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In a previous fall photograph, I had made mentioned how difficult it was to find a fall woodland composition. Imagine then, my surprise when I happened upon this scene! “Wow”, I thought, “Thank you Mother Nature, you truly made this composition exceptional!" I absolutely love the vivid colors and how they are somewhat segregated (rather than in a mish-mash, as they usually are). Together, these elements create patterns and although there isn’t a particular subject, the red bushes in the middle certainly draw the viewer’s eye; ultimately the settling point. That said, I chose to crop out the sky because your eyes would have been drawn towards it (the brightness), and out of the photograph. This photo looks amazing on a wall. To view it on a wall, see the "SAMPLED Framed" section.
The story attached to this photo has absolutely NOTHING to do with this duck (a Common Goldeneye), and EVERYTHING to do with a "crappy" situation..... literally, lol 🙂 I woke up to a beautiful morning my RV; perched and overlooking the Bow River. I was eager to head back to the pond where I had taken this photo; I was rained out the night before. I planned to leave right away, and as I was getting the RV ready for take-off, I looked down my RV toilet bowl and decided that "NOW" was the time for a quick clean, and with one quick swirl around the toilet bowl my toilet bowl brush-head fell off and down into the holding tank! "OH NO, this can't be!". Now normally, with a direct drain system, that would not have been a problem but my RV has a macerator pump attached to a 1.5 inch drainpipe. I knew the brush head would have to be removed, but how? I was sick! Now what?! I grabbed a my kitchen tongs and shoved my arm down into the toilet hole (about 3 inches in diameter) when suddenly a thought came to mind, "What if I get arm gets stuck in the toilet, in the middle of no where!" (lol). So with my phone at my side, I lathered up my arm with cream rinse and with a prayer I plunged my arm down again. Notta! I couldn't reach it! My next thought was to fill the tank with whatever water I had so that the water level rises.... and that didn't work either! Okay, now what? I knew that if I drove away, the brush head will float around and I will no longer see it from above. Pondering, I was left with no choice but to find a RV repair shop A RV department suggested I remove the macerator pump or they could remove the tank (ouch$!) "but not now, it'll be a few weeks". Knowing I didn't have a choice, I headed for my daughter's house where I knew she'd have the tools I'd need to remove the macerator pump. So, picture this scene; two women lying side by side under a RV on a gravel ground and both (obviously) using brute force to remove some clamps AND (you guessed it) when the clamp let loose there might have been a drip or two of sewage..... LOL (it's only funny now, ha ha!). With the macerator pump removed, we drove to the local sani-dump and attached a regular RV sewage hose and prayed that it would just flush out..... Notta! With a flashlight in hand, I could see the brush head sitting on the bottom of the tank. Hmmm... now what? With a garden hose, we filled the black-water tank and proceeded to flush it again.... Notta! We tried again.... Notta! So, there the brush-head sat, innocently in the residual sewage of that tank and we sat on the ground wondering, "now what?". We decided to try to grab it with a trash-picker, and (you guessed it) I had to put my arm into the tank, yet again (pee yew!) but it worked! After we showered (!), we celebrated our resilience and ingenuity with a glass of wine. This will be a mother/daughter moment we'll never forget; together we did it! "If you want to accomplish anything, you must first be able to expect it of yourself". Wayne Dyer
I drove to the coast of Oregon without an itinerary, and although there were a few places I really wanted go visit, I wanted the freedom to explore. Besides, I wasn’t in a hurry, until…. read on. I drove to the ocean from Salem on all the back roads. I took my time and even took a side trip up a (creepy!) one lane mountainside road to check out a water fall but the it was running much too fast for my photographic liking. By the time I arrived at the coastline, it was pouring, and hard! It was also very windy; which makes driving the RV so much fun…. not! That said, I felt the day was done and I was done too, lol! The next morning I drove south, in and out of all the state dune parks along the 101. I was looking for one that had some photographic advantages, when I finally chose one with a jetty; it was from here that I captured this photograph. In the distance, the ocean sky was dark and threatening; I could see the rain coming (again!). Although it was overcast, I was very bright. It perfect for capturing the cresting white waves, I was thrilled! When it was time to look for somewhere to stay for the night, I stopped at the North Lake RV resort in Lakeside, only to discover they were closed for the season. The lovely owner Karen however was there, and when I explained I simply needed a place to park, she graciously welcomed my stay. Later in that evening Karen called me to say, “There’s a huge rain and wind storm coming, starting at 10 a.m., with winds up to 80 miles an hour; we’ll likely lose some trees”. She suggested that I leave the coastline by morning, while I could. Needless to say, I left before 8 a.m. and as I did, it was pouring buckets… again! With only two noteworthy images in hand (one to follow) I was disappointed… but at least I got two! :-) Happiness is in the accumulation of micro moments… and my “micro” visit to the Oregon coast was indeed memorable!
