Monday, October 31, 2011

A Portrait Of A Poppy


This is the final offering on the poppy images. Oh, by the way, have a haunting Halloween.

Sunday, October 30, 2011

A Royal Red Poppy


This red poppy was in a canyon near Santa Maria, CA. The canyon was alive with a yellow/orange poppy display. Then this lone red poppy appears. On closer inspection I saw the magenta colored crown.

Saturday, October 29, 2011

California Poppies Are Out Of Season

I was reviewing past photo shoots and came across this California Poppy. The poppy is so vibrant in its Orange and Yellow. Springtime in San Ynez Valley is the location of this image.

Friday, October 28, 2011

Fond Memories Of "Happy Canyon Hikes"

The San Ynez valley area of Santa Barbara was awaken to the rumble of a Delta II rocket launch. My company, SBRS, built the NPOESS VIIRS instrument on the flight. It appears that all went well. You may be wondering why I share this info. Pride of course.

Thursday, October 27, 2011

Seattle On Puget Sound's Elliott Bay


The city takes on a calming presence. All it takes is for you to stop, take in the view and breath in the salt air.

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

A Visitor From Halloween Past


Maybe you can use this image in your Halloween decorating. Think nothing of it. It's all for the kids.

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

This Scene Gives The Family Tree A New Meaning


At this time of year, my neighborhood always seems to go down hill. As if the property values weren't falling enough already.

Monday, October 24, 2011

Autumn Past


Katie is five now and she is very excited about Halloween. Costume choice changes daily. There was a time when the tactile feel of a handful of straw did it for her.

Sunday, October 23, 2011

Autumn In Fall Swing


Season's come and season's go. Autumn is the season rich in color, texture and child like fun.

Friday, October 21, 2011

Thursday, October 20, 2011

A Game Of Inches . . . To Be Sure


The Thunderbirds had a new goalie #30 named Cotton. He defended gallantly, saved 45 goal attempts out of 48. This one got through . . . A little more to the left.

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Thunderbird Hockey Season - 2011/2012


Tuesday, October 18, 2011. I was home nursing an injured foot. The doorbell range, I hobbled down the stairs to greet my guest. Free tickets to the Thunderbird's hockey match, "tonight you say". "Sure, I'll take them". I was happy for the opportunity but my foot would remind me on Wednesday that I probably should have passed . . . more tomorrow.

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

U.S. Coast Guard . . . On The Ready


I just had to add a third image of the U.S. Coast Guardsmen doing their duty for all of us.

Saturday, October 15, 2011

Friday, October 14, 2011

A Study In Rock And Water


It's been a while since I converted a color image to Black and White. I like the tonal range that this image displays.

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Ruby Beach, A Washington Jewel


It's exciting when you first see a landscape in person. Ruby Beach has been on my list of must see destinations for decades. Ruby Beach did not disappoint me, in fact it is bigger than . . . it was grand.

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Ruby Beach Held More Than One Surprise


My wife and I were walking down the trail that leads to Ruby Beach, when . . .
This Bald Eagle swooped down through the trees and landed on a branch, just out of sight. We hurried down the trail as the eagle flew to another tree branch. Now the waiting game was on. I with my telephoto lens and the eagle with his boredom on the branch. He flew, I shot, you get to view.

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Sometimes Little Things Amuse Me


While walking on the beach at Ruby Beach, I came upon this man made intervention in nature. It amused me. Then I saw at least a half dozen more. The concept must have amused others as well.

Monday, October 10, 2011

The Coast Guard In Action


Last Sunday while we were in La Push, Washington, we had the bonus thrill to watch the Coast Guard train in surf rescue. I talked with a few of the sailors and after I said, "that exercise should get your adrenalin pumping", one of the sailors replied with, "just the opposite, the exercise helps us control the natural reaction of raising our adrenalin". I thought about it and realized that the adrenalin rush for a photographer also works against the ability to hold the camera steady. I need more training exercises.

Sunday, October 9, 2011

Sunday Morning Fog In La Push


Last weekend was special. My wife and I had a get-a-way to the Olympic Peninsula. We stayed in a cabin on the beach at La Push. Sunday morning was spent walking the beach. This weeks offerings will be from this trip.

Saturday, October 8, 2011

It's Hard To Hide A Mountain


My last summer trip of the year was to Mt. Rainier. Where I would normally travel east to west, I came into the Mt. Rainier National Park from the west. It was like holding up a painting to a mirror. Everything looked new, as if I hadn't been there before. The mountain hadn't changed but my perspective of it had.

Friday, October 7, 2011

Not A New Explorer


My blog is spotted with Katie pictures. She is five now, hikes without complaint and as you can see from this photo has been hiking most of her life. To her, life is truly an adventure. I am lucky to be able to watch her explore her world.

New Ways To Explore My Blog

I have added new views to my photo blog. To activate the new views just add one of the following styles to the my web site. 
Example:       jamesshonkaphotoblog.blogspot.com/view/magazine


The list of optional views are: classic, flipchart, magazine, mosaic, sidebar, snapshot and timeslide.


Have fun with the new views.

Thursday, October 6, 2011

North Fork Of The Skokomish River


Entering the Olympic National Park from the east side by way of the Staircase Trail takes one along the north fork of the Skokomish River. A hiking treat to be sure. One rapid after another, at least as far as I hiked. I'll be back to investigate further, come springtime.

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Turn A Hard Left . . . Next Spring

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 Downstream from Christine Falls is a very impressive channel. Carved rock walls and a large log that couldn't make the sharp left turn. The log is basically a full sized tree. I'll be back next spring to see if the log is a permanent fixture or has gone, on its way.

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

A Small Woodland Creature


While hiking in the mountains, I always look for the moment that I am visited by a small woodland creature. A couple of weeks ago, I was in the Olympic Mountains and this young squirrel appeared. It was up a tree, down another, on a fallen log and behind a mound of moss. Quite the curious one.

Monday, October 3, 2011

Polished Stone Walls


The stone walls at the base of the cascade water falls have been polished from ages of water force.

Sunday, October 2, 2011

Waterfalls Are My Happy Place


I marvel at the force that created the channels the water runs through. The boulders are polished smooth and the waterfall keeps them free of moss and other plant life.

Saturday, October 1, 2011

Saturday IsThe Blue Jay's Favorite Day


The heaviest use of the National Parks is on the weekends. The Western Blue Jay is around the Mt. Rainier area everyday but they know the picnic/camping areas will be easy pickins on Saturday. It takes the campers awhile to catch on to the fact that, "your food on the picnic table is not just for your use".