Mt View Orchards mural: Monday Mural

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This Mt View Orchards mural is located in Parkdale, Oregon. The plants growing around the mural make it blend into the background.

This is one of our favorite businesses to visit to buy fresh local fruit in the fall. You can pick your own fruit and flowers or buy what they’ve harvested. They also produce beer, wine, and cider. This beautiful 50+ acre site was featured on a Top Chef episode in 2021.

Mt View Orchards mural

This business is part of the Hood River Fruit Loop. There are 28 farms open to visitors along the 35-mile route .

Here’s some of the fruit we bought last year. Yum!

Fruitful

And here’s a view of the flowers growing near the Mt View Orchards mural. Unfortunately, Mount Hood was hidden by the clouds the day we visited. When it’s out, it makes a perfect background for weddings and other events hosted at this facility.

Mt View Orchards

Mount Hood, seen below on a previous trip, proudly towers over Parkdale’s many fruit orchards.

Mount Hood

Monday Mural

Seeing the softness of nature: LAPC & WPWC

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Seeing the softness of nature

Walking behind a wall of water of a woodland waterfall

Seeing the softness of nature

Regarding a heron ruminating over rippling reflections

great blue heron

Spotting the strength of steel softened by a spring snow

snowy fence

Beholding the beauty of blanket flowers, blurred by a gentle breeze

Blanket flowers

Seeing the softness of nature

Following flickering halos floating over flowing waves

Seeing the softness

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge – Abstracts

Weekly Prompts Weekend Challenge – Flow

Skink among the stones: WW & LAPC

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skink among the stones

Skink among the stones near Bend, Oregon

Wordless Wednesday (WW)

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge (LAPC) – Rock Your World

Rocks I remember: LAPC & FOWC

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The rocks I remember may rest on the slopes of extinct volcanoes

Rocks on Pilot Butte 26Oct2016
Volcanic rocks on Pilot Butte, Bend, Oregon

And show cryptic carved messages created years ago

reveal petroglyphs
Picture Rock Pass Petroglyphs Site, Oregon

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Winter tree from 3 perspectives: TTL

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These photographs show a winter tree near Bend, Oregon shown from 3 perspectives .

Western juniper trees are great to photograph. I show this one from a distance, looking up its trunk, and with a close up view of its rough and wrinkled bark. These trees’ unique characteristics are enhanced by a light snowfall.

winter tree
juniper tree

Close up of bark

Thursday Tree Love (TTL)

Hook & Plow in Bend: Monochrome Monday

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Hook & Plow is a farm-to-table restaurant that recently opened in Bend, Oregon. The seafood, meats, and produce served here are sourced locally. Wines and craft beers on the menu are also from the local area. Take a peek at their full menu here.

I’m highlighting the interesting architecture with sepia tone processing. Straight lines, curved lines, and various textures stand out in this monochrome picture.

Hook & Plow

Monochrome Monday

Enhance the beauty of photos: LAPC

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When I process pictures, I think about how to enhance the beauty of the subject.

The natural features at the Red Canyon Overlook in Dutch John, Utah are beautiful, but so is the visitor center. The roof looks like wings swooping upwards. A fence with a modern design and a standing dead tree add to the beauty.

Red Canyon Overlook

To enhance the architecture of the building, I used a cold filter and a dark vignette. I framed it with a simple white slide mount effect.

enhance the beauty

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April HDV newsletter 2024

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As you may know, I’ve been volunteering at the High Desert Museum in Bend, Oregon since 2013. I work on their volunteer newsletter. We are sharing the April HDV newsletter with staff and volunteers and we’d like to also share it with you. High Desert Voices (HDV) is a newsletter published by and for Museum volunteers.

The newsletter covers events and exhibitions at the High Desert Museum, as well as other topics. The museum features wildlife, living history, and culture topics related to the High Desert region.

April HDV newsletter, High Desert Museum entrance

The April HDV newsletter includes articles on the relationship of Indigenous people with Mother Earth, a behind the scenes look at the Museum’s birds of prey, and the progress being made on returning steelhead to the Crooked River in Oregon.

