Marriage Builders
Posted By: MrNiceGuy **Beautiful Scenery Pics Thread** - 12/02/11 06:43 PM
Figured I would start a thread with some positive light. Something to take your mind off the negativity that enslaves alot of the threads on this forum. Something Tranquil, or peaceful. Like a beautiful Scenery or wildlife.

Since I love taking nature pics .. here is a few of mine. I have tons so i will most likely add more in the future.

Please add some of your own pics for our viewing pleasure.

To add a pic just go to a site like www.tinypic.com and upload an image there. It will give you a few ways to use that pic once it has been uploaded. The way to show your pic here is to use the link tinypic gives you for forums with the [img ] [/img ] tags included in the link and copy and paste it into your post.

Here is some British Columbia pics for your viewing pleasure.
(below a waterfall at one of my favorite hikes)
[Linked Image from i40.tinypic.com]

(below another great spot i visit often when out hiking. Its very "rainforesty")
[Linked Image from i41.tinypic.com]

(below some wild life in my back yard after i chased it out of my house because my cat was sharing her food dish with it, yes they were sitting side by side eating cat food lol then the little guy ran outside and tried to hotwire this get away car!) lol

[Linked Image from i39.tinypic.com]


smile
Posted By: markos Re: **Beautiful Scenery Pics Thread** - 12/02/11 07:23 PM
Most of those are a nice advertisement for BC! Except maybe the racoon...

I love that waterfall and wish I had it in my backyard.
Posted By: MrNiceGuy Re: **Beautiful Scenery Pics Thread** - 12/02/11 07:26 PM
That waterfall is about 1.5hr drive and a 1.5hr hike from my home. unfortunately its ruined now .. this year a tree fell over and blocked the view and changed the flow of the water. Good thing i got a pic of it before that happened.

smile
Posted By: markos Re: **Beautiful Scenery Pics Thread** - 12/02/11 07:46 PM
Stupid tree -- can't you Canadians outlaw that sort of thing? smile
Posted By: Aphelion Re: **Beautiful Scenery Pics Thread** - 12/02/11 08:44 PM
How about some beautiful scenery plus some beautiful music?



I recognize some of these pictures - several are within an hour of where I live now, and two are from where I grew up. 0:50 looks a like it could have been taken on the hill behind where I live.
Posted By: MrNiceGuy Re: **Beautiful Scenery Pics Thread** - 12/02/11 09:39 PM
Originally Posted by markos
Stupid tree -- can't you Canadians outlaw that sort of thing? smile

Oh man .. that would be sweet if we could. Heck if I was allowed to go up there with a chainsaw and buck up that tree and remove it so you could seethe waterfall again .. i would ... but its bigger than a bus and almost as thick.

(below) heres another pic of a lake that is soo blue/green/aqua it makes the sky look dull on a nice day.
[Linked Image from i43.tinypic.com]
Posted By: MrNiceGuy Re: **Beautiful Scenery Pics Thread** - 12/02/11 10:39 PM
Originally Posted by Aphelion
How about some beautiful scenery plus some beautiful music?



I recognize some of these pictures - several are within an hour of where I live now, and two are from where I grew up. 0:50 looks a like it could have been taken on the hill behind where I live.

Yeah .. this DEF fits in this thread .. lots of pretty pics in that vid. SOme of them i recognize too ..

Very Peaceful
Posted By: MelodyLane Re: **Beautiful Scenery Pics Thread** - 12/03/11 01:11 AM
Beautiful!!
Posted By: markos The admiring MrNiceGuy's back yard thread - 12/03/11 01:51 AM
Oh, man, I wonder what the price of real estate is on the shore of that lake! smile I know I for one would like to wake up to see that every morning.
Originally Posted by markos
Oh, man, I wonder what the price of real estate is on the shore of that lake! smile I know I for one would like to wake up to see that every morning.

Its called Lindeman Lake. Do a google search and you can see many more shots of it from tons of others who have hiked to it and posted pics on the net.

Also .. here is another pic (below) of the area I hunt in .. This is a mountain view of a portion of the Okanagan area of BC. TONS of deer in this area ... hence why I hunt in it.
[Linked Image from i41.tinypic.com]
MNG, my son is so heartbroken because can't go deer hunting in Michigan this year. He was raised in Michigan [he is a native Texas though] and moved home to Texas 3 years ago. He caught many deer with a gun and a bow in Michigan. He so misses it!

He says the deer here are no bigger than dogs and is not too excited about deer hunting here.
You know, I've lived in WA my entire life, and don't think I've ever traipsed around Okanogan...
ok, here is momma's punkin in 2008:

[Linked Image from fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net]
I am extremely fond of the Okanagan (Okanogan, depending where you are from). Go up there every chance I get. I�d retire there if I didn�t already have other plans.

Spend a lot of quality time farther to the north near Sicamous too. In fact, DS�s scout troop boat camps for two weeks on Shuswap Lakes every other summer. I�ll try to post some of our pics when I get a round toit.

