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IHS dual meet wrestling, Aase Gym, Ilwaco, Wa.

2012-01-27T23:42:00.000-08:00

Oh, I do love that gladiator lighting

-DKM

For those that thirst for more...

2012-01-23T10:19:00.001-08:00

... I've started a tumblr micro blog for stuff that doesn't end up on here and has been taken on my phone, aptly titled from my fone. I make no promises as to the quality, as some will be good, some will be crap, and some will just be crap I like. Figured since I had a ridiculous number of photo apps on the phone that I needed a home for that too. I'm also adding a link up top to it if you wanna check back from time to time.
Cheers
-DKM

Pac Rim Wrestling Tournament, Seaside, Ore.

2012-01-20T23:29:00.000-08:00

-DKM

Snow days (and nights), Chinook, Ilwaco, Seaview, Wa.

2012-01-16T18:02:00.000-08:00

Snow is something that is rare around these parts, and when it does it brings with it many things good and bad. Like slippery roads that lead to rollover accidents into water. Or sledding on a school holiday (boy the timing on this worked out great, free snow day!)

The kids were excited as always to see the snow and got to get some play time in it before it started to melt today. However, according to the weather report there should be more falling really soon.

And McKenzie is many things. One of here secret talents? Snowball assassin.

On Saturday morning you could feel the snow coming up at Cape Disappointment lighthouse during the memorial ceremony in honor of the Triumph episode 51 years ago.

-DKM

Hunka, hunka burnin' stuff, Klipsan Beach, Wa.

2012-01-09T16:34:00.000-08:00

Saturday night this expensive RV ($140,000 value) went up in flames about 10 feet from this Klipsan home. Fire District 1 did an awesome job dealing with the blaze and saving the home from any damage.

In honor of Elvis' birthday, the Golden Sands retirement center celebrated with a special lunch which included a visit from the king himself (kitchen staff Ben Reardon dressed in a very form fitting Vegas-era costume). Despite having never done an Elvis impersonation before, Reardon did keep the ladies giggling and happy as they ate their fried peanut butter and banana sandwiches, serenading to them, giving hugs and dancing with a few.

-DKM

New stuff from the new year, Long Beach, Seaview, Ilwaco, Wa.

2012-01-06T16:50:00.000-08:00

Well, here it is 2012 for six days and no posts? Well, here's a few things from the new year.And all in color?!?!

Tuesday night a woman wanted to get a closer look at the ocean, but apparently didn't notice when the sea started washing up around her car till it was too late. She got out and walked down to a tow yard to get help. Meanwhile, fire and surf rescue had to check it out, so this is Ness and Doug investigating.

We had our first big wind storm of the year over the weekend, here's me feature hunting without a great deal of luck.

The old Oddfellows building in downtown Ilwaco is falling apart and has been condemned but it seems that multiple groups want it, according to a story in next weeks paper. This is a view through one of the street level windows.

And finally, The Grizz, joining me on another journey. I love the fact that I don't have to talk to myself in the car anymore.

-DKM

2011 Leftovers

2011-12-30T14:01:00.000-08:00

As a follow up to the previous post that featured a gallery of my favorite pix from 2011, here are a few "leftovers" that never made it on the blog, or maybe the paper or the gallery. However, I still like'em.

The most substantial work I did this year, I think, was a continuing series of portraiture, mostly for the weekly Q&A.
Chef Joe Day

Mayor Bob Andrew

Tiffany Turner

Cell phone pix became a little more ubiquitous for me, here's my favorite one of those.

-DKM

Best/faves of 2011, Southwest Washington state

2011-12-28T00:58:00.000-08:00

I always feel a little weird saying that this is my "best" of one year or another, so lets just say these are a collection of images that I liked best or were most happy with over the last 12 months. Here's to 2011,

-DKM

Christmas kids, 2011, Long Beach, Wa.

2011-12-21T18:08:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas from our crazy kids (and us)

Whole lotta sports — Naselle, Wa., Warrenton and Astoria, Ore.

2011-12-12T14:27:00.000-08:00

So, winter season sports started two weeks ago, and for one reason or another I just haven't gotten any pix up yet. Soooo, here's a bunch from the games I've gone to thus far.
The first two hoops games I shot this year — NHS-IHS boys and girls — I set up some remote lights, which I don't do too much of anymore. Didn't really love the results so went back to ambient. It's still a work in progress IMO.

-DKM

Brian Brush found guilty of Murder 1, Pacific County Courthouse, South Bend, Wa.

2011-12-06T18:14:00.001-08:00

Today Brian Brush was found guilty of first degree murder with aggrivated circumstances in the public shooting of Lisa Bonney in Sept. 2009. I was in court the last two days of the trial and meant to post some stuff yesterday but got too busy. So here is a smattering from Monday and Tuesday.

Mr. Brush is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 12 of next year, nearly two and a half years after his crime.

-DKM

Duck hunting on the bay with the Wiegardt boys, Nahcotta, Wa.

2011-12-01T12:26:00.001-08:00

I finally got to go out to watch Eric Wiegardt and his dad Dobby duck hunting on Willapa Bay. Tim wrote up a story a couple weeks ago, and the weather just would not cooperate for me to get out there until yesterday morning.

Dobby noted that the deer rack on his garage wall was captured by Ilwaco's first mayor, oh so many years ago.

Unfortunately, these were about as close as the ducks got to us all morning. The guys were also skunked when Tim went out with them. Guess the CO is bad luck for ducks!

Despite not getting a shot off I was totally pleased with how it went, and even got a slice of Mrs. Wiegardt's marionberry pie afterward. Totally worth getting up at 6 am for!

-DKM

Brush murder trial finally begins, Pacific County Courthouse, South Bend, Wa.

2011-11-28T15:52:00.001-08:00

The Brian Brush murder trial finally began today — more than two years after Lisa Bonney was gunned down in front several hundred people on the Bolstad beach approach.
The picture above is the first time I've seen Brush look somewhat normal since this whole thing started. All the previous times I've photographed him in court he was haggard looking, unshaven usually, and in a jail jumpsuit with shackles. Quite a bit different today as he was clean shaven, wearing casual clothes, and strolled around the front of the courtroom during breaks.

The prosecutions first witnesses were the three police officers first on the scene, and each were asked to demonstrate what they saw Brush allegedly do. The jury also saw two highly graphic crime scene images from the scene.

