Wordless Wednesday
22 Degree Halo Around the Sun: Wordless Wednesday
Wordless Wednesday
Where the pronghorn roam: Monochrome Monday
Monochrome Monday
Words into Art-Temperance Creek: LAPC
Words into Art
My friend asked me to go hear author Pamela Royes talk about her book Temperance Creek: A Memoir at a quilt shop. At a quilt shop? I thought. I didn’t know that QuiltWorks had a “Books to Quilts” program.
Pamela spoke about her book and showed slides of where she lives in the rugged country near Hells Canyon in northeastern Oregon. A chance encounter with Skip Royes led her into living the life of a wandering shepherder. She and Skip spent four years on a life-changing journey in the wilderness. Pamela transforms from a carefree hippie into a responsible woman who learns to appreciate the wildness of her new home. She also learns of the culture of the Nez Perce, who first occupied this land.
Her lyrical prose helps paint pictures in your mind of her adventures and the surrounding country. Quilters made the “words into art” and they displayed their work in this shop. Pamela became emotional as she described her appreciation for the quilts depicting her words. These creative works meant more to her than any trophy.
Sheep and a special dog
These quilts show different interpretations of sheep. Some are realistic while others are whimsical. Their dog, Puss, helped keep the sheep in line.
Come Follow Me – Carol Luther 
Here’s Looking at Ewe- Vicki Roadman 
Watching Sheep – Diane Ottenfeld
Endless Sheep – Jill Monley 
Buttercup – Eileen Heber 
Tom and Peggy – Heidi Thaut
Horsing around
Here are quilts showing horses and mules, an important part of their family.
Flora and Fauna
These quilts show some of the plants and animals that live in northeastern Oregon. Pamela and Skip had many exciting encounters with wildlife in the back country.
No Country for Fools – Kristin Shields 
Into the Wild… First Bloom – Elayne Logan Currie 
Eastern Oregon – Ruth Kinane 
Flora and Fauna of Hells Canyon – Patti Stewart
Pick-Up Sticks – Kim McCray 
The Best Time – Kay Gutierrez
Camping out and remembering
They spent months out in the wilderness living in a tent. They remembered the contributions of Native Americans who called this place home.
Outside the Tent – Joan Fox 
The View Outside the Tent Flaps – Maggie Jaeger 
Memories – Karen Miller
Little Details
These quilts focus on some of the small details of their life. Sometimes Pamela had one foot in one world and the other in another.
Temperance Creek High Heels – Charlotte Sara Oakes 
“How long will we be gone?” “Well, until we get back” – Cathy Smith 
Commitment The Significance of Small Things “Christmas on Pony Bar” – Jean Wilkinson 
Steppin’ Out – Cindy O’Neal
The Land
Many of the quilts focus on the beauty of the land. Some of these are abstract, others are realistic. They vary in appearance and texture, just like the land they represent.
Making the Way – Shirlee J. Johnson 
Imnaha River Valley Gyrification – Suzette Decourcey Shoulders 
Impressions – Judi Martin
Temperance Creek Trail – Gayle Gassner 
Follow Your Heart – Janet MacConnell 
Fragments – Marion Miller
And as the sun sinks into the West
This quilt captures the color and majesty of the country around North Temperance Creek. I hope you liked these beautiful words into art quilts as much as I did.
Lens Artists Photography Challenge – Creativity
Dog Art+ in Bend, Oregon
This mural is by husband and wife artists Paul Alan Bennett and Carolyn Platt. Can you see why I titled this post Dog Art+? One of those “dogs” looks a little different.
Here in Bend, we are into dogs so it only makes sense they are featured in our public art. We have many dog-friendly businesses and plenty of trails to hike with your four-footed friends.
Roadside Rocks in Malheur NF: Wordless Wednesday
Wordless Wednesday
White-crowned sparrows: Monochrome Monday
These bold little white-crowned sparrows can raise or lower their “crown”, depending upon their mood. They occur throughout North America, but their bill color varies. It can be orange, yellow, or pink depending upon where they live.
They have a cheery and distinctive song that you may recognize. Listen to it here.
Fringed Gentian: Friday Flowers
The fringed gentian, Gentianopsis thermalis, grows in meadows, bogs, and on moist ground. This species prefers growing in warm places and it’s common near geysers and hot springs in Yellowstone National Park. It is the official flower of the park.
This plant grows to a height of 4-16 inches and blooms in May through August. This annual has purple flowers 1.5-3 inches in length. The showy flowers are fringed along the edges.
