Moving to Wordpress

If you have been wondering why there is no more content on this blog, I have moved to Wordpress due to school criteria. The new address is:

http://cengesphotography.wordpress.com

See you there.

Christopher

August Events

There are many things to do on the Peninsula during the summer months. August holds several events to draw tourists to our fair country side.
Speaking of fair, the Clallam County Fair is one of those events that both tourists and locals like to attend. The Fair starts Thursday August 15th and runs until Sunday August 18th. The fair has something for everyone. From the scones to the rodeo, the fair is geared to the country western flavor of Clallam County. The weather has been absolutely awesome! Go enjoy a day at the fair and be sure to bring your camera.
The second event that is worth considering is all new to Sequim .... the Air Affaire at the Sequim Valley airport off the Old Olympic Highway about three miles west the city limits.
This event is only two days, August 31st and September 1st and is for early risers, especially if your thinking about taking a balloon ride. Because of the breezes that come up in the late morning or early afternoon the balloon rides start at 7AM and are done by 9AM. But that isn't the only thing featured.
There is a fly-in of some very exotic aircraft. If your into aircraft images this will be your event. They will have these aircraft on display for your up close and personal viewing.
Along with the aircraft, there will be a classic car display as well. Wing walkers, skydivers, vendors of all sorts will also be in attendance. Weather should be great.
From what I heard there maybe some balloon landings in the Sequim/Carlsborg area. So look up.
Last year during the 2012 Sequim Balloon Festival I had a balloon land in the field next to my house to retrieve something on the ground. They were playing a game with the balloons, dropping from the sky to a field to pick up certain items and taking off again.

Balloon landing in field next to my house.

As in the previous balloon festival they will have tethered balloons that you can ride in. The ReMax balloon was on hand last year and I suspect it will be at this event as well. It gave rides to dozens of people before the winds got to harsh.

ReMax Balloon

So if your into flying or would just like to see a hot air balloon or many different aircraft and classic cars come out to the Air Affaire event. Sounds like fun.

George Washington Inn and Lavender Farm

Washington Lavender Farm is a real sleeper. As said previously, I have never been there before. But the official program had some very interesting photos in this section highlighting the farm. About a fifteen minute drive from Lost Mountain lavender through Agnew's agricultural area to the bluffs along the Strait of Juan de Fuca, Washington Lavender can't be missed as you journey west on Finn Hall road. It truly looks like a mansion from the Viriginia or Washington, DC area from years gone by. It stands by itself and can easily be seen long before you get to the entrance. People were wheeling done the very long asphalt driveway bounded on both sides by a pristine white pasture fence. Lavender meets you at the entrance and follows you all the way to the Inn. Perfect for a couple quick shots at the entrance. I love those following lines to the end of the fence. Even have some purple, ah ... lavender flags flying in the stiff breeze now blowing down the Strait.

I like this place already and I haven't even got there yet!

If this doesn't look like a Colonial mansion I don't know what does.
After parking I started looking for the lavender and those side elements that help my compositions. They were most certainly here. To the southwest of the Inn was a field of wild flowers, poppy's and of course lavender. We'll start there.

I love how the lavender is broken up and not in predictable rows. The wild flowers just make it work so well. The color is awesome!

I'll add some poppy's to the mix to get almost an abstract effect with the different colors and textures. Whad'ya think?

We'll do a horizontal of the first image. I really love places where there are a variety of shots one can take and not get squeezed because of background clutter. This place has that variety. But landscape images are but one style of images one might shoot. The Inn itself is very photo worthy as seen below. Of course the vendor tent would be better gone, but it lends to the atmosphere of the festival right?

So I wandered around the lavender for a bit and ran into another group of bee hives. Mmm? Looks like a pattern. I like this shot of the bee hives better than at Jardin du Soleil because of the contrast in color that are around them.

Yes I know that the second image in this series looks awfully like this image minus the hives. You would be correct. There lies the concept of cropping. But in this case I get two images for the price of one. If I ever need a bee hive photo I will know where to look. And this one is interesting in its own right. You be the judge.
From here I wandered toward the great big inn. There was a guy dressed up like, I'm going out on a limb here, George Washington. He greeted folks as they approached the inn. I couldn't help but think that the classic cars parked outside the inn would have have made old George a bit skittish getting behind the wheel. Perhaps a coach or buggy with horses would have been closer to the part. It's all good. (Besides who wants to pickup horse poop on a hot day?)
Along the east side of the property the vendors tents were setup. As I walked further I saw an old familiar face. One Jim Kiesser helping his neighbor set his tent up. He represented Casey's Kettle Corn.
I've known Jim for many decades but I don't always see him as much as I should, so it was good seeing my old friend again. Many years Jim ago created a salmon jig called the Kiesser Teaser when salmon could be caught around here in abundance. He worked his tail off to make it work and it did. I would go out with Jim and you could be assured that whether it was salmon or halibut you would come home with something. But the salmon seasons were cut. Areas like the Dungeness Spit near the lighthouse that produced monster king salmon and others were now off limits to fishermen. I don't want to go down that path as it is ancient history now. But many people were hurt financially by the court's decision including Jim and others I know.

