I still LOVE my camera.

You may also notice the change in color. When I took the upper photo the sun was out. When I took the lower one, the sun was behind clouds.

Either way, I'm still amazed at this bighorn sheep's ability to blend into its surroundings.

Herding together

2011-03-08T07:55:00.001-08:00

The animals in Yellowstone National Park know a good spot when they find it. A small herd of buffalo ate in the foreground here, while many, many elk foraged on the hillside behind them.

The wind had cleared snow from the landscape, exposing the grasses below. This is much easier eating than the buffalo's alternative: using its head as a snowplow to push the white stuff aside and dig to the grass below.

The photo is dark because the sun had just set. Fortunately my snazzy new camera has low-light settings. But those can only go so far. I sacrificed clarity for getting the dark shot.

Up close and personal

2011-03-07T10:42:00.001-08:00

After the two days of hunting, CTUIR Wildlife Program Manager Carl Scheeler took myself and two other journalists (one from the Associated Press and a freelancer for National Public Radio) into Yellowstone National Park to get shots of local wildlife. Carl was hoping to find some wolves, but we were out of luck.

In the mean time we took many, many photos of buffalo and other wildlife. Here is one bison standing right by our car. The gray thing at the bottom of the photo is the microphone from the NPR reporter. She was trying to get buffalo sounds to add to her audio piece.

This buffalo looked slightly annoyed, but more bored by our presence. We soon drove past, and it continued on its way across the road.

Equipment

2011-03-04T08:12:00.000-08:00

Several people asked me, when I told them I was going out with tribal hunters, if they were using a bow and arrow. I usually laughed and said 'no.'

The Umatilla Tribes have often touted their adaptability. Part of that adaptability made it possible for them to go to buffalo country in the first place. When horses came to North America, the Cayuse bred some of the best horses in the region. One of the oral histories I read told about Cayuse horses outrunning the Crow horses on buffalo hunts. That made the Crow want to bargain with the Cayuse for their horses, and the tribes became allies.

Today is no exception. The hunters used high-powered rifles, sharp knives, ropes and trucks. They used modern tools to do a job.

Not that it made the job any easier. It still took between three and five hours after the buffalo was shot to get gutting, skinning and quartering all done.

Snout

2011-03-03T08:39:00.000-08:00

I liked the perspective on this photo, but it wouldn't work on newsprint because the buffalo's snout would just look like a huge dark blotch.

I hope the blog provides enough clarity for you to see it's the upside-down nose of a bison.

This was during the gutting process, when the hunters and helpers had to hold the 2,000-pound dead buffalo on its back. That wasn't an easy task and involved two or three men holding legs and hooves in place.

On the lookout

2011-03-02T08:21:00.001-08:00

It took two or three hours of looking and watching the buffalo on the first day of the hunt before one moved into a spot where the hunters could legally shoot it.

Meanwhile those in the party watched with excitement and apprehension, just waiting.

On that first day, I was so wrapped up in what was happening right in front of me, I neglected to notice the beautiful scenery all around us. I was oblivious to the mountains in the background here, for instance.

It was an amazing place to be and an amazing time to be there.

Hunter

2011-03-01T09:28:00.000-08:00

This is a photo of one of the hunters I followed to buffalo country. This one did run in the East Oregonian, but the photo was small. I wouldn't complain, a photo in the paper is great no matter what. But the reason why I like this photo is the blood -- buffalo blood -- on the hunter's face, which you couldn't really see in a small newsprint photo.

The blood in the photo isn't just blood for the sake of showing something shocking. The hunter didn't know, nor did he care, that it was on his face. He was too busy at the task at hand -- gutting his kill -- to be bothered. This is one of the only photos I got of him where he wasn't looking down at what he was doing, intense on his duty as a hunter. It shows his commitment to his role as a hunter, and how important it was to him.

Sunrise in Gardiner

2011-02-28T08:54:00.001-08:00

Now I'm starting on posting photos from my Montana trip. Between Feb. 10 and 14, I followed CTUIR hunters to the borders of yellowstone where they hunted buffalo. I had included four or five photos with stories, and a 20-photo slideshow, but I took many, many more. And because I have a blog for just that purpose, I'll post a few more here.

This shot was sunrise just before I left Gardiner to head back to Oregon. I was thinking of environmental shots illustrating the amazing scenery around the area where we stayed. This view was right next to the towering entrance to Yellowstone National Park.

Oh, the faces

2011-02-24T09:13:00.000-08:00

OK, I had a lot of fun getting photos at the polar plunge. It was only about 30 seconds, but 30 seconds of great pictures. These are shots of either joy, pain or perhaps a bit of both. It's not often you get expressions like this.

