Category Archives: Puget Sound

Winter is just ducky

March 16, 2023 XingfuMama 2 Comments

I love ducks. The types of ducks around here vary by the season. American widgeons and goldeneye are two species that winter here in the not-so-sunny Puget Sound region. The mallards are around all year.

A group of American widgeons — American widgeons

It’s fun to watch the ducks. The goldeneye are diving ducks that fish together in groups.

For Denzil Nature Photo Challenge.

Puget Sound, Snapshots from a Happy Life

March Skies

March 8, 2023 XingfuMama 5 Comments

Changing weather: Dramatic clouds from a spring storm sweeping up Puget Sound. View toward Kitsap Peninsula from Vashon Island.

Dramatic clouds from a spring storm sweeping up Puget Sound.

I recently read that this is the “worm moon”.

For Wordless Wednesday and Hammad Rais’s Weekend Sky.

Puget Sound, Snapshots from a Happy Life

“Water, water everywhere”

February 28, 2023 XingfuMama 2 Comments

This little gull must be thinking that.

For Jez Baithwaite’s Water, Water Everywhere.

Puget Sound, Washington State

Nothing but blue skies…

February 25, 2023 XingfuMama 4 Comments

…At least for now. They are predicting snow later today.

This is a a follow up to the Winter Storm Watch post. Here is approximately the same view this morning.

Early morning skies: View from Cedarhurst on Vashon Island across Colvos Passage on Puget Sound toward the west.

In the above photo you can just see the top of the mountain I mentioned in that post, Mount Constance. Zooming in you can see the snow from the storm:

Mount Constance in the Olympic Mountains of Washington state peeking over the Kitsap Peninsula.

A reminder of the cloud break up that the mountains cause (you can also see how the water is affected by the neutral density filter)

The same view as a winter storm blew in.

For Hammad Rais’s Weekend Sky challenge.

Keep warm and safe!

Puget Sound

Winter storm watch

February 22, 2023 XingfuMama 3 Comments

The clouds were moving consistently from south to north (left to right in the photos). I believe that the consistent shape break up is due to the Olympic Mountains, which arise pretty much straight out from the edge of the bulk head.

I set my camera up on a tripod as the first bank of clouds arrived, put on neutral density filters (CPL plus a six stop), set the aperture set at F/16, and ISO at 64. Then I took the above sequence of photos between 4:00pm and 6:25pm. The length of the exposures varied depending on the ambient light but generally went from about 5 seconds for the first shot, at about 4:00pm to 10 for the last one, which was during twilight.

For Wordless Wednesday and Hammad Rais’s Weekend Sky

Puget Sound

Mother Nature’s Vespers

February 18, 2023 XingfuMama 8 Comments

Taps played in my head as we walked the beach just after sunset.

Day is done
Gone the sun
From the lakes…
From the hills…
From the sky.
All is well.
Safely rest.
God is nigh.
Taps

For Hammad Rais’s Weekend Sky.

Puget Sound

Saturday’s skies

November 7, 2022 XingfuMama 3 Comments

Yesterday was a day between storms.

For Hammad Rais’s Weekend Sky and Jez Braithwaite’s Water, water everywhere.

Puget Sound

Up, up and away: Big Blue in Flight

September 27, 2022 XingfuMama 2 Comments

Great Blue Herons aren’t rare around here, and at least three can be seen regularly fishing as the tide changes at Fern Cove.

I caught a few decent pictures of “Big Blue” in flight while I was over at my dad’s last week. They are very graceful birds, and very efficient fishers.

For Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge: Birds.

Black & White, Puget Sound

Mid-week monochrome skies

August 10, 2022 XingfuMama 4 Comments

Mid-week monochrome seems like a perfect description of today’s skies. I took a couple of pictures while we were getting on the ferry and was curious to see how much difference switching to black and white would make

Ferry leaving the north end of Vashon Island. — Color

Same photo as above with GIMP's desaturate HSV filter applied. — Simple desaturation

Then I played with a more elaborate black and treatment:

Looking in another direction.

Looking north-northwest from the Fauntleroy ferry dock in Seattle — Color

Same photo desaturated using the GIMP's desaturate with the luma method. — Simple desaturation

A more dramatic treatment using the Nik Silver Effects pro

Since we had thunderstorms and a lot of rain the more dramatic black and white seem to suit the feel of the day. But my eyes did not deceive me: there isn’t a whole lot of difference between the color image and one that is simply desaturated.

A little later we got a little more light (and the power came back on!).