The Photography of Dr. Jeffrey P. Harper

JULY 20, 2012 - EASTERN WASHINGTON STATE

We arrived in Spokane, Washington very late in the afternoon, checked into our just OK hotel, and walked about the downtown area.  I didn't bring my camera . . . I was tired.  We awoke the next morning early for the long drive across Eastern Washington and a rendezvous with Levenworth, Washington, and a good night's sleep.

 

We avoided the Interstate highway and took State Highway 2 west out of Spokane through the magnificent rolling farm land.

 

The scenery and colors were fantastic.  An early dew left the wheat feilds a bright yellow!

 

Washington Highway 2 was straight as an arrow, but up and down over the rolling landscape.

 

We stopped often to take in the spaciousness.

 

I love this photo . . . and so did a lot of other people on the 500px photo sharing site.  I won a "Popular" award there!

 

The further East we drove on Highway 2, the dryer the countryside became.

 

We arrived in the rain shadow of the great Cascade Mountains which split Washington into two distinct climactic regions: wet in the West and dry in the East.

 

We turned off of Highway 2 and onto Highway 17 toward Grand Coulee Dam.  After a few miles we started to get glimpses of Franklin Delano Roosevelt Lake.

 

Looking down into a small inlet on FDR Lake.  I wonder how that fisherman is doing?

 

When we finally got a view of the Grand Coulee Dam we had no idea what was in store for us.

 

These giant skimmers kept errant fishermen from going over the spillways of Grand Coulee Dam. We stopped in the little town of Grand Coulee to have an excellent Mexican lunch before rounding the bend to see the actual dam itself.

 

Grand Coulee Dam!  The largest electricity producing facility in the United States.  Built in 1933, it is still one of the largest concrete structures in the world.  What a sight.

 

The power of the water pouring over the dam was immense!  Imagine the power going through the turbines!

 

A third power station was added to the dam in 1974.  These huge power transmission lines were just humming with energy.

 

Standing in the roar of the Grand Coulee Dam, you become transfixed by the powerful movement of the water over the immense structure. There are great photo opportunities here.  I must have taken a hundred photos . . . of the same thing!

 

The power of water.

 

I hated to leave the Grand Coulee Dam.  I enjoyed the tranfixation!

 

We came across what must have been the remains of some old "creative weather vane" contest on the outskirts of the town of Grand Coulee.

 

There were about 50 different weather vanes . . . they just put a tall fence around the collection . . . . I guess just to see what time and weather would do to them . . . or this is a Federally Funded Durability Test?

 

Eastern Washington geology is very rich and diverse.

 

Beautiful layers from successive volcanic eruptions are everywhere.

 

Banks Lake is an interesting curiosity:  it is a manmade lake created from the ancient, and abandoned, river bed of the Columbia River.

 

The ancient Columbia River cut this deep canyon, then shifted itself in another direction.  The construction of the Grand Coulee Dam meant this old section of the river could be dammed as well, and then filled.

 

Lovely geological layers chronicling the passing of the eons.

 

Here and there in the Eastern Washington scabland we found wetlands full of migrating birds . .  but no time to linger  . . . .  This is beautiful country.

 

The roadside flora was varied, colorful, and generally dry at this time of year.

 

Damp, aromatic sage.

 

The dry ancient Columbia River valley.

 

We made our way back to Highway 2 and headed west toward the foothills of the Cascades.  The topography was changing again: a little less dry, and the appearance of wheat fields.

 

An old abandoned school house on the Washington prairie. 

 

There were very few towns along Highway two.  Douglas, Washington was the exception.  Too bad it's General Store was closed.

 

Douglass had everything a small town could want, although this roadside scene seemed to have been arranged for the benefit of passing photographers like me.

 

This old homestead had long since been abandoned . . . . it stopped me in my tracks.  I spent about 20 minutes exploring it's surfaces and shadows.  Remarkable.

 

The flat light was a blessing for shooting such fantastically textured surfaces.

 

Archetypal dilapidation . . . my favorite subject.

 

The detail was captivating on these old catawampus farm structures.

 

They were a wonderful ensemble of shapes against a wide flat horizon.  Wow.

 

The old farmer did not waste anything before he gave up: this hinge replacement attests to that!

 

I may print and frame some of these . . . .

 

Back out on the road in Douglas County, Washington heading toward Winatchee and the promise of fresh fruit.

 

We discovered this old garage in Waterville, a wide spot on Highway 2, that served as the County Seat of Douglas County.  The patina of age had not been lost to this place.