So now he is working with Casey Dennis. They couldn't have found a better person to have working for them. And an offer to go salmon fishing again will be most certainly accepted. Thanks Jim.
Casey and Carolyn started their business in 2001 working the festival circuit. By 2002 they opened a small commercial kitchen in their home and as the business took off they now operate a 1600 square foot commercial kitchen in Sequim, Washington. Great story.
They also help people that need money for a worthy cause to setup fundraisers using their kettle corn and give them great prices to help them realize that need. Please check their website out and if you need to do a fundraiser and your in the area, check them out.
As I walked further along the vendors tents I spotted Debi Breitbach at the very end of the row, spinning her wool into some cool wool product. She has a business called The Shepherd's Fold. I met Debi last year at the Port Williams Lavender farm. She and her husband have a farm west of Port Angeles and raises all their own veggies, animals and of course wool. She follows the festival circuit and also the Farmer's Market in Port Angeles I believe.

I bought a very warm wool watch cap from her at the last festival and I wear that thing everyday in the winter to cover this shaved head. And it has lavender color in it!
After chatting for a while and a customer's wanting to purchase her wares I said my goodbyes and headed for my car. It's been a good day.
The weather was great except for a bit of a breeze along the Strait there at the Inn. I hope it holds through the entire weekend.
I had only today to visit the farms. I know there are others I could have hit, but I got my fill of lavender for another year. I enjoyed Ciscoe and the opening ceremonies. The four farms I visited all had something to offer in the way of photographs and conversation. Some more than others.
The images I got this year were good and I'll add them to my lavender stock.
I hope you enjoyed my trip through the farms. If you have any comments after reading these blogs please don't hesitate to make a suggestion, a constructive comment on my images this year or anything else that would lend to the conversation.
Thanks for looking!

Jardin du Soleil Lavender

Out to Highway 101 and then through the back roads of Sequim I go to my next farm .... Jardin du Soleil Lavender Farm.

The farm changed hands about two years ago. Jordan and Paul Schiefen bought it from Pam and Randy Nicholson after the later ran it for many years.
I will tell you that it used to be my favorite lavender farm. Why? Well, it has nothing to do with the way the farm is run or the lavender at all. No. It has to do with elements of photography for me. I enjoy the farms and talking with the people who come from all over, as well as the vendors and the farmers themselves. But primarily I come out to shoot the purple stuff. I said in my previous post that lavender, by itself, is a little boring. When you add different elements to the image, whether it be other colorful flowers such as sunflowers, cone flowers, poppy's or wildflowers you can make your images much more interesting. A least in my opinion.
Back to why this farm used to be my favorite. The previous owners were very liberal with using other flowers to contrast the lavender. Clumps of sunflowers, poppy's and echinacea or cone flowers were found throughout the fields offering many different elements and angles for the photographer to consider. No so today. Yes there was one clump of sunflowers up on the hill but it was hard to frame the lavender and sunflowers without getting the vendor's tents in the image. See below.

This was about all I could get from the sunflowers without including tents in the background.
Now in times past when there were many more flowers planted I was able to get these shots:

 

 

I don't want you to get me wrong. The farm is still as beautiful as ever. The farmhouse sits on a hill overlooking the fields. I like the uneven landscape. The upper fields roll off into more even or almost level area where more lavender is growing. It is a great farm for what it was designed to be. But I look at each farm as what I can bring home on my CF card.
OK. I got that out of the way.
One thing that this farm does is having a ladder setup in the fields where you can hand your own camera to a volunteer and have your picture taken in a field of lavender. Pretty cool.

As I moved around the fields I came into the vendor area and ran across my friend Gail who runs Dungeness Gold. We partnered last year at the Port Williams Lavender farm. As said in a previous post, it was quite rainy and an interesting experience.
Gail and Brit, one of her employees worked the crowd, selling spices, sauces and her homemade jams and jellies. Great stuff! Hope she does well this weekend.

Just around the corner from Gail's booth was the music. Friday afternoon's band was the Old Side Kicks. They belted out some great country western music as people drank different libations. The music really is a great part of the lavender experience.

Vendors were spotted around the base of the farmhouse and were clustered together in their own area. One thing that I noticed, if you don't like the offering's at one farm you probably will find it at another.

