Chasing Eagles

When people ask “what inspires you?” I want to show them photos I’ve taken near my home in the Columbia River Gorge.    The Pacific Northwest is full of spectacular landscapes and abundant wildlife, but this area defines rugged awe-inspiring beauty.

Today I was awake, dressed and in town before sunrise, sitting in a parking lot along the Columbia River waiting for friends.   I was graced with pink skies as the sun woke up, framing Mt. Hood with a splendor that took my breath away.

What were we doing so early,  you ask?  Heading to the Klickitat River where eagles can be counted in the dozens on some days, we were hoping for a lively show this morning.

Last week I counted 16 in the same spot and watched in amazement as they soared overhead, singing to one another.  This morning there were only six, but we were thrilled to spot them in surrounding trees.

Did I mention it was 20 degrees?  We were cold, so stayed less than an hour before our fingers were too numb to push our shutter buttons.

Back in our semi-warm car, we drove to the head of the Klickitat River where it flows into the Columbia.

We counted five young eagles, but no white headed birds.  Four were sitting on a slag and the fifth was soaring over the sandbar.

Our next stop was Doug’s Beach, where I’ve seen eagles perched on tree tops next to the Columbia River.

We saw three bald eagles flying against the canyons, but my camera would not reach that far, so I shot photos of us instead.

We crossed the Columbia and traveled west to Meyer Park, another great eagle watching spot, but there were none to be seen on the Oregon side of the river this morning.

If you look close, you can see ice surrounding the inlet.

Our last stop of the day was the Hood River Marina where a flock of geese congregated on the expanse of lawn between the museum and DMV.  No eagles, but big birds nonetheless.

My friends tell me I need to upgrade my point & shoot to a DSLR.  They’re right, but if I don’t get back to the studio I won’t have anything to trade for the $$$ I need for that upgrade!

Take flight.  Get inspired.  Be creative.  Chase eagles.

Upcoming events: Too Many, Too Soon…

Taking off

I am amazed at how busy this season has started out!  I’ll tell you about that in a minute, but first I want to talk about my play date.   I love big birds and when I see one (anywhere, anytime) I pull over, grab my always-close-at-hand-camera and take as many photos as the bird allows.  Mind you, this is a point and shoot camera…a good one, but nonetheless not one that can really capture a great shot unless the bird happens to be very close.  My friend Charlene feels the same way about stopping to photograph birds … or anything else for that matter, so I promised her a play date for her birthday.  She has a great camera with a telephoto lens, and I can hardly wait to see her photos.  I’ll share them with you by editing those she sends into the bottom of this post.

Through the branches, we could see 5 eagles

We found a great spot close to the Columbia River, but off the beaten path where a dozen or so eagles were soaring and circling a food source.  It was cold but clear and the thrill of watching and trying to photograph them made us forget about everything else.  In a way it was frustrating trying to get my little camera to do something it wasn’t made to do, so rather than fight it, I decided to enjoy the ride and shot what I could.

Landing strip

As you can see, this shot is blurry, but it was incredible to watch these large birds, symbols of freedom, land one after the other onto this tall, narrow snag.

Woolly Bear

As we left, I found something my camera was very good at photographing, a Woolly Bear!

The Dalles Dam

And a petty landscape.  We stopped for lunch at The Bistro, inside Waters Edge Health and Fitness Center where we happened to meet the director, who graciously showed us around.  It’s a wonderful facility including a spa, conference center, excercise room and so much more.

Back in the studio I have way too many projects going on.  Several private commissions, a couple of public and educational proposals just finished up and sent out, as well as gearing up for a busy ‘show’ season.

If you’re in the Hood River area, please stop into Good News Gardening during the month of March where Charlene Fort and I are sharing a wall to display our glass. I’ll have butterflies, fairies, ladybugs and wallpockets. What more could you want for the garden or to hold your garden’s treasures?  Have a bite to eat with friends at the cafe.  Oh, and they have plants too!

The end of March you’ll find me heading to Las Vegas for the big Glass Craft and Bead Expo.  I know I’ll see many of you there – be sure to say ‘hi’ when you see me!  You’re welcome to stop into my classroom in the late afternoon when we’re finishing up from our day’s work.  Better yet, sign up for a class!

The Pines Tasting Room in Hood River will be hosting a show in which all participating artists from the Gorge Artists Open Studios tour are featured.  You can stop in during the First Friday opening on April 1st, or anytime during the month of April to see an example of the studio tour artist’s work.  Taste some fabulous wine while you’re there!

“Bite of the Gorge” takes place on April 9th, a feast of a fundraiser for Columbia Gorge Arts in Education.  Most artists paint a ceramic plate for the event, but I’ve been donating glass plates.  I’m better at glass than I am at painting ceramic and I want them to have my best.  Taste and silently bid on art.  Fun!

April closes with the huge Oregon Glass Guild “Glass Gallery” in Portland.  April 29 through May 1st.   There’s more….too much more, so for now, I’ll go back to creating glass to fill all my upcoming events.

Don’t forget, when Charlene sends her eagle photos, I’ll post them here.

By the way, if you like my posts, please feel free to click the appropriate buttons below to share with your friends!

New Display at Hood River Jewelers

Last week was spent producing new work and ornaments, then packing up and delivering in time for the holiday season.  New work is now available at Fireborne Glass, Pittock Mansion and Hood River Jewelers.  Next week watch for new work at The Dalles Art Center, Columbia Art Gallery, and a new venue for me that I’m excited about, Mystique in Pioneer Place on the lower floor.  It’s a beautiful setting and I can’t get my work there soon enough!

Shown in this display are (from top to bottom) works from my Celestial and Big Bird series and a couple botanical candleholders; SunDrops series, more candleholders and Puzzle vases; Celestial and WindDancing series with candleholders; Coasters, Boxes, and Earth series; and ColorPlay series on the lowest shelf.

Heron

I love the large birds.  Especially herons.  I’ve followed them down the Columbia River trying to capture them with my camera.  Without success.  I once saw a huge gathering of herons along the Yakima River, but didn’t have my camera with me.  All I could do was blaze the memory into my mind.  I don’t know if my memory is now exaggerated or if there really were dozens of herons along the bank of the river that day.

This rendering is done with powdered glass sandwiched between layers of sheet glass.  Thanks to Gwen for calling me today about her heron piece which prompted me to post this one.