What's in the Bucket?

The first big storm of the year has come and gone. October is a bit early for heavy snow but not unprecedented. And sitting inside looking out at the drifts makes one think of many things.

A few days ago a photographer posted a topic on a photo bulletin board I watch about "what's in your photo bucket list?" Needless to say, I've had plenty of time to think about it while waiting out the storm. There are a lot of directions it could take....exotic locales, guided safaris, fantastic equipment....and all of them ran through my mind at one time or another. But in the end, the list is pretty simple and basic. They are in no particular order of preference but rather, randomly as they pop into my mind. So sit back and fantasize with me for a while and imagine my photo bucket list top 10....

1. Back to Yellowstone. I was there 2 years ago for a few days of photography and got some marvelous images. My files lack a couple of images from Yellowstone that I need to get: I don't have a good image of the wolves. Granted, I heard my first live wolf howl and saw plenty of the critters in the 3 days I was there but with one exception they were a loooooooong ways off and on my photos they appear as dots in the distance.

I also don't have a good image of a large bull moose and as near as I can tell Yellowstone or Grand Teton is the best place to find them this side of Alaska.

Heather has asked to go to Yellowstone so perhaps we'll make a trip up there in 2010.

2. Four Corners region of Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah. I've just come back (well, a month ago) from a trip to Southeast Utah including Arches, Canyonlands, and Monument Valley. I could go back to Moab 100 times and not get every photo I want. But there are other areas that I've barely scratched the surface of and many I've not yet seen. Bisti Badlands in New Mexico...Canyon de Chelly in Arizona....Cedar Mesa in Utah...Mesa Verde in Colorado...I could go on forever. I'll get back to this area every chance I get.

3. Fall colors in New England. With the unbelievable die-off of aspens in the Rocky Mountain west those of us that have made the annual pilgrimage to Crested Butte and Kebler Pass every September are going to have to change our plans. I'm hoping this was just a seasonal thing but in my heart I don't quite believe it. I think we've seen the demise of the Colorado aspen forests for decades to come. The alternative? New England. Something about the variety of color makes it an attractive alternative to the aspens.

4. Washington State. I've made a few trips there in April of various years to photograph the tulips of the Skagit Valley but there are many areas I've never been to when in posession of a camera. The Palouse region of Eastern Washington...The Olympic Penninsula...the sea stacks on the coast...the Cascades around Darrington where I worked a couple of summers during college. So many things to see that I haven't.

5. Southeast Alaska, specifically the Inside Passage. I went through there on a cruise in 2005 but for the most part the ship went through areas I'd like to see during the evenings. I wouldn't mind another cruise but what I'd really like is to take the Alaska ferry from Bellingham, WA to parts north. That way I could take as much time as needed in areas I'd like to see. Killer whales at Robson Bight...grizzly bears at Knight Inlet. And the marvelous scenery...nuff said.

6. Glacier National Park. I've been to Glacier a few times but mostly just driving through. Never for an extended photo trip. Perhaps I could combine it with a road trip through Banff and Jasper parks in Canada. Hmmmm....talk about an epic road trip. Yellowstone, Glacier, Banff, Jasper, Wells Gray, Vancouver, Mount Ranier....then home. Problem is, it would take a whole summer to do that trip and feel like I gave every location it's properly alloted time for photographs. Maybe when I retire...

7. The Great Lighthouse tour. Two possibilities here...One is the coasts of Washington and Oregon, continuing north through British Columbia along the Inside Passage. Lots of amazing lighthouses to see. The other possibility would be one of the Great Lakes, maybe Lake Michigan or Superior where there are amazing lighthouses. Something about the water keeps drawing me to the coast.

8. Polar Bears of Churchill, Manitoba. I've been seeing images from here for years and always had a longing to go. Perhaps someday I'll head up there in November for my birthday.

9. Speaking of bears, that's the other part of Alaska. Maybe Lake Clark, maybe Brooks Falls. Who knows? So much more Alaska that I haven't seen. Up to Fairbanks and Denali. More time on the Kenai Penninsula.

10. The Ultimate...The Alaska Highway. If I could plan one amazing, all encompasing trip, this would be it. From Denver, through Yellowstone and Glacier, into Canada through Banff and Jasper. On to Wells Gray Park, Williams Lake, and head up the Alaska Highway. Ultimately taking the ferry from Anchorage back to Seattle and making my way home. I suspect a trip like this would take many months so it will have to wait.

So there you have the top 10 on my photo bucket list. With the exception of the New England colors it's all in the west. I guess in the end I'm just a western kind of guy. But I'm open to suggestions about things in the East so who knows. What the heck, it's always open to adaptation. Maybe I'll see you out there.

A Learning Experience

So I've been lusting for an Adirondack Chair for my deck or patio. I sat in one somewhere, can't remember where, but it seemed to be one of the most comfortable chairs I've sat in for quite a while. Right then I decided I neede one or two for my deck and the search began. Untold hours searching the web....days on craigslist....haunting log furniture places. And what I found was that the things are bloody expensive! Want 2 Adirondacks and a matching loveseat for patio furniture? No problem...send me your check for $1500 and I can have the manufacturer ship them anywhere in the country. Well, that's a bit rich for my blood so I started thinking of alternatives. Back to Craigslist. Finally I found one for $25 with a footstool! The pics looked pretty good so I went and got it. Well, as always there's a reason it was $25 when new ones are nearly $200...it was weathered pretty badly. No problem says I, there's a garage full of power tools at home and I can replace the really bad parts.

First were the arms. I measured them up and made a trip to Lowes for a piece of lumber to cut the new arms out of. Using the old arm for a pattern it was easy to cut out new arms and install them. Then I decided to replace the seat slats so back to Lowes for some lumber. Got the slats replaced and looked at the chair. Looks great but maybe I should sand the back slats. Pulled them off and started sanding when all of a sudden the little guy in my head started getting me in deeper. "Hey dummy, if you just sand these down, when it comes time to build another chair you'll have to take them off again. Just get some lumber and make new ones." So I did...then it was the legs...then the back braces. Finally, I gave in and just replaced everything, using the old chair parts for templates. I learned a lot in the process...here's the list.

1. Between 7th grade wood shop and watching DIY network and HGTV, I'm pretty good at this stuff and it appears to be at least a little theraputic.

2. I built this one out of mostly redwood which, in retrospect, might not be the best. Redwood is durable and weathers well but it also splits easily when driving screws near the end of a piece of wood. I had to replace a few pieces and got into some pretty extensive pre-drilling.

3. I have all the tools I need to produce chairs like this except one: I need to find a way to effectively taper the back slats. I can cut the tapers with a jig saw but it's pretty crude and not at all attractive. Back to the drawing board!

4. This is still the most comfortable deck chair I've found and a perfect project for a weekend.

Next up: Make a lumber list, one trip to Lowes, and find out truly how expensive it is to build one of these. I think I've got about $50 in materials but I made several trips to Lowes and bought non-chair related stuff on a couple of the trips so I don't really have a perfectly clear idea how much it cost me. Maybe one of these weekends when Judy is traveling........

Anyway, that's my story and I'm sticking to it. I haven't yet quite perfected my technique to the point of making them for other people, but who knows...after the next one, I may be soliciting orders.