I occasionally hunt just south of the border from you. Deer population from Cascades through the Rocky Mt Front is higher now than in long term memory. So, in a year or two the cougar and bobcat populations are going to skyrocket.
Originally Posted by HoldHerHand
You know, I've lived in WA my entire life, and don't think I've ever traipsed around Okanogan...
You should give it a try. It's a very nice area. If you are coming from the west take a road trip over the N Cascades Hwy through Winthrop and then up through Omak. Some very nice inns and resorts along the way too.
I've actually done the opposite loop, past Grand Coulee, camping at Sun Lakes and Soap lake, then through the N Cascades. Also done some nice hiking out at Seattle City Lights.

Really want to relocate to Skagit County, as it puts you within 2 hours of, like EVERYTHING.

Lets not forget our fantastic elk, fellas.
SWEET! .. the thread is turning into a hunting thread! :P Love it!

@Mel .. the deer here are rather large. Mule deer especially. IN range of 130- 225lbs. The white tails tho are VERY elusive! I have only seen one WHite tail buck in my hunting days. Not a bad deer tho your son has got there! .. I bet it was GREAT eatin!

Here (below) is a pic of my FIRST ever moose! Shot it at 300 yards while it was on the run! GREAT eating! had a freezer full for over a year and that was only 1/2 of it cuz i had to share it with my dad.
[Linked Image from i44.tinypic.com]

And HERE (below) is a pic of a BEAUTIFUL... GORGEOUS! ... ..... wait for it .....

.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.HUGE SPIDER! ... Used to live in my garage .. kids love to feed it. It got HUGE after feeding it all summer! lol .. Its a Hobo Spider if ya wanted to know. :P
[Linked Image from i39.tinypic.com]

Originally Posted by Aphelion
I occasionally hunt just south of the border from you. Deer population from Cascades through the Rocky Mt Front is higher now than in long term memory. So, in a year or two the cougar and bobcat populations are going to skyrocket.

That would be the range where Mule deer are considered Black Tail ... almost as elusive as the white tails. Ever bagged a nice big Black Tail?
Originally Posted by MrNiceGuy
Here (below) is a pic of my FIRST ever moose! Shot it at 300 yards while it was on the run! GREAT eating! had a freezer full for over a year and that was only 1/2 of it cuz i had to share it with my dad.
[Linked Image from i44.tinypic.com]

Oh wow!! I have to show that to my son. He will CRY!!!! sigh
Originally Posted by HoldHerHand
Really want to relocate to Skagit County, as it puts you within 2 hours of, like EVERYTHING.

Lets not forget our fantastic elk, fellas.

We have Skagit Valley not far from my location (about 1.5hour drive) That heads to Ross Lake. I have yet to hunt in there.

I was on a hunt with my old man and got a rosie elk on vancouver Island in 2004. MAN those are good eating! Best game meat ever!
Originally Posted by MelodyLane
Originally Posted by MrNiceGuy
Here (below) is a pic of my FIRST ever moose! Shot it at 300 yards while it was on the run! GREAT eating! had a freezer full for over a year and that was only 1/2 of it cuz i had to share it with my dad.
[Linked Image from i44.tinypic.com]

Oh wow!! I have to show that to my son. He will CRY!!!! sigh

It was almost 750lbs dressed out. We each got near 350lbs of meat after it was butchered. Took us ALL day (shot it at 7:30am and was packing it out til 9:30pm) to drag it back up to the logging road.
Originally Posted by MrNiceGuy
[

It was almost 750lbs dressed out. We each got near 350lbs of meat after it was butchered. Took us ALL day (shot it at 7:30am and was packing it out til 9:30pm) to drag it back up to the logging road.

That is AMAZING! He would be in heaven. He gets so excited about deer hunting. That is something he misses so much about the north.
Originally Posted by MelodyLane
ok, here is momma's punkin in 2008:

[Linked Image from fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net]
Quick! I see signs of life! If we triage and apply compression I think we can save him!! You barbarians. Are there no grocery stores near you? rotflmao
10 days it took to land it into the back of the truck >.< The only unfortunate part was when i did this hunt ... i was not on board very well with MB and my wife was not enthusiastic about me going. BUT she sure liked the meat after.
Originally Posted by maritalbliss
Originally Posted by MelodyLane
ok, here is momma's punkin in 2008:

[Linked Image from fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net]
Quick! I see signs of life! If we triage and apply compression I think we can save him!! You barbarians. Are there no grocery stores near you? rotflmao

HAHAHAHA!!!
Originally Posted by maritalbliss
You barbarians. Are there no grocery stores near you?
The grocery store up the road from the lake house sells more elk meat than cow. Better for you too, I am told.
Originally Posted by maritalbliss
Quick! I see signs of life! If we triage and apply compression I think we can save him!! You barbarians. Are there no grocery stores near you? rotflmao

This is true, MB!! My son killed that nice deer!! Nooo
MNG, I showed him your moose and he said: "damn that is massive, i'd like to do that some day.."

He is most impressed!
Originally Posted by MrNiceGuy
That would be the range where Mule deer are considered Black Tail ... almost as elusive as the white tails.
We still call them mule deer where I grew up.

Originally Posted by MrNiceGuy
Ever bagged a nice big Black Tail?
Last spring. With the right front bumper of my pickup. Gave it to the food bank in town.

Lots of blue tongue showing up past two years though. One needs to be careful.
Beautiful scenery, music and hunting! All we need is some Jim Beam and a campfire.

