Pilings or No Pilings?

~A Photographers Perspective~
As controversy and litigation surround the removal of pilings on Cougar Bay, of Lake Coeur d'Alene; fighting over Osprey habitat and motorboats, of which I thought I had no opinion....my thoughts turn to all the photographs I have taken over the years in our piling filled bays.



Silver Solitude (Cougar Bay)



Wolf Lodge Sunset



Cougar Bay Shallows



How those same pilings have acted as interest elements in my compositions, artistic silhouettes,
leading lines and abstract patterns.



Dusk on Cougar Bay

These are just a few photos of the "soon to be gone" pilings.

Cougar Bay Abstract









Spokane River Twilight




On occasion I've found them annoying too, but not for the same reasons of current controversy.

  

Spokane River Sunset

Ice on Cougar Bay

Yesterday I returned to a favorite photo haunt to discover the absence of my favorite weathered pilings that jutted from the bay.

Remnants of a Bygone Era-Cougar Bay

I'm sure it seems odd that anyone would have favorite pieces of ragged,
protruding wood in a lake, but I did.
They were the ones in the photo below.



Tugboat in the mist hangs as 6 ft. Canvas
in the Kootenai Cancer Center (Post Falls)
and a 3 ft. print in the Federal Building, Cd'A



On a nearby dock stood the CDA press photographer waiting for a ride on a tugboat, to shoot for todays

CDA Press story on the issue.



Twin Silhouettes



As the boat transported him out to the working equipment,
I photographed the tug passing that very spot again and realized in an instant that the whole scene had lost something vital from a photographic standpoint.


 I watched from a distance with a bit of sadness,
the removal process, as equipment pushed over one piling at a time,
and then plucked it from the depths.

Without me even realizing it, these pilings have been a reminder of the history of our region and a
connection to the past.


Silver Dawn- Cougar Bay



They've added character, and intrigue.
Just my little tribute to something I think I am actually going to miss.

Spokane River Pilings

A very wet spring

I started this post sometime in May, and today is the day...I SHALL finish it! Beyond that I have set a new goal of blogging at least once a month and it will go on my desk planner. The self imposed rules in my office state..."If it's on the desk planner...it must be done!" Of course there is always the possibility that the boss could over ride the rules...I think I've discovered a glitch in my system.

We have experienced what I would imagine must have been one of the wettest Springs on record here in North Idaho. On a positive note, there were many evenings when the sun would break through just at sunset for some amazing displays of sky color and super saturated landscapes. During April, May and June, I 've visited the Palouse, Hood River Oregon, Bonners Ferry, Chewelah and the remote Northeast corner of Washington. But the majority of my shoots have been right here in my beautiful hometown of Coeur d'Alene.

From my Mothers Day weekend in the Columbia Gorge....

An old camoflauged truck

Canola near Troutdale

Hood River Bridge

Follow me on Facebook for my most up to date image postings, specials and the occasional giveaway.

A few of the local spots I've hit in the last few months......

Post Falls Dam

Pre-storm color on the Spokane River

Evening at Higgins Point

A view over Coeur d'Alene

The following links will take you to pages on Fine Art America where I am participating in a link exchange, for image placement program. Not all of the art there will be mine, but some of them should be. Feel free to take a look around.

There are some great artists represented there.

lake photos    nature photos    reflection photos     landscape photos     sunset photos  

Recently I've been receiving some much appreciated promotion from Blogmaster D.F. Oliveria of Huckleberries Online at the Spokesman Review. If you're not a Berry picker, you should be....lots of thought provoking articles, great images and the most interesting scanner traffic...I had no idea there were so many odd happenings in my town.

The far Northeast corner of Washington state is a rugged and scenic area in which I am hoping to spend some time camping and exploring.

I did some scouting in June and look forward to a return trip.

My Premium 5x7 cards are now available at Terrazzo

1846 Government Way.

Coffee, Pastries and specialty gifts. Stop in for a latte and some great atmosphere!

And at Edena's Gallery of Art

3650 N Government Way

 Or they can be ordered through my website.

One of my favorite images from June

Sunset Journey

This next month will take me to Yellowstone, Billings, and my first ever trip to the state of California. I love Idaho, but I am very much looking forward to exploring some new territory.

My next post will include my July trip to Glacier National Park and the short story of my first,

and hopefully last bear encounter!

Catching up!

I meant to post about my two trips to Boise, and everything in between, but since I am so far behind, I am just going to do a brief coverage of the last few months.

This old house is one of my favorites from the New Meadows area in February,

 as is the solitary tree.

  Shoshone Falls was running really low,

 

This image might soon be for sale in the Capitol gift shop...

We took an early season walk to Snow Creek Falls on the edge of the Selkirk Range.

and hiked Mineral Ridge.

I spent several evenings photographing Lake Coeur d'Alene sunsets,

And this one after getting pummeled by a hailstorm...

From the foothills of the Coeur d'Alene Mountains...

Myrtle Creek near Bonners Ferry

One of my recent favorites is Beauty Creek

(yes, that's it's real name)

So, thats a brief run down on my shoots.

I am now being represented by Angel Gallery, here in Coeur d'Alene, and will have art in the Groove Studio in Bonners Ferry around the middle of May.

This steam train image made the final cut for exhibitions in

California and Australia. (the only two times I have submitted images to such events)

They both open this summer.

My new premium cards are available on my website,

in the gallery, and will be coming soon to select retailers around the region.

I donated Tugboat in the Mist

to the Au$um Auction benefitting the Coeur d'Alene Chamber, and held at the Coeur d'Alene Resort on May 1st.

I won the cover contest for the local phone book, that comes with a $500.00 gift card to the Coeur d'Alene Resort, so I might become a regular at Dockside over the next year.

This is NOT the winning image...just a shot of the Resort.

Until next  time....