http://blog.forrestcroce.com Exploring the Pacific Northwest Landscape Mon, 07 Jul 2008 20:42:24 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en With planets, nebulas, smiley faces, and a giant reflecting lake, Seattle's fireworks are rumored to be among the most impressive in the country. Unlike the show on New Year, coming out of the Space Needle, these are launched from a barge on Lake Union.  Most of these photos were ... http://blog.forrestcroce.com/4th-of-july-fireworks-on-lake-union/2008/07/07/ An easy hike is a double-edged sword; being in nature isn't really "getting away" if the trail is as densely populated as New York. Talapus is close enough to Seattle, and easy enough, that the US Forest Service web page warns "This area offers little privacy or seclusion ... http://blog.forrestcroce.com/talapus-lake-in-june-snow/2008/06/30/ Light is the essence of photography, as we can see from the word roots.  ( Photo = Light;  Graph = Visualization, Display )  Most landscape photographers take this to mean shooting during the Golden Hour, and for good reason.  Incident light falls on our subject from its source - often ... http://blog.forrestcroce.com/god-beams/2008/05/31/ Enveloped in the middle of Seattle, Lake Union looks like a bladder being fed by over thin channels. With a clear view of the Space Needle and downtown from most points on the lake, the Center for Wooden Boats along the south shore, pedestrian foot bridges and green belt, ... http://blog.forrestcroce.com/north-lake-union/2008/04/21/ We've been treated to especially disjointed weather lately in the Emerald City. Last Friday saw big snow-flakes falling downtown for several hours in a late March storm more appropriate to Colorado than the ocean-side Pacific Northwest. We've enjoyed freakishly benign weather ( "that yellow thing in the sky" ... http://blog.forrestcroce.com/snow-in-the-highlands-and-in-seattle/2008/03/30/ "It's god-awful country," the officer said, recommending that I avoid US 287 across Wyoming from Rawlins to Moran Junction. He was right. I had flown to Connecticut, where I grew up, bought a used car, and was driving it home to California; a member of the local ... http://blog.forrestcroce.com/cohabitation/2008/03/06/ In the north end of Ballard, Golden Gardens is a small point into Puget Sound. Beach spreads out in both directions, giving visitors fantastic views into the Olympic Range, making a great hike, and attracting water foul of all kinds. Across the water is Bainbridge Island, hosting a row of ... http://blog.forrestcroce.com/olympic-sunset-from-golden-gardens/2008/02/25/ It's a 700 vertical-foot climb to the top of Multnomah Falls; about a mile and a quarter each way, mostly over switchbacks. Being a fairly easy hike and only 30 miles from Portland, the challenge isn't getting to the top, it's fighting the crowd. Even in the ... http://blog.forrestcroce.com/multnomah-falls-from-on-high/2008/02/19/ Aptly named, Paradise is an outpost of civilization in southwestern Mount Ranier National Park. More than a mile - 5,400 feet - above nearby sea level, our destination is every bit the sub-alpine wonderland its name implies. A valley of meadows teaming with wildflowers, lakes, and backing up ... http://blog.forrestcroce.com/paradise-in-winter/2008/02/01/ Fog hangs in pockets of the Seattle, particularly near the water, while clouds blow overhead, reflecting the colors of the city behind them. This isn't unusual for mid January in the Rainy City ... most days, the sky scrapers are hidden behind the fog. http://blog.forrestcroce.com/storm-over-seattle-from-kerry-park/2008/01/20/