Short hunting story: One of my brothers and I were checking his trap line (I was just there for the hike) along the Yellowstone a few years ago when the dogs got very quiet and started circling us and pushing us together as if they were guarding us. We stopped with our backs to the river and waited for about 20 minutes. Turns out a 200 lb cougar was stalking us. Or maybe the dogs. Anyway, I have never seen anything move that fast. It was on one of the dogs as fast as I could blink. My brother and I both fired at the same time and one of us got it, but not fast enough to save the dog. Good dog too. Brother sold the cougar to a taxidermist who sold it to some guy from LA.

I don�t particularly want to run into another one.
Originally Posted by Aphelion
Beautiful scenery, music and hunting! All we need is some Jim Beam and a campfire.

crazy Drop me off at the Marriott!!
Originally Posted by MelodyLane
MNG, I showed him your moose and he said: "damn that is massive, i'd like to do that some day.."

He is most impressed!
faint
Quote
The grocery store up the road from the lake house sells more elk meat than cow. Better for you too, I am told.
I can do snails. I can do oysters and mussels. I have even been known to nosh on alligator (once!)

No can do on deer. Nooo
I can't admit to being all that "rugged." Fishing is about as far as get. Just too cheap to get geared to hunt.

Campfires and tents are fine though. I ain't so citified that I Ned an RV. Just a big tent and my air mattress.

I'll post up pics of our tent when I get home.

This summer we hit Clear Lake off hwy 12, and Ohanapekosh at Rainier.

Kachess just below Snoqualamie is another nice spot.


Gotta live the Pacific Northwest!
Try Shi Shi beach on the cape. Fantastic place. Especially during a big storm.
I'm just curious, what does moose taste like?
Originally Posted by karmasrose
I'm just curious, what does moose taste like?

It all tastes like chicken doncha know? HEHEHEHE

My DS11 had sausage that was deer, moose and bear when he was 2. He LOVED it. He still likes to eat game with my MIL. I won't touch it. My MIL tried to trick me one year with deer chili, but I figured it out before I even had the spoon in my mouth. laugh
We had deer with my mom a few weeks ago. She cooked it up so well, that DD11 - who would rather be mauled by badgers than try anything new - ate it, and asked for seconds!

Then, when I was doing clinical rotations, one of the nurses at a local nursing home had vegetable deer soup that was splendid.

Could never work there, the nurses are all feeders, and great cooks to boot.

Don't need another pant size.
Originally Posted by karmasrose
I'm just curious, what does moose taste like?

Moose is the closest game animal to beef, but if you compared the two flavours .. you would enjoy the Moose flavour better as its a bit sweeter in a way. Much less fat content .. and no sterioids! The meat itself (especially a roast if done in a slow cooker) is absolutley DELICIOUS! WHen you do a spagetti with the ground meat .. you can not even tell what it is. The ground meat loks pretty much exactly the same as cow too. The best part is the tenderloin though! OMG .. slow cook a roast moose tenderloin and it will fall apart with a chop stick!

Ok .. now I am hungry ... i ran out of moose meat in 2009.

Deer is great too ... of course the deer has to be properly taken care of or it will have a very gamey taste. This happens because the scent glands get spilled on the meat during the gutting process after it has been shot in the field or the meat is just not taken care of properly before it gets to the butcher. IE too warm out to the meat rots a bit too fast.

Either way .. when game meat is taken care of properly the result is great tasting meat that is not very "gamey". I have met many people that refused to eat game meat due to bad experiences .. but when they come over to my place and my wife cooks they eat it without asking what it is.

WE never tell either.
Originally Posted by Aphelion
Beautiful scenery, music and hunting! All we need is some Jim Beam and a campfire.

Short hunting story: One of my brothers and I were checking his trap line (I was just there for the hike) along the Yellowstone a few years ago when the dogs got very quiet and started circling us and pushing us together as if they were guarding us. We stopped with our backs to the river and waited for about 20 minutes. Turns out a 200 lb cougar was stalking us. Or maybe the dogs. Anyway, I have never seen anything move that fast. It was on one of the dogs as fast as I could blink. My brother and I both fired at the same time and one of us got it, but not fast enough to save the dog. Good dog too. Brother sold the cougar to a taxidermist who sold it to some guy from LA.

I don�t particularly want to run into another one.

Here is the campfire! Break out the marshmellows!
[Linked Image from i51.tinypic.com]


I have yet to have a close encounter like that .. I hope i never do .. but being a hunter, one day it may be inevitable. I do not hunt with a dog .. so hopefully I will be quick enough to draw my gun and shoot if such an occasion ever were to occur. Thats scary man ... worst scenerio i ever heard of was my dad ran into 2 grizzlies while hunting on his quad. they were about 8ft from the quad on a skinny trail. They both stood up on their hinds facing him .. my dad reached for his gun and threw the bolt and one bullet fell out. With only 2 shots left in his gun he PRAYED they would stand down and go away .. fortunately they did and turned to teh side and walked into the bush... My old man was saying he didnt even need to aim .. he was holding the gun at his hip and standing on his quad pegs while he was still looking up at them.

SCARY!
Grizzlies. Ugh. They are scary. Grizzlies need to go extinct. No use for them at all. Your dad is lucky. One shot each would probably not have stopped either of them. Two shots in one might not have stopped it. Lewis and Clark ran into a grizzly at the mouth of the Bighorn. It started chasing several of the crew and it took five hits to just slow it down. It finally drowned in the river while still swimming after their canoe.