I walked to the far reaches of the farm where the bees are kept. You remember that bees are a very important part of any farm. As you might or might not know, that honey bees across the country have had a hard time lately. Apparently they have had some major die offs and the people who keep track of these things really don't know why. This could be a major problem going forward if they can't figure this one out. It doesn't seem to be a big problem around here. I hope.
Looking for other shots that I can use lavender as an element, the lavender bee hives helped fulfill this quest. Probably not the best shot, but hey .... we're trying here.

 

 

Well I think I have done as well as I could here, so I'm on to my next farm.

That would be the Lost Mountain Lavender farm near Sequim. Just across the Dungeness river heading west and a quick turn up Taylor Cutoff Road finds the farm nestled in the foothills of the Olympic Mountains.

I got there just as the band quit for a break. Too bad, as it always adds to the atmosphere when I'm walking around the farm.

 

 

 

 

Lost Mountain Lavender is not the biggest farm on the tour, but has its own unique flavor as does each and every farm. The vendor area had several booths. One that I spotted had three bottles of Working Girl wines from Olympic Cellars Winery displayed. I thought for a moment that it was part of the winery as I have several different labels adorning different vintages at the winery, along with art work and cards displayed there as well. So I thought I would say hi. As it turned out the bottles were for a raffle that Eyes That Smile was using to raise money for their cause. And that cause was a good one .... rescuing and restoring horses that have been abandoned or abused by their previous owners.

 

 

Diane Royall, the second vice president, along with Dorthy Steffan were manning the booth when I stopped by to chat.

Diane said that they had thirty horses that they were helping recover from different situations at the organization's stables. Eyes That Smile is a non-profit organization that is a division of the Olympic Peninsula Equine Network. It was formed by a Texas horseman named Brian Pettyjohn. Pettyjohn is president and Valerie Jackson and Diane Royall are its two vice presidents.

Diane told me of various rescues that involved people that had actually rammed their horse trailer and threatened them with bodily harm. Tough work really. You must have a real love to do what they do for the horses they rescue. Always in need of money for hay and provision for the horses this organization is worth looking into if you care for their cause. You'll find them at the above web address.

I didn't find what I was looking for here at Lost Mountain Lavender other than this image of an old bed frame and some lavender plants. But I enjoyed the atmosphere and the conversation I found here.

 

 

 

I have one more farm to see. One that I haven't visited before. George Washington Inn and Lavender farm is found between Sequim and Port Angeles. It is off the beaten path, but of the images I saw of this farm worth the ride to see it. On my way ......



The Festival on Friday

As a resident of the area I am familiar with all the back streets and alleys that will take you around the tourist traffic that descends on Sequim during the lavender festival. Thankfully.
I was running a bit late and wanted to get to Carrie Blake park before Ciscoe Morris opened the festival at 11:30 am yesterday. The surface streets were packed around the park and I didn't want to park a mile away from the James Center for the Performing Arts, deep in the park. So I just went right into the playground area on the south side of Carrie Blake and found ample parking on the south side of the conference building near the playground. I hoofed across the bridge that spans the ponds between the playground and James Center where a hot air balloon was floating above many vendors tents.
I got there as Ms. Tomoko, the Acting Consul General of Japan was talking about the relationship of the Japanese sister city Shiso and Sequim and the joint 'Friendship Garden' that is next to the Carrie Blake park.

Next up was Ciscoe. For those that don't know Ciscoe Morris, his Gardening with Ciscoe airs on King 5 out of Seattle, Washington weekly. His antics are legend in this area. He is a master gardener and usually answers questions from the crowd. Which he did here at the festival. He was as goofy as ever. And a big hit as well.

Along with the other dignitaries, Ciscoe kicks off the Sequim Lavender Festival:

So the 17th Annual Sequim Lavender Festival was off and running. And so was I. After taking in the vendors around the park I made my way back to the car and headed out the gate.
My first stop was going to be the Purple Haze Lavender Farm.
Purple Haze is the grand daddy of the lavender farms in the Sequim-Dungeness area dating back to the original farms 17 years ago.

I knew of Mike Reicher before he and his wife Rosalind started Purple Haze. Mike was the Sequim Bay Park ranger back then. He had enough foresight to see what lavender would do for the Valley. When he started the lavender movement he went all the way. He was able to get on many different television venues to highlight the movement back then. It caught on fire and Purple Haze is now the premier lavender farm bar none.
When I visit the farms, my intention is to find different looks of lavender to photograph. Lavender by itself is kind of ... mmm, boring. I love the smell of the stuff and the purple color lends itself to great contrast. However, you just need something along with the smelly stuff to get a photograph that really pops. So I look for elements that will contrast that great purple look.
As I wandered around Purple Haze I was looking for some other flowers to accomplish that feat. Sunflowers are a great contrast to lavender. In times past, the growers were more liberal with their growing of sunflowers in just the right spots. Not so this year unfortunately. But there were some. Actually, Purple Haze had a nice stand of the tall flowers, both red and yellow, although the red were not blooming as well as the yellow. There was a nice field of corn growing in the background too. Trying to get a shot with just the sunflowers and lavender is another thing. You have to be patient and let the people who are taking pictures or just walking the trails get out of the viewfinder. Enjoy that fragrance.
The images below were my best at Purple Haze. The lighter color lavender helps contrast the purple stuff. Good start. But there are other farms.