Plunge!

2011-02-22T08:51:00.001-08:00

I had fun with the multi-shot mode on my camera on Saturday. here's my frame-by-frame sequence of the polar plungers. Too bad we can't see their faces when they hit the cold water, but I've got a few shots of their faces a few moments afterwards. Those will come tomorrow. Stay tuned.

Here we go!

2011-02-21T10:08:00.001-08:00

After a complete lack of photos for the last two months, I'm back in the game!

On Saturday I went to the Polar Plunge in Umatilla. I'll have a few more shots of the those braving the icy waters soon. This was the pre-plunge shot.

Also, if you haven't already seen Sunday's East Oregonian, you should. (I am very much tooting my own horn on this.) I was honored to go to Montana on tribal buffalo hunt. Quite a few photos made the paper and there's a slideshow with about 20 more on the website, but, of course, I have LOTS more. I'll start posting them here shortly.

An apology of sorts

2011-02-07T09:52:00.000-08:00

I am sorry for not posting lately. January has been a busy and stressful month for me and I just haven't had the time to get any photos for the blog.

I have taken a few photos for work, but they haven't been the sort I would post here (meetings and such - not very exciting). Also, on the days I have had time, it's been gray and dreary outside. I so prefer snow to clouds and rain.

I just want to let my cadre of followers know I am still here and thinking about the blog. As soon as I have some more good shots, I'll post them.

Thank you for stopping by!

-Samantha

Skater girl

2010-12-29T11:00:00.001-08:00

I visited the ice skating rink at Roy Raley park yesterday to get wild art — that's newspaper speak for those photos that come unattached to any story – for today's paper.

I really liked this photo of 8-year-old Chelsea Kendrick. I snapped the shot of her as she whisked by on one of her circuits around the rink.

But because it didn't show much of the rink, or anyone else, or even her skates, it didn't work so well for the paper. I'm glad to be able to post it here.

Land of snow and fog

2010-12-21T14:18:00.001-08:00

I took this photo atop Cabbage Hill more than a week ago. It was when the valleys were socked in with thick fog. But once you got above it, the sun shone on snow covered hillsides.

A light in the dark

2010-12-16T07:28:00.001-08:00

I went to a candle lighting ceremony Sunday night in Milton-Frewater. It was a to remember children who died in the community. It was cold and rainy, but once the service started it was worth the discomfort.

At the end, after everyone had spoken, there was an odd silence. Then Pastor Duane Geyer began singing "Silent Night." Everyone joined in. It was soft, simple and sweet. A memory I will cherish as a moment of pure giving and caring.

Remember

2010-12-15T08:37:00.001-08:00

On Sunday Helix students laid wreaths at the headstones of veterans in Olney cemetery. The VFW and their teacher praised the project as a way to get the teens involved in the history they are learning.

I was thankful the school contacted me, so I was able to speak to the students and be there on Sunday for the event.

Visiting Frenchtown

2010-12-14T09:09:00.000-08:00

The Frenchtown Historic Site had its official opening on Saturday. Some of the first visitors got to walk up the trail to the cemetery marker, as well as read all the interpretive signs along the way.

I had submitted this as secondary art for Sunday's story, but I'm glad the editors used the primary photo instead. I still like this one because it implies the solitude one feels atop that hill. For 150 years, the settlement and the Battle of Walla Walla have failed to be remembered and marked properly. Now, thanks to the folks with the Frenchtown Historic Foundation, everyone can learn about what happened there in December 1855.

Outhouse race, take two

2010-12-13T09:32:00.001-08:00

This is my second-best shot of the 15-second outhouse race, which was part of Pilot Rock's Winterphest on Saturday.

The better shot appeared in Sunday's East Oregonian, or you might still find it on our website: www.eastoregonian.com. I'm so proud I was tempted to post it again here, but I decided against it.

This photo isn't as in focus as the one that appeared in the paper. However, it does capture a great look on Bryson Thorton's face. I'm not sure if it's joy or terror. Before the race the boy was very, very excited to get to ride in the Pilot Rock Chamber's mobile port-a-johns.

3 ... 2 ... 1 ... Christmas!

2010-12-09T07:58:00.000-08:00

I attended Milton-Freewater's light parade and tree lighting last Friday. I shuffled up the stairs of the Valley Christian Center church just as the crowd finished the countdown and lit up the tree. It was very dark, so I was glad I could at least see the all the people cheering the tree lighting in the photo.