The new defense attorneys came off a little odd, giggling to each other back and forth throughout the hearing, including during testimony. The lead attorney had to be reprimanded by judge Sullivan during his opening statement — which meant the jury had to be cleared from the room — because he started talking about something that the judge had already ruled that he couldn't mention. As you can see below, directly afterward, he didn't seem to mind.

The trial is set to last for the better part of the next three weeks, and I will likely be in attendance at least once each week.
(FYI, in case it wasn't obvious enough, any opinions shared on this blog and mine, and mine alone and do not represent the newspaper or anyone else. This is simply a retelling of things as I saw them.)

-DKM

Windows, waves, hoops and chiefs - Long Beach, Seaview and Ilwaco, Wa.

2011-11-22T12:29:00.001-08:00

SO, this is me catching up.
Back on Halloween I got this pic of these porthole pooches while trick or treating in Ilwaco. It's running this week coupled with the pic below, which is really way more Halloween-esque, though I just took it like a week ago. (Thanks to my man Stu for the assist on this one!)

The first real winter storms started hitting us this week and I did something I don't think I've ever done before — shoot the enormous waves crashing into the cliff face at Waikiki Beach in Ilwaco. They were HUGE

This past week was also the start of winter season sports practices. It felt really weird shooting a hoops practice on Friday instead of a football game. It threw off my whole week.

And finally, LB police chief Flint Wright was the Q&A this week, and this was the result of our two minute portrait session — I really like it.

Happy turkey day to all, and to all, a good gravy

-DKM

PS - I also finished up my new portfolio website, which has a link at the top of the blog (or HERE if you prefer). It has a variety of galleries in a variety of categories Take a look, lemme know what you think

NHS playoff loss, Naselle, Wa.

2011-11-12T14:36:00.001-08:00

Well, I sure wasn't expecting to be posting these pix, especially so soon. The Comets, who went into the first round of the state playoffs last night undefeated and ranked second in the state. However, they draw the short straw and had to play a really, really good Adna team, and could just never get on track, losing a season-ending game 41-8.

Yesterday was Veterans Day, and some valley vets served as color guard at the game, which was nice to see.

This was probably a bad sign — in more ways than one... The sign the cheerleaders made for the team to run thru after halftime ripped in two thanks to a gust of wind.

So, another football season ends, far too soon for me. Guess it's time to head back inside for the next three months...
You can see some more pix from this game on the Friday Night Sights Blog HERE

-DKM

Ready for some playoffs, Naselle, Wa.

2011-11-10T12:19:00.001-08:00

I meant to post this several days ago, but...
This is from Naselle's win over Wahkiakum last Saturday night. Not only did they win the K-M Trophy, but also the district playoff game, putting them in as the top seed on the western side of the state playoff bracket. They play tonight at 7 p.m., hosting Adna, a ridiculously tough first round opponent. You can read all about the match-up on the week 11 game preview on the Friday Night Sights blog HERE. Hope to see you all there, should be a real battle.

-DKM

Oysterville by lamplight, Oysterville, Wa.

2011-11-10T12:12:00.001-08:00

Old building? Check. Guys wearing old-timey suits and hats? Check. Lit only by house lamps? Ehhhh.....check.
I shot a dress rehearsal of the Shoalwater Shenanagans, an interesting telling of the early days on the north Peninsula, performed at Oysterville Church. Not usually used for such things, especially at night, the room was lit with candles, oil lamps and house lamps. Challenge? yeah, but a fun one.

The show is being presented Saturday, Nov. 19 at 3 and 7 pm.

-DKM

Fishermen finish fantastic, Peterson Field, Ilwaco, Wa.

2011-11-04T15:33:00.000-07:00

Ilwaco finished up their football season last night a fantastic fashion with a 40-6 win over Warrenton on a really sloppy field. Very cool way to end for the seniors.

Post game was sloppy fun too.

Here's one for my man Jeff

-DKM

Ilwaco Middle School Football, Peterson Field, Ilwaco, Wa.

2011-10-27T13:03:00.000-07:00

Tuesday night I shot the Ilwaco Middle School's final football game of the year, against Rainier. It was also one of the most exciting and fun games I've shot all year. Both teams went into the game undefeated and it was tied until Rainier scored with less than a minute left to play.

That final score really should have been called back though, as #5 from Rainier pushed down the Ilwaco defender in the foreground who was about to make the tackle on #23, which went unseen by the really amateur referee crew working the game.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the fence, the high school team played a little pick up hybrid football/rugby after practice.

-DKM

Ilwaco wins district golf, football loses chance at playoffs, Chehalis and Castle Rock, Wa.

2011-10-24T09:33:00.000-07:00

Two ends of the sports spectrum for Ilwaco last week, with the boys golf team winning their sixth straight district title. Then on Friday, the Fishermen footballers lost at Castle Rock in a game that if won would have kept their playoff hopes alive. In both cases I shot kinda loose.

-DKM

Annual trip to the pumpkin patch/corn maze, Sauvie Island, Ore.

2011-10-21T13:47:00.000-07:00

For the last five or six years we have made it an annual staple of our Halloween season fun to take a trip to a pumpkin patch, and most often the one on Sauvie Island, as it has a giant corn maze. This year's trip was last Sunday.

We went pretty far off the main part of the patch to find ours, each of us picking one that we carry ourselves back to the hay ride. Some how I ended up carrying Wyse' anyway...

Kenz has loved going on the cow rides, and this year Wyse was able to go with her. He thought it was pretty cool.

Is this the best portrait of me ever?

-DKM

68-mile high speed pursuit, South Bend to Ocean Park, Wa.

2011-10-17T09:11:00.000-07:00

Late Friday night while processing football pix I started listening to a high speed chase on the scanner. When the chase was coming through Long Beach I hopped in the car and gave chase myself — behind nine cop cars. After running over multiple spike strips and driving a good portion without all four tires, the suspect finally gave up and crashed in the ditch on Sandridge near 227th in Klipsan.
The chase began with a traffic stop in South Bend, and ended 68 miles later.

-DKM

NHS homecoming game, Naselle High School

2011-10-14T22:58:00.000-07:00

Ryley Queener spent game night in the press box, via Skype that is, watching the game with his dad. Queener has spent the last week in and out of the ICU of an Oregon hospital. Queener seems to be doing a lot better, and maybe coming home this weekend.

The game was also the homecoming game for Naselle. And even though the lighting is pretty bad, I do love shooting homecoming halftimes.

-DKM

Some cell snaps, Long Beach, Ilwaco & Warrenton, Ore.

2011-10-13T15:54:00.000-07:00

I was going through my Droid the other day, taking some photos off, and there were a handful of pix that I meant to post a long time ago, including this one of a guy having dinner at the bakery last summer.

