The white fawn story...with a happy ending

During the first week in May this year, a white fawn was born on or next to our property. We saw him all wobbly, trying to follow mom across our driveway. Here’s a link to that blog post: https://carolleigh.blogspot.com/2019/05/a-white-fawn-in-woods.html

The next time we saw him was July 18 and he had a very large wound on his right hindquarter. We figured maybe a coyote got to him. We worried.

Then on September 12, we saw that his wound was healing quite nicely. And finally, on October 7, it looked as though the wound had healed and he had no problem getting around.

I can tell by the pedicles appearing on his head that he is indeed a he. It’s going to be fun to watch him grow. Great story, no?

©2019 Carol Leigh

Around the Island: Autumn on Whidbey

The weather has been classically wonderful (big blue skies, no rain, plenty of sunshine, temps ranging from the upper 40s at night, upper 50s/lower 60s during the day). Perfect for getting out and exploring the island.

Farm stands display freshly picked apples and pears as well as wheelbarrows, shelves, and baskets full of pumpkins. The produce is fresh and locally grown (except for some pumpkins I spotted at a local nursery, each one proudly displaying a sticker from . . . Woodburn, Oregon!

Scarecrows line the streets in Coupeville and painted brooms, looking like candy corn, add color to the overlook in downtown Langley.

People are selecting their pumpkins in fields here and there; the dahlias are just about finished blooming; and the air is fresh and clear.

Here are a few pictures I've taken over the past 10 days or so. What a happy time of year.

All text, photographs, and other media are ©Copyright Carol Leigh (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from Carol Leigh. Thank you for your understanding and kindness.

Around the island ... Nasty Woman

Spotted outside the "Far From Normal" shop on Front Street in Coupeville, Whidbey Island. They always have something weird and fun out front. Love the shoes.

All text, photographs, and other media are ©Copyright Carol Leigh (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from Carol Leigh.

A quiet Sunday morning on Whidbey Island

We had about a two-hour window before showers were supposed to hit, so over to the Coupeville wharf, where everything was quiet, lovely, and softly lighted. (Panorama mode on iPhone 6+)

A pair of bald eagles is apparently nesting nearby and we saw the changing of the guard twice.

And what I thought at first might be a harbor seal turned into a large otter, checking out the logs and the pilings.

A welcome respite after the political shenanigans that seem to be flooding into my brain. And speaking of flooding, here's hoping all my California friends are safe and dry. I know you need the rain, but all at once?

Wishing all a serene week.

©Carol Leigh
All text, photographs, and other media are ©Copyright Carol Leigh (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from Carol Leigh.

Eight Years of November

I took a look at all the photos I've posted in the month of November over the past eight years and selected one from each November for each year. (What a confusing sentence. Darned if I'm going to edit it, though.)

In 2009 snow covered a still-blooming fuchsia bush as well as a cute little birdhouse in our back yard in Waldport, Oregon.

Another year I was out on the beach in Oregon, looking for patterns in the sand. That's one of the big things I miss here on Whidbey Island -- big empty beaches. Miles to walk, and if there were four people out there, it was crowded! There are lots of beaches here, too, but many are private, others are smaller. No huge expanses of sand during minus tides. Not a complaint! Just something I miss.

Below that is a photo taken at the Seal Rock overlook in Oregon. A long exposure helped emphasize water movement and the spray from the waves.

And the fishing boats in Newport, Oregon? I miss them, too, although I've found a few extremely cool places here in Washington to photograph. Just takes a bit more driving to get to them. The fishing vessel "Finn" looks pretty good there on a foggy morning.

Below "Finn" is a photomontage I made out of paper and copper and rusty metal that I call "Northern Lights."

The weird photomontage below that is called "And the Rains Came." I would have to go back to see all the elements I used to create it. But I do remember that the vertical "raindrops" came from a photograph I took of a carved and painted wooden support pole in Santa Fe. Gotta say, the results surprised me. In a good way.

The sepia-toned image is the Coupeville Wharf, taken in 2015 when we moved here to Whidbey Island.

And this year's November shot is called "Experiment #9504." An ongoing series that is simply fun at the moment.

So there you have it. November's been a pretty good month photographically over the years.

©Carol Leigh
All text, photographs, and other media are ©Copyright Carol Leigh (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from Carol Leigh.

Same scene, two cameras

Before Halloween we went over to Sherman's Farm in Coupeville to check out their pumpkins and to see families enjoying the trolley rides through the fields, the cows eating pumpkins (who knew?), and excited children running around all over the place.

