Friday Shoot-Out: Yellow

Oh yes! He loved yellow, did good Vincent...When the two of us were together in Arles, both of us insane, and constantly at war over beautiful colors... -- Paul Gauguin, speaking of Vincent Van Gogh


Spring flowers are out here in western Oregon, and so many of them are yellow and flashy.

I loved the fragrant daffodils in front of school as I arrived at work every day last week; they put on a dazzling performance in front of the low-growing purple heather.

But it rained almost every day, spattering the blossoms, and casting doubt on our plan of going up into the Cascades this week for spring break. Would the rain ruin the snow at higher elevations?

No! Instead it had come down in blankets of soft snow, perfect for cross-country skiing out the back door of our rented cabin at Odell Lake.

It won't be long before the snow is gone and anglers will come here to fish for trout and Kokanee salmon, but this week it was all ours.

Well, ours plus a few families with kids. Reub visited one of several snowmen, and I tried in vain to stop him before he marked it with telltale yellow snow, darned dog, and then he stole the carrot.

On a related topic, and completely inappropriate for polite company, I can't help but include this "color chart." It was posted in the stalls of the ladies restroom at the ranger station on the way home today. The Forest Service is so helpful!

Anyway, we arrived back in Corvallis, back to springtime, leaving winter, the snowmen, and the ranger station far behind.

All pictures shot in or near Corvallis, Oregon.

The idea of the My Town Shoot Out is to post photos of your community every Friday, and hopefully improve your photography skills. If you would like to see examples of this week's theme from other parts of the world, go here.