The other thing I like to do as a photographer is talk to other artists, and not just other photographers. I ran into a local copper smith. He had a huge copper salmon weather vane next to his display tent reflecting the noon day sun. So I asked him if I could photograph it. He appreciated that I had asked him permission to shoot the piece. He said most people just take an image and go on. And that's cool, but there are some artists that are very protective of their designs. They can get leery of someone taking pictures to knock off their artwork they spent hours designing and creating. That is why I usually ask if I can shoot their work. In this case, Clark Mundy the artist had no problem.

It also gave me an opportunity to chat with Clark and his wife Leia. Clark was a woodworker about ten years ago and was invited to study Northwest native woodcarving with Al Charles Jr. and Darrell Charles Jr. of the Lower Elwha Klallam tribe.
One of the pieces needed a copper salmon along with the two carved wooden ones. Clark undertook the creation of that copper salmon along with two other artists doing the wooden ones. That artwork has been displayed since then above the elevator lobby in the Clallam County courthouse. And started Clark on his copper career.
Clark has art all over Port Angeles including a staircase in the Landing Mall on the waterfront, a nine foot tall fountain sculpture made for the Great Hall of the new Lower Elwha Klallam Heritage Center at First and Peabody Streets in Port Angeles. And a huge copper octopus and sign at Feiro Marine Life Center at the entrance of the City Pier in Port Angeles. An incredible piece of artwork!
Clark is currently working on a series of large copper masks for the Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe's campus in Blyn, WA. This man is very talented.
I love his work.You can find more of Clark's art at coppersalmon.com.

There were many different vendors offering services, artists of every genre and of course lavender plants throughout the farm. You can stroll through trails and come upon another vendor's tent you didn't see before. Unlike street fairs that look like miniature tent cities, the farm uses its natural rolling hills to segment different activities. It is well laid out.

I see a lot of Asian tourists enjoying the lavender everywhere I turn. Maybe because of the sister city thing that the city of Sequim has with Shiso, Japan? Sequim has become a world wide destination spot! Very cool.
One of the things that you notice if you spend any time at a lavender farm is the music. At the Purple Haze a young guy by the name of Blake Noble was playing and a small group of folks were sitting around tables consuming all types of lavender food and beverages as they listened to him and his acoustic guitar. Very laid back. .

The weather was cooperating. There was a breeze blowing through the little valley that the farm was located on. Hopefully it would not come up like it did last year. Yikes!
Everyone was trying to find some weight to hold their tent corners down after one tent did a Dorthy and Toto. No, this wind was nowhere near that of last year. Thankfully.
Purple Haze will probably draw the largest crowds of all the farms. But in my opinion it will be closely followed by Jardin du Soleil lavender farm. My next stop.

Links to all Lavender Festival Posts:
Lavender Festival Sequim, Washington
Jardin du Soleil Lavender
George Washington Inn and Lavender

Lavender Festival Sequim, Washington

Once a year the Dungeness Valley erupts with fragrant lavender plants in full bloom. Not only is it a very cool sight like the purplish color of the lavender against the green of the surrounding fields. But it is very aromatic as well. Walk through a local lavender farm on a hot day and you are pleasantly blasted with that strong scent.
Some people I know can't stand the smell. Especially men. Maybe it's because women love the stuff! But like the men, some don't. Personally I like the stuff. I have a couple plants in my back yard that are quite aromatic. When they are in full bloom I like to take a couple of flowers and crush them in my hand then take a deep whiff. Whoa! Talk about aroma therapy.
But along with the visual aspects of lavender, another event transpires mid-July around here. Of course that is the Sequim Lavender Festival or is it the Sequim Lavender Festival Weekend?
A couple of years back there was a bitter split between some lavender growers that resulted in two distinct lavender farmer's groups forming and putting on two separate festivals on the same day in Sequim. Weird? Sort of. That kind of thing usually benefits  no one. But I believe I read that a truce had been called and at least this year there has been some cooperation between the two groups. Good on them. It only hurts the people who come to the festival and spend their hard earned money buying all those lavender related products. They take home not only those products but the experience as well.
The last two years the festival was shrouded in rain and cool weather. I know. I helped my friend Gail who runs Dungeness Gold a gourmet herb and spices store that has some of the best honey I ever ate. She has a blackberry honey that will knock your socks off. I occupied a corner of her 10x10 foot display tent and sold cards and matted images at the Port Williams Lavender Farm. It was a tough weekend. It rained more than it didn't. It really wasn't much fun. But it was an experience.
Well it is a different weekend thankfully. We have been in a three week hot spell for the Peninsula. Been in the 80's and even hit a 90 degree day a couple of weeks ago. Perfect lavender growing weather. This weekend's temps will be in the mid 70's. Not too hot. Just right. Should draw some great crowds. And with the two farmer's groups getting along, this could be a record weekend for attendance. We'll see. I will be out and about tomorrow to see and photograph some of the weekend's farms and event's. See you soon.