Fringed gentians can be found across northern Canada and south through the Rocky Mountains and into parts of New Mexico, Utah, and Nevada.
Native Americans used gentians to treat headaches and as an antidote to witchcraft.
Fun fact: The flowers curl up and close on cloudy days leaving just the tops visible. The closed flowers resemble a small windmill.
A Marsh at Malheur in May: Wordless Wednesday
Wordless Wednesday
A little bird told me my short story won…
I entered a short story I wrote in a local contest and I just found out it took first place in the Children’s Fiction category. Hooray for me! 😀
The short story from my first novel is called How the River of Falls Came to Be and it’s about a little newt who gets more than he asks for. He ends up turning into a tortoise in the desert and he misses the rain.
Here are the last couple of paragraphs:
“Many years later, Tortoise passed away and his shell tipped upside-down and filled with water from passing storms. In fact, the shell caught so much rain it overflowed. The heavy shell eventually sunk and settled deep in the earth. It became the source of a river with many waterfalls. Río de las Caídas.
Sometimes when you walk along the river, you can see the smiles of Rain and Sun in waterfall rainbows. They are showing their gratitude for the gift Tortoise gave to the world.”
I’ll be reading the story I entered in the Central Oregon Writers Guild Contest next month at the downtown library in Bend, Oregon.
Back to work editing my book, Dark Fountain Songs. Maybe I’ll draw some pictures of tortoise to go along with the “award-winning” tale.
A different world-Utah rocks: LAPC
You live in the image you have of the world. Every one of us lives in a different world, with different space and different time.
Alejandro Jodorowsky
The geology of Utah is so unique and interesting. I imagined many details of alternate worlds while visiting there.
The formations at Capitol Reef form thrones ready for giant-sized royalty.
The mountains of Zion National Park look as though they have been compressed, kneaded, and scratched by the claws of big cats
At Canyonlands National Park, an army of stone soldiers is forever frozen in time.
A city of towers pushes out the forest at Bryce Canyon National Park.
At Arches National Park, layers of earth tilt and reach towards the sky, hoping they may someday form archways of stone.
Lens Artists Photo Challenge – Something different
Follow Me Mom!: Wordless Wednesday
Wordless Wednesday
Where could my dog be?: Monochrome Monday
Oh where, oh where could my little dog be?
Monochrome Monday
My Mini Mini Aussie Pocket Dog
This mini mini Aussie I painted onto a rock is one of my favorites. I’ve always wanted a mini Australian shepherd and this pocket pet is very low maintenance. 😀
Just another stunning sunrise: Wordless Wednesday
Wordless Wednesday
River Ranch Barn – Seasoned by the Seasons: LAPC
The River Ranch Barn at Summer Lake Wildlife Area in eastern Oregon is weathered to perfection. Here are a few pictures of its exterior from a distance and close up. Winter Ridge rises majestically behind the barn.
The shakes of its roof line up in irregular and interesting patterns.
Here are a couple pictures of an outbuilding next to the barn. The weathered barn wood has a variety of warm tones and a distinct personality all its own.
This pale knotty eye watches the wildlife visiting this oasis in the desert with a look of approval.
Lens Artists Photo Challenge – Worn & Weathered
Roses-Summer Blooms & Fall Fruit: Friday Flowers
I enjoy watching these roses growing along the Mill A Loop trail along the Deschutes River in Bend, Oregon. They produce a bounty in the summer and the fall for walkers and wildlife.
Friday Flowers
A few moments with a pronghorn: Wordless Wednesday
Wordless Wednesday
A 24″ snowy cake: Monochrome Monday
Care to join me for a piece of snowy cake?
Monochrome Monday
Indoors at Fort Rock: LAPC
I’ve featured several outdoor photos taken in and around Fort Rock, but now you’ll get glimpses indoors at the Fort Rock Valley Homestead Museum. Many of these historical buildings were moved here from nearby. The homes and businesses are furnished as they would have been in the early 1900s. This is a place where history truly comes alive.
A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots.
Marcus Garvey
Lens-Artists Photo Challenge – History
Yellow violets in bloom: Friday Flowers
Waxwings in Winter Willows: Wordless Wednesday
Wordless Wednesday
Winter Walks in Bend: LAPC
Winter is a special time of the year here in Bend. Winter walks around the neighborhood are highlighted with landscapes covered in snow and ice.
He who marvels at the beauty of the world in summer will find equal cause for wonder and admiration in winter.
John Burroughs
Buildings are blanketed with snow and edged with icicles.