These two aren't that old, I love this one of Ness, and below we have Rizz, the puppy we recently were given by the Leland's of Naselle. She's a really great dog.

Here's Ana George after surfing with Ness and Kenz

And while I'm sure that might look irresponsible... this is actually Wyse rolling down a hill at one of Kenz soccer games. He and some other kids were race-rolling down the bank.

-DKM

New ports, Observer office, Long Beach, Wa.

2011-10-10T16:53:00.001-07:00

Last week I tried another new (to me) lighting technique for the Q&A pic of Bruce Peterson. I'm happy that I'm able to add some new tricks to the bag.

With Maddie being in Ireland still, I had to use some other test models. Amanda was nice enough to sit while I worked out the finer details. Our new sports stringer Tim also sat for a couple.

And last, but far from least, my lovely wife Vinessa needed a new pic to go with her campaign stuff. Oh yeah, she's running as a write-in candidate for Ilwaco City Council, Seat #2, looking to unseat Don Berger who was appointed to office in the last year, but has never been elected.
You can read all about the campaign HERE — and remember, WRITE-IN VIN!

-DKM

Kenz at the Nemah fish hatchery, Nemah, Wa.

2011-10-08T17:29:00.000-07:00

This may be one of the best pix I have ever taken. Kenz was with me today while on assignment at the Nemah Fish Hatchery. While shooting jumping salmon, the hatchery manager told Kenz she could pet a fish if it jumped up. This one jumped right up to her.

-DKM

Doug Knutzen receives the Silver Lifesaving Medal, USCG Station Cape D, Ilwaco, Wa.

2011-10-04T12:06:00.000-07:00

Doug Knutzen — of THE PICTURE fame — received a rare honor last Wednesday for another dramatic rescue he was a part of 10 years ago. The Silver Lifesaving Medal is awarded to "any member of the U.S. military, or to a U.S. civilian, who rescues, or endeavors to rescue, any other person from drowning, shipwreck, or other peril of water." Doug and Coasty Beth Slade earned the medal by cutting a stranded man out of his overturned and beached fishing boat in 2001. Slade received her medal in August.

Ever stoic, Doug stayed pretty straight-faced throughout the very nice ceremony, in which a rear admiral presented the award. His wife Suzanne, as well as one of his daughters and members of the surf rescue team were there with him Wednesday.

-DKM

Halftime, NHS @ Valley, Menlo, Wa.

2011-10-04T11:46:00.000-07:00

Friday night's game between Naselle and Valley, which likely decided the Pacific League title, was over by halftime, as the fourth-ranked Comets built an easy 48-0 lead over the ninth-ranked Vikings, en route to a 55-0 win. To make it worse for Valley, it was their Homecoming game. Some of the Naselle boys took a minute to wave to the princesses on their way back to the field after halftime.

-DKM

Kenz the soccer star, Warrenton soccer complex, Warrenton, Or.

2011-10-01T15:54:00.000-07:00

Kenz rocked it on the field today, scoring two more goals in a really close game

-DKM

Local actors, Peninsula Players portraits, Observer office, Long Beach, Wa.

2011-09-30T22:18:00.000-07:00

-DKM

Three Course Challenge cross country meet, Camp Rilea, Gearhart, Ore.

2011-09-24T16:26:00.000-07:00

This has really become one of my very favorite sporting events each year for one very simple reason — a three-foot deep water hazard.

One of the reasons that I don't think I had as good a day as years past is that I didn't get much in the way of Ilwaco and Naselle runners. Ben Ahlin, just like last year, was my best local pic. In fact, I did not see a single Comet runner in the medium and hard races.

Ilwaco's Rissa Gerke provided perhaps my favorite moment, as she asked the girls from East Lake to hold her glasses while she stopped and did a belly flop into the pool.

-DKM

Ilwaco football in the fog, Peterson Field, Ilwaco, Wa.

2011-09-23T22:32:00.000-07:00

Well, at least one Ilwaco team got to dance on the home field on Friday night. Pee Wee players Griffin Cutting and Josh Sanders busted a move as the IHS band played during halftime of the IHS-Kalama game. Unfortunately for the big boys, things didn't go so well, as they lost 41-0.

Check out more pix of the game HERE

-DKM

Portraits, football & golf, Long Beach, Naselle & Surfside, Wa.

2011-09-20T09:38:00.000-07:00

When I set up a portrait shoot I always snap one or two test pix after the person is seated, just to be sure my exposure and lighting is correct. Sometimes the best pic (IMO) is the first one I take. This is Wayne Downing, a local radio personality who will be writing a column for us in the coming weeks.

*Back in 1995 I worked as a photo lab tech at the Coos Bay World, processing film, scanning and toning pix, cleaning the darkroom, etc. And every once in awhile I would get a photo assignment. Anyway, the photographer I worked with, Andre Ranieri, noted how it always seemed that his best pix would be the first couple and the last couple on a roll. For me, however, that is rarely the case, as it usually takes me awhile to make the shot I want. Very different of course from like HCB or Robert Frank, who would only take a couple pix of each thing they were shooting.

I don't normally like these kinds of pix — someone looking at the camera, giving a cliche expression or hand gesture. But in this case, I think it worked. On Friday night the Naselle Comets destroyed Raymond, 48-20, amassing 549 yards of offense. Lineman Seth Scrabeck has never really been one for this kind of thing, but the win was particularly satisfying as Raymond had been "trash talking" ever since football camp last summer. I think Seth was simply reminding them who was number one in the league.

This shot from Ilwaco's home meet last week I post because it was a great shot by Ross Kukula, who nearly holed it from about 30 yards out (which would have been for eagle on the particularly long par 5 fourth hole at Surfside). But here's something I will probably never be able to say again — I actually had a better shot than Kukula yesterday, as I holed an eagle from 60 yards out on the fifth hole at Peninsula Golf. I'm just glad I had Jeff there as a witness...

- DKM

Firemen's games in the rain, Volunteer Fire Station, Long Beach, Wa.

2011-09-18T19:00:00.000-07:00

-DKM

Rod Run cruise night, downtown Long Beach, Wa.

2011-09-13T09:24:00.000-07:00

Cruise night during the Rod Run can be a wild, and at times, weird experience. Saturday night I was downtown looking for the cool, the classic, the wild and the weird.

THis guy installed some kind of flame throwers in the back of his truck that would shoot fire some six feet when he revved up the engine.

Didn't see too many hard partiers, well except for the girl in the giant hat...

