There's the Democratic Party, the Libertarian Party, The Grand Old Party, the Tea Party and now....

...there's a new party!

At dusk, a barge positions itself in the middle of the Willamette River for the fireworks display. (Click on the thumbnail to see the thousands of Blues Festival attendees listening to music on the far shore.) Portland, Oregon; July, 2010.

A sunny shot of Wizard Island. Crater Lake National Park, Oregon; July, 2010.

I was floating along and saw this scene, becoming enthralled with the promise of what was on the other side of the gate, combined with the warm sunlight filtering through the foliage. However, when I got it home and looked at the pic on my computer (go ahead and click on the thumbnail so you can, too), I began to wonder what the heck happened to those sharp diamond-shaped thingies on the top of the gate. Someone needed ninja knives? Someone used them to try to break the padlock you can see lower on the gate to break in? They used them as fishing weights? What do you think happened to them? Somewhere along the Canal du Nivernais, Burgundy region of France; September, 2009.

Saw one of my favorite singer-songwriters and his band last night: Robert Earl Keen. Aladdin Theatre, Portland, Oregon; August, 2010.

A singular ticket taker awaits the next patron at the Jefferson County Fair, while the sign on the top of her booth spells out her wares one letter at a time...I didn't wait for them all to come on. (Click on the thumbnail to figure out what the lights to the left of the booth are) Madras, Oregon; July, 2010.

Horn Creek winds its way through Lithia Park next to the Oregon Shakespeare Theater campus. Ashland, Oregon; October, 2006.

As darkness falls, the incandescents take on a more prominent role at this art gallery. (Click on the thumbnail to experience the eerie light) Sedona, Arizona; September, 2005.

A party boat rests placidly at a restaurant's dock at Camden Locks, waiting for a party while hiding behind foliage. London, UK; September, 2009.

A ferry rounds the island as a spot of sun highlights The Rock. As a youth I frequented the city when there were still prisoners warehoused there. It was always a little weird for a 7 year old to look out there and know bad guys lived at that place. San Francisco, California; January, 2008.

Eye-level with a field of dried grass. Klamath Falls, Oregon; July, 2010

Neighborhood gang: I came home from work one day late last week to find this motley group roaming wild in the yard across the street from my house. It was taken using the zoom feature of my iPhone, so it's a little shaky when you click on the thumbnail for the full version, but you get the idea. This herd has been hanging around the neighborhood for a few months now. Madras, Oregon; August, 2010.

Your intrepid blogger (in the very back) leads a group of his work colleagues down a portion of the lower Deschutes River and through the rapid known as Wapinitia last week. (Click on the thumbnail to check out the facial expressions) Maupin, Oregon; August, 2010.

Lack of wind creates a still surface, which allows the Yonne River to help create these visual ovals. (click on the thumbnail to see the detail of the bridge's brickwork) Joigny, France; September, 2009.

This BC Ferry is a lot smaller than the one I posted day before yesterday. Basically, it's just a deck and a top piece with lots of air in there to allow for a semi or RV. But these little guys do serious work on the waters of the Inside Passage. (Click on the thumbnail to get a much better view) Somewhere between Vancouver, BC and Victoria, BC; August, 2010.

Smoke from a local forest fire creates a late afternoon blood red sun. Redmond, Oregon; August, 2010.

BC Ferries is the largest ferry system in the world and handles a myriad of traffic each day between the British Columbia mainland and a plethora of islands. This is the City of New Westminster, as it passed the one I was on, the Costal Celebration. To give you a sense of how big this thing is, all the passengers on the top two decks, the rest if filled with vehicles. The passenger decks are actually quite nice, with restaurants, gifts shops, kids play areas, TVs, and for $12, a quiet place you can go that shuts out the cacophony of people. (click on the thumbnail to see people--and the grill of one car) Taken somewhere between Vancouver, BC and Victoria, BC; August, 2010.

Recently, we've had a forest fire burning in the region, causing much smoke. Here's a photo of the fire taken from about a mile from where I work. It's about 18-20 miles from work, but fills the local sky with its smoke. Taken from Redmond, Oregon; August, 2010.

The Seine flows through Paris. That's the Left Bank on the, uhm, left. Taken from Le Petit Pont near Cathedral Notre Dame, Paris, France; September, 2009.

A buckboard full of flowers to greet you at the Jefferson County Fair. (click on the thumbnail to check out the boot planters) Madras, Oregon; July, 2010.

Came across this watering hole in the red rock while hiking up Schnebly Hill. Sedona, Arizona; May, 2010.

A bee, busy at work. Madras, Oregon; July, 2010.

Storm clouds coming in. (as always, click the thumbnail for more detail) Crater Lake National Park, Oregon; July, 2010.