Highland Games

Have you ever thought about what instrument is the least flattering? Me neither really, until I watched a bagpipe competition. I don't think you can take a good photograph of a piper. These photos prove my point. Well, the girl in the last photo looks cute as can be, but she isn't playing the instrument quite yet. She gets a pass.

The Calm Within the Storm

I have some great news! I am officially a published author. The Calm Within the Storm is my first novel. It's about a little girl who is afraid of thunderstorms, and through a dream she learns to overcome that fear. It's a fantasy novel akin to Alice in Wonderland or The Wizard of Oz, and I think people of any age would enjoy it. Currently only the eBook is available (through Lulu and through Amazon), but eventually the book will be available for paperback purchase. Here's what the cover looks like. Read up and spread the word!

Mount Rainier National Park

Sometimes I feel so lucky to live in Washington, especially now that I'm on the western side of the Cascades. There are so many beautiful places to visit, and even if you repeat a few it'll never grow old. I finally got to get close-up and personal with my beautiful mountain, Mount Rainier. I've never been closer than Crystal Mountain, but over the weekend my husband and I visited the national park. I got some beautiful shots, but it's really not all that difficult with the subject being as awe-inspiring as it is. Mount Rainier is very photogenic, let me tell you. See for yourself!

Annette Lake

There are tons of fantastic hiking spots all around western Washington as you may well know. One of them is a little lake called Annette. It's a 5-mile hike round trip (approximately, though online says different), and the destination is beautiful. I have the pictures to prove it. I'm only sharing my best ones. And one for fun: my husband jumping off a rock in time lapse fashion.

Deception Pass

I went on a lovely biking trip with my husband and some friends to Deception Pass in Washington. It's as far west as I've been in this state, and it was awesome. I didn't get any good pictures of the bridges there since one friend led us the wrong way, but our misadventure did allow me to get great shots of an area I wouldn't have otherwise seen.

Skagit Valley Tulip Festival

This tulip festival is a pretty big deal in Washington. It's held in Mount Vernon and consists of hundreds of acres of tulips. They aren't consecutive; it's just a bunch of farms that have their own fields of flowers. Since it's such a big deal, the places get crowded very quickly. My hubby and I woke up at 5 am so we could get out there before sunrise at 6:30 am. That way, we only had other fellow photographers to avoid. Well, and some Hispanic field workers doing their job to make the fields beautiful. I got some great pictures of their lovely work.