Head on a stick

A stretch limo was pulled over downtown by the gaggle of cops patrolling and found multiple large bottles of strong liquor inside and arrested the occupants.

- DKM

Week 2 local football, Ilwaco & Naselle, Wa.

2011-09-12T11:15:00.000-07:00

Two football games this past week, Naselle Friday night and Ilwaco on Saturday afternoon.

Ilwaco ended up winning their game 28-0, for their first home win since 2008. Sure wish more people had shown up to see it, as the Fishermen played great.

Naselle pretty much ran all over Knappa for a 47-6 win. The past two weeks the Comets have outscored their opponents 89-14 (and those 14 were given up by the JV in the fourth quarter of each game) pretty impressive stuff.

The halftime entertainment was provided by the youth football program up in the valley.

Add this one to my unofficial series of jet contrails in the sky pictures.

-DKM

Bear River Battle, IHS at NHS football, Naselle, Wa.

2011-09-06T09:38:00.000-07:00

Last Friday was the start of local football, and what better way than the rivalry game between our two local teams.

Naselle's QB Dustin Eaton had a huge game on both sides of the ball, running for two TDs, throwing for two more, and getting a key interception on D that he ran back 50 yards. His brother Robert ran for two TDs as well as the Comets clobbered the Fishermen 42-8.

This play could have potentially changed the flow of the game. After the Comets marched down and scored on their opening possession, IHS QB Josh Berteaux hit Kasey Plato on a quick pass that looked like he was bound for the end zone.

Unfortunately, halfway there he fumbled the ball, and it was recovered by NHS. Ilwaco is definitely playing a quicker style of offense, which is fun to watch, but on Friday they just came up against a bigger, more physical team that was punishing on both sides of the ball all night.

You can find more photos from this game at the Friday Night Sights football blog HERE

-DKM

Labor Day Sunday, Indian Beach, Ecola State Park, Cannon Beach, Or.

2011-09-06T09:23:00.000-07:00

A last blast of summer before school's back. Went down to the very cool Indian Beach at Ecola State Park in Oregon for the day Sunday. The girls got to surf some really nice waves, me, Wyse and Ollie played in the sand, and "a good time was had by all."

Even though a really thick bank of fog came rolling in halfway through our visit, it didn't dampen or chill the day at all, in fact it was kinda nice along with the high 70s-low 80s temps.

-DKM

Pacific County Fair, Menlo, Wa.

2011-08-26T14:28:00.000-07:00

-DKM

Farewell sweet lady, Martha Murfin 1918-2011, Seaview, Wa.

2011-08-22T16:24:00.000-07:00

Here is a column I wrote for the paper this week about Martha Murfin. With it is a portrait I made of her at her home in 2006. The story below tells of that shoot and how I think I missed a really great picture.

On the front page this week is a portrait I made of Martha Murfin at her home in Seaview back in 2006. The ocasion was the Sydney Stevens series about the “North Beach Girls,” women who grew up on the Peninsula in the early 20th century.
At that time I really had very little experience doing lighted portraiture, being much more versed in candid photography. I wanted the portrait to be nice, so I brought along a big bag of lighting stuff — flashes, light stands, umbrellas, light meter.
While frantically trying to set it all up Martha patiently passed the time by doing what you might expect, by reading a book. And this is how I lost a great picture.
You see, I was so concerned with the lighting aspects (which I honestly didn’t do very well), that I missed what could have been an iconic picture of the beloved book worm. This is because not only was she reading, but she was doing so sideways in her big wing back chair, legs over one side, like a kid might. Silly me, I had her sit up for the picture.
Martha was always very nice to me, and always let it be known how much she liked my daughter, and how pleased she was by her love of reading, something that meant so much to her. Word is that the school choir may be singing at Martha’s memorial on Sunday, and my girl is very much looking forward to that honor.
The last time I saw Martha was in June at the Relay for Life. I snapped the picture below of her as she watched the survivor lap. A few days earlier at the community meeting for the school superintendent candidates I sat with her and had a good laugh. One of the candidates came up to introduce themself to Martha, and I made sure to note that they were standing in the Martha Murfin Library, something that I know Martha was very proud of.
Martha would have been around 49 years old in 1967 when the Beatles recorded the song “Martha My Dear” for the White Album. A line at the end of the song seems particulrly appropo.
“Martha my dear you have always been my inspiration.”
To this Peninsula, and all of its kids, Martha will always be an inspiration. Farewell sweet lady.

-DKM

Seabird swarm, Seaview beach approach, Seaview, Wa.

2011-08-20T18:21:00.000-07:00

-DKM

Wahkiakum County Fair, Skamokawa, Wa.

2011-08-20T18:18:00.000-07:00

Like I was saying, favorite week of the year

-DKM

Fall football practices begin, Naselle, Ilwaco, Wa.

2011-08-20T17:46:00.000-07:00

My favorite week of the year. One word — football.

-DKM

Surf & Saddles Junior Rodeo, Long Beach, Wa.

2011-08-15T11:57:00.000-07:00

You can find more photos from the junior rodeo (including some great action pix by Maddie) HERE

Cheers,
-DKM

Dan "the oyster man" Driscoll, Observer office, Long Beach, Wa.

2011-08-15T11:51:00.000-07:00

Dan has been a friend of mine since I moved here in 2002, and I've taken his photo many times. This week, however, I shot his portrait for the weekly Q&A and I liked them so much that we ran them as a triptych.

Cheers,
-DKM

Thank you

2011-08-15T11:34:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to say thank you to the unbelievable amount of people who have responded to the story and photos of Dale Ostrander that were first published here on my blog.
Nearly 50,000 people visited the blog in the last week after seeing the story and pix on a wide variety of television news broadcasts, Internet sites, radio programs, and countless newspapers worldwide. When I wrote to my friend Nan (who is the queen of Twitter IMO) last Monday night and told her to please get the word out on this incredible story, I never could have imagined the way it would seemingly capture the publics collective imagination and take off the way it did.
I especially want to thank the hundreds of people who have left comments, sent personal emails or have phoned me directly with some very kind words after seeing the photos and reading about Dale. They are flattering, humbling, and very much appreciated.

And now for an update. On Saturday the doctors told the family that he sees no reason why Dale would not be able to make a full recovery over time. Last night on the Prayers for Dale blog it was noted that Dale, with the help of a physical therapist, walked down the hall at the hospital. Lest we not forget, a week ago Sunday he was still in a coma. Amazing. I'm still keeping my fingers crossed that some time soon I may be given the opportunity to meet the family, and especially Dale.