Grizzlies are just plain mean. And to think people back east think we out here ought to live with them. Clueless. I�d pay to send all the grizzlies around here to their back yards.

The dog the cougar killed was the youngest of the three. We were hoping the coug would move on if we waited long enough. The older dogs just stood there quietly between us and the coug. But the youngest got impatient and started moving toward the coug. That�s when it shot out from under the bushes. The coug and the dog and I were in a straight line too. If the dog had not intercepted it it would have been on me next.

But know what was the scariest? All the paperwork my brother and the taxidermist had to fill out.
Our new tent;

[Linked Image from i53.tinypic.com]

We can fit 2 queen size air beds in it, and still have room to dress and move around.

Clear Lake;

[Linked Image from i54.tinypic.com]

Aaaaaaaaand, the mountains (I was trying to get a pic of the eagle that was circling as NGB and I were sitting at the shore);

[Linked Image from i51.tinypic.com]


The falls leading into Boulder Cave (you have to do some rock crawling to get back to it);

[Linked Image from i53.tinypic.com]


Silver Falls @ Ohanapecosh (Mount Rainier);

[Linked Image from i54.tinypic.com]

We also did the old Columbia Gorge highway last year, and hiked all the falls.

Fun stuff. I do really need to explore the Gorge more...
Great shots! Nice addition to the beautiful pics thread! I can see the eagle .. its a little tiny black dot in the top right of the pic!
@ aphelion, We can hunt Grizzlies in BC .. however .. they are LEH only. No open season. Not sure how grizzlies taste tho.
greasy

Originally Posted by MrNiceGuy
I do not hunt with a dog...
Hunting with a good dog is very enjoyable. My brother's dogs are all silent trained birders. It�s a joy to watch them work. When I was in HS my cousins and I used to hunt pheasant from horseback. The dogs would work the fields and all we had to do is point and shoot. They brought them back too.

Then there is my mom�s dog. She is three-quarters Belgian Shepherd and one quarter gray wolf. Smartest dog I have ever known. And a perfect companion for her. Very protective. All she has to do is look at a stranger and they back away. Even us kids have to approach mom slowly when Liba is in the room. And she goes out and fetches the paper every morning like clockwork. Wish she would make the coffee.
You should come here some time and see the landscape of Britain and Ireland.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ic-beauty-Britain-youve-seen-before.html
Originally Posted by SugarCane
You should come here some time and see the landscape of Britain and Ireland.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ic-beauty-Britain-youve-seen-before.html

NGB and I have discussed a tour of Ireland. We found some reasonable packages, too!
Originally Posted by SugarCane
You should come here some time and see the landscape of Britain and Ireland.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ic-beauty-Britain-youve-seen-before.html

I would like to come see some haunted castles and maybe the Tower of London. But my husband wants to go to the Grand Canyon. crazy
Originally Posted by HoldHerHand
NGB and I have discussed a tour of Ireland. We found some reasonable packages, too!
HHH, if you're coming all that way, you HAVE to see Scotland, too. It would be a crime not to.

I'll give you a pass on England if you really cannot make it, although I think England has an understated beauty that is hard to describe.

But the Scottish highlands will take you breath away. You must go there. That's an order.
Originally Posted by MelodyLane
Originally Posted by SugarCane
You should come here some time and see the landscape of Britain and Ireland.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ic-beauty-Britain-youve-seen-before.html

I would like to come see some haunted castles and maybe the Tower of London. But my husband wants to go to the Grand Canyon. crazy
Mel, we have castles and towers scattered all over these isles like you wouldn't believe. We have 11th and 12th century ruined churches lying all over the countryside, and an abundance of stately homes from various centuries. I'm sure I can find you a few with ghosts in residence. I'll take you see to the Tower, and Hampton Court Palace, where Henry the 8th lived. We have lots of Roman relics, too. I'll wear you out showing you round!

Tell Mr Mel that he can do the Grand Canyon another time!
Originally Posted by SugarCane
Originally Posted by MelodyLane
Originally Posted by SugarCane
You should come here some time and see the landscape of Britain and Ireland.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ic-beauty-Britain-youve-seen-before.html

I would like to come see some haunted castles and maybe the Tower of London. But my husband wants to go to the Grand Canyon. crazy
Mel, we have castles and towers scattered all over these isles like you wouldn't believe. We have 11th and 12th century ruined churches lying all over the countryside, and an abundance of stately homes from various centuries. I'm sure I can find you a few with ghosts in residence. I'll take you see to the Tower, and Hampton Court Palace, where Henry the 8th lived. We have lots of Roman relics, too. I'll wear you out showing you round!

Tell Mr Mel that he can do the Grand Canyon another time!

I would so love that!! Now if I can get him on board! think
I have some cool pictures from the summer I worked in Ireland I could post. Wait. Not many beautiful scenery pictures though. I rarely got out of Dublin. A picture of a huge floating pile of garbage on the River Liffey may not fit the intent of this thread. But, it was pretty cool.

