Rogue River Bridge in the Fall

PICTURE OF THE DAY, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2013

I missed a few days due to the busy Labor Day weekend here in the US, but I am back on track now.  It is September and my mind is starting to think Autumn.  The area that we live in does not usually have a lot of color for the fall trees, but I have gotten some good shots in Oregon where they have much more colorful falls.  This one is one of my favorites, taken from the bridge over the Rogue River before pulling into the town with the same name.

The hidden house

PICTURE OF THE DAY - FRIDAY, AUGUST 30, 2013

I am not sure whether this was originally a house or a barn, but whatever type of structure it was, it is now hidden in a field of corn.  I wonder who lived here if it was a house, or what was stored here if it was a barn.  Was it always so surrounded by corn?  At least no one would be able to see in your windows!

A Turtle Convention

PICTURE OF THE DAY - THURSDAY, AUGUST 29, 2013

While traveling the backroads around our neck of the woods, we came upon a pond which had a small wooden platform in the middle of it.  On this platform were numerous turtles.  I'm not sure whether the turtles were sunning themselves, waiting for food, hiding from something, or what was going on, but I had never seen this many turtles all in one place together.  Interestingly, it reminded me of the diving platforms that were in a few of the lakes that I used to vacation at growing up.  It made me laugh to think that turtles would want a diving platform.

Sunrise on the Willamette

PICTURE OF THE DAY - WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2013

Usually at this time of the year I start thinking about the fact that my boys are going to leave to go back to Oregon.  They both live in Corvallis, Oregon and attend Oregon State University.  Corvallis is a beautiful small town in the northern part of central Oregon.  It has that really great small town feel, a lot of neat older houses, many of them Victorian in style, and a charming downtown area.  The picture was taken out of back window of the motel that we stay in whenever we visit.  It backs up to the Willamette River and on most mornings you can watch the Oregon State crew team practicing.  I would love to live in this wonderful town someday.

I want to Sail Away

PICTURE OF THE DAY, TUESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2013

Today was a stressful day, so when it came time to do my picture of the day, this picture of the sailboat spoke to my mood exactly.  I really wanted to sail away and hide for a while.  

 I remember the day that I took this shot.  We were at Bodega Bay and the weather was cold and foggy, which is some of my favorite weather.  It was such a great day for pictures.  

Alone again.........

PICTURE OF THE DAY - MONDAY, AUGUST 26, 2013

This poor apple looks like it is sitting all by itself on a rock fence.  Actually, it is a clever bird feeding device that the "gull lady" has devised.  Who is "the gull lady" ?  She is  a woman that feeds the gulls and the pigeons at the Marina Green on San Francisco Bay.  The birds all flock to her whenever she comes around.  In fact, many of them land on her arms and head.  I tried to get a picture of her, but none of the ones that I took turned out very well.  In this case, she has stuck an apple on a stick and then stuck the stick in between two stones on the walkway.  The birds all come and take pieces off of the apple.  It was really fun to watch.

The Hills are alive

PICTURE OF THE DAY - SUNDAY, AUGUST 25, 2013

Back again to springtime in California.  It always makes me feel alive when the hills are showing their vibrant colors.  The first flowers to show themselves on the foothills of the Sierra range are the wild mustard, or as in this picture, the California Poppies.  There is a reason why it is the state flower.  It sticks it's head up in small bunches everywhere, but if you are truly lucky, on a good year, you can find a whole hillside of them as in this shot.