Website

School is out! Summer is here ... sort of. We have been experiencing some cool, wet weather in the Pacific Northwest this spring. Is that unusual? Not really. When I worked for Clallam County road department we wouldn't start our asphalt and chip sealing programs until after the 4th of July. Why? Because of the cool spring rains of course. Just like we are experiencing now. But another week or two and magically the weather will clear up and the sun will shine again! Then everyone who has been whining about the crappy weather will be complaining that it's too hot! Not everyone. I like the sunshine a lot. Makes my garden grow and my photograph's a little more snappy, especially when your shooting a nice landscape or ocean scene. Blue sky looks nicer than gray, washed out sky.
Since getting out of school I have gotten my website up and running. It's not done completely. I want to make it easier for potential buyers of my work to purchase either a print or a digital download. You have to email me with your requests and then I can download an image or send you a paper print. Either way it is a hassle for buyers who want things right now. (and I'm one of those people.)
But in the meantime I want to get the website out there and will be working on the site to improve it throughout the summer.
So here is my website and if you want to leave a comment about it, both positive or negative (I don't mind constructive criticism at all. Just be helpful.) I would appreciate it.

http://cengesphotography.com

Thank you!

Father's Day with my Son

Ah Father's Day! Some Father's days are better than others.
A long time ago my children quit giving me ties for Father's day. I am grateful. I haven't wore a tie in a decade. A card, a nice Thai dinner or even a home cooked T-bone steak on the barby works well for me. I don't want or expect much and I am grateful for being remembered by my son and daughter by a phone call or a simple card. Those that know me, know that I'm the least sentimental dude on the planet. I'd forget my own birthday if I could, but those around me won't let me. Bummer.
With all that said, this Father's Day was exceptional. My son called me up a couple weeks ago and asked me if I wanted to go salmon fishing with him on Father's day. He would reserve a hotel in downtown Forks so I could come and spend the night instead of driving 2 hours at zero dark thirty to be there at dawn.
Matt runs a  fish guide business called Sensei Guide Service out of Forks, Washington and has been doing it for many years now. He can catch fish, period. His love for fishing started at a very young age, running up and down the Dungeness River here in Sequim. He could stand between 10 people fishing on the bank for the fall silver or coho run and take his two fish when no else could. He can sense them. Seriously. I've never seen anything like it.
I love to fish in the salt water and river fishing was never my thing. I've owned several boats over the years, but Matt was never interested in the open water. It could be because of getting seasick every time we went out. So he turned his attention to the river and (of course I'm his father and biased) became one of the west end's premiere fishing guides. But ask his clients. He works his butt off to give you a full day's fishing trip. And catches fish to boot.
I don't get out west as much as I should, and last week was the last week of the spring quarter at Peninsula College so it was a no brainer. Besides, I've been sitting behind a computer screen for months doing school work and I needed to get out of the house. And I'm very fond of fresh king salmon. I eat it for breakfast. Grilled salmon, eggs and hash browns can't be beat. Great way to start your day.
So last Saturday I headed out. Seeing my granddaughter Norah again is always a pleasure. She will be one year old next month. Norah looks a lot like Matt did when he was that old. Mandy my daughter-in-law cooked up a nice seafood chowder and fresh bread. Oh man! Hitting the old man right where it counts .... in the gut. So good. Wonderful start to my trip.
So we visited for a while and then it was off to the Forks Motel for a early bedtime.
Next day we were off and running. Matt launched his drift boat below the Sol Duc River Hatchery and Mandy, with Norah in her car seat took the truck and would pick us up later down river.

As we launched I looked upriver and saw a few fisherman gathering to take advantage of the Chinook salmon's return home.

 

 

Then we were off down the Sol Duc.

 

I live near Sequim, WA, where the Olympic Mountains rise to the south, but I'm surrounded by a prairie. Yep, that's right a prairie. It is in what is called the 'Rain Shadow' or the 'Blue Hole' of the Olympic Mountains. As the storms roll in from the west and hit the Olympic Mountains, the moisture laden clouds rise up and begin to cool, turn to rain, and pour that moisture on the forests below. That's why the Fork's area is called the 'wet' end. Some areas out west get up to 144 inches of rain or 12 FEET of rain a year. Amazing.