I climbed Ben Nevis years ago. But the scenery in this video is much better than the pictures I still have:


Mel, tell your H Ireland and Scotland are very much worth seeing. He might even like the haggis. I did. Actually. Surprisingly. With single malt.
Haggis is delicious, and if you don't like the thought of it, the vegetarian version is delicious too.
Originally Posted by Aphelion
I have some cool pictures from the summer I worked in Ireland I could post. Wait. Not many beautiful scenery pictures though. I rarely got out of Dublin. A picture of a huge floating pile of garbage on the River Liffey may not fit the intent of this thread. But, it was pretty cool.

I climbed Ben Nevis years ago. But the scenery in this video is much better than the pictures I still have:


Mel, tell your H Ireland and Scotland are very much worth seeing. He might even like the haggis. I did. Actually. Surprisingly. With single malt.
How did you come to be working in Ireland, Aphelion? Was it during that visit that you climbed Ben Nevis? Did you visit anywhere else in Scotland? How long ago was that?

Dublin is a really desirable city, I've heard.
I worked all over the world way back before I married. Engineering stuff. I�ve even been in the middle of the Australian desert. I�ve only been to Ireland the one summer, though I have been to Scotland (and England and Wales) several times. Last time was a conference in Edinburgh a year ago. Ben Nevis was many, many years ago. I had knees then.
Originally Posted by Aphelion
Mel, tell your H Ireland and Scotland are very much worth seeing. He might even like the haggis. I did. Actually. Surprisingly. With single malt.


Thanks Aphelion. I really think he would love the scenery and I so want to get him out of America at least once. Oh dear, I just looked up haggis, that looks a little scary. I don't believe we have that in south Texas... crazy
But you do have in-the-ground baked whole steer heads.
No, of course you don't. The haggis is an animal native to the Scottish highlands

grin
Originally Posted by Aphelion
I worked all over the world way back before I married. Engineering stuff. I�ve even been in the middle of the Australian desert. I�ve only been to Ireland the one summer, though I have been to Scotland (and England and Wales) several times. Last time was a conference in Edinburgh a year ago. Ben Nevis was many, many years ago. I had knees then.
Edinburgh is spectacular, isn't it? it's my favourite city.
I do like Edinburgh. Hard to say what my favorite big city is though. I used to think it was London or New York. For a while, back when it was safe, it was Mexico City. Then I fell in love with Paris. Then with Rome. Then Florence. Then maybe ten more cities like St Petersburg and Venice and San Francisco in a hard to rank order. Or just about any village on an Aegean Island if it does not have to be a big city. But when I think of actually moving to any of them I always have second thoughts. In the end, where I live now must be my favorite big city by far.
Originally Posted by SugarCane
Originally Posted by HoldHerHand
NGB and I have discussed a tour of Ireland. We found some reasonable packages, too!
HHH, if you're coming all that way, you HAVE to see Scotland, too. It would be a crime not to.

I'll give you a pass on England if you really cannot make it, although I think England has an understated beauty that is hard to describe.

But the Scottish highlands will take you breath away. You must go there. That's an order.

Scotland and Ireland I would see for the natural beauty. England I would see for the history (though, the English country side is nothing to neglect!).

My mother's side of the family actually traces back through the name Olney.
If any of you come to Vancouver and are looking for a romantic getaway (rather pricy mind you but STUNNING i MUST say) check out www.rockwatersecretcoveresort.com

This thread is taking off! I will have to find some more pics to put up.

p.s. I would LOVE to get me and my camera around some old castles .. preferably ones that are intact and safe to go into. Also .. I need to go some place that i can get some good shots of aurora borialis. I would SOO love to add some photos of that to my experience and collection.
It is very beautiful.
Originally Posted by MrNiceGuy
I need to go some place that i can get some good shots of aurora borialis. I would SOO love to add some photos of that to my experience and collection.
I would think from your latitude any dark sky in the winter would work pretty well. Though, most Boreali (is that a word?) don�t come down this far. Try Fairbanks, Whitehorse or Yellowknife. I saw some impressive aurora while driving the Alcan several years ago.

The most impressive aurora I have ever seen was on a non-stop cross-country flight from Boston December 2003. There had been a fairly large coronal mass ejection two days before and I was hoping to get away from the city to see the expected aurora. When I had to fly back to the west coast instead I was mighty disappointed. Thought I�d miss it. Turns out I had the best seat in the house. At 36 K ft it was like floating among giant waterfalls of light and billowing glowing multi-colored curtains. It was so beautiful I cried in my seat.

I used to know of an amateur astronomy site that had tips on capturing aurora. It�s not easy. I�ll see if I can find it again for you.

Oh, and keep tabs on the forecast here: http://www.gi.alaska.edu/AuroraForecast

eta: there�s even an app for that.
Thats very interesting ... unfortunately my latitude is filled with light pollution. frown I can barely see the stars at night. I will get a shot of aurora eventually .. but since the northern places where it takes place is such a long ways away .. it will not be for quite some time before i get the oppertuntity to take shots of it.

I will check that site too! thanks!
Oh .. and here is an "altered" version of the waterfall from my first post in this thread. I tweaked it with photoshop and a filter called topaz adjust.

[Linked Image from i40.tinypic.com]
I thought I might try your TinyPic recommendation for posting pretty pictures. So here is a first for me.

My problem (one of them, anyway) is I don�t take many pretty pictures. I usually forget I own a camera when I am off wherever. Anyway, I associate one of the more not-thinking-about-anything-bad in recent memory times with this picture: early spring snow from dining room window.

