Photos by Peg – Page 9 – Sequim Daily Photo

Orange We Special?!

Butterfly Wonderland, Scottsdale, AZ is indeed a wonderful place to find hundreds of beautiful butterflies, and as luck would have it, this particular one was perched on a Mexican Flame Flower of the same color, and a similar name.

Commonly called the Julia butterfly, the flame, or flambeau, is a species of brush-footed butterfly, native from Brazil to southern Texas and Florida, and in summer can sometimes be found as far north as eastern Nebraska.

While dodging these winged wonders and having them land on our heads and hands, both my husband and I indulged in their beauty and agility. And, we watched in wonder as some attempted to mate, but as we discovered later, male and female butterflies may go on a courtship flight that can last for an hour or more; but with our limited time and my long, heavy camera/lens combo, we weren’t about to wait that long.

However, I do have some very close encounter images, one of which I’ll share with you tomorrow, just for “porn” sake.

Arizona Landscape

Primarily, I consider myself a bird photographer, and since Saguaro cacti are magnetics for cactus wrens, capturing one was my first thought when finding this statuesque 8-armed prickly beauty.

Although the birds refused to cooperate, I knew the clouds in the distance would be a rare occurrence during our visit, and since the temperatures were higher than normal for this time of year, the landscape before me was parched, but enticing enough to afford a photo – and my first one on our trip.

Over Mt. Shasta

This view was a perfect and unexpected ending to our long awaited trip to Phoenix and Scottsdale, AZ.

I rarely have a window seat that affords this kind of view, but since when we had such great seats, I was planning on getting a phone shot of Mt. Rainier through the porthole. Leaving Sacramento afforded an excellent view of Mt. Shasta instead, and later a chance to see Crater Lake from the air as well.

With that said, our trip on the ferry from Seattle to Bainbridge Island was a sea of fog…but nonetheless, coming back to Sequim was the best part of our journey. Little did I know how much I’d miss our gorgeous TREES, the color GREEN, and CLOUDS!

So if you should catch me complaining about the cold, or anything else we have in Sequim, please remind me that we’re truly in God’s Country and some of the luckiest people on the planet!

Not Exactly Sequim…

We’re back from the desert and before I say more, I want to thank both Lewis Bennett and Ardythe Wyndt for filling in for me last week. It helped to make our stay in Phoenix much more enjoyable, and I know you readers appreciated seeing their work.

With that said…it was quite a week, and I came home with hundreds of images from our trips to two botanical gardens (I was craving a “green” fix from the moment we stepped off the plane) and Butterfly World in Scottsdale. I hope you’ll enjoy sharing in our adventures in the week ahead. If anything, this trip made me appreciate the Pacific Northwest and Sequim much more than I ever envisioned!

Introducing…Lewis Bennett

This striking image was photographed by my friend, and fellow photographer, Lewis Bennett. You’ll be seeing more of his work (and others) throughout the week, so enjoy, and rest assured that whatever comments you may have will be shared with him.

“Early Morning Fog—On a Thanksgiving trip to Victoria, Canada, we visited the Malahut Tower, about an hour’s drive north of Victoria. This is the first time I have seen the fog and mist intertwine and dance among the trees!”

On the Road Again!

Although not my car, I can well relate to the owner and maybe you can too. While I’m able, I want to see it all and do it all…and therefore, I’m on the road again, this time to Phoenix, returning in about a week.

In the meantime, beginning tomorrow, a number of friends and fellow photographers have offered to provide photos in my absence and I hope you’ll not only enjoy their work, but celebrate it by providing feedback, if at all possible.

Otherwise, have a great week, thanks much, and Adios!

For the Love of Boats

Rather than collecting souvenirs that require dusting and storing, I prefer to come home with images instead, ones that I don’t always print, but that more often than not, remain stored on my computer for my enjoyment after my return.

Revisiting them takes me back to the time, place, and emotion I felt while enjoying a location’s draw and beauty. And while during yet another trip to Port Townsend, this beauty was waiting to be “captured” and to go home with me. I love boats, boating and just about everything associated with saltwater, and this lovely creation was no exception.

And as the years pass, it never wears on me, gets old, or begs me to donate it just to get get it out of my sight; it simply acts as if seeing a dear friend after a long hiatus, one I can go back to whenever the mood strikes me, or whenever I stumble on it in my computer. And I hope you enjoy it as much as me.