<p>Series: <a href="/2008/07/15/sunsets-flowers-and-the-olympic-mountains/">Sunset</a> > <a href="/2008/07/16/sunrise-flowers-and-the-olympic-mountains/">Sunrise</a> > <a href="/2008/07/18/heather-park-trail-an-enchanted-forest-and-views/">Heather Park</a></p>

<p>I’m renting a <a href="http://www.nikonusa.com/Find-Your-Nikon/ProductDetail.page?pid=2160">Nikon 105mm f/2.8</a> for the week and took some photos this evening as a trial run. So far I’m mixed on the lens, mainly because to own one would cost significantly more than I’m willing to spend for such a single purpose – albeit enjoyable – lens.</p>

<p>there is a road that meets the road</p>

<p>courtesy the flowers of summer.</p>

<p>My father-in-law can build a house from scratch – I cannot. I can code, photograph and grow my own food but anything resembling construction, be it from wood or Legos, pushes me into uncomfortable territory. Possessing the skill to build a house, and one that will remain standing, is just damn impressive to me. I once built a table which didn’t stand so well; Chuck and I burned it the following New Year’s lacking firewood. I have a rich history of failed woodworking…

<p>Some friends at work were recently interviewed by <a href="http://news.cnet.com/openroad/">Matt Asay</a> on the release of our monitoring software, <a href="https://launchpad.net/erma">ERMA</a>, as open source – an unconventional move for corporate America.</p>

<p>Sunday, another gloomy day this spring/summer, found us in Seattle checking out the <a href="http://inballard.com/detail.php?id=hirammchittendenlocks">Hiram M. Chittenden (Ballard) locks</a> and the neighboring <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_S._English,_Jr.,_Botanical_Gardens">Carl S. English, Jr botanic gardens</a>.</p>

<p>In a departure from our usual naturalizing, I persuaded the family to attend the <a href="http://www.wcwa.net/">Battle of Port Gamble</a>, a Civil War reenactment in <a href="http://www.portgamble.com/">Port Gamble</a>, an event type we had never before attended.</p>

<p>The would-be naturalists chose <a href="http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/sea/pugetsound/bluffs/dungeness.html">Dungeness Spit</a> as this year’s Father’s Day destination. Some research on the web unearthed <a href="http://www.the3crabs.com/">The 3 Crabs</a> as a highly recommended crab shack right on the Sound with birding on the adjacent beach. Lunch plans decided, we packed the car and drove up to Dungeness.</p>

<p>I was really looking forward to this conference based on my experience last year, with the likes of Jeff Dean and Marissa Mayer presenting. When I saw the original agenda for Saturday I was excited to see they expanded the number of talks at the expense of having to make a decision about which presentation to attend, a task at which I often feel I failed.</p>