04-HDV-April-2024-2Download

Please enjoy this month’s HDV newsletter. I’m very proud of the work our Newsletter Team accomplishes. We’re always grateful for the input we receive when working on articles from staff, speakers, and other sources. Comments from you, our readers, would also be appreciated. Thanks!

Coyote print & photo: First Friday Art

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A coyote howling drawing

Today I’m sharing a coyote print & photo. I drew the coyote in pen and ink and printed it with sublimation ink onto special paper. Then I used a heat press to transfer it onto a fabric bag. I gave the finished product to a friend for a birthday present.

coyote print & photo

This was my first attempt at this type of printing. It turned out a little blurry. I tried transferring another one of my drawings and didn’t have the press hot enough. Maybe I should have read the suggested settings by the fabric manufacturer. 😉

Sublimation printing

What is sublimation printing? It uses heat to bind the ink and fabric together. A post on prodigi describes it as follows: “The inks that are used turn into gas when brought under heat, then combine with the fabric and permanently print onto the fabric.” They compare it to a tattoo.

Sublimation ink & paper

One thing to think about if you are considering trying this type of printing; the printer should only be used with sublimation inks. Fortunately, the cost of the equipment is relatively low. I bought an Epson ET-2800 printer and an Offnova heat press machine for less than $300 total. Of course, you can spend hundreds of dollars if you want products with more features.

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Photo op Robert’s Bookshop: Monday Mural

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While visiting Lincoln City, Oregon last week, I saw this photo op Robert’s Bookshop sight. A small mural of a comfortable room full of bookshelves adorned the wall next to something odd–an airplane nose! Apparently, this 1967 Boeing 727-100 found a nice spot for its final landing place.

photo op Robert's Bookshop

In 2015, the owner of the bookstore, Bob Portwood, bought the nose section at a state surplus auction. He attached it to the building and opened the interior wall to make a small office space in the cockpit.

The store has 1.64 miles of shelves full of books. They sell used and antiquarian books, including books related to aviation.

If you’re on the Oregon coast looking for roadside attractions, consider stopping to view the photo op Robert’s Bookshop in Lincoln City.

Monday Mural

Near the ocean’s shore: LAPC & WS

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Near the ocean’s shore, wind and water create ephemeral works of art

near the ocean's shore
Arcs in the sand at Fogarty Creek State Recreation Area, Oregon

Ebbs and flows peel away the earth’s surface to reveal its hidden brilliance

coastal cliffs
Cliffs at Fogarty Creek State Recreation Area, Oregon

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Arising from the mist: Wordless Wednesday

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Arising from the mist

Arising from the mist at Seal Rock State Recreation Area, Oregon

Wordless Wednesday

Painted Hills trail Rispetto poem: JMW

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A rough Painted Hills trail meanders ahead
Curving towards colorful hills of mystery
Cutting through foliage, shriveled and dead
Through an ancient landscape filled with history
Covered with ash spewed by Cascade volcanoes
Compacted, sculpted into hillside rainbows
Layered with varied stripes of red, green, and gold
Reminders of climates, hot, humid, and cold

Painted Hills trail

Jo’s Monday Walk (JMW)

Brews & views, Ferment Brewing Company: OLWG, FOWC, WOTD

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Ferment Brewing Company, in Hood River, Oregon, is a nice warm place for brews & views. I made it appear even warmer by using a warming filter in the photo below. The big tanks below are actually silver but I thought they looked great in gold! 😀

Ferment Brewing Company

Ferment opened here in 2018. They fuse traditional farmhouse brewing techniques with a modern touch. The brewmaster, Dan Peterson, has a degree in Microbiology and Molecular Genetics and uses his scientific knowledge to create unique brews.

The fermenting theme is also featured in some of their food offerings. If you browse the menu, you’ll find fermented foods such as sauerkraut and kimchi, but fermentation is also in more unexpected offerings, like kombucha ketchup.

Their tasting room is decorated in a modern, industrial style, with lots of symmetry. It’s a comfortable spot to share a meal and a drink.

views & brews

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Look right in front of you: Wednesday Wisdom

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When I was 20 years old, I took classes to become a lifeguard. I always remember my instructor saying, “Don’t forget to look right in front of you.” I think these words could apply to many situations in life.