Cheers,
-DKM

Boy brought back to life after drowning in the ocean, Cranberry beach approach, Long Beach, Wa.

2011-08-08T21:33:00.000-07:00

This is by far the most amazing story I have ever been a part of. I'm still awe struck as I write this, but I am so very happy to be able to tell it.
Last Friday afternoon a large church youth group from Spanaway were visiting the beach off the Cranberry beach approach in Long Beach. Shannon Kissel and his daughter Nicole were boogie boarding nearby when they saw that two boys were in need of help. While they were able to retrieve one boy they were not able to rescue Dale Ostrander, who was caught in a wicked rip tide. It was about 10 minutes until the surf rescue team was on scene. Twenty-plus kids from the youth group sobbed uncontrollably and prayed on the sand during the search, a truly heart wrenching sound if ever there was one. It was then at least another 15 minutes or so before rescue swimmer Eduardo Mendez spotted the boy and he and swimmer Will Green were able to grab him and pull him aboard the jet ski.

Seconds later at the shore, Doug Knutzen carried him up to where paramedics were waiting to treat him. They were on the beach for another 10 minutes trying to revive him. I think it's safe to say that everyone who was there was certain that he was dead.
But the crew continued to work on him, and apparently once they got to the hospital they were able to get a weak pulse and get him breathing. He was Life-Flighted to Portland for treatment. And you know what? After being in an induced coma for a couple days he woke up. And today they removed his breathing tube, and not only did he breath on his own, but he spoke complete sentences. Amazing, truly. This boy was dead for upward of 20 minutes, easily.

From the blog prayersfordale.blogspot.com: At 4:11 pm today "The doctors just removed Dale's breathing tube and he is now breathing on his own. Also, because of possible damage to the brain they were unsure if he would be able to speak. Minutes after the tube was removed, the doctors told him to cough. Not only did Dale talk back to the doctors, he responded in a full sentence saying, 'I don't have to.' Dale continues to get better by the minute and the doctors are more and more amazed!"

Going to these kinds of breaking news situations is always tough, as you never know how they're going to turn out. I was heartbroken for almost a day after this. And to be able to share this kind of news now is just so heart warming to me. Please visit the site listed above and follow as Dale recovers miraculously. Because if ever there were a miracle, this would be it.

-DKM

Jake the Alligator Man's "fourth annual 75th birthday party" and bride beauty pageant, Downtown Long Beach, Wa.

2011-08-08T08:47:00.000-07:00

With Maddie riding shotgun at the freak scene that is Jake's annual birthday party, I chose to shoot with my droid as my primary camera, using the Vignette camera app. I figured the look kinda went well with the decor.

You can see more photos, including Maddie's HERE

-DKM

Portraits, Observer office, Long Beach, Wa.

2011-08-08T08:40:00.000-07:00

So, here are the results of my tests from earlier in the week with light set ups. Above is the Leuthe's, this week's featured couple, and below, Angi Derrey, this week's Q&A.

So after subjecting Maddie to endless light testing the other day in order to make the shot of Derrey, I wanted the one of the Leuthe's to have a little different look, so late Friday night I tried out overexposing a white background and underexposing a black background. This, however, meant using myself as the test subject...

-DKM

Me and Ness, Fleet Foxes concert, Troutdale, Or.

2011-08-05T14:51:00.000-07:00

-DKM

Observer intern Maddie Dickerson, test model, Observer office, Long Beach, Wa.

2011-08-04T14:30:00.000-07:00

Today our summer intern Maddie helped me out as I tried to put together some lighting for a portrait shoot. She was more than generous with her time, as this took a ridiculous amount of time to work this simple set up out. (This is why I so rarely shoot with lights...)

-DKM

66th Long Beach Rodeo, Long Beach, Wa.

2011-07-31T12:41:00.000-07:00

-DKM

Blacksmith retreat, Curl residence, Naselle, Wa.

2011-07-23T18:40:00.000-07:00

-DKM

Daniel Keyser plea agreement denied by judge, Pacific County Courthouse, South Bend, Wa.

2011-07-22T21:52:00.000-07:00

The defense and prosecutors were both disappointed Thursday when Judge Sullivan denied the plea agreement that would have seen Daniel Keyser receive a particularly small sentence for allegedly kidnapping and assaulting his former girlfriend. Both sides had large contingents in the courtroom. And while the alleged victim was pleased with the outcome of the hearing — she did not approve of the deal and wants the case to go to trial — pretty much everyone was surprised by the decision. The assistant prosecutor said he had never had this happen before. Now a jury trial awaits Keyser.

-DKM

Kenz surf lesson (number 5 or 6), Seaview, Wa.

2011-07-21T16:37:00.000-07:00

-DKM

Ilwaco, Naselle high schools at offseason football camp, Camp Rilea, Seaside, Or.

2011-07-16T19:35:00.000-07:00

SEE MORE PHOTOS ON THE FRIDAY NIGHT SIGHTS BLOG

-DKM

Ralph & Fran Osgood, 60th anniversary, Ocean Park, Wa.

2011-07-15T16:37:00.000-07:00

-DKM

The Market, Pike Place, Seattle, Wa.

2011-07-11T13:19:00.000-07:00

-DKM

4H day camp, Cape Disappointment State Park, Ilwaco, Wa.

2011-07-09T14:35:00.000-07:00

-DKM

Slice thru the sky - Contrail, Cape Disappointment State Park, Ilwaco, Wa.

2011-07-09T14:33:00.000-07:00

-DKM

Cliff rescue, North Head cliffs, Ilwaco, Wa.

2011-07-08T15:51:00.000-07:00

-DKM

Fourth of July — Long Beach, CranMac Farm, Ocean Park, Wa.

2011-07-05T09:51:00.000-07:00

-DKM

Youth track meet and wrestling clinic, Ilwaco, Wa.

2011-06-30T13:14:00.000-07:00

-DKM

Doggie Olympics, Bolstad beach approach, Long Beach, Wa.

2011-06-27T11:58:00.000-07:00

-DKM

My little surfer girls, Seaview beach approach, Seaview, Wa.

2011-06-24T14:36:00.000-07:00

-DKM

Peninsula Children's Choir Father's Day concert, Oysterville Church, Oysterville, Wa.

2011-06-20T09:51:00.000-07:00

-DKM

Chinooks first salmon ceremony, Ft. Columbia, Chinook, Wa.

2011-06-17T16:13:00.000-07:00

-DKM

Flag Day, Long Beach, Wa.

