We hiked Dorothy Falls yesterday. It was my first time and it was amazing to say the least. I will definetely be going back….ahem….with my tripod! I was looking forward to bringing all my gear including my tripod when we left, and totally forgot it at home! Oh well, it was still a great trip and I got a few good photos even handheld. But man, I can’t wait to go back to see what I can really get as far as a quality image with the tripod! I had read about hdr images in one of my photography magazines a while back and thought it would be interesting to try. I exposed for the rock the first time, then exposed for the sky the second. I then merged them in photoshop and was blown away by the result. I’m hooked! Again, far from perfect, but at least I got the gist of what to do now! I had a heck of a time lining up the two images in PS, I must have moved a little too much or changed my focal length a bit. I guess that’s how you learn things, by making those kinds of mistakes. I still like the image. As we were eating our lunch at the base of the falls, we got to watch a mama and daddy bird feeding their babies. It was so fun! The nest is right in the rocks to the right of the falls. Talk about a million dollar view for them!

We were out of town over the Memorial Day weekend (although I think we missed the summer in Nome while we were gone!). I didn’t take many shots, but that was ok. I just enjoyed myself and didn’t worry much about getting “the shot”. We were in Fairbanks for a couple days, then flew down to Anchorage for the rest of the weekend. Fairbanks was hot by our standards (82 degrees!) and the kids enjoyed our cottage by the river. They played in the water as much as they could, and managed to get almost all their clothes either muddy or wet. Sounds like fun to me!

So it’s been a busy week, and I haven’t been able to post much or take any new photos for that matter. I’ve been stuck inside, which just absolutely stinks this time of year. It’s Iditarod season, and the town of Nome has boomed and is bubbling with activity and excitement. We have people from all walks of life and who come from all over the world. Meanwhile, I am inside sitting at a craft table, which isn’t so bad, but when I think about all the activity that is happening outside of those four walls it really makes me want get out and take some photos and enjoy the nice weather! Especially since our temps finally made it into the double digits (on the positive side this time!). I wanted to post this one that was taken on New Years Eve, when the blue moon occured. I entered this photo into the Iditarod Art Show and am happy to say that it took first place in the photography division! My favorite part of the photo? The howling dog, Storm. I think that’s what made the photo so special! A special thanks to Stephanie for even making this photo possible, because these are her lovely dogs. I also want to encourage all photographers or photo enthusiasts to enter their stuff next year! It’s always fun to see other people’s work and see the world through someone else’s eyes.

This was one of my favorite things to see in Kauai. It was amazing not only to see the lighthouse, but all the birds and massive cliffs and to watch the waves crash into the big rocks below. It reminded me a little of home in the summer. This lighthouse is perched on a beautiful bluff overlooking the vast Pacific Ocean. Can the view get any better?

So a few more days of Kauai, and I promise to be done. Hopefully you all are still with me on this. I couldn’t resist posting a couple more animal photos. We got to feed these little guys while on a plantation train tour. I think it turned out to be one of Sienna’s favorite things in Hawaii. While all the other pigs and goats were inside this fenced area, this little baby somehow found his way out and was taking full advantage of his cuteness by getting more than his fair share of food. He was sooo sweet! (The tour guide assured us that these were NOT future luau pigs….whew! I think I would have cried if that were true.) Another drive took us to the Waimea Canyon. While the rain and fog did obscure our view somewhat, we still got to see how vast and beautiful it is. It was cold too! About 50 degrees. And last but not least, the mightly Wailua River. We drove across the Wailua River bridge everyday. It was always busy with kayakers, tubers and swimmers. Next time we visit Kauai, we will definetely rent a kayak and paddle up this river to check out the many waterfalls and sights only accessible by water.

Well, we all know Hawaii has much more to offer than beautiful beaches. But we sometimes don’t get to see the whole picture. Kauai is nicknamed the “Garden Isle”, for obvious reasons of course. It is lush and green and there are plants everywhere you look. It also gets the most rainfall than any other island. I recognized a lot of those naturally growing outdoor plants as some of our houseplants. Although I am going to admit that my plants don’t grow as big or beautiful as they do in Hawaii. Why is that? OK, stupid question. Here are just a few of the places we visited and things we saw. We drove through a tree tunnel, which was probably way more exciting for me than the kids. One of our drives also took us to the Menehune Fishpond, which also had a beautifulul mountainous backdrop. The sun happened to be at the perfect spot too! Waimea Falls and the Hanalei Lookout (where most of Hawaii’s taro is grown) were also interesting and gorgeous. Being Alaskan’s we also gawked at the domesticated animals (and the wild-roosters are everywhere) we saw. What can I say, we don’t have many horses in Nome. (Yes, we do have a few for those wondering.)