Twisting trails are carved through snowdrifts.
Meandering rivers are covered with a cool layer of ice.
Bare branches are clothed in frost and snow.
Lens-Artists Photo Challenge – Around the Neighborhood
Asian New Year Celebration: Lots of Wow!
Last weekend we attended an Asian New Year Celebration, and the performances we watched were spectacular! This event brought together performances of music, Tai Chi, Parkour, aerial silks, and lion dancing. A local restaurant provided samples of Asian cuisine. There was also a silent auction.
The Chinese New Year started on February 5th and it’s the Year of the Earth Pig. In other years the Pig is associated with Wood, Fire, Metal, or Water. The Pig occupies the last position of the Chinese Zodiac. It symbolizes “carefree fun, good fortune, and wealth” according to Your Chinese Astrology.
Performances at Asian New Year Celebration
Lion Dancers
The celebration featured the lion dance at the beginning and end of this event. The two lions of White Lotus Dragon and Lion Dancers danced to the pounding rhythms. Kids in the audience at this event loved when they got to follow the lions out of the auditorium at the end of the celebration. Be sure to watch the video at the end of this post for an up close look at a lion dancing in the audience.
Lion dances are a traditional dance in China and other Asian countries. They have been around for millennia. In the past, the dance was used to scare away evil spirits. But lion dances were also performed to bring joy, prosperity, and good fortune to events such as celebrating a new year. Dancers emulate the movements of lions in colorful costumes.
Tai Chi
Oregon Tai Chi Wushu gave performances in large and small groups. They balanced the calm and graceful movements of the larger groups with the fast-paced action of smaller groups. One performance had a modern twist with dueling electric guitars. Watch that video below, near the end of this post. The local group includes participants of all ages, even those as young as four years old.
In the past, martial arts were essential for protection in times of war in China. As that need decreased, they recognized the lasting health benefits of this training. Tai Chi is referred to as “meditation in motion.”
Parkour
Members of Abstract in Motion did a lighter-than-air performance of Parkour. Merriam-Webster defines Parkour as “the sport of traversing environmental obstacles by running, climbing, or leaping rapidly and efficiently.” This activity was developed in France in the 1980s. It’s kind of like the moves seen in The Matrix movies without the use of special effects. The performers leaped and flipped and moved in ways that made me wonder if they were mere mortals.
Taiko Drumming
One of the most memorable performances for me at the Asian New Year Celebration was the Taiko drumming of the Portland Taiko group. This group “blends the tradition of Japanese taiko drumming with a sense of Asian American identity, creativity, and empowerment.” Watch the videos to see the sense of joy this group emulates.
Taiko percussion instruments were in use in Japan 2,000 years ago. It’s thought taiko drums were used in communication or religious rituals. They resemble instruments found in China and Korea and may have come to Japanese culture from as far away as India. The idea to play together in Kumi-daiko (a taiko ensemble) was created in the 1950s. Drums range in size from small snare drum-sized up to as large as a wine barrel.
Aerial Silks
Outside the auditorium, Silks Rising gave an aerial silks demonstration. A long piece of silky fabric hung from an open pyramid-shaped structure. A young girl climbed, spun, and dropped on the long piece of fabric in a kind of aerial ballet. I can see why these performances are called “aerial contortion.” Cirque du Soleil invented this art form in 1995.
Until next year’s Asian New Year Celebration…
This celebration packed a lot into two hours. Some performances were slow, quiet, and graceful; others were fast, loud, and full of raw emotion. There was something for everyone here. It’s the 12th year of the Asian New Year Celebration—a fundraiser for Bend Senior High School’s Life Skills Program.
Hope you enjoy watching the videos!
FOWC – Watch
Hoosier cabinet: Wordless Wednesday
Wordless Wednesday
A frosty spruce: Monochrome Monday
Monochrome Monday
White Sturgeon – A square peg fish: WPC
I immediately thought of this picture I took of a white sturgeon when I saw that this week’s photo challenge at Traveling at Wits End was Something that Doesn’t Belong.
In this photo, taken at the High Desert Museum, a young white sturgeon is surrounded by trout. It doesn’t quite fit in.
You might think this odd fish looks prehistoric and you’d be right. Sturgeon existed 200 million years ago, during the Jurassic period.
Though most sturgeon live 11-34 years, they have been known to live up to 104 years (!) They grow to an average length of 6.9 feet and sometimes grow to a length of 20 feet. The maximum weight recorded was 1,799 pounds. In fact, they are North America’s largest fish. So the fish in the picture may look small now, but it has a lot of growing to do!
