Top Ten Photos of The Year (2006)

Here are my picks for the top ten photos of the year for 2006. These are photos that I've taken over the past year, some have previously been posted, but not all. They are presented in no particular order. Vote for your favorite and I will tally the votes after the first of the year and post the Picture of the Year. Of course, only one or two people will likely vote in this contest so here is my editorial policy on choosing the Picture of the Year. Majority rules, in case of a tie my vote will be the tie-breaker and if there is no majority on the best picture, my vote will count the most. I think if you click on the pictures you'll be able to get a larger picture in a new window.

Number 1. This picture was taken at the Kentsburg Labor Day Parade in Old Town Kentsburg. At the street festival after the parade there was a shop selling Indian clothing and these were some of the examples piled together.

Number 2. This is close-up of a spider plant that grew in our flower garden last year. Spider plants are one of Jane's favorite annual flowers; this plant either grew from seed (as spider plants readily grow from last year's fallen seeds) or was purchased. I thought the clarity of the picture and the purple hues against the green background very appealing.

Number 3. On our summer vacation to Olympic National Park, Jane and I took a hike in the Quinault Rainforest and came upon this old shed with a classic native picture of a salmon painted on it. Looking in the other direction, away from the shed was the crystal blue water of Lake Quinault. In back of the shed rose the rainforest. The shed was surrounded by fir trees and overgrown with vines; this picture was better than any artwork we saw in Seattle.


Number 4. The morning we drove through Port Angeles up to Hurricance Ridge in the Olympic National Park was completely fogged-in. The visibility was near zero, limited to only a couple of car lengths in front of us. We could barely make out the vegetation on either side of the narrow switchback road as we drove for over 30 minutes up the mountainside. We were unprepared and immediately awed when we finally broke through the clouds into the bright sunlight and caught our first view of the Olympic Mountain Range. It was magnificent.


Number 5. I was lucky to get this picture of Judy feeding a grape to a very friendly squirrel at the Pioneer Park in Seattle Washington. We had gone to visit the Seattle Asian Art Museum and were relaxing in the nearby park when the squirrel approached and seemed willing to take handheld food.

Number 6. This picture of a water lily was taken at Brookside Gardens. These are really pretty plants that you don't see every day. This particular flower had just bloomed and its' colors were vibrant in the afternoon sun when Jane and I stumbled across it.

Number 7. Not to influence the voting, this is my favorite. This picture was also taken at Brookside Gardens at the Japanese Tea House. I like the blue sky with the offset picture of the japanese red maple.

Number 8. This picture was taken at one of Judy's cross country meets. The kid wearing the bulldog costume, and his assistants, would cheer as the runners went by. The dozen or so teenagers and I were the only spectators at this section of the course which was well back in the woods.

Number 9. This picture was taken in the afternoon at an abandoned lot behind the Kentsburg train station. I like the contrast of images of the bent bicycle tire rim and newly fallen leaves as symbols discarded objects.

Number 10. Close-up view of flower. I don't remember exactly where this picture was taken and it isn't completely in focus, but this is my list and I still like it.