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Winthrop and the Methow Valley

We went on a rafting trip on the Methow River this weekend.  The river was a bit too rough for me to drag the camera out regularly, but I was playing around with night scenes and exposure length.

Trying to catch the “blue hour” in Winthrop, WA
This mountain looks like the Black Gate of Mordor. I have concerns.
Playing around some more with a darker sky and the light in the clouds.
Pretty cloud
Diablo Lake
4 second exposure of the lake at night. I really like how the sky turned out but I was having trouble with focus.
These ducks had no fear. I do not have a telephoto lens.
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MAN CANDY!

This soap turned out beautifully, and I think the name is funny AND I’ve been spending way too much time trying to think of labels for it.

Now the fragrance is called “blue sugar” which I gather is a famous fragrance but the name mostly reminds me of this:

If I had to describe it, I’d say it smells like “masculine cotton candy”.  With that description in mind, my friend started calling it “man candy” and that name ALSO amuses me, but makes me think of this:

Alas, I cannot use either of those on a soap label, so my next thought was to follow-up on that theme.  Maybe the statue of Leonidas?  Or maybe this?

But then, my best Man Candy fan came through with a suggestion and the labels will look like this:

 

 

 

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Lava

I’ve been following the eruption of Kilauea while at the same time, planning our fall camping trip to Mount St Helens.  I knew from previous trips about the difference between a’a and pahoehoe but the recent footage has given some really great visual examples of it in action, rather than the cold and plant-covered versions I’ve seen locally.

Here’s a video that shows the difference.

On the way back from the Ape Cave we saw a big pile of clinkers. This time, knowing what it is, I’ll be sure to take more pictures.

2,000 years ago, a smooth basalt flow ran through a forest on the south side of Mt St Helens. It smothered the trees which then burned or rotted away, leaving behind casts in the stone.  It is now covered by another forest.

This was once the trunk and root of a tree.
A new tree grows where the old one stood.
Before I knew how these were formed, the perfectly round holes were baffling.
Lave covered this fallen log, leaving the impression of its bark. This one is large enough to crawl through.

Pahoehoe flows sometimes form lava tubes when the outsides cool, but the molten center continues to drain away.  There are many on the south of St Helens. Ape Cave is one, and it is over a mile long.

A small lava tube
A large lava tube. (Ape Cave)