Off to one side I saw this old wicker chair with pumpkins on it. I shot the top photograph using a DSLR and a 100mm lens. The scene was deeply shaded and I left a bit of the bluish color in the shot because I liked the mood.

Then I used my iPhone 6+ and took the second picture. I was able to move in much closer and sort of hover overhead to compose it.

That wasn't enough, however. I used a Prisma app to change the entire look, from a moody, shady image above, to this light, bright, more festive picture. I like both of them, but find myself more drawn to the iPhone shot, just because it's a bit more fun to look at.

Yes, it's not real. Yes, it's an app. But it's not PRETENDING to be anything else than what it is -- a tricked-out cellphone shot.

Happy election day. May this all be over soon.

©Carol Leigh
All text, photographs, and other media are ©Copyright Carol Leigh (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from Carol Leigh.

Around the island . . .

Coupeville's famous red wharf on Whidbey Island, Washington a few days ago. Early morning, bright sunshine, wonderful reflections. A good start to the day.

©Carol Leigh
All text, photographs, and other media are ©Copyright Carol Leigh (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from Carol Leigh.

Around the island: Coupeville Wharf

Every time I go into Coupeville to just wander around, I invariably walk out onto the famous wharf. I ask you. Who can resist a bright red building, a pier, and big water views?

This is a cellphone photo, to which I added a variety of painterly effects.

©Carol Leigh
All text, photographs, and other media are ©Copyright Carol Leigh (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from Carol Leigh.

Follow-up to yesterday's blog post . . .

Before I posted yesterday's article about finding inspiration, I wanted to get permission to do so from the artist who painted the image I used as an example (Lisa Pressman).

As I went through her website looking for an e-mail address, I saw she had a calendar of her workshops posted. And it turns out she was conducting a workshop here in Coupeville THIS WEEK!

She kindly granted me permission to use her painting photo in yesterday's post, and then also invited me to come over to the Pacific Northwest Art School to chat and see what the class was doing. Bonus!

We just got back home from our visit. The big room they were working in was a complete mess. It was supposed to be a complete mess! It's encaustic painting, after all, and there was colored wax everywhere, lots of tools for scraping, stencils and strings for texture, and more. And everyone was having a great time.

So I ask you: What are the odds that I should post an article using Lisa Pressman's encaustic painting as an example yesterday, that I would e-mail her and receive an immediate response, and that she (this woman from New Jersey) would be just seven minutes up the road from us?

Art. Art is messy. Art brings us together. Art is fun. This was a fun set of circumstances for me, all about art.

©Carol Leigh
All text, photographs, and other media are ©Copyright Carol Leigh (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from Carol Leigh.

Summer flowers

It's summer here on the island and man, there are flowers everywhere! We've got hydrangeas blooming in the front yard. In downtown Coupeville there are geraniums in window boxes. And down a little walkway, also in Coupeville, I found a vase of flowers sitting on a table.

I began in photography by shooting flowers. I'll probably end up with flowers as well -- so hard to resist. So beautiful. So apolitical. Even the orange ones.

 ©Carol Leigh
All text, photographs, and other media are ©Copyright Carol Leigh (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from Carol Leigh.

Around the island . . .

A very good day yesterday. We went exploring.

For the past year we've looked across the passage into the distance to see a large-ish mountain. Looking at maps, we couldn't quite find it, didn't know what it was, so we just referred to it as the "un-mountain." As in, "Look, there's some snow on the un-mountain."

Turns out what we've been seeing is Mt. Erie off in the distance, and yesterday we drove up to the top. It was high noon, so please forgive the first two awful photos, but they do show you the lay of the land. We live way out there on the horizon line (red star in the second picture).

The views from the top are quite spectacular, stretching from Naval Air Station Whidbey and the coast along the west side of the island, south toward Coupeville, and then the Skagit Valley to the east. This is a prime sunrise location. Prime.

Back down the mountain and then to Anacortes to meander among the boats. "Red" was the theme yesterday, apparently.

Returning home, we saw a regatta taking place in Penn Cove -- 56 sailboats with spinnakers billowing out. I texted my friend Paige, "Sailboats in Penn Cove! Sailboats in the cove!" I get a very laconic "Yep. They were there yesterday, too. Stop by for a beer?"

We detoured to the wharf, but the race was almost over and the boats kind of too far away. No matter. Colorful and fun. Walking back to the car, bumped into Eric, husband of the woman who cuts my hair. He's an excellent photographer, had a longer lens than I (damn!), and had also been shooting the boats. He was off to Oak Harbor to see if he could photograph them arriving at the marina. Meanwhile, there was a beer waiting for us at Paige's house, and that's where we ended our day.

