I got inspired to play around with macro photography so I acquired some inexpensive extension tubes and a cheap ring light. The process is very different.  Forget handheld.  A tripod is the only way.  The first interesting area that I need to get a handle on is depth-of-field.  It wants to be paper thin.  Focus seems to be more about dollying (moving forward and backward) than about fiddling with the focus ring. There is a lot to learn here.  Fun stuff!

I traveled to Spokane and Northern Idaho for my father's funeral.  Reconnected with a lot of family and had a little time to take a few more pictures with my sister.  Actually, I ended up with more time than I expected.  My return flight was canceled and I was booked on a flight the next day. I spent the extra day working in a coffee shop in Spokane.  Since western Oregon was in the middle of an ice storm, this wasn't a terrble thing.

The picture at right is my new friend Emma, the barrista at the coffee shop I hung out in in Spokane.

The picture below is the Usk bridge over the Pend Orielle river, just north of Newport, WA.