But in the Sequim area, because the of the blocking action of the mountains, we get only about 16 inches a year. About the same as Los Angeles.  In fact, if it were not for the irrigation ditches that split off the Dungeness river the area would be more like a desert then the lush picture of Washington state you might have, for lack of moisture. (of course you wouldn't believe this at the moment because of all the rain we've had in the last few weeks!)

So when I see the dense vegetation, the spruce and fir trees coated with heavy moss, the near impenetrable undergrowth and that deep emerald green of the Sol Duc, I am awed at the natural beauty of the west end of the Olympic Peninsula. So with my camera at ready our trip begins.

 

 

We anchor down stream and start tossing our offerings to the salmon under a low hanging tree where the evidence of past anglers hang from branches like Christmas tree ornaments during the holidays. We would lose a few ourselves.

Bang! The first fish hits Matt's lure. He is all about his clients or in this case his dad, as he hands off the pole to me. Two shakes of his head and the first fish is gone. Bummer. I look at Matt sheepishly. Hey were just getting warmed up.

Bang! Another is on. I'm going to make sure he doesn't get away. Matt pulls the anchor and down stream we go. He's giving me instructions. 'Left Dad! Look out for the log he's trying to get to.' 'Watch the rock Dad!' I'm trying to keep my balance and as the fish decides it's time to go under the boat I slip and catch my bad knee on the edge of seat rail. Ouch! The pain is sharp, but I'm not letting this one get away. Finally, Matt nets it and the Chinook is in boat. My knee throbbing, I grin widely at the first fish of the day. Yeah!

 

 

 

Matt bleeds the fish and it goes into the fish box. He rows back to the spot. The day is beautiful. Slight overcast, nice and warm and we're catching fish! Awesome!

Bang! Matt looks like a reverse C as he tries setting the hook. Two seconds and the fish is gone. Darn!

Well it doesn't take long and he hooks up again. This time he gets the hook set and again hands it off to me. This one is bigger than the last and takes a few minutes to tire out. Of course Matt is directing me because of all the snags and rocks in the water. The salmon will run under a log or around a rock and break off the lure. Not this time though. We get him as well.

 

 

I like this fishing. I haven't hooked one yet, but brought two in. This is fun. Let's do it again.

Matt rows back to the spot and we start over. My problem is that I don't know what the fish feels like when they hit. When I'm jigging in the Strait or in the ocean I know when a fish hits the lure. There is no doubt about it. But when I'm river fishing, the rocks and snags all feel like a fish to me and I miss them time and again. Very frustrating. It might be obvious to you that I'm not a very good river fisherman. I admit it. But that is why I'm with Matt. My son the guide. And he knows his stuff.

Back to work. The next two hook-ups are quite quick. The fish are gone. Bummer again.

Bang. Again Matt leans back to try and set the hook before the king can spit it out. This time it sticks. Matt hands me the pole. Another nice Chinook. He's feisty though and it takes about ten minutes to get him on board. He's our largest fish. About 18 pounds. We take a break and anchor on a gravel bar and Matt bleeds him out. A lot of folks don't take the time to do that. But I've found that it helps not only to preserve the fish, but I think it tastes better as well. Yeah, it's bloody, but it's worth doing.

 

 

 

About this time another drift boat appears. It is Gary, Matt's brother-in-law, along with Bob a friend of his. They pull up and we take turns tossing our gear into the spot. Bob nails one and it is huge. He fights it awhile and it breaks off under that darn log! We go back to fishing.

Bang! Matt's pole is bent over again. Yeah, he hands it to me again and we chase it down river and get it in the boat within 5 minutes. Except for the 18 pounder, the other three are cookie cutters. That means they are all about the same size and weight. They are between 12-14 pounds. Very nice!

 

 

Meanwhile, Bob nails another and the fight is on. They drift past us and out of sight. Eventually Gary brings the boat back up, while we prepare for our trip to the take out. Bob catches a very nice 25 king salmon, with three other lures in his mouth including the one that Bob broke off before. That was one powerful fish!

While we drift away from Gary's boat, Bob and Gary get ready to go after the other three they need. Bet they get them.

I ponder the beauty of the river. The dark emerald green of the river as you go into deeper water and then a lighter green and yellow as we shallow up and hit our first of several rapids. We hit bottom a couple of times and one that really tightened my backside. Matt quipped, 'Lot of bones in this rivers.' Indeed. A couple more bumps on them bones and I'll be leaving mine here too. But the scenery more than made up for the few bumps we encountered. What an awe inspiring place. Except for the rapids, the river is pretty quiet .. at least on this trip.

 

 

 

There is a peacefulness that pervades the place. I love being here with my son. He has really made for me the best Father's day ever. I'm just lost in the beauty of it all.

