The running of the...

One of the most famous of all runs is The Running of the Bulls. This event which takes place in several countries, Spain being the most famous of the lot, has spawned off many similar and varied events and sometimes sub cultures. And even though the Walla Walla Valley may not be the center of the Universe it too has its own "run" that is more than a passing fad. 

On Saturday the 16th of May, under blue skies and warming weather the 12th annual running of the ducks also known as the Ducky Derby took place. Organized by the Exchange Club of Walla Walla this event raises funds to promote a safe and secure environment for children of the area.

                                                              

This event was well attended and with over $20,000 in prizes to be won, it was a nail biter. The ducks, 16000 strong took to the water like they were made for it. Overcoming the swirling rapids of Mill Creek, still swelled from the high water coming down from the snow packs high up in the Blue Mountains, the ducks bravely sallied forth. Along the way there were more obstacles; rocks, reeds and twigs, reached out from the banks to snag the unsuspecting ducks. It was a perilous affair.

And yet the winning duck, the brave warrior, unencumbered by the thought of 15,999 others chasing close on its tail, navigated the pools, eddies and tumbling water to arrive triumphantly at the finish tube.

As I was looking back at this event I was compelled to muse on other runners. As mentioned earlier the Bulls may be famous, however when it come to Just Plain Wacky... well, events like The Running of the Santa's, The Running of the Brides and even The Running of the Nudes take the cake. Well you be the judge... and next time go running your self. Who knows it might become a fad in your neighborhood.

More snow and more pictures

Being as the white stuff keeps falling it is an occasion for staying indoors and working on my pictures. And being that the last shoot gave me something to work with this seems like the perfect opportunity. 

More pictures and Joe

I have been working on processing a few more images from tuesdays impromptu photo-shoot. Today as I was working on these images I had one of those rare (for me;-) "ah Ha" moments that helped me to understand why the images look the way they do. I have been wanting to experiment with this look and have not quite understood why the images looked this way even though I knew the process of how to get them to look this way. But today for some strange reason things aligned and in my head there appeared a pictorial representation of the zone system and how the tones of these images stretched and squished that scale to look like what they do.... anyway it makes sense in my head even though it comes out as crazy babbling sounds when I try to explain it. 

But understanding is the first step... which reminds me of an old cartoon saying. 

If anyone remembers the cartoon G.I. Joe, soon to come out as a movie which is not to be confused with Joe the Plumber... but anyway, at the end of all the episodes one of the "Joe's" would advise a kid who was doing something "wrong" who would naturally see the light and the phrase "... and knowing is half the battle." would be uttered. Well what no one seems to get is that they just had a half an hour or 20 minuets of violent action with bullets flying and buildings exploding everywhere as the good guys battled the bad guys.... and the rest of the story is that knowing may be half the battle but the other half is bloody violence and mayham... Hmmm.... I am sure thats not it.... or is it? You tell me?

Parade

This evening Walla Walla celebrated its parade of lights. About 60 cars, truck, bicycles and other forms of colorfully lit floats paraded down main street and others in a loop that gave everyone present a eyeful of the brightly lit contraptions. The mood was one of merriment yet at the same time there was a sense of people doing their own thing. 

I am not sure if it is just the season that is bringing me to notice this but as I have mentioned in a previous post I am noticing the facade that society calls community. I recently re-watched the movie WALL•E and this may also have something to do with this tangent I seem to be on. But as in the movie everyone is so connected with everything that they don't even know each other or that they had a pool. 

Anyway back to the parade and the lights. Maybe we need more of these events so that people once again start coming out and mingling and maybe we will start to get back the sprit of the community back.

Playing with Pigs

Today was the last Biology lab of the quarter. While I am both happy and sad to see the quarter almost over the last lab being what it is was also a time for some fun. We have been studying the anatomy of a fetal pig for the last couple weeks and with the project coming to a close it was an opportune moment do do a little exploring and do some casual dissection. Liz, Chelsea and Brandon who I share a table with were quite voracious in the scalping and exploring of the remnants of our beloved specimens.

Fishing the Yak... again

Well on the way back from Seattle, determined to get in some time on the water I stopped along the Yakima river to wet a line. The evening was quite productive with the trout being quite willing to take a fly. Being as it is starting to get colder these fish seem eager to stock up on what little insects they may happen by before the icy grip of winter takes hold.

Hiking to the sun

The gloom of fog shrouding the valley with its cold and clammy fingers prodding and poking into bodies as they hurried down paths leading to errands and places. Being a sun loving tropical kind of person I was missing seeing the big shiny orb in the sky and to some extent was starting to go though withdrawal... I needed a fix... and as far as I knew, short of driving to Tollgate the other place I could access the sun would be up Blacksnake ridge. Convincing a buddy of mine to go on a hike I headed out for the sun. The fog was thick going up the steep and narrow road and often we could not see for more than 20 feet in front of the car. But we made it to where the car could not go any further without damage to the underside and hiked from there. 

As we climbed though the cold of the mist still hung around us we were greeted by the scent of pine and fir needles wafting through the air. This sweet smell drove us on with renewed energy to reach higher up the ridge.

And sun, the faint rays poking holes through the mist was our reward. Enjoying the sun for about 20 minuets when it started to drop below the tree line we sighed a satisfied sigh and began the trudge back to the depths of the gloom and back home. But sun we had if only for a moment and that small glimmer recharged us for a while.

A blustery day in the Valley

Election day and as the presidential race has been called all the pundits and commentators are on the air gloating about having called the results or defending their statements. In the valley it was a cold windy day and I must give props to anyone who braved it to vote. Way to make you voice heard regardless if your candidate won or not. 

I on the other hand decided to be proactive as well but regarding lugging my camera and using those otherwise wasted moments to and from places to make some images. I think I will be doing that more often. 

Catching up on the pictures...

Finally made my self sit down, edit and color-correct my images from the last couple days... weeks... but its done. I am really enjoying the effects I am getting from the IR converted camera.