The best part of the day? Sitting quietly on top of a mountain hearing/watching eagles soar above and below us. Watching a raven soar, then suddenly tuck in his wings, flip almost upside-down, chortle, then right himself only to do it again. And again. Having a bird's-eye view of this land where we live.

And then, of course, serendipitously encountering a fellow photographer. And having a beer with Paige wasn't too shabby either!

Wishing you a moment of silence today, as you watch something miraculous right in front of you.

©Carol Leigh
All text, photographs, and other media are ©Copyright Carol Leigh (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from Carol Leigh.

Around the island . . .

A couple days ago Chris and I went exploring, hoping to find some lavender fields we'd heard about. Who knew they were only about 15 minutes away?

The Lavender Wind farm features acres of brilliantly purple lavender fields, a cabana where bundles of lavender are hung up to dry, and a small gift shop where we could buy lavender soap, caramels, bath items, and more.

They also grow catnip on the property, and so we left with a present for Abby -- a small "pillow" of catnip, guaranteed to delight. And it did.

Lavender Wind has a larger shop in downtown Coupeville that we'll have to check out as well, but the fields nearby were spectacular, exceeding our expectations. The purple level is currently a "6" (on a scale of 1-10), so it's just going to get better and better.

Will we go back again soon? We'd be foolish not to.

©Carol Leigh
All text, photographs, and other media are ©Copyright Carol Leigh (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from Carol Leigh.

A couple from downtown Coupeville

Coupeville's Penn Cove Water Festival is going on right now. Chris and I headed downtown before all the festivities began and wandered around a bit. Alas, I'm not fond of crowds, so we left before the "good stuff" started, but still enjoyed talking with the vendors, wandering around the farmers' market, having coffee and apple pie at Knead & Feed.

Here's a self-portrait in front of a shop called "Far From Normal." Nah, not me at all, but if you look closely, there's Chris reflected in the TV!

And then a shot of an antique store across the street. Love the arrow in the window.

A cool and overcast day today on Whidbey Island. Nice contrast to all the bright sunny days we've been having lately. Sounds weird, huh? Yeah, well . . .

 ©Carol Leigh
All text, photographs, and other media are ©Copyright Carol Leigh (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from Carol Leigh.

Cemetery art . . .

It was cold (35 degrees) the other day, and rather rainy, but we went out exploring anyway, heading up to Sunnyside Cemetery on Ebey's Prairie. It's a beautiful location, with expansive views of farmlands spreading out below.

The cemetery is one of the more interesting I've visited, with lots of unique personalized markers, such as this one, a sculpture of two great horned owls. On warmer and dryer days I plan to explore some more. This was a great start.

P.S. We had at least four, maybe six, great horned owls staking out their territories on our property yesterday at twilight. Two hooting off to my left, two more to my right, and then, off in the distance, two more, softly muffled. These two in the cemetery didn't hoot once . . .

 ©Carol Leigh
All text, photographs, and other media are ©Copyright Carol Leigh (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from Carol Leigh. Thank you!

Around the island . . .

Freezing cold temperatures this past weekend, but the sunshine was enticing, so we walked around Langley, out to the Coupeville wharf, and watched the fog slowly glide across the bay, also from the wharf. No wind, lots of sun, yet the streets were rather slippery. Two out of three ain't bad.

 ©Carol Leigh
All text, photographs, and other media are ©Copyright Carol Leigh (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from Carol Leigh. Thank you!

Around the island . . .

We have our first house guest! What better excuse to get up, get out, and take a look around? He's a photographer, too, so it's great to be able to shoot the photographic breeze, learn a few things, and share some cool visual experiences.

Now that I've found my battery chargers, I can use the digital SLRs, but these were taken with my iPhone, using the Camera+ app and the Lone Star effect.

In between showers we visited Fort Casey, drove around the Coupeville-Port Townsend ferry docks, then to a marina (where it seriously rained until we scurried back to the car, when it promptly stopped), Langley, and then back to Coupeville. We head out again this morning after breakfast. Hoo ha!

And what did I learn last night at dinner? That CMD>L in Bridge will enlarge the picture big enough for me to determine if it's worth keeping or if I should trash it right then. This is probably the first thing one learns in Bridge, but nope, I never knew . . . much to our guest's amusement. Smart-ass.

©Carol Leigh
All text, photographs, and other media are ©Copyright Carol Leigh (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from Carol Leigh. Thank you!