 

 

 

 

I ask Matt what the log that had orange plastic marking tape on it is for? He tells me that is where the fish biologists mark the Redd's or nests of the summer run steel head. He starts pointing at the water and is telling me to look at all the fish. Some were steel head. I saw one fish. He sees dozens. My eyes are not what they used to be. Too much time spent behind a computer. Not good.

 

 

 

 

Were getting close to the take out. Mandy and Norah will be waiting for us. It's been a perfect day. The weather was great. I spent some quality time with my son. As you get older you begin to realize that you are closer to the end than you are the beginning. And time is something that you can't buy back. Once it's gone ... it's gone for good. So I'll count today as something special and will remember it for a long time. Oh yeah, and limiting out by noon has to rate right up there with family time! And when you can combine them both you get a perfect day.

The take out is in sight and Norah is sitting on her mommy's lap as she sits on the trailer tongue with the trailer in the water ready for the boat. Man that is a good woman! Mandy is a hunter as well as a fisherman .. ah ... woman. Her dad Jack taught her how to hunt when she was very young. He also guides on the river with Gary and Matt.

 

 

Mandy waves to us. Norah just started to walk and Mandy puts her down and after seeing daddy coming down the river in his boat she gets all excited. Mommy takes her down to the edge of the river and she walks calmly to the very edge of the river in her little black rubber boots and waves to us.We wave back. Matt asks Mandy to hand her to him and we go back out on the river a few feet so Norah can help Matt row. She is about as cute as it gets. She is my granddaughter.

 

 

 

The day is done. Back to Matt's house we go. Unpack his boat. Clean and ice the fish down for the trip back to Carlsborg. It's been one of the most enjoyable trips I've had in a while. Sure catching fish is an absolute gas! I love fishing and crabbing. I don't do enough of it these days. So when I get a chance like this it is pure joy. But spending time with my son on this Father's day was even better. He is a great father and husband. And he is also a great son. I will remember this day for a long time.

 

 

 





 

 I'll be back this fall with both my brothers. We started a family tradition a few years back where the three brothers go fishing with Matt during the fall king run. The spring king's in my opinion are some of the finest eating fish on the planet. The Chinook's are full of oil and do they cook well. They also smoke well. Some of these are destined for the smoker. Yumm. The fall Chinook's or King's are bigger, but don't lack in taste either. Great fish.

Time to go. I say my goodbyes to all. The Coleman is full of iced salmon. I got some good photographs and more importantly I got to spend a moment of time with my son, my daughter-in-law and a very precious granddaughter. This has been the best Father's Day ever! Thanks Matt.



 



More Eagles

Last Sunday found me out in the Dungeness area doing a photo assignment for my digital photography class. It was near sunset and I thought I'd check out the Cline Spit to watch the sun go down and see if I could pick up an image or two. Glad I did.

As I approached from the east on Marine Drive I noticed a couple of cars parked near the eagle's nest that I wrote about in my last post. Obviously they were trying to get a cool sunset image or just enjoying the evening with other birders. I decided to continue to the Cline Spit. As it is only a few hundred yards further west from the nest, I wasn't expecting what I came across. Five eagles were riding the stiff breeze that was pouring into the Strait from the west, hitting the bluffs to create an uplift of air for the eagles to ride. And they were riding the wind and doing aerial acrobatics like crazy! I stopped the car quickly at the intersection of Cline and Marine, jumped out of the car and started shooting. After a little bit they decided to either land in a tree or go harass a bunch of seagulls that were floating together near shore at the boat ramp of Cline Spit.

 

Eagle landing in tree on bluff overlooking Cline Spit near Sequim, Washington

 

I waved to some people in a car who passed me while shooting. The look on their face was not one of friendly appreciation that I had parked the car in half of the lane and they had to go around me. Oops! Back in the car and down the hill I went to see what the eagle that was chasing the seagulls was up to.
He gave me plenty of opportunities for good shots as he cruised with the wind back and forth up the beach and each time he returned to the same spot where all the seagulls had circled the wagons so to speak and would dive down toward the swimming gulls and scatter them. A couple brave seagulls took turns diving on the eagle as it went up the beach and turned back to make another run on the floating gulls. It reminded of a time many years ago when I was fishing in a boat off the Dungeness spit and another eagle was leisurely flying down the beach line when a flock of seagulls came up to meet it and started to do the same thing. Taking turns diving on the eagle and staying just above and behind it. One much braver soul decided to come a bit closer than the others and, well you know what happened, the eagle like the aerial gymnast that they are, did a lightening quick 180 degree turn with his body. Dang, if he didn't grab that gull with his talons and did another 180 and rode that poor gull all the way down to the beach for a quick lunch. Of course this made his friends go berserk! It didn't seem to matter to the eagle as he tore into his lunch.

