Usually crawdads are hard to find. They do most of their creeping and crawling in the crevices of large rocks in the river depths and the cover of night's darkness. This misguided creature, however, was roaming the shallows in the brightness of mid-day. 

Maybe the missing pincer was throwing it off?

We were treated to "front-row seats" at the first lightning show I have seen in a long time. While driving from Monroe to Snohomish, the storm was flashing and striking in rare, clear bolts. We pulled over and watched the show in Monroe for awhile before heading home and getting there just in time for the storm to pass overhead. My wife, in her good judgement, would not let me climb up on our roof so I had to settle for a street shot.

We worked hard on Saturday at making the most of the waning summer.

Credit and thanks to Lindsey for the shots of the billiard ball and the kayaking shot at the top.

We celebrated Independence Day this year by kicking off the crabbing season - for the first time ever - at Kayak Point. Since you can see that I have no pictures of crabs on display below you might guess that we didn't catch any. That would be correct. The crabs held their independence this round. It was only fitting. 

We stayed until just dusk was approaching and then scampered back home just in time to grab a quick dinner and head over to catch the dazzling display of fireworks shot high above the Evergreen State Fairgrounds. My daughter enjoyed the their sight, not as much their feel. So we watched from the car and saved "film" for the real show. A private show, for which we had an exclusive invite. My buddy's. I actually wasn't planning to shoot fireworks at all, but after watching for a bit I thought, hey, I might as well have some fun doing what I do while my buddy's having fun doing what he does. So I fetched out my camera and took a couple impromptu shots of him lighting off things that shot around and exploded.

Tucked inside a white daisy in our garden was this white crab spider that my wife discovered while tending to the plants. I like how it is juxtaposed against the white of the surrounding daisy petals, awaiting its prey.

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I remember waking up in the morning as a kid to see a fresh blanket of snow covering the ground. How wonderful and magical it was. The world was transformed. Brand new. Ripe for exploration. What a pure and happy sight. 

Here my daughter is looking out our front window at the snow after having briefly been outside to see and feel the flakes falling from the sky. There are a couple of melted snowflakes sitting as water droplets in her hair. I think this was one of the first mornings where she "discovered" snow.

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I've been mostly around home the last few weeks - haven't really even gotten out locally - so here's a few pot shots from around the house. Sometimes you just gotta satisfy your shutter-finger craving no matter where you're at!

Pot Shots >

Every once in awhile a certain something grabs my attention and I'll capture it with my camera, not knowing yet what I'll do with it. I capture it just for the sake of it. I put these pictures in my Pot Shots gallery, because they aren't part of a certain shoot and were taken without an objective. They have no other roll.

Here's a couple more from early this year. Enjoy!

Hadn't been to the Woodland Park Zoo in awhile. Maybe since elementary school. It seems like many of the exhibits have been remodeled or renovated since then, but it could be I just don't remember those details. We got the discounted winter rates, and animal activity. Not much, that is to say. I think everyone and everything was just trying to stay warm. Lots of huddling in little corners and such. The Pacific Blue Chowder house served us some clam chowder that really hit the spot, along with a complimentary fry. That was a little bingo.

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In Deadwater Slough, off the Snohomish River near Everett, WA, there's an old abandoned boat. It's been there for years, isn't unknown, and apparently might be there for awhile. It's been on the back of my mind to take pictures of it since I first noticed it several years ago. I had some free time this past weekend to go out shooting with one of my nephews, so we settled on this and I started mapping out how we might get access to it. As it turns out, just north of where the slough joins the Snohomish, there's a little park called Spencer Island Park. Maybe standing on the south tip of the island would get us close enough for a telephoto lens? ... Wait, what's this park all about now? Maybe it'd be worth checking out. Plus, no mapping and brush-busting necessary. And it wouldn't be a problem for the family either so my little girl could get some fresh air. Talked myself right into it. We headed out just before dusk. The abandoned boat at Deadwater Slough would be tabled yet again.

As the tide came in, the sun set, and the temperature dropped, we walked along the main trail and watched for birds and signs of other wildlife. There were mostly ducks and herons, lots of them. For being so near the city, the setting also offered some neat wetland reflections and landscapes. And although it wasn't totally serene (there were some funny smells that we chalked up the saltwater and there were other folks about), it was something to explore. If we didn't get any startling imagery, we at least found a new place to take a stroll. That's something, isn't it?