Here’s an old photo of me working as a lifeguard at Millersylvania State Park in Washington state.

look right in front of you

I was reminded of those words again last Thursday. Since I recently hit 1,000+ subscribers on my blog, I decided to celebrate at a fancy restaurant in downtown Bend. While walking across the street in a crosswalk with the light, I was almost hit by a car making a turn. A passerby asked if I was hit by the bumper of the car—that’s how close it was. No, I wasn’t, but I was a bit shaken up. The driver of the car shouted, “I’m so sorry!” and drove away. Fortunately, the rest of the evening went well.

So, my words of wisdom for today are, “Don’t forget to look right in front of you.”

I also wanted to thank all my subscribers. THANK YOU! 😀

Wednesday Wisdom

Metropolis of Thermopolis: LAPC & RDP

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What’s so special about the metropolis of Thermopolis? It’s a great place to stay to see several amazing attractions nearby.

Thermopolis is a small city located in central Wyoming. In 2020, its population was 2,725. Its name means “hot city” in Greek. Here’s a view of it in the distance from Hot Springs State Park. Though I didn’t take pictures of the downtown, the sights within and near the city are very photogenic.

metropolis of Thermopolis

As you can see in the photo below, they proudly advertise their hot springs. “World’s Largest Mineral Hot Spring” is spelled out in big white lettering. Visitors can pay to soak in two commercial hot springs or soak for free in the state-owned State Bath House.

Hillside hotspring sign


We stayed in our campervan for much of our recent multi-state trip, but our driver needed a break, so we stayed in a Thermopolis hotel for a couple of nights.

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Guinness advertisements: Word of the Day

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In celebration of St Patrick’s Day, I’m sharing Guinness beer advertisements I saw at the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin. We were there in March of 2020.

The first one is a giant tortoise carrying a beer. It looks pretty happy!

Guinness advertisements

The second one shows a display cabinet full of toucans and other items. The toucan was a favorite, used in many of their ads.

Toucans ads

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Garden of Surging Waves: LAPC

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The Garden of Surging Waves is located in Astoria, Oregon. The city was founded in 1811 and this garden was a gift to celebrate the city’s 200th anniversary. The Chinese were an important part of Astoria’s history. At one time, 22% of the city’s population was Chinese. In the Pacific Northwest, Chinese were instrumental in the cannery, logging, mining, and railroad construction industries.

I’m starting with a circular mosaic of three sturgeon. It was my favorite artwork there.

sturgeon mosaic

This is part of the Pavilion of Transition, pictured below. The fish theme is repeated in the circular lantern hanging above the mosaic. Nine salmon swim around its perimeter.

The pavilion has eight columns with dragons carved into each. The squares, circles, and even and odd numbers in this garden represent elements of Yin and Yang.

Garden of Surging Waves

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A glowing winter walk: Monochrome Monday

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A glowing winter walk in the Old Mill District of Bend, Oregon.

a glowing winter walk

Monochrome Monday

A Badlands bench: Pull Up a Seat

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The view from a Badlands bench in Badlands National Park, South Dakota.

Badlands bench

Why are they called the Badlands? The Lakota name for this place is mako sica, which translates to “bad lands.” Later, when early French fur trappers moved through this land, they called it les mauvaises terres a traveser, which means “bad lands to travel across.”

Hot, dry summers and cold, windy winters, combined with few sources of water, make this an inhospitable environment. During times of heavy rainfall, the soil becomes slick and sticky. The jagged mountains and canyons are hard to navigate through. Though evidence of Indigenous people hunting in this area has been found, it was used seasonally, not year-round.

We were at this Badlands bench scenic viewpoint in the beginning of June, early in the morning. Temperatures were already in the low 90s. It must get really hot in the middle of summer. The layered mountains are photogenic, probably even more so after a good rain.

Pull Up a Seat Photo Challenge

Allosaurus moving at breakneck speed: WW

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Allosaurus

Allosaurus moving at breakneck speed at Dinosaur National Monument, Utah

Wordless Wednesday (WW)

