This is the time of year I really start to think about autumn, or "fall" as we call it here in North America. I know, just these mere words will cause many Pacific Northwest locals to hiss and boo, because they've "suffered" through three horrific seasons of, well, light drizzle and mildly cool temperatures. But frankly, summer doesn't really do it for me. Now autumn, that's different!

It's Labor Day Weekend, and as I was laboring to get my booth ready for the Issaquah Salmon Days festival next month, I started thinking about how I spent my Labor Day weekend six years ago. Nope, no BBQ grill was involved, but it did involve a road trip. Back in 2008, I packed up my camera gear and headed to eastern Washington and Idaho to visit the beautiful rolling hills of The Palouse for a three day photo shoot.

Mount St. Helens is a volcano. A stratovolcano to be exact. And volcanoes are going to do what volcanoes are going to do. Sure, they sit there looking all innocent for a while. But eventually, the "active" ones get tired of just sitting there, and they do something about it. Back in 1980, Mount St. Helens did something about it.

"Do you have any goat pictures?", the nice lady at the art festival asked. "I have goats and I'm looking for goat pictures." "Yes!", I replied. "I have hundreds of goat pictures. They're all on my hard drive at home."

Wine! Beer! Art! Join me this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at Redmond Town Center for the Redmond Arts Festival!

Join me and other artists this Thursday night at the new VALA Art Center in Redmond Town Center for art, wine, and light appetizers!

Recently I've been tweaking my website a bit, and I just wanted to quickly point out a couple of new features for those who haven't visited in a while.

Icons. Photographers are drawn to them like flies to — you know. Every landscape photographer has a bucket list of places that must be visited and photographed, no matter how many millions of times that place has been captured before by others. They're just too impressive to pass up. And Horseshoe Bend is such a place.

There's a reason they call it Angels Landing. Besides being way up above the floor of Zion Canyon, it's also the place where several less than careful park visitors have joined the angels. Be careful up here, or pay the price.

Hoodoos. Goblins. Sounds like something straight out of the occult, doesn't it? And when they start glowing their eerie orange glow in the early morning light, you wonder if there isn't something to those creepy monikers.

Most of my traveling is for photo shoots. Most of it. But every once in a while, I need to get away just to get away. You know, like everybody else. Oh, I'll still bring the camera gear, just in case. But sometimes I need a break from the photo shoots. This past weekend was such a trip.

Wow, things are sure heating up here in Seattle! All of this sun and summer weather and my recent participation in the Issaquah Farmers Market reminds me of the time I spent in the Provence region of France back in 2010, and of a fun photo shoot in the town of Aix-en-Provence.

It's officially summer now, and that means art fair season! Communities all over are gearing up for their outdoor art festivals, and the first one I'll be joining is the Shoreline Arts Festival in the Shoreline and Lake Forest Park neighborhoods of Seattle.

I know, I know, another post about sales stuff when what you really want to hear about is more stories about how I almost got mauled by a bear. Well, bear with me, because this is a big deal. There's plenty of time to tell more bear stories in future weeks!

And red, and white, and black, and blue, and all kinds of colors! Of course I'm talking about one of Oregon's Seven Wonders, the Painted Hills of the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument!

With apologies to those who do not live in the Seattle area, it's time again to announce the start of the Issaquah First Friday Art Walk season! For those living elsewhere, I promise next week's article will be less "News" and a lot more "Adventure"!

This year I'll be participating in more markets, fairs, and shows than ever before, and the first of these is the Issaquah Farmers Market.

Without a doubt, one of the most photogenic areas in the Pacific Northwest is the Columbia River Gorge, and that's saying something! No, not that Columbia Gorge - the other one! The one without the amphitheater. I'm talking about all that drop-dead gorgeous scenery along the Columbia River between Oregon and Washington.

Looking for that perfect venue for your next wedding reception, birthday party, bar mitzvah, or frat party? Well, do I have a deal for you! As long as you love cold weather, can plan your activity for March, and don't mind flying everyone involved to Yellowknife, in the Northwest Territories of Canada, you're in luck!

No, we're not going to talk about umbras and penumbras. There are plenty of good resources about eclipses out there. Nope, we're going to talk about standing out on a frozen lake in -20°C temperatures to get the composite image featured in this post.