There is often an eagle or two sitting in that snag.

eta: I don't know why it is so big. How did you make your images smaller?

[Linked Image from i42.tinypic.com]


Gorgeous
Posted By: markos Re: The admiring MrNiceGuy's back yard thread - 12/15/11 08:53 PM
Originally Posted by Pepperband
Gorgeous

Ditto. I love snow.
Here is a pic I took when I brought my family to my hunting grounds in August, well before hunting season opened. This lake in this pic is usually frozen when i go hunting, but since it wasnt .. we brought our canoe and caught some fish too while we were there. I also wanted to show my family my hunting spot because of the abundance of life in the area and how sure i was I could show my kids some wildlife. Luckily for us this deer as well as others .. came right into our camp almost every day! COuld almost time it and predict when they would come. The kids loved it .. it was like a canadian safari. Deer all over the place.

[Linked Image from i53.tinypic.com]
That's just gorgeous. MNG. Where is it, again?

Are there any people in Canada?
Originally Posted by SugarCane
That's just gorgeous. MNG. Where is it, again?

This is a place called Solco Lake, British Columbia. You can probably find it pretty easy on google earth. Its out in the middle of no where along a forest service road in the okanagan.

Originally Posted by SugarCane
Are there any people in Canada?

Not if I can help it. lol.... and especially not if i want to relax and enjoy myself. Which usually involves isolation from the general population.
�Are there any people in Canada?�

Unfortunately for whatever Canadians may be lurking around there are the occasional foreign invasions: Boy Scouts overrunning the floating store on Shuswap Lake, BC.
[Linked Image from i43.tinypic.com]

The second wave is coming in from the left and the third wave is just barely visiby on the far right.

eta: I figured out the size thing but my previous post won't let me edit.
Another gorgeous location. I'm going to have to go to BC.
The Columbia Gorge as viewed from Crown Point overlook on the Historic Columbia River Highway;

[Linked Image from i51.tinypic.com]

[Linked Image from i55.tinypic.com]

[Linked Image from i53.tinypic.com]

Crown Point observatory;

[Linked Image from i51.tinypic.com]
Various falls along the Historic Columbia River Highway (this trip was my first at any of them other than Multnomah so don't remember which is which!);

[Linked Image from i54.tinypic.com]


[Linked Image from i53.tinypic.com]

[Linked Image from i52.tinypic.com]

[Linked Image from i53.tinypic.com]


Found a ton more, but that's good for now!
Great pics! I would be in heaven if i was there .. I LOVE waterfall pics .. they are my fav to take.
Originally Posted by MrNiceGuy
Great pics! I would be in heaven if i was there .. I LOVE waterfall pics .. they are my fav to take.

South on I5 then east on I84. Could even recommend a romantic spot for you and the Mrs. to stay!
Holiday break was very good. I find I am suffering some severe post holiday blues though. Anyone have suggestions for dealing with an empty nest?

The realization DS is growing up and starting his own life has suddenly hit me hard. I did not feel like this a year ago when he first left for college.
But it sure is hitting me now that he has gone back after this Christmas. I teared up while straightening his room this morning.

Last year was exciting - getting him ready to go off to college and going there with him to get settled in. And he came home every break - even short ones.
Now he lives off campus, has lots of friends and does not plan to come home much. He and a couple friends are already planning a road trip over spring break.

Maybe I am just run-down and tired from all the skiing and still getting over a bad cold. Hopefully I will feel better about all this in a few days.
In the meantime, and in the spirit of MNG�s upbeat thread, I thought I would post two warm and sunny pictures from a couple of years ago.

Sunrise off Tortola, BVI:
[Linked Image from i52.tinypic.com]

Company on the run to Anagada:
[Linked Image from i39.tinypic.com]


(I'm still fumbling the size thing.)
Sorry to hear of your post holiday blues Aphelion! .. I think its an epidemic!

As for your photos .. They look great! I too am in need of some sunshine. I live in the lower "rain"land (translated to lower mainland) and its been raining here for weeks now frown its very depressing. 200mm+ of rain last week and its still raining. Hard to go out and get any good pics with weather like this.

Maybe I will drum up some of my sunny pics too .. from the previous warm weather that has since passed by in recent months.

MNG
We don't have those issues here on the East side of the Cascades... must be horrible, all that rain.
Wow. Have a look at these. Britain in winter. I bet you wish you were here.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2087332/Snow-way-cold-snap-brings-winter-weather-UK.html
Oh Sugarcane, this makes me want to visit even more.

So this is where our cold weather went? It's raining today and washing away all the snow we had on Friday for our first snowfall of the season.
Beautiful.

I�d wish I was there, but we have our own new snow here. About three inches so far and up to a foot in the 24 hr forecast. It�s nice. Most everyone stays home so work is quiet and peaceful for those of us not afeared of driving in it. Fantastic bright yellow sunset with beautiful alpenglow going on right now.

I think I will try to find some old pictures I have of an ice storm that came through here one night about 15 years ago. Everything got coated with a quarter inch or more of clear ice. When the sun rose the next morning it was as if we were living in a crystalline world. Except for the 10 inch diameter branch that broke off a 100 ft tree in the back yard and came through the roof and speared the kitchen table it was a beautiful day.