Halo

2010-12-08T09:12:00.001-08:00

I drove to Walla Walla on Monday and was kicking myself on the way back for not bringing my camera. The sunset was amazing. The last rays of the sun hit the Blue Mountains at just the right angle to illuminate the snow in golden light. I didn't get a picture of that.

I did pull over and get this shot with my cell phone. (The phone has no zoom and wouldn't have been able to capture the mountains.) It worked OK for this sunset shot, where the sun lit up the clouds in a big circular arc.

Geese in a row

2010-12-03T10:29:00.000-08:00

These geese flew over me when I was on a walk last week. Yeah, they're pretty far away, but I like how they're all in a line.

Click on the photo and zoom in to get a better look at them, so they're more than just little black dots.

Skies so blue

2010-12-02T12:11:00.001-08:00

The skies seem extra blue on the days we get to see them this winter. This was a sunset photo, taken on a bridge over the Umatilla during one of those cold days last week.

Winter bloom

2010-12-01T07:33:00.001-08:00

I found several flowers, including this rose, apparently still in bloom during the snows last week. Even with a light layer of powder atop its petals, the flower still held up in the winter cold.

Old truck

2010-11-30T10:15:00.001-08:00

This is the logo on an old truck that's been parked in town for a few months with a "for sale" sign. I liked how it looked covered in snow - especially when the snow melted a bit in the sun.

Festival alight

2010-11-29T12:50:00.001-08:00

I covered the Festival of Lights in Hermiston again over the weekend. This year I spent about an hour with the family that puts on the carriage rides, watching them set up for a cold night of carting people around the light displays. I was surprised how well my camera did, even in very low light and the subjects moving around so much.

Big white world out there

2010-11-24T10:45:00.000-08:00

Our cat is strictly an indoor cat. We live on a busy street and I am paranoid he will get run over.

Since it has started snowing he has been desperate to get outside. I think he wants to go play in the white stuff, or eat it. He tries to lick the snow off my boots when I come in.

Like the cat, I've spent a lot of time indoors, too afraid to get the camera wet. Good news: today it is supposed to be sunny.

Shades of white

2010-11-18T11:35:00.001-08:00

Snow touched down in the foothills of the Blues this morning. I took a few shots on my way back from Helix, though no matter far I drove east, it seemed I couldn't quite reach it.

Pride

2010-11-12T09:45:00.000-08:00

I took photos at the VFW's Veterans Day Memorial yesterday morning. This woman facing the camera, Maxine Tangney, had the most content look on her face throughout the ceremony. You could tell her pride for veterans in her family is part of who she is.

In this photo Tangney gave a little smile to a fellow Auxiliary member as she walked to place a flower at one of the war markers in Veteran's Memorial Garden at Pendleton Pioneer Chapel, Folsom-Bishop.

Last leaves

2010-11-10T09:39:00.000-08:00

Yes, it's still fall, but it really feels as if winter is closing in fast.

I took these fall foliage photos over the weekend, and I bet they'll be the last I capture. Leaves seem to all be cascading off the trees in an alarming rate.

Meanwhile it's foggy, cold and damp. I saw snow in the back of a pickup this morning. Winter is so close I can feel it in my bones.

Looking on the up side

2010-11-09T10:06:00.000-08:00

Took a trip to downtown Walla Walla this weekend. I didn't have much time for photos, but snapped this one of the floor above the Book & Game Co. I like the blend of different colors: red, yellow, orange, blue and green.

Little dogs, big world

2010-11-08T08:53:00.001-08:00

My friends came to visit this weekend, along with their two dachshunds. We went for a walk in the evening autumn sunlight, and I took the opportunity to snap some dogs-eye-view photos.

Fleeting light

2010-11-05T10:20:00.000-07:00

This was the sight I saw when I stepped out of my front door this morning: sunshine cutting through the fog to shine on the North Hill. It was a fleeting moment. Even in the time it took me to pull out the camera, the sunlight began to fade. By the time I had taken a few shots, the hill was dark.

It's just another reminder that fall is in full swing, and winter isn't far off.

Raise the bar

2010-11-02T14:16:00.000-07:00

I tagged along with the volunteers setting up the Festival of Lights in Hermiston. They expertly raised this arch, which sits at the opening of the many arches making a light tunnel on the fairgrounds. Everyone cooperated well, kept tension on the right cords, and the arch went up without a hitch.

Soft

2010-10-22T15:16:00.001-07:00

Not a lot to say about this one. It's another photo from my walk along the river walk on Monday.

I haven't had a lot of time to go out and take photos with only an hour of sunlight after I get home from work. I'm often busy for that hour with other tasks. I'm dreading the end of daylight savings time, which will mean almost no sunshine at the end of the workday.

