Friday My Town Shoot-Out: Water, reflections, & shiny things

The idea of the My Town Shoot Out is to post photos of your community every Friday, and hopefully improve your photography skills. This week's assignment was chosen by the Town Blogger Team.

All photos shot in or near Corvallis, Oregon.

John's photo

Every September my husband takes a group of graduate students on a trip across the state in a class called "Communities and Natural Resources." I am always envious. In this picture the class is rafting on the Des Chutes River, on the east side of the Cascades, and they have just lost a man overboard: exciting! In his class you definitely want to be paying attention.

In contrast, my pictures seem extremely placid. This is taken at a wildlife reserve, just south of town.

This past weekend we walked the dogs to a creek below Cardwell Hill, near our house, and I was fascinated by the water bugs, who appeared to be resting on a silver pillow of water. (I know it looks like I might have done something odd to this picture with Photoshop, but no. Didn't touch it.)

Reub must never be reincarnated as a human. It would be terribly dangerous because he would drink and drive, just like he does as a dog, walking through the clear, cold water, slurping as he goes.

Eddy likes water too. (Duh, he's a Portuguese Water Dog.) Here he is in the Willamette River, which runs through town. After taking a series of pictures I wrote a poem for him:

Among shimmering reflections there lies a prize

It seems tricky

because you must learn to swim

through a hundred liquid trees

in order to reach it.

Not, perhaps, as hard as it seems.