 

We dropped back down into the Columbia River Valley just east of the Cascades and the fruit producing region of Wenatchee, Washington (the largest sweet cherry exporting region in the world!).  This was such a sweet sign.

 

We stopped for the port-a-potty and discovered cherries and apricots.

 

Why must there always an outhouse poet?

 

Early green apples and late apricots.

 

Winatchee nectarines.

Winatchee apricots.

World famous Winatchee sweet cherries.  We bought a few pounds of these.

 

Lots of photogenic fruit to be had.

 

The fruit crates were all neatly stacked ready to be filled with freshly picked fruit.

 

These fruit crates were extremely sought after when I was younger: they were perfect for holding your vinyl LP record collection.

 

A highlight of any road trip are them many stops at the various fruit stands.  Good car food, for sure.

 

Our stopped for the night in the faux German tourist town of Leavensworth, Washington.  "A little bit of old Bavaria in the Washington Cascades."  Very little.

 

There are a number of these false European towns in the USA: Solvang and Idyllwild in California come to mind.  In fact, Leavensworth is based on Solvang as a "town saving project" after the lumber mills closed.

 

As we all know, every German village has a Danish bakery.

 

I do have to admit that the local mini-golf made good use of green gardening practices in it's course maintenance.

 

We checked into our German-themed motel and asked the iPhone 4S Siri where a good restaurant might be found hereabouts..  She prioritized the local eateries and we went to the number one recommendation . . . which turned out to be a Bavarian-themed sausage stand with a wide array of mustard options.

 

I enjoyed another fine example of the American National Dish, the hot dog, with gusto.

 

As the sun set over the Traditional German Village Totem Pole (TGVTP), we headed back to our room . . . we had a long drive the next day.

 

Driving over the Washington Cascades did not disappoint: it was rainy and dreary . . .  just as I remembered it!

 

Eventually we encountered a huge thunder storm on this road, just at the twistiest part . . . .

 

This is the one thing I miss about America: the Pacific Northwest mountains.  Bangkok is just too flat!

 

WHIDBEY ISLAND: July 21-22, 2012

After stopping off to spend the afternoon at a suburban Seattle outlet mall, we made it to the Race Track Road ferry terminal for Whidbey Island.  There  was a very long line, so I had  time to walk around and take some nice nautical photographs around the ferry docks.

 

The old lighthouse, with the approaching ferry, was very picturesque.

 

Although the day was ending, there was some very interesting light available from a fascinating sunset.

 

We eventually boarded the ferry, where I had another good vantage point to photograph the docks area.  The sunsets and dusk hours last a very long time this far north.

 

The old lighthouse as seen from the Whidbey Island Ferry.

 

Looking East from the ferry, the sky became darker and darker as we set off from the pier.

 

Once departed, I roamed the car deck for some shots.

 

I hadn't realized it, but there were two ferries that make the trip to and from Whidbey Island.  The two ferries crossed in the middle of the sound.  Fantastic to see my sister ferry across the water . . . .

 

The Pacific Northwest is famous for it's gloomy weather, but, my-oh-my, what a beautiful mood this late evening had!

 

Approaching the Whidbey Island shore.

 

We arrived at our friend's house just in time to see a colorful sunset develop.

 

The last of an amazing sunset over Puget Sound.

 

We awoke the next morning to the same view in daylight . . . equally beautiful.

 

Our friends from Bangkok have retired in this beautiful place.

 

There is a distinct Pacific Northwest style that I miss very much.

 

Their cedar shake siding made me VERY homesick.  I am an Oregonian, and love the wet weather and the ferns of this part of the planet.

 

Our friends were very welcoming, hospitable, and generous.

 

It was a beautiful morning to go out and take photographs of the garden.

 

These red poppies provided an interesting subject for a study in composition . . .

 

. . . moving in and out on the flower and buds . . . .

 

. . . . made for different, but equally interesting shots.

 

A spider between the poppy pods.

 

In the late morning we took a "Sunday Drive" on Whidbey Island.  We stopped off at their Saturday Market.  I was able to indulge my global obsession with peddlar's street carts.

 

Saturday "Farmer" Markets are popular in the Pacific Northwest.  This one was like a little country fair with lots of music, food, and flowers.  The kids loved it.

 

Playiing beautiful Rennaisance sonatas, theis young band was very good. The next Allison Krauss?

 

The flower vendors had some wonderful surprises . . . like these purple puffs . . .

 

. . . and orange Poppies . . .

 

. . . lots of orange poppies!