The Eastbourne beach picture reminds me of a month I spent near Blackpool in the late 80�s working on an RAF program. It was always cold and windy but people were laying around on the beach just like in that picture anyway. I thought they were nuts.
Yup yup. Western WA is getting plowed. Not usual.

If you are referring to the winter of '96, Aph, it was a crazy one for sure.

After Christmas I drove from here to San Diego with my brother, and the traffic signs in the Gorge had foot long sideways icicles on them, with an inch or two of ice coating them, to boot.

It was a rather... interesting winter.
Sug, those pictures of the atypical "deep freeze" in Ol' Blighty are actually very similar to pictures from some of the USA's COLDER areas as late as May, or as early as September! I'm thinking of the frozen tundras of OKLAHOMA, for example! (But don't tell Uno Who!)
I definitly remember. This entire end of the county was without power for five days. The following summer is when I installed the emergency generator. We�ve needed it a dozen times since too.
Originally Posted by NeverGuessed
I'm thinking of the frozen tundras of OKLAHOMA, for example! (But don't tell Uno Who!)

TEEF
Originally Posted by Aphelion
The Eastbourne beach picture reminds me of a month I spent near Blackpool in the late 80�s working on an RAF program. It was always cold and windy but people were laying around on the beach just like in that picture anyway. I thought they were nuts.
We Brits think that it is normal to lie on the beach in warm clothing and take an umbrella to a barbecue. If we waited for good weather we'd never enjoy our great outdoors!

A British picnic is a triumph of stoicism and mind over matter.
Originally Posted by NeverGuessed
Sug, those pictures of the atypical "deep freeze" in Ol' Blighty are actually very similar to pictures from some of the USA's COLDER areas as late as May, or as early as September! I'm thinking of the frozen tundras of OKLAHOMA, for example! (But don't tell Uno Who!)
I won't say a word.

But we don't typically have hard winters and deep freezes - or perhaps they do in parts of Scotland, but not in England and Wales. Those pictures don't really show a deep freeze; they show the first frost that looks like fairy dust. We do winter the way we do everything else; with understatement.

What is lovely to me about those pictures is not just the white, but the landscape still showing through. We do have beautiful countryside with all its peaks, lochs, highlands and gently rolling hills.

Y'all need to get over here and see!
Y'all need to get over here and see!

Been there, my dear friend! The only nation of your isles I have not toured is Wales! (How do you think I knew - so long ago - about Marmite and warm beer?)
I don't think you told us about this, did you?

When did you come? Where did you go? How long did you stay? What did you think of it? DId you go to Ireland? I haven't been there, and I'm told it's beautiful and wet.
Originally Posted by Aphelion
I definitly remember. This entire end of the county was without power for five days. The following summer is when I installed the emergency generator. We�ve needed it a dozen times since too.

I actually missed out on the worst of it, as I was hanging in sunny Southern CA, which was nice enough to be walking around wearing shorts (though, when I was 12 we were down there for a record cold winter).

There were floods all over Northern CA, Reno, NV had flooded, and the pass on the way home was closed due to mudslides. One of our local bowling alleys collapsed under the ice sheets, as well as several other businesses, and plenty of homes.

Nasty, nasty winter.
Ireland is the most beautiful land I've ever seen! (And yes, among the wettest!) Get to the west, Sugar, from Kerry (where my Mother's family came from - Kenmare) all the way up to the Connemara region of Galway! If things were to break right, bride and I would seriously consider re-locating to Clifden!
[Linked Image from europeantraveler.net]

Spent ten days touring England (really, the south) a looooong time ago. Spent just over a week in Scotland in 2002.

And don't you ever sleep?
I wanna go I wanna go.

I feel like a fraud calling myself "Scotland" when I have never been. Although, my father and grandparents were born there, so I have a kinship to it. And I read Highland romance novels, does that count? HEHEHEHEHE

So....GO!

Your namesake countyside is beautiful in a different way from Ireland, Scotty. Less lush(?), but more striking because of the dramatic changes in elevation. (Ireland, after all, is really a big "bowl" with the center generally lower than the edges. Hence, its "boggy" reputation.)

Get to the north, and west, especially the islands off the western coast. (The one exception would be that Edinburgh is a GREAT town, for anyone with a smidgeon of interest in history, or during the August Tattoo, so you have to visit.)

Loch Lomond is a jewel set among the hills north of Glasgow that MUST be seen by boat. A sharp eye, guided by a knowledgeable local, can still detect part of the 18th century cattle trail used by the drovers/rustlers like the historical Rob Roy.
[Linked Image from freefoto.com]

And monster or no monster, why would you want to never see Loch Ness?
[Linked Image from media-cdn.tripadvisor.com]

I won't even mention the educational benefits of learning the subtle differences among the single malt whiskies, Oban being my personal favorite!
Originally Posted by NeverGuessed
And don't you ever sleep?
I do sleep! I slept until nearly midday yesterday (when I wrote that post), so that is why I was up so late last night.

Okay - you tortured the truth out of me. I can't take this persisitent questioning. I confess. I didn't sleep that morning. There was a hot man in my bed at THAT is why I didn't get up 'til midday.
Loch Lomond looks a lot like a Lexington Reservoir in the Santa Cruz mountains. (Just up the road a piece)

[Linked Image from princeofpinot.com]

Originally Posted by Pepperband
Loch Lomond looks a lot like a Lexington Reservoir in the Santa Cruz mountains. (Just up the road a piece)
I've been to both, and it really doesn't (I think).

