WINDY RIDGE TO LOOWIT FALLS

I finally made it to the Windy Ridge area of Mt St Helens. I found a Forest Service campground that looked good, inquired with a reliable friend and he had no info, so I went for it to see if it's a good place to camp and explore that area of the mountain.

I arrived on Friday early afternoon and found that all but three of the 98 sites were already reserved. My internet research didn't indicate a reservation was needed, yikes. A nice site was chosen of the three and that was home for the weekend. The campground is heavily forested with a tall canopy that proved advantageous as we are having a short heat wave right now. The campsite stayed shaded the entire day, very nice!

On Saturday we hiked the Windy Ridge trail to Loowit Falls. There isn't a fragment of shade anywhere, not the parking area, not the trail, nowhere. It was warm and very sunny and yes, windy. In fact, it was quite windy. If not for the wind the total exposure all day to the hot sun may have made the day less enjoyable.

The views were expansive and vast. Mt St Helens was closer than ever. Everywhere I turned I saw earthtones and a harsh and barren landscape. But don't think that harsh and barren is bad, it's not. The landscape is gorgeous. The view of Spirit Lake is beyond description. Mt Rainier and Mt Adams follow you the entire route to Loowit Falls.

Neither Spirit Lake or Loowit Falls existed before the eruption 30 years ago. I'm intrigued by the beauty that nature creates so readily. This volcano is active and it's not far from my mind as I hike it's terrain and I smell the subtle sulfur in the wind. I know this mountain caused massive destruction when it erupted yet the changes in the landscape are remarkable. I feel privileged to be on this mountain and so close to all its mysteries.

After reaching Loowit Falls, having lunch, and more sunscreen we returned the way we came. There's something about out and back routes that allow you to see everything you saw from a completely different vantage point. The views are never tiring and the path is gradual though dusty with pumice the consistency of sand.

My cooler provided a cold drink and my feet were eager to hang out in my sandals. The drive back to camp was only 30 mins and dinner was soon after. A highlight was seeing the meteor shower at 3am from my beach chair in the road in the campground. Three swifts meteors delighted me before I returned to my slumber.

YAY, HEATHER!

Heather is officially graduated!

Here are a few shots from today. Graduation was smooth for everyone. I was impressed with how efficient the ceremony was. There were 360+ graduates and I was prepared to be there a long time. It was done in 1 hr 20 mins, wow! The low light in the arena was a challenge for me. I got a few good ones for Heather's book and I'm glad.

GRADUATION PARTY

The house is full of graduation day energy. Today is the big day for Heather. She's ready. She has lots of plans after today, all fun. She's enjoying her best friend from Chicago, Brianna, her grandparents, and me of course.

The party was Saturday. I couldn't help but notice the love all around. Heather has an enormous amount of support not only from her family but friends and neighbors, too. She will go into the next phase of her young life with a solid foundation. I believe this is the formula for her to succeed in whatever path she chooses.

I watched her interact with everyone at the party. She's mature, witty, and welcoming. She was having fun and enjoying HER day. That's the way it should be, don't ya think? Everyone had a good time, a good party indeed. I took 182 photos and had a blast trying to capture the day on video and memory card. Stay tuned for the full assortment on Shutterfly.

Heather arranges the webcam just right so Grandma Noanie and Grandpa can be part of the festivities from Ohio. How cool is Skype??

Here's Heather with Grandpa Ralph and Grammy Linda. Personally, I'm enjoying having time with Ralph and Linda, too.

Later today we trek to a large coliseum for the graduation ceremony. Before that I hope to get some pics of hair curling event. The girls were practicing with the special curling iron last night.

I forgot my bandana. A bandana, you ask? Yes, a bandana. I believe that's what I'll need as I watch her walk the aisle in her purple and silver with that beautiful smile on her face knowing she has accomplished much more than a paper diploma. It's a proud day for me, too. I'm grateful beyond words that I'm here to celebrate with her. Congratulations, Heather!

CHASING THE BEE

I went over to Bishop's Close to see if the poppies were in bloom. Yep, they were. I played around for awhile and was enjoying a long awaited warm and sunny day here in Portland. As I was walking to my car I stopped at an iris garden and was watching the bees slide in between the petals, scoop up their nectar, and back themselves out before moving to another flower. I chased one and took a few shots. Though it's not a money shot it's fun to capture the activity. It's good to see bees, they've had a bad time with colony collapse the last few years.

AVA'S TRACK MEET

I've mentioned how much I like my new lens. It's fun, it really is. I took it to Ava's track meet last weekend. I've never shot at a track meet before and was undaunted till I got there a saw a flurry of kids and where the heck was Ava?? I made a call to Jodi thinking she was in the stands and knew where she was. Jodi wasn't there yet, ugh. Lanelle wasn't there yet either. I scanned and scanned and finally spotted her in a LONG line at the long jump. I hung out for several minutes as the line slowly moved. Ava noticed me and peeked around the girls in front of her and gave me a wave. Here's my favorite shot from the long jump.

So, then she disappeared amongst all the runners. Once again I scanned the field of kids for several minutes till I found her. Her next event was the 200 meters. Ava told me where she'd be starting and I got into position. Well, I wasn't in a good position and I found it really hard to shoot her as she ran. There were parents and students wandering all over. There were coaches in strategic places along the track. Ava's fast and before I knew it I had rattled off a few shots and hoped for the best.

I didn't get very much that I was happy with and it's clear I need some coaching on how to shoot at a track meet. It's definitely not like soccer, basketball, or lacrosse.

ELMO AT OCEANSIDE

I'm jazzed about my new lens! I had fun last weekend getting some shots of Elmo at Oceanside at the coast. He looks happy, don't ya think?? He's not off leash, no way! I took his leash out of the photo with my editing program. That was labor intensive, for sure, but I like how he looks without it.

Here are two of my favorite images from our beach play!

BISHOP'S CLOSE

There's a private garden here that's close enough for me to visit periodically and follow the spring bloom. I went there last weekend with a friend. The bloom is beginning and there's more to come in the next few weeks. I'm pretty excited about it.

I played around for awhile and then to my dismay I slipped on stone steps that were covered in pea gravel and went down. Ouch, my foot was hurt. I tried to walk it off but couldn't. I had to call it a day at that point and head home. Below is my boo boo foot...