Cooling Down

An idyllic moment on a hot summer day in New York City. I like how the tree, the bicycle, and the man on the right frame the image while also giving a great sense of depth when compared with the buildings and cars in the distance.

Grand Coulee Dam

The Grand Coulee dam is the biggest dam (and concrete structure) in the United States, but I bet that when people think of big dams, the Hoover dam comes to mind. The rivalry between the dams was made clear by our tour guide who was born and raised in the city of Grand Coulee. During the tour she kept throwing out impressive facts emphasizing how much more powerful and bigger the Grand Coulee dam was over the Hoover dam ("the Hoover dam could fit in the Grand Coulee and still have four hundred feet to spare.") Her angle made the tour both informational (intentional) and amusing (unintentionally).

The Hoover dam is in a very scenic location and has amazing art deco architecture and statues, but I think the Grand Coulee dam still comes out ahead. Sure, the Grand Coulee dam has some impressive stats, but feeling and hearing the massive structure shake like a rocket ship (from the water flowing through the turbines) gives a concrete sense of the enormous power of the dam (if you'll pardon the pun).

Looking up the dam funicular, which rides on top of a massive octagonal concrete water tube that feeds the turbines.

One single shot capturing the myriad angles and spacing of the textured concrete walls.

Detail of the buffalo on the dedication plaque of the dam.

The image above only shows about half of the width of the entire dam. If you look closely, you can see the funicular and concrete landings from the other photos. Bonus: the dam architecture looks like a level from Quake II (particularly the massive octagonal concrete tubes curving around the rough rock underneath).

Colors at the Bonneville Dam

Color is everywhere, even around something as drab as the massive concrete Bonneville Dam. The images below show part of the turbine with the red floor below, the fish ladder and green algae within, and the striking power tower above and against the rich blue sky.

Hors d'oeuvres and Coffee