Hope to see at least a few of you before BP.

After missing last night’s thunderstorms due to a social engagement, I made it a point to be ready for this evenings predicted redux. While I was watching the local news reporting lightning strikes a few miles east, I heard the first rumble of thunder. I grabbed the camera gear and quickly headed east. Why is it that there is always a motor home headed the same way when I am in a hurry to get to a vantage point?

I finally arrived at what I thought would be a good spot to view the numerous storms surrounding the area. There was some groovy light, a bit of wind, the sweet smell of rain, a few rumbles, and some potentially cool clouds.

Then… It rained. It rained hard. Really hard. What the storm didn’t do was provide a lightning show. Oh well, it was still a magnificent display.

Here are a couple of images I made during my short outing…

The sky was very cool this evening!

After a rather busy time at my day job, I came home and settled into my part time passion of photography. I had my nose to the computer screen editing some images when my phone rang. It was my buddy Jason from Yakima. I thought he had just called to see what’s up, but it turned out that he was in town with family and friends and had a few minutes to get out for a “boys night”. He and his friends wanted to know where the best pizza in Bend was, and they thought I could help them out. Well, I did my best (along with their excellent research) and within a few minutes I found myself pulling up a seat with “the boys” at Pizza Mondo in downtown Bend. This is some of the best pie around, and the atmosphere is excellent. I met a few of J’s buddies, caught up on some old times, and made plans for future trips.

During our festivities I kept looking out the window. The light was wonderful, the thunder clouds had matured, and lightning was striking nearby. I decided that hanging out and bullshitting with “the boys” over pizza and beer was a better alternative than chasing the storms with the camera. The storms will come again, as they always do on the high desert of Central Oregon.

Thanks for the call, Stimmy.

A couple of friends and I spent a fabulous day hiking in the high desert. We ventured down into a gorgeous canyon eventually coming to the stream that flowed down its bottom.

The sites were spectacular. Sedimentary lines along the walls, slot canyons, pillars. With all of this majestic display above, I found myself more enamored with what was at my feet. There were flowers everywhere. Big ones, small ones; white, yellow, and purple ones.

There was also a good population of what fly fishing enthusiasts long for every spring – Salmonflies.

I managed to get a few fish to rise to my imitation, but none were brought to hand.

All in all, it was a wonderful day. Today I am paying for it. My muscles that were rather dormant over the winter are now complaining about the rude awakening. I keep telling them it’s ok, this is just the beginning of another season.