So remembering what had happened years ago, I was looking for the same kind of reaction from this eagle to his would be tormentors if they got too close. Not this evening though. I did get a couple shots of him diving on the other gulls.
After a while he got tired of playing this game with the seagulls and let the wind pick him up, shooting him high in the air and then took a perch near where the other eagles had landed along the bluff line.
All in all a good trip out to the Dungeness to enjoy one of nature's wonders... the eagle.
                        

 

 



Where are the Eagles?

Several years ago I was doing 'road patrol' in the Dungeness area in my county truck. I noticed a couple of photographers set up along the road with cameras and tripods near a dead snag. Sure enough an eagle was perched high in the branches of the tree. I stopped and traded small talk with them. They came over from the Seattle area to photograph our wildlife, great scenery and had been looking especially for the elusive bald eagle. Fortunately they happened upon one in a snag near the road. Eagles make great subjects for photographers. And we have our fair share of them here on the Peninsula. But where are the eagles when your from out of town and don't have a clue where to find them consistently?

I was watching King 5's, Northwest Backroads, a program that highlights the less traveled areas of the state. This particular show had a clip of the Skagit River and its eagle population. It featured a guide that floats the Skagit and targets the eagles along the bank for photographers and bird watchers.
Cool idea. Unfortunately, unless you travel to the Forks area and book a salmon or steel head fishing trip your unlikely to see eagles from a raft or drift boat in Clallam County. Which I have in the past, as my son is a fishing guide and we have seen many an eagle on the Hoh and Sol duc Rivers. But most people coming to the Peninsula are day travelers looking to score a cool eagle image like the two photographers that I ran into on the road. So where are the eagles in the Dungeness area?

First off, long lenses are must when doing most bird imaging. Eagles are no different. The longer a lens the better. I would recommend a lens no shorter than a 300mm for ideal capture. A 200mm will work if you have a camera that has a high pixel count that one might crop the shot and not lose resolution. I shoot with a Canon 100-400mm lens that gives me the flexibility to change my compositions quickly. A solid tripod is another essential. Hand holding a 400mm lens is not smart, unless the birds are in flight. Higher ISO and image stabilization helps in these cases.


Juvenile eagle in flight.

 



My first spot I would take you to is on the backside of the Olympic Game Farm on the Lotzgesell Road. Which can be accessed by going north on the Sequim-Dungeness Hwy from Sequim, all the way to where it turns into Anderson Road and crosses the Dungeness River heading west. Just about a mile from crossing the Dungeness you'll come to the Lotzgesell Road. You can only turn left as it T's into Anderson. Continue past the Ward Road (Entrance to the Game Farm is on Ward) about 3/4's of a mile till you hit a sharp 90 degree turn on Lotzgesell, you'll be looking at the Olympic Mountains now. You will have been been traveling next to the Game Farm's back fence all this time. Now when you turn south at that 90 on Lotzgesell you'll come to a very small road called Jim Lotzgesell Road. It is before the second 90 degree in the road and just before a cemetery on your left. Pull into Jim Lotzgesell Road, stop and look up. You'll see a very large fir tree that is on the Game Farm property. The chances are there will be a least one eagle if not two hanging out in that tree. They are waiting for a hand out from the Game Farm. Your long lens will come in handy for this shot.

Second spot is also accessed by traveling north on the Sequim-Dungeness Hwy and instead of turning left on Lotzgesell Road, continue another 1/4 mile to Marine Drive. Here you can only make a right turn toward the water. You will pass the entrance to the old Dungeness Oyster House, now made into a county park named the Dungeness Landing Park. Continue around another hard left that takes you along the bluff above the Dungeness Spit and the Strait of Juan de Fuca. There is a couple of tiny turn outs that you will want to stop and shoot the spit and the New Dungeness Lighthouse before your view is gone by a stand of fir trees on the bluff. This is where our next shot is. Just last week I was out with other photographers shooting mama eagle feeding her young eaglets.

Mama eagle feeding youngin's

 

Unfortunately I couldn't see the little ones as yet, but in the weeks to come they will be out of the nest and hanging out for all to see. You will probably see more than one car parked across from the nest. But if you don't, it is between where you enter the wooded section on Marine Drive above the Dungeness Landing Park and the road that leads down to Cline Spit County Park. There is a wide section of shoulder on the south side of the road to park on. But please take care when shooting not to go into the wooded section where the eagles live, as it is private property and the owners get kinda grumpy when you trespass. The people who own property across the street of the nest have been extremely tolerant to photographers and bird watchers so we don't want to give them any reason to change their mind about stopping for an interesting shot of an eagle family do we? Well there you go. You not only have a couple of great spots to look for eagles, but other Peninsula subjects to compose that perfect photograph as well. Good hunting!