Loch Lomond has heathery, heathy, moorland scenery that is different in colour and texture from the desert shrubs of California. They are both gorgeous, though.
Santa Cruz mountains are not desert.
That's where the giant sequoia redwood forest is located.
My mistake - but different in "texture" and colour, was the point I was making. Scotland is very craggy and blunt, while California is more exotic and "hot" in colour and texture, somehow.

California is everything.
Depending on where your feet are planted.
Mendocino is pretty 'craggy'.
LA and San Diego are more exotic.
The deserts are the hottest damn places on the face of the earth.
So true!
Posted By: NeverGuessed The Big Apple - 01/19/12 07:29 PM
Who said "scenery" has to be visual? It can be "aural" as well!

Sugar and Scotty, someday you'll want to visit my town! This should help ready your sensitivities for what you'll hear when you do!
Posted By: Pepperband Re: The Big Apple - 01/19/12 07:36 PM
NG that was hilarious.
Originally Posted by NeverGuessed
I won't even mention the educational benefits of learning the subtle differences among the single malt whiskies, Oban being my personal favorite!
My favorite for years has been Laphroaig. I am saving an unopened bottle of 30 year-old I bought years ago for a special occasion � though I don't yet know what that worthy occasion will be.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_distilleries_in_Scotland
More PNW -

St Helens from near summit of Mt Adams (it used to look like an almost perfect cone):
[Linked Image from i44.tinypic.com]

Mt Hood from base camp:
[Linked Image from i43.tinypic.com]
Topping this thread with some forest scenery.... this is what the waterfall looks like now that a tree crashed over top of it this year frown

[Linked Image from i42.tinypic.com]
Like.
Posted By: markos Re: The admiring MrNiceGuy's back yard thread - 02/17/12 02:31 AM
It still looks fantastic to me. smile
I never seen this before you posted here...awesome.Colors play important role to make your environment beautiful.I also have some this type of nice stuff in my PC.I sure will must be next time post here...Thanks for sharing this...

Greetings from Tokyo.

Path to Meiji Jingu
[Linked Image from i39.tinypic.com]

Initially I thought would crop all the people out. But on second thought, people, people, people everywhere is Tokyo.

eta: For some reason this posted copy is kind of fuzzy. Looks fine on my laptop. The reality is much more beautiful than this picture portrays. I'll try reloading it when I get some time.
I can't post photos because I can't be bothered to learn how, so I'm linking another newspaper article.

We are obsessed with the weather in the UK, because it dominates our existence. We have no idea what we are going to get in April, July or December. We often get two or three seasons on the same day.

We have had two dry years (although with miserable sunshine - no nice summers) and many water authorities recently declared an official drought. That meant that from 6 April, in those areas there was a ban using hosepipes and we were sent publicity on how to save water.

Almost the day the restrictive measure came into force, the heavens opened, and we have had the wettest April on record. (But we are still officially in drought and there is still a hosepipe ban.)

Weather stories are front page news again.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...s-today--Chelsea-Flower-Show-threat.html
A river near our house

[Linked Image from i47.tinypic.com]
Very beautiful.

What state is that in, am, or if you don't want to say, is it north south...roughly where? What weather are you having at the moment?
More weather as front page news. It might be under water, but it's still very beautiful here. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ted-2007-water-wettest-April-record.html
We live in Northern NY, about 10 miles from Lake Placid, the location for the 1932 and 1980 Winter Olympics.
I've got an idea what that's like from various films. It appeals to my northern European sensibilities; not too desert-like.

What's the weather like with you this month?
A couple of days ago, we had snow flurries and snow covering the mountain tops. Schools were delayed for two hours. Not typical. Usually, we get temps in the 60's this time of year.

I can empathize with your flooding in the UK. Last year, we had a huge amount of snow and flooding during the spring thaws. It closed some bridges, washed out some mountain roads, flooded houses near the lakes/rivers.
Nice Rainbow! I got some pics to add here soon .. weather has finally been getting a bit better here in the Lower Rainland (western BC) that i have had a few chances to get out in the nice weather and take some scenery pics.

Keep em coming .. i love seeing peoples photos of nature etc.
Here is a pic of a recent waterfall i took. I have tweaked it in photoshop to bring out more of the colors.

smile

[Linked Image from i49.tinypic.com]
Often pass this tree on the way into town. Not framed well; but dang, it was too cold for anyone to want to get out of the truck with bare hands and a camera. It was cold enough for brass monkeys to come inside all by themselves.

[Linked Image from i46.tinypic.com]


PS: This old thread was hard to find...
How beautiful!
OK .. for some reason .. one of the pics in the first post of this thread has changed. That is not my pic. (the one of the girl)

If someone could please modify my first post and get rid of that large pic that would be great.

THanks
Originally Posted by MrNiceGuy
OK .. for some reason .. one of the pics in the first post of this thread has changed. That is not my pic. (the one of the girl)

If someone could please modify my first post and get rid of that large pic that would be great.

THanks

Go to that post, hit the notify button. Write out your request to the mods.
THanks .. i did that. smile
© Marriage Builders® Forums