Mission Accomplished

Well, if you read my vacation post earlier then you know that I was on a mission to take pictures of the Peter Iredale shipwreck at sunset. Woo Hoo! I made it! Here are a few of the pics:

1. High White Balance

2. Low White Balance

3. The Money Shot! See the fog rolling in really low and the sun in the center of the large whole of the shipwreck?! Love it!

I'm on VAY-KA-Shun!

And, I'm lovin' it! I'm currently sitting in my hotel room in Astoria, OR. As soon as I'm done with this post I'm going to go ride the Trolley. I'm a bit tired, but I don't have time for that so I'm pretending that I'm not tired at all!

I left Sonora Wednesday morning at about 9:00 a.m. I drove through smoke all the way past Mt. Shasta and then it finally cleared up. The worst smoke was near Redding. It was horrible! I stopped and had lunch at Quizno's in Ashland. Then, I drove to Cottage Grove and cruised around there for a while. I was on the hunt for covered bridges. Here's one:

Then, I drove on to Eugene a.k.a. Track Town USA. I really liked Eugene. They are holding the Track and Field Olympic Trials there this weekend. Needless to say the lobby of the hotel I stayed at was FULL of large muscular men. And I do mean LARGE! I ended up eating breakfast in the hotel along with Michael Johnson. No, we did not have breakfast together, but he was just a couple of tables away and that's still pretty cool. I mean how many people get to eat in the same vicinity as an Olympic Gold Medal winner? Here's a picture of him that I saved from the internet.

After breakfast I went and took pictures of Rhodadenron Park and Pre Fontaine's Memorial Rock. I must say that the thing that impresses me most about Oregon is the fact that they have absolutely beautiful parks and trails. They are so well maintained. California could learn a lot from the Oregon Parks and Rec districts!

That afternoon I drove to Portland where I rode the sky tram. I saw Pittock Mansion and Courthouse Square. Courthouse Square is supposed to be full of flowers right now but for some reason it isn't! I was so disappointed. They even have a sign up saying that the summer flower festival starts June 19th! Hey people! It's past the 19th! Here's the courthouse and the square...with no flowers.

After Portland I went to the Columbia River Gorge. One word. BEAUTIFUL! Loved all of the waterfalls. Thought I was going to have a heart attack trying to climb out of the damn canyon, but it was worth the hike and everyone knows I need the exercise!

So, now I'm in Astoria and I plan on taking pictures of the Peter Iredale Shipwreck at sunset. Wish me luck!

Cousin Nate Got Hitched!

Woo Hoo! Nate's such a sweetheart and we're all so glad that he found someone just as sweet as he is...and that she wanted to marry him! :-)

The wedding was Saturday evening at the Calvary Chapel outdoor amphitheater. The weather was a bit questionable about two hours before the big event, but the skys cleared up just in time! It was beautiful.

Here are some shots from the big shindig.

1. Sarah and her Dad walking down the aisle.

2. The Wedding Party

3. Nate showing off his footwear. Anyone that knows Nate, knows that the boy lives in flipflops. He shovels snow in flipflops! Seriously! You'll notice in the photo above that the groomsmen are all wearing matching flipflops. So totally Nate.

4. Funny posed photo...the siblings are freaking out on either side of the kissing couple.

5. Nate-dog and me!

6. The beautiful and delicious cake that my Mom made (and that unfortunately, due to my lack of thoughtfulness, Miss. Jeanne didn't get to have any of. Please refer to her blog for the story on that.)

Everyone had a great time and it was beautiful wedding! They're going on a 10-day cruise to Alaska for their honeymoon! Congratulations to Nate and Sarah! We wish you all the best that life has to offer!

Rodeo Pictures

Well, it's been almost a month since the rodeo was in town and I finally got around to looking at the pictures. Some of my favorites are below. Remember, you can click on them to make them larger and easier to see.

1. Buckin'

2. Barrell Racin'

3. Uh oh...

4. Ouch...

5. The reason for every rodeo...cowboys! Nice!