2011-06-16T15:55:00.000-07:00

-DKM

Naselle High School graduation, Naselle, Wa.

2011-06-13T13:23:00.000-07:00

-DKM

I'm beating cancer...

2011-06-13T12:54:00.000-07:00

...through my faith in God

...with my daughter's help

...because I've got a lot to live for

...with my husband's support

-DKM

My boy at 4

2011-06-13T12:52:00.000-07:00

-DKM

Circus, Long Beach, Wa.

2011-06-07T11:04:00.000-07:00

-DKM

Ilwaco High School graduation, Ilwaco, Wa.

2011-06-06T10:54:00.000-07:00

-DKM

Lucille Downer, Ocean Park, Wa.

2011-06-03T19:06:00.000-07:00

-DKM

Firefighter cadet training, MERTS Campus, Astoria, Ore.

2011-06-02T15:19:00.000-07:00

-DKM

Appreciating the patriots

2011-05-30T13:37:00.001-07:00

Memorial Day 2011, Ilwaco, Wa.

-DKM

Three out of four ain't bad

2011-05-26T13:57:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I drove up to Dupont for the final round of the 1A state golf tournament to photograph the IHS boys team win their second-straight title, and third in the last four years. That, my friends, is what you call a dynasty in the world of high school sports.

Here's Ryan Kukula hitting out of a bunker on the back nine. You'll notice the umbrella to the right. The rain came down pretty steadily throughout the 18 holes, and then as if on schedule, stopped almost immediately after the tournament had ended.

Patrick Whealdon had a really nice final round and had some rally nice shots.

One of the spectators asked me about the rain and I said I liked the visual of all the umbrellas but I did not however like the wet. I ended up fastening a small-ish umbrella of my own to the monopod for my big lens, which helped some but was a pain to manage while walking the course.

Clark Wilson had a very nice tournament, finishing sixth overall.

Here's Ryan reacting to one of the best shots I've ever seen in high school golf. A 215-yard out approach shot with a 4 iron, landing soft on the green and rolling to within maybe a foot of the hole. Such a great shot, I totally thought it was going to go in. Ryan ended up finishing tied for second.

Ryan's younger brother Ross didn't have as good of a day as he'd like. He had some really nice shots ended up just short on some puts or landed in some trouble spots on the fly. But he'll be back next year and I bet will be right back in the mix.

Patrick ended his high school career with a really nice final round, good enough to tie for fourth after being back like eight shots after the first day.

Congrats guys, well played!

-DKM

Entr'acte

2011-05-23T14:35:00.000-07:00

Some of the von Trapp girls chilling between acts Sunday. They are really quite good and a joy to watch on stage. If you can make it you should check out the show, which continues over the next three weekends.

-DKM

HCB in English

2011-05-23T12:24:00.000-07:00

Of all the videos, and interviews I have seen of Henri Cartier-Bresson, I can't say I have ever heard him speaking in English before. Then along comes this little video made in the 1970s with him telling the stories of some of his best pictures in English. Anyone who knows me or follows this blog knows I love this guy, and this is a pretty cool find. Enjoy,

HENRI CARTIER-BRESSON - Decisive Moment, The from bt465 on Vimeo.

-DKM

Alan is Awesome & Cool x 4

2011-05-22T14:24:00.000-07:00

Last night in Seattle was the annual Washington chapter of Society of Professional Journalists awards. I didn't go this time, though I kinda wish I had as the event was held at Safeco Field where the M's play, and one of my all-time photo heroes, Alan Berner of the Seattle Times, was given a career achievement award. I have long admired his work and have had the chance to meet and talk with him a handful of times, though I'm pretty sure he wouldn't remember. His stuff is always great and he's a really laid back dude who's cool to talk with. He was actually the one who turned me onto The Americans by Robert Frank, one of my all-time favorite photo books.
The Times had a nice article about Alan in the paper today, along with a link to a career-spanning gallery of his work. There is also a gallery on Facebook HERE from the event, including Alan's speech. And yeah, dude carries his camera everywhere with him, something else I learned a long time ago.

As for me, I won the Photo Portfolio award in the non-daily category, for the fourth year in a row, so that was pretty cool. Once again I entered a 10-image portfolio, all in B&W, which you can see below if you like. I also took a third for the sports photo that is the last image in the gallery.

-DKM

Ups and downs at district track

2011-05-21T15:08:00.000-07:00

Last night was up in Rainier, near Olympia, for the District IV 1A track and field meet. The sun was out and the kids did great. Had a lot of fun, so much in fact I stayed till the end, which was not my original plan, since it is a 2 1/2 hour drive back, so pretty tired today, but it was worth it. In fact, I wouldn't have gotten the pic above of Josh Berteaux making one of his final vaults under the stadium lights. He reached a career best 13-feet-3 and placed second.

Here we have Andy Schott, Amanda Bell and Raven Rogers cheering on the boys 4x400 relay team as they come down the final stretch. The boys finished just .6 seconds out of making it to state.

Leticia Cervantes was unable to reach the minimum height in the pole vault and was an early out in the event. But she came back strong later on. (more on that in a minute). I saw some girls from other schools crying with mascara running all over their face after similar situations last night.

Josh Schenk placed fifth in the boys long jump to make state, with a leap of 19-feet-3.

Bell made the finals of the girls discus. And while she threw a career best distance, it wasn't enough to advance to state. I really liked the cages they had for this event, surrounded by netting and a fence.

Kenzi Wirkkala was a double qualifier, placing third in the shot put and second in the javelin. She will be joined at state by Cervantes, who came back from the disappointment of her showing in the pole vault to place third in the javelin.

And finally, speaking of disappointment, here's the boys 4x400 team who just got eeked out by the Onalaska team, to the left above. The boys 4x100 relay team, which features most of the same group, made state however, and in some cases individual events too. All in all a pretty cool night.

-DKM

Snapping up the week

2011-05-14T14:38:00.000-07:00

"For life-like snaps" — tag line for Elliott Erwitt's website

Here's a few snaps from this weeks stuff.
When you go to take pix of structural work being done at a lighthouse and there is no work going on that, you better hope there's a guy there with a top hat.

Here's a portrait of Israel Batista, one of the high school seniors we are profiling at the end of this school year. I don't take a lot of these tight portraits, but I like this one quite a bit.

Last night I was up in South Bend for the Pacific League Sub-District track and field meet, where ROb Baker leaped 6-feet for the gold, and nearly cleared 6-foot-2.

And finally, this morning I was at a dress rehearsal for The Sound of Music, which opens a four week run starting this Friday.