 

There were many vendors at the Saturday Market.  This guy made and sold very unique travel trailers . . . all cedar inside too.  Cute.

 

After the Saturday market we went to one of the small villages on the island for lunch and to walk around and soak up the atmosphere.  Very pleasant.

 

It was a [rare] sunny day on Puget Sound and lots of people were out on the water.

 

Pacific Northwsterners are very outdoorsey.

 

The village was very sweet, with many blooming flowers everywhere.

 

I have no idea what kind of flower this is, but it was growing in deep shade.

 

Now THIS is the way to see Whidbey Island!!!

 

Maretime views are always changing.

 

View from the cliffs.

 

In the late afternoon we took the steep steps down to the shore.

 

The Pacific Northwest is covered by dense forests.  When big storms come in the winter, the old logs, snags, are washed out to sea and then deposited on the beaches.

 

Silver driftwood under a Northwest summer sun.

 

Is this the lost log from the TV series, Twin Peaks, washed ashore?

 

I made several Driftwood Portraits (#1) while on the beach.  I really appreciate these weathered shapes.  The silvery surfaces tinged with the orange light of sunset . . . too beautiful.

 

Driftwood Portrait #2.

 

Driftwood Portrait #3.  The burl on this piece of driftwood was magical in form and texture.

 

On the walk back up the stairs to the top of the bluff, I spotted this lovely new leaf.

 

We settled in around the B-B-Q and watched the many cruise ships departing Seattle for the inside passage along the British Columbia coast to Alaska . . . and waited for the sunset over the Olympic Mountains.

 

There was a fantastic orange sunset, actually, a double sunset . . . . but not over the Olympic Mountains . . . for that I had to look south.  Enjoy the progression of this amazing scene across Puget Sound!

 

Last light on Puget Sound.  What a sunset!

 

We woke early and drove down to the ferry landing . . . there were only a few cars waiting on this cool and cloudy July morning.

 

A few gulls were squawking here and there under the pier . . . .

 

. . . and up on the power lines.

 

The ferry arrived and we drove on.  Time for a swanky hotel in downtown Seattle to prepare for our long journey back to Thailand.

 

We had a very nice stay on Whidbey island and were sorry to see it fade into the distance.

 

SEATTLE 09/22/2012

We stayed right downtown in Seattle.  It's a very nice city to walk around in.

 

Just around the corner from our hotel was a flower shop with this Thai Buddha in the window . . . it made me soooooo homesick for Thailand!  I was ready to go home.

 

Seattle is a very multicultural city . . . that is one of the reasons it is such a special city . . . and a great place to live.

 

I do not know what unemployment is like in Seattle, but ther were a lot of people working on restoring old buildings downtown.  Seattle never looked better.

 

Seattle is a port city, so all east-west streets lead down to Puget Sound.

 

There was some kind of celebration going on down by the waterfront.

 

I walked the few blocks from the hotel to famous Pike Place Market.

 

The very famous Pike Place Market sign.

 

The area around the Pike Place Market is very pleasant; lots of nice eateries, shops, and the original Starbucks #1.

 

It was a beautiful summer day in Seattle (a somewhat rare occurance here) and people were sitting outside on the cafe balconies.

 

But it is the Pike Place Market interior that is so fascinating to visitors.

 

It was a Sunday the the isles were very crowded . .. but people are nice in Seattle.

 

I love the old fashioned neon signage.  Very picturesque.

 

There are several floors of shops and market stalls . . .

 

. . . these open air fruit markets are ubiquitous in Asia where I live, but they are a novelty in America.  There should be more of these in The States.

 

I took a shortcut through the famous Post Alley, where the famous Seattle hipsters purchase their uber cool clothing, to rendezvous with my wife for lunch at out favorite restaurant.

 

Seattle is a famous restaurant town . . . for good reason.

 

I rounded a corner and looked down the hill to the Sound and saw this fire boar in full water plumage!  I asked some bystanders what was up and they said it was to honor President Obama who was just then at the Pike Place Market!  I missed him by ten minutes. 

 

We had our "Good Bye America" lunch at our favorite Seattle restaurent (Greek):  Lola, on the corner of 4th and Virginia.

 

All good things must come to an end:  we boarded our very long EVA flight back home to Bangkok, Thailand via . . .

 

The very nice Taipei, Taiwan airport.  Our 14 hour flight from Seattle is always the first flight to arrive in Taipei . . . 5:00am . . . even before the duty free shops are open.  It is very strange to walk around in an empty, and quiet, airport.