Self-isolating at home . . .

Around the yard . . .

Here on Whidbey we're pretty isolated in a rural area, so we don't have the same concerns a lot of other people do about keeping our distance. I can take a walk up and down the road without (usually) meeting a soul.

We (again because of our remoteness and the unpredictable weather) have always made sure we're pretty much stocked up with the necessities and so we haven't had to make our way through any grocery stores for the past month.

What we're really missing is physically visiting people, televised pro/college basketball, and eating out in restaurants.

First world problems, right?! Oh, poor us!

The good thing is that my art studio is right here, so I can continue making things. And I can always find something to photograph in our yard and/or up and down the road. So that's what I'm doing.

This winter a number of alder trees fell over, making it easy for me to just see what's on the ground and shoot the bark (top photo).

Hellebores are the first flowers to appear in late winter and deer don't eat 'em, so that's what you're seeing in the second photo.

And then this species of Usnea lichen festoons a lot of the trees. The lichens look very pale green and lacy against a more solid background.

(Each photo taken with an iPhone.)

My heart goes out to all the small businesses we have on Whidbey who have had to close, with employers and employees wondering when will things go back to "normal."

And my thanks go to all the health care workers who are also in a sort of limbo, wondering when a tidal wave of sick people is going to hit all the medical facilities. Or not. Hopefully not.

So we do our part to live an isolated existence, stay clean and healthy, and wish for an early end to all this. We have 16 currently confirmed with the coronavirus in Island County (Whidbey Island and Camano Island), and no deaths.

Wishing you all health, peace, love, and happiness.

Copyright ©2020 Carol Leigh

Around the island . . . Madrones

My madrone project continues, although I consider these three "sketches." The lighting was bad, no tripod, and who photographs at noon anyway?! I still like them, and they encourage me to be out there shooting "for real" the next overcast day we have (although not promising this week!).

The bark contrasting with the cambium (the part of the tree that the bark covers and protects) is just spectacular, and it's that contrast that I continually notice/look for.

These aren't bad for hand-held shots, and I like how the varying light created different colors on different trees.

Not bad for "sketches."

All images copyright ©Carol Leigh 2019

What I'm working on: MADRONE TREE BARK

This is my summer project since it's rather weather dependent. Madrone trees are often tough to get to, and rain makes the job even tougher. So summer's my main window of opportunity.

But not TOO summery, because harsh sunlight can create dappled shadows, which aren't necessarily good for this project.

(But it's also tick season, and as I waded through weeds the other day, I got my first one. Ick! Luckily I saw it on my leg, a black spot smaller than the head of a pin. He'd taken a bite, was easy to remove, leaving a tiny red bump. He's now stuck to a Band-Aid, inside a little box, inside a plastic baggie. Why? Just in case this red bump gets bigger and I need the guy checked for some nefarious disease. Did I mention ick?)

So high overcast light is ideal: a little bit of shading, a little bit of shadowing, a little more light over here, and I've got depth, darkness, texture, and a glow.

The weather report decides what I work on that day. If the weather doesn't cooperate, no worries. I've got four other projects in progress. And I'll talk about the next one in the next post.

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 . . .

Off for a little drive this past Sunday to check out a couple of things.

First of all, because the lighting was good, I wanted to photograph an old red barn -- just bits and pieces and details -- and this rusty hinge caught my eye. Whenever I find the color red, weathered wood, some white trim, peeling paint, and then rusting metal, well, it's time to slam on the brakes and see what we can photograph.

I also had spotted a beautiful madrone tree a few weeks ago, so made sure we stopped for that as well. Again, the lighting was perfect, the results good, so this has become a new project -- to photograph madrone bark around the island. Luckily there are lots of madrone trees to choose from.

Then on to Lavender Wind farm, which looked great. My friend P. works there a couple days a week, so I'm SURE she's instrumental in making sure all is trimmed, weeded, and just perfect. Lavender Wind isn't a huge, sprawling place, but rather a somewhat intimate experience, with fields of lavender big enough to be impressive, but not so big as to be intimidating. The people there are friendly, the flowers are amazing, the gift shop fun to browse (we brought home a bouquet of dark, indigo-colored lavender stalks plus some catnip for Abby).

Here at home the rabbits are multiplying like, well, rabbits, and these two were hoovering up birdseed we had scattered below some trees (for the quail, the towhees, the juncos, chipmunks, chickarees, and squirrels). This picture was taken from above, through a dirty window, in low light. Not a good shot, but a decent depiction of who we have living on our property.

A terrific day. May we all have such quietly wonderful excursions.

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.