The kids playing the von Trapp children are pretty awesome. I'm particularly fond of the one on the front right.

-DKM

Ready and waiting

2011-05-10T08:50:00.000-07:00

Surf Rescue team annual drill, Seaview Beach Approach last night

-DKM

To remember and to celebrate — Loyalty Days 2011

2011-05-02T13:14:00.000-07:00

Last weekend was the big one around here, Loyalty Days. Two days of events including blessings for the commercial fishing fleet, prayers for fallen sailors at the memorial at the Port of Chinook, fun at the kids parade in Ilwaco and the Loyalty Day parade in downtown Long Beach. Here's a smattering of things I saw.

If you wanna see more (in color) here's the LINK to the gallery

- DKM

Slip N' Slide softball

2011-05-01T16:16:00.000-07:00

On Thursday I was at IHS to shoot a track meet. I was kinda milling around waiting for it to start when I happened to look across to the practice field behind the track and saw someone slide head first into a giant puddle. Then another. Needless to say I hot footed it over to check it out. Seems the JV softball team was having a little fun some baserunning/sliding drills. And since the track meet was a little slow to get underway I spent some time snapping pix and laughing my ass off.

Above, and below at the right is our babysitter Maia, who had no fear in hitting the base, and the completely saturated ground, head first.

The next day I was at a real game in Naselle and tried shooting short from behind home base and got something different.

-DKM

Fling and a miss

2011-04-23T13:31:00.000-07:00

Last night I got to spend some time at the Ocean Park School carnival, and mostly checked out the "dunk the principal" game. Some had better luck than others.
It's kinda funny but the first post I ever did when I first started this blog back in May 2007 was a pic of the "dunk the principal" game at the Long Beach School carnival that spring. Well, 367 posts later it kinda comes full circle in a way. You can check that out HERE if you like.

Yeah, that's a giant mustache...

-DKM

Next year in the Holy Land

2011-04-21T13:50:00.000-07:00

On Monday night I had the opportunity to photograph a Passover Seder. This is something I've wanted to do for quite awhile, as I've always been interested in various religious ceremony. It took place at the home of Mike and Barbara Carmel, who invited over various friends, relatives and community folk, including me. And there was soooo very much food, some of which I had never heard of before, but all smelled tremendous.

Shalom,

-DKM

Can blight be beautiful?

2011-04-15T17:35:00.000-07:00

File this under the "I love old, broken down, inanimate stuff" category. These go along with a column I have coming in the paper next week.
I've had the idea of doing a photo series of blight-ridden stuff that has been left behind by people. And this week ended up being the week I got around to it. Above is an old sign for a country dance place up in Ocean Park. I'm assuming it used to rotate in the wind, giving the illusion of a dancing couple. These days the sign is overgrown by willows, and the lady is missing her head.

See more after the jump below

When I moved here more than 8 years ago there was a gas station in the middle of town that also doubled as the home of the "Crossway Ministries," this evangelical family whose father actually ran for mayor at one point. I can't remember if the giant murals depicting the life of Jesus were there when I got here or if they came later. Within two years of my move the place closed up and I think the family moved away. To give you some insight as to just how long ago this was, the old mechanical pumps are still set at $1.69 a gallon. Anyway, over the last few years these fuel tanks have given to rust, adding a new realism.

When I drove by this old motel/apartment building I first saw the red doors. Then I saw the lacy curtains.

Now this one on the other hand is something that has bothered me since the first time I drove in to town. This small field located right along the highway is the final resting place of a several dozen disused propane tanks. More get added now and again. You can still catch a whiff of natural gas if you walk through it.

I've wondered about this place for awhile. Up in Oysterville there is a piece of property along Oysterville Rd. and this old ramshackle house sits in the middle of a pasture that is also home to old, overturned claw foot bathtubs and old cars.

And finally, this was a bit of a surprise. This is an old McCormick Farmall 230 "tricycle" tractor made in the late 1950s that I saw hidden behind some brush in Ocean Park. The bright red paint is still visually grabbing, even with the rust. I couldn't be sure, but I thought I heard a faint voice say "oil can, oil can..."

-DKM

Sun and Rain

2011-04-11T12:37:00.000-07:00

The sun came out the other day, can you believe it? I mean, it's spring and all but you wouldn't know it most of the time. So I took advantage and went to shoot only my second softball or baseball game of the season. I really like shooting at the Naselle softball field, as it has great backdrops for the action. I didn't even mind that for some reason the NHS varsity was playing the IHS JV.

Here's a link to a gallery of pix from this game HERE (and they're in color...)

The weather was a wee bit different earlier in the week when I went to Seaside for the annual track meet put on by our sister paper, the Daily Astorian. Unfortunately I could only stay for an hour thanks to other commitments elsewhere. But thankfully I was only there for an hour, as I was totally soaked in that time.

-DKM

Razor hunting

2011-04-09T12:32:00.000-07:00

This morning I had the chance to do something I thankfully rarely have to do — re-shoot an assignment. The last half of this week we had AM razor clam tides on the Peninsula, also kind of a rarity around here as normally the clam tides come in the evenings, causing people to scour the shoreline with all manner of lamps. To make things even better, we actually had some some pretty nice weather the last few days. Unfortunately for me, I got really bad pix when I went out yesterday, so tried again today with much better success, IMO. I walked the shore roundtrip about two miles or so. Thankfully I had Thelonious Monk to keep me company — the albums Brilliant Corners on the way up and Criss Cross on the way back.

-DKM

Cette semaine portraits

2011-04-05T14:24:00.000-07:00

Couldn't think of a clever title, so went for this week's portraits en Francais

Well you just can't beat window light in a kitchen can you?
This is Larkin Stentz, owner of the Green Angel organic farm here in town. This week we're profiling him and the farm in a story about land foreclosures, in this case his farm land.
Over the years I've taken Larkin's photo a number of times for various things, as he has been a pretty active fellow in the community. In fact I did a story and photos on his long forgotten Hilltop School gardens project eight years ago, back in my first year with the Observer. In fact it was almost eight years to the day, as that story ran on April 9, 2003. Have to say this is probably my fave pic I've taken of him thru the years.

On the Life page this week we have a nice piece by Amanda Frink on Kenzi Abbott, a girl from Cathlamet who recently had a young dog donated to her that is being trained as a service dog. She suffers from diabetes and grand mol seizures and the dog, once trained, will be able to sense and alert when such things happen.
Right now though he's still a puppy and has a lot of work to do before he's able to do those things. But being a pet and friend is a good thing too.