Red and yellow

2010-10-19T16:45:00.000-07:00

Here are a few more photos from my fall afternoon walk. These were taken along the Pendleton River Parkway. I took the walk near sunset, when I knew the light would be great.

By the way, I love fall colors.

Fall

2010-10-19T09:14:00.000-07:00

I went on a stroll yesterday and took some fall photos. With these I experimented with light and focus. I'm just getting familiar with the new camera and this was the first real try at taking photos with it. It was fun and I'll likely have a few more photos from my little excursion.

New camera

2010-10-18T18:14:00.001-07:00

I am excited, and a little nervous, to announce I have a new camera. My wonderful husband ordered me an early birthday present. In honor of the occasion, I have this self portrait. Yes, it was taken in the bathroom. Yes, all the lettering is backwards because I used the bathroom mirror. Yes, that is a shower curtain behind me. Hey, it's the only mirror in the house with good light.

The wine-to-be

2010-10-12T15:30:00.001-07:00

This is another photo from my winery visit last Friday. Winemaker Ashley Trout is taking notes on a sample of wine-to-be. Inside this big white bin was two-and-a-half tons of grapes just starting their fermenting process.

This photo wasn't the most exciting, that's why it didn't run with Saturday's story. But I like focusing on the sample up close, with Trout doing her work in the background.

Bounty

2010-10-11T08:36:00.001-07:00

I had the privilege of visiting a Milton-Freewater area winery on Friday. Just before I left, the sun came out of the clouds and shone across the vineyard. It was a great chance to catch it lighting up the grapes nestled in the leaves.

How to throw an atlatl

2010-10-05T10:44:00.000-07:00

These are three photos of Tracker Denny, an 11-year-old boy with a talent for throwing an atlatl.

An atlatl is a weapon predating the bow and arrow, used by American Indians in this area. On Saturday, Tamastslikt Cultural Institute had an Archeology Celebration, giving visitors like Tracker and his family a chance to try using tools their ancestors used.

As archeologist/anthropologist Tom Bailor explained it to me, an atlatl works like those plastic extenders people use to throw tennis balls for dogs. But this throws spears. These three photos give a good impression of how it works — a key being the second photo with the point of release shown.

I didn't use these photos in the paper because the quality isn't the best, and, as always, there's limited space.

Barbed wire

2010-10-04T09:33:00.000-07:00

When I was in Lowden for the Frenchtown Rendezvous on Saturday, the sunset cut a beautiful golden swath through sprinklers in a neighboring field. I took this photo peering through the fence to that field.

Flock of seagulls

2010-09-30T08:43:00.001-07:00

It's a bit hard to see unless you enlarge the photo by clicking on it, but there were many, many seagulls flying above the waters of the San Juan beaches last weekend. This is likely a regular occurrence, but I found it surprising how many flapped together across the skies.

San Juan sparkles

2010-09-29T09:12:00.000-07:00

I visited my grandmother in the San Juan Islands last weekend. I tried to get some neat shots of the water, without much success. But I did like the way the sunshine sparkled on the stones in this photo. We were fortunate to have a wonderfully sunny afternoon before the usual cloudy, rainy weather set in for the rest of the weekend.

Let 'er Buck

2010-09-22T09:00:00.000-07:00

So here are my photos from Round-Up. I was so busy writing all week, I didn't have time to take any photos until Friday and Saturday. But here they are, the few images I was able to capture from the centennial rodeo.

This is one of the snub saddle bronc competition on Saturday. He was the only cowboy who held on for more than a few seconds, long enough for me to get a good photo. It was still a fun event, at least from my seat in the stands.

Tiny Dancer

2010-09-22T08:52:00.000-07:00

This little guy was absolutely fixated on the dancers during the competition. He was amazingly decked out in his own regalia. And rather than playing with his feathers, he watched, entranced, at something he will likely get to do himself one day.

Move to the beat

2010-09-22T08:47:00.000-07:00

Before I went to the rodeo Saturday I watched the American Indian dance competition in Roy Raley Park. I never cease to be impressed by the colors, the beadwork, the intricacy of the regalia. It's also exciting to hear the singing, drumming and dancing.

Generations of pride

2010-09-22T08:43:00.001-07:00

These are photos from the Westward Ho! Parade on Friday. While many of the kids in the parade looked a bit tuckered out (I wouldn't blame them, having to walk miles in moccasins in the rain) but many of the adults looked exceptionally proud to represent their people in the parade.

Here are a few of those proud adults, and one baby, from the parade.

