A Portrait Of A Poppy

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Autumn In Fall Swing

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

It Was Just One Of Those Nights

In the end, the Wheat Kings took the day.

Looks Are Deceiving . . . The Score Remained Unchanged

The crowd knew the puck was there. The silence revealed how wrong the crowd was after all.

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.

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.

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.

Every Move You Make . . . I'll Be Watching You

And you know it too.

Quillayute River Coast Guard Exercises

And I thought the surf was for surfers.

We Were Both Wondering . . . .

Both the Gull and I were wondering how this fallen tree got there.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Polished Stone Walls

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

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 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".