-DKM

HWY 101 S. — a passing glance

2011-03-28T13:37:00.000-07:00

This last week me and Wyse got away to see my family in northern coastal California (Crescent City and Eureka). These are a selection of pix from the trip taken on the Droid. **BTW, this is a tremendously long post

This is what the harbor in Crescent City looked like on Friday. Yeah, no boats. That's because the tsunami from a few weeks ago totally wiped out the port, destroying the docks and 35 boats that were still in port. As of Friday they were beginning the process of removing the few boats that were sunk in the boat basin with a giant crane, and they had floating booms set up to coral any oil or fuel from the vessels.

One thing you see a lot of on HWY 101 thru Oregon is bridges. Every town seems to have one. Here's a couple I like best, Waldport and Newport.

Driving thru cow country, Hebo and Tillamook.

Here's another thing that I think might be particularly Oregon, putting giant letters on the sides of hills over towns. In this case, a giant capital G over the town of Garibaldi.

And finally the bridge I love the most, the Megler Bridge on the home stretch.

For more pix of my family, click below

Pretty much the whole time down there we were treated to winter storm weather, including a power outage on the night we got there. Wyse found fun in the dark making shapes with an LED flashlight.

Chibby cat

While visiting my brother Aaron and his wife Samantha we took a short walk from their place in old town Eureka to a spot congregated by pigeons. The two seem to be pretty comfortable with the birds, even when they land on their heads and hands. Wyse thought it was pretty cool.

Sammy dog

No smiles here, but I love this pic of the boy

-DKM

Crazy kids

2011-03-22T11:13:00.000-07:00

Here's some Droid pix of the kids from the last week.

-DKM

Politics and portraits

2011-03-21T13:31:00.000-07:00

This week we're doing a story about the two new chairs of the county political parties, so I did some portraits. On the left (both literally and figuratively) is Karen Spackman, and on the right (same situation), is Brett Malin.

Despite my personal preference of party, the Malin's have always been really cool to me, especially Nansen, Brett's wife, and so it was fun to get him out in the yard for a few snaps. Nan did me the honor of snapping one of me snapping one of him — as you can see she got my good side...

This morning I went to the hospital and got dressed up in a "bunny suit" — a paper jumpsuit, shoe covers and a hair net/hat thing— for a two minute photo session with the new surgeon, in the OR. He said he's "not that photogenic," I disagree.

Last week I went to play practice at the Peninsula Players new venue, located in the old American Legion hall in Ilwaco. They are doing "The Fantasticks," a show my dad directed down in California a year and a half ago (you can see pix HERE if you like).
Everyone knows I love stage lights, and this time I got the treat of actually setting their lights to my liking, which was kinda cool.

And finally, sometimes when I'm out of the office on Friday afternoon's, my bosses daughter Elizabeth will set up camp at my desk, checking Facebook, etc. And in recent weeks I have taken to sneaking up on her and taking her picture. She's always so surprised.

-DKM

Runners dodging raindrops

2011-03-18T19:07:00.000-07:00

From my all-too short time at the NHS track meet yesterday afternoon

-DKM

Ducks and dikes and geese, oh my

2011-03-14T10:51:00.000-07:00

Yesterday afternoon new US Congresswoman Jaime Herrera hosted a town hall meeting at Hilltop Auditorium to listen to public comment and debate on the Willapa National Wildlife Refuge's proposed plan for changes on the Willapa Bay. The face of the refuge is Charlie Stenvall, a nice guy who I've always liked doing stories with, but was not the most popular guy in a room full of people with their own ideas about why the plan was bad, especially for hunters.

Despite some really nasty weather, the room was about half full, mostly by older men who were opposed to the plan due to the fact that it would possibly effect their ability to hunt ducks and geese by breaching dikes on the south side of the bay (you could tell by all the shirts and hats with waterfowl emblazoned on them). One of the speakers on the panel said that despite the fact that respected wildlife biologists had reported that what is proposed is best for the long-term health of the bay, his response was, "I just don't believe it." This sort of short-sided view concerning the ability to hunt now rather than what is best long-term was a view shared by many who spoke.

The meeting was the first major public event on the Peninsula for Herrera, who was sworn into office earlier this year. I have to say that I was surprised that she wasn't a bit more prepared, as she actually had a staffer sitting behind her on stage passing her notes. I don't know that I've ever seen that before. I agree that she's still new to the job, but IMO, she's got some polishing to do when it comes to public speaking.

-DKM

Waiting for a wave (that thankfully never came)

2011-03-11T10:33:00.000-08:00

Like many of you I was up particularly early this morning as news of a possible tsunami coming to our shores circulated. 3 a.m. for me. After watching and reading and listening to news for like three hours and debating what my family wanted to do I eventually ended up at the Peninsula evacuation site, the upper and lower campuses of Ilwaco Middle/High School. They were open at 4 a.m. letting people like Guadalupe Bonce in for shelter. The only thing Bonce brought with her from her home was a painting of the Catholic icon, Our Lady of Guadalupe.

Most folks came to get to high ground, but in the course of being there they also found themselves with a high enough vantage to see the mouth of the Columbia and the Port of Ilwaco and grouped together at the top of Hilltop hill with cameras, binoculars and radios waiting for a big wave that never came.

Inside the school buildings people were taking care of each other, which is always a heartening thing to see.

After being there about an hour and a half it was clear that the initial danger had passed, though school superintendent Boyd Keyser advised folks that they could stay as long as they liked as the "all clear" had not yet been given. And, in fact, as of 10:30 a.m. when I'm writing this it still hasn't been. What a crazy morning. I need a nap.

-DKM

Noisy birds

2011-03-10T16:58:00.000-08:00

On my way back to the office this afternoon I saw this tree at a stop sign and pulled over to check it out as probably more than 50 of what I believe are starlings were congregating. It was a cool sight. What was even more so was the sound these birds would make, all at once, what a sound, very noisy.

-DKM

A lucky (sun) break

2011-03-04T13:56:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I got lucky and the rain let up long enough for me to take in an Ilwaco track practice. Spring sports workouts began this week, though, honestly, we just had snow last week. Doesn't feel much like spring. Indoor baseball practice today. INDOOR. BASEBALL. PRACTICE. There is something so wrong about that...

-DKM

Bowling

2011-03-04T13:43:00.000-08:00

This is a group of pix I took yesterday of the bowls made by local school kids and artists that will be sold next Saturday as part of the Empty Bowls fundraiser. I love having fun with the Vignette App on my Droid.

-DKM