Living in an area with mountains on one side and big sky on the other allows me to appreciate coming out to the parking lot after a day of work and see what sort of cloud has been splashed across the rooftops. Hey, is that a Steven Spielberg concave mass in that cloud indicating the presence of aliens???? Redmond, Oregon; November, 2010.

Continuing on with our tribute to clouds: Sometimes, mountains just hold them back. (click on the thumbnail for more detail) Middle (hidden) and North (partially hidden) Sisters in central Oregon; November, 2010.

Clouds above, reflection of clouds below, with a sliver of late evening sun peeking through. On the Yonne River, Burgundy region of France; September, 2009.

Sometimes, clouds set the mood for the day, or a short-lived emotion, such as surprise when a place one believes to be generally sunny at the time is beset with clouds. San Diego, California; October, 2010.

Sunset on the high desert. On the Reservation of the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs, Oregon; November, 2010.

Continuing with our week-long tribute to clouds: Snagged this one coming down the northwest slope of Mt. Mazama, with Mt. Theisen in the background. Crater Lake National Park, Oregon; July, 2010.

Some days I go outside, look up and am just amazed by the clouds. They're a great and continually evolving art exhibit. So this week here at the Grind, we're focusing on clouds! I took this one with my trusty little iPhone. (Of course, you gotta click on the thumbnail to see where the clouds begin and the smoke from the fire leaves off) Redmond, Oregon, August, 2010.

Sharp points, dramatic angles, and gargoyles, oh my! The Gothiness that is Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris. Ile de la Cite, Paris, France; September, 2009.

I have no idea if this is Victorian or Queen Anne style of architecture, but it's a cool looking old house anyway. (Click the thumbnail for more detail) Portland, Oregon; April, 2009.

Somebody cue the creepy music: Ooooooowweeeeeeoooooooooooo! Care to go upstairs? (Click the thumbnail to get sucked in) The Grand Hotel, Jerome, Arizona; May, 2010.

A giant piece of Picasso-inspired art. (Click on thumbnail to get a better perspective) Bayfront area, San Diego, California; October, 2010.

On the campus of Bennington College. It is said that Martha Graham created her style of dancing on this lawn. (Click on the thumbnail for more detail) Bennington, Vermont; August, 2007.

There's a reason why they call it Fall. Clackamas, Oregon; October, 2010.

I look at these and am reminded of all those Pilgrim displays I saw growing up. Madras, Oregon; October, 2010.

Some of Autumn's fiery redheads. Clackamas, Oregon, October, 2010.

Some trees just slowly turn color and then let go with a sublime dignity. Near Bend, Oregon; November, 2010.

New England is famous for the Fall Foliage, but Oregon's got some shine to it, too. So this week here at the Grind, we're concentrating on the colors of Fall. This one is of the leaves on a tree across the street from my house. Madras, Oregon; October, 2010.

They were so happy to see us on the day we arrived that they threw a huge party for us! London, UK; September, 2009.

Bridal Veil Falls. Columbia River Gorge area of Oregon; April, 2010.

Over the past year or so, I've really gotten into High Dynamic Range (HDR) photography. Usually in HDR, one takes a series of shots at different exposures and the software combines the best of each to make one photo. This shot is incredibly interesting because it's only one shot, one photo. I was directing traffic at a local triathlon and took a single photo of this bike rider coming by during the race. Now, when I looked at the photo without any HDR manipulation, it just showed the rider. However, once I put it into my HDR program it showed the ghost of the 'past' place the rider was before the shot. Even more interesting for me, it appears to show the 'future' in a ghost of where the rider will be. (Click on the thumbnail to get a better view) Now if I could only get the program to let me know which horse was going to win the Kentucky Derby the day before the Derby is run....Madras, Oregon; September, 2010.

Light sabers at rest. Salem, Oregon; September, 2010.

No, this isn't the cover of some futuristic Sci-Fi novel. I recently attended a national conference and one morning, just before I went into the first session of the day, I stepped outside onto a balcony and captured this shot. But if anyone knows George Lucas' number, I'd entertain letting him use it. (Click on the thumbnail to catch the diamond ivy pattern) San Diego, California; October, 2010.