July Harvest in the Valley

Well as we wind our way down to the end of July there is a whole lot of harvesting going on in the Willamette Valley. Of course the various grass seed is being brought in which really helps with the allergies! Then the wheat is just starting to be brought in and I think they are a few weeks behind but we had such a cool and damp May into June that it didn't really get growing as normally as it would. Blueberries are also at various stages with most still on the bushes as they haven't quite turned yet.

Why would I know or share this? Just because I can for one and the other day while on a bike ride I was riding though Polk and Yamhill counties and saw the different levels of harvest coming in. Of course the many vineyards of Pinot, some Chardonnay and other varietal grapes are just growing strong now waiting for the fall harvest and produced into some wonderful wines.

I didn't have my 'point & shoot' on me on Sunday so ended up going back in the evening to shoot a few pics along my ride from the AM. I've included one that has the evening sun lighting up the wheat field with some trees in the background and in the far part of the shoot in Mt. Hood. We get lots of dirt rising from the agriculture here so it kind of gives a haze in the distance most evenings.

Thanks for stopping by and will be posting more to my website soon, see the links on the right!

Tim

Corvallis - going Greyhound!

Was down in Corvallis, OR back in mid June and walked around while having my car worked on / looked at by a local dealership. So took a camera with me and just took a few shots but plan on making a gallery of Corvallis on my website where I sell work from.

Yes, that is 'Sell' from so I can make money! Well, it is nice to sell some shots now and then and you can get them in Print or Digital Download, the choice is yours. Anyway when I get things posted there I will put out a notice of that.

I will be headed back there on Wednesday of this week to have the dealership finish up the work that needed done from June's visit. This time I will be solo and will not have to try and entertain my daughter for 5 plus hours which wasn't bad. Sometimes a nine year old doesn't have the patience to sit and wait as some of older folks!

Hope your having a great summer and I will keep posting. Thanks for stopping by!

Tim

The Year Half Over and Upcoming Show

I for one can not believe that this year has just gone past the half way point. We had a very mild almost chilly fourth of July here in Salem and we were wearing fleece jackets as we light the fireworks!

I haven't gotten out to shot anything in over a month but while riding my bike have spotted some good areas, but need to hurry before they harvest some fields and make the shot probably less impressive. Again, making the time instead of whining about finding the time.

I have submitted some work for possible selection and jury for an August show in Independence, Oregon. The gallery is called the River Gallery of Independence and will post a link if I make the selection. The theme is called 'Fur, feathers and Fins' or something to that affect. I am only submitting two photos one of a bison outside of Yellowstone park I took a few years back and another of three Big Horn Rams. This is kind of a current favorite of mine and hope that it will get selected. I have included the Rams shot in this posting so hope you will enjoy it also.

Not much else as we get ready for some 90+ degree weather here in Salem for the next several days. Thanks for stopping in and checking things out!

Tim

Bear must pay the ulitmate price....

Via Facebook, my brother that lives in Cody, Wyoming has provided articles from the Billings Gazette about a recent 'Grizzly Bear' Mauling that took place about 30 miles East of Cody and about 10 miles or so outside the East gate of Yellowstone Park.

Apparently wildlife officials had trapped this bear a day earlier to take blood samples, etc and fit it with a radio collar for tracking movements. Kind of the on-going research to study these great animals. This particular drainage had been posted to stay out of for the research stuff but apparently a 70 year old retired college professor didn't see the warnings and ended up dying from a mauling attack. This fella had recently published a book that did extensive documenting of the fauna in/around the Yellowstone area so he knew his research and knew of Bears, etc.

By Saturday, the Feds had tracked the bear down via the collar and terminated it then magically have been able to get quick results of the DNA samples of the bear and some DNA left on the man that match this bear. Does CSI work this fast or is it just on TV?

Anyway, probably to save a major lawsuit they killed the bear. They will probably get sued anyway as that is the American way so the widow will live in better comfort than she may already be. Sorry, I don't feel much sympathy for the man. Yes his family has lost a wonderful member of their family, but when you are out there (I have been several times) you watch what you do and know the price you may have to pay if you are careless. This man was careless and in the wrong place at the wrong time.

RIP Mr. Grizzly!

Tim

The photo is from summer 2008 of a grizzly in Yellowstone Park.

Telephone Man

I was browsing through some older shots from earlier this year and came upon this photo of a phone booth in Mill City, Oregon. We pass through this little hamlet when going to HooDoo or to the Cascades, Bend, etc.

I think my family was inside what is known as a convenience store up there but nothing like the 7-Eleven's of the world, still has the basics.

I was out stretching my legs after snowboarding and skiing that day and was across the highway when I was just struck by this phone booth sitting there in a vacant lot. I don't even know if there is a phone inside of it and if so does it work? With just about everyone having a cell phone or knowing someone who does it seemed kind of a "throwback" to days gone by. I think the last time I used one they cost about 35 cents to start the local call.

We used them quite a bit back in the military to make collect calls back to home and things like that but overall a relic of the past. Speaking of that, there is quite a bit of relics of the past in the Mill City area. It once was probably pretty thriving with lumber milling but not so much anymore.

So if you are ever passing through and need the phone, hope this one will work for you!

Tim