Summer Series 2nd Photographic Post 2009

This newest '09 Summer Series will focus on the Kettle River Valley, located in Ferry County, Washington state, U.S.A.

The series starts off near the Canadian village of Midway B.C. where the Kettle River enters the United States. At this point the river is nearly 100 miles from it's headwaters.

I am using this Google Earth image to set the stage for the upcoming images. In this overview of the river valley we are looking from an elevation of 15,000 above sea level. The river valley at this point is 1,900' above sea level. I have added some landmark notations in red to orient the interested viewer. The following photographs were taken from the spot on the Google map marked X-1. Double click the image for a larger view.

The Kettle River is unique in that it enters the USA from Canada, flows in a big bend from west to east and then turns north and enters Canada again. We will explore downstream in other posts. For now here are a couple of images to get this series started.


'Meyer's Bend' the first of several big bends in the river, named after a German farmer who raised cattle in the green fields inside the bend. Henry Meyer was a farmer, rancher, miner and good, solid man as well.

'Downstream from Meyer's Bend' I nearly named this one Westlake Acres as the photo looks south toward a small farm area bearing that name. I enjoy this image with the dark shade of the cool cottonwood trees in contrast to the hot summer day. The Kettle River offers many clean & delightful swimming holes.

Short & sweet. That's what this introduction of to the Kettle River Valley is. I've many more images in 'the can' and hope to update this series every few days. Please check back soon...

Foster

Summer Series 1st Photographic Post

Time passes to quickly during the temperate, north summer. Thankfully we have long twilit days, stretching until late in the evening. Here are a few images I recently captured during those twilight hours between hot summer days and short, dark nights...

Above:
Kettle River Range on a pre-dawn summer's morning, smoked in from a Canadian wildfire. That mystical time between the dark of the short northern night and the coming of dawn.
Bald eagle fishing in the late moments of the fading afternoon sun. A gravel bar on the Kettle River forms the backdrop of this majestic bird. My riverhome is fortunate to have the company of eagles all year long.

"Kettle River - Upstream Curlew" is the title for this the third and last of this brief series. That beautiful, late summer twilight is descending in the wake of a hot day. The coolness of the river is inviting not only to humans but whitetail deer wade the shallows occasionally wading or swimming across the stream. Nighthawks appear in the hundreds swooping in pursuit of evening insects. Tis a fine time of day to watch the river flow by.

Hope you are enjoying your summer time...

Foster