Whoo-whoo!

2010-09-21T10:30:00.000-07:00

We stood near this little fella during most of the Westward Ho! Parade on Friday. He was so excited, he kept shouting "whoo-whoo!" at every one who passed. This got on some other parade watcher's nerves, but thought it was cute.

Getting ready for the show

2010-09-13T13:13:00.001-07:00

Though Round-Up week has officially started, things seem to be just getting underway. Vendors are popping up by the rodeo grounds, RVs are rolling into any open space available, and the Main Street Cowboys are closing off Main Street for the "greatest free show in the west."

This is a photo from a Round-Up Monday a few years ago. I spent the day with the Main Street Cowboys as they worked tirelessly from the break of dawn, getting their show on the road.

Bringing back Frenchtown

2010-09-08T09:54:00.001-07:00

Yesterday I attended the groundbreaking for the Frenchtown historic site. It's being built at one of the only parts of Frenchtown still standing: a cemetery marker for the St. Rose of Lima Church.

This photo is of the waiting grader, sitting in the field of bunchgrass that was once a cemetery. In the background, the cemetery's white maker stands tall.

When the development is finished, an overlook and interpretive signs will sit along with that lone monument.

A story about the groundbreaking appears in today's East Oregonian.

Bzzzzz

2010-09-07T10:25:00.000-07:00

I caught several bees in action during my Sunflower photo shoot Saturday. I like the mix of focuses on this one. I apologize for the power lines in the background, they were hard to avoid.

Sun and sunflowers

2010-09-06T09:44:00.001-07:00

Working on Saturday, I went in search of wild art — that's newspaper speak for any photos that appear without a story.

I was hoping to find people cleaning or decorating for Round-Up, but because it was a breezy (some may have said "windy") afternoon, not many people were out.

Instead I found this patch of sunflowers. A photo of a bee on one flower ran in Sunday's paper.

This was another shot I liked. It was harder to get than it may appear. Power lines ran above the flowers, so nine out of ten shots had big black lines strewn across the top.

I sharpened this one a bit, and saturated the colors a bit more. I wanted to bring out the contrasting yellow, blue and green.

EJ vs. the crop duster

2010-09-03T10:21:00.000-07:00

I was out on assignment with the EO's photographer, EJ, when we saw a crop duster making passes on a nearby field. EJ drove to the best location and hopped out of the car. I snapped this shot through the windshield, while EJ got much better photos where he stood under a circle pivot sprinkler. One of those great shots is in Friday's edition.

Beadwork

2010-09-02T08:36:00.000-07:00

This is a close-up shot of some amazing beadwork done by a woman at Tamastslikt Cultural Institute. Her husband brought it to the museum's Measure, Mend, Repair class as an example for others to see. He said his wife completed the beadwork in about five months. This is only a small portion of a large garment, nearly covered in beads.

Amenities

2010-09-01T09:04:00.001-07:00

This was another additional photo from my visit with the fire lookout. I was proud of my ability to capture Mr. Weir in his little mirror.

However, as with most of that day, I had to battle low light. Despite it being the middle of August, fog rolled in on the lookout. You can see it out the window in the background. When I later tried to take a photo outside, I could hardly walk far enough to get the entire building in the photo before whiffs of fog rolled between myself and the lookout.

Huckleberries

2010-08-31T09:16:00.000-07:00

On a hike this weekend I got to pick (and eat) huckleberries for the first time. I didn't have a baggie or anything to put them in, so I picked a hand full and ate them as I walked down the trail.

Blackened earth

2010-08-30T09:24:00.001-07:00

Rushing around covering the Barnhart Fire last Thursday, I was only able to snap a few photos. I also found, later that evening, the dirt caked in my ears from the dust-filled winds.

I got a few photos of this firefighter lighting a backburn near Yoakum Grade Road. Another similar photo appeared in Friday's paper.

I found it exciting to be so close to the flames. There were other spots where it was burning just on the other side of the road.

I like this shot because it shows how black fire leaves the fields.

Indian head nickel

2010-08-27T09:56:00.000-07:00

This is a detail shot of a saddle a woman was working on in preparing her Indian regalia for the upcoming Round-Up parades. She brought it to Tamastslikt Cultural Institute workshop on Tuesday. I thought it was neat she used Indian head nickels for decoration.

The antler just behind the beads is a hook-like device where travois latch onto the saddle. Travois are the long pole-like devices American Indians used to haul cargo across the plains. Resting it on this front pommel-like part of the saddle was easier on the horses than just resting the travois on the horses neck, Woodrow Star, a saddle repairman told me.