High Desert Voices Newsletter – March 2019
I’m sharing the March issue of the High Desert Voices newsletter. It’s a newsletter for volunteers and staff at the High Desert Museum in Bend, Oregon. I help out with the newsletter and I’m particularly proud of this issue.
This issue of the High Desert Voices newsletter includes a History event – 19th Century Making & Mending; Art – a new exhibit by Native American artist, Rick Bartow; Nature – a fact sheet on white sturgeon; People – a profile of our Communication Director; and Recreation – a trail through the colorful Blue Basin. There’s a little more related to updates for the different areas of the Museum and kudos, for work well done.
Enjoy the newsletter! To see more, go to Volunteer Newsletters.
A snowy day at home: Wordless Wednesday
Wordless Wednesday
Finding a new world in close-ups: LAPC
When I last visited Yellowstone, I was searching for a new world to inspire me in my fiction writing. Here are some that I found…
A new world of waves and wonder
A world of contrasting colors
A world of muted rainbows
A warm and fuzzy new world
A cold, colorless, and cracked new world
A world where meandering water turns to gold
A new world where everyone lives in spherical houses along the shore
Lens-Artists Photo Challenge – Close-up
Lilies in the Rain: Friday Flowers
Friday Flowers
My Pocket Fox: Wordless Wednesday
Wordless Wednesday
Love nature and share the love: LAPC
Study nature, love nature, stay close to nature. It will never fail you.
Frank Lloyd Wright
Here are a few pictures of wild things resting, feeding, and breeding. They are always reminding me to love nature and share that love with others.
There are nights when the wolves are silent and only the moon howls.
George Carlin
Being born in a duck yard does not matter, if only you are hatched from a swan’s egg.
Hans Christian Andersen
…When alarmed, their rapid career seems more like the flight of birds than the movement of an earthly being.
George Ord
It’s not only fine feathers that make a fine bird.
Aesop
Each bird loves to hear himself sing.
Arapaho
Lens-Artists Photo Challenge – Nature
Reclining Grass Widow:Friday Flowers
Friday Flowers
Patterns in the Snow: Wordless Wednesday
Wordless Wednesday
Elk of the Shadows: LAPC
Solitary grazer
Hiding in filtered light
Antlers flocked in
Downy velvet
Oblivious to his
Wonder
Lens-Artists Photo Challenge – Shadows
Feeling Cheesy? Visit Tillamook Creamery
Last June we happened to be in Tillamook, Oregon the day the new Tillamook Creamery visitor center opened.
They have 1.3 million visitors a year and the new 38,500 square foot facility is a welcome addition. The original visitor center opened in 1949. We visited that much smaller center years ago.
Yes, you can still watch them making delicious cheese and get samples, but there’s a lot more there now.
The new displays are interactive and informative.
I loved the layout of some of these displays. Crisp, bold, and bright. They are works of art.
Tillamook County Creamery Association creates the products you find in stores today. This co-op was formed in 1909 and there are almost 100 families in it now.
They have a big store with everything from clothing to specialty dairy products.
If that’s not enough, they also have a dining area with several options. You can get ice cream, yogurt with toppings, and a range of other choices. These include everything from tempura battered cheese curds (huh?) to mac and cheese, pizza, sandwiches, and a few breakfast items. I was pleasantly surprised to see the food at the center featured in a funny article in Food and Wine.
If you have the time, this is a stop worth making.
A Home on the Range: Wordless Wednesday
Wordless Wednesday
Landscape of Grand Prismatic: LAPC
The water in some of the springs presents to the eye the colors of all the precious gems known to commerce. In one spring the hue is like that of an emerald, in another like that of the turquoise, another has the ultra-marine hue of the sapphire, another has the color of topaz; and the suggestions has been made that the names of these jewels may very properly be given to many of these springs.
Nathaniel Pitt Langford in Diary of the Washburn Expedition to the Yellowstone and Firehole Rivers in the Year 1870.
Grand Prismatic Spring is the crown jewel of hot springs at Yellowstone National Park. The landscape of Grand Prismatic has all the colors of the rainbow. The cracks and tracks add some interesting texture as well. This 370-foot wide spring is the largest in the United States and third largest in the world.
Lens-Artists Photo Challenge – Landscape
Harvesters of gold: Friday Flowers
Bright yellow blossoms
Inviting hovering bees
To harvest their gold
Pocket Barn Owl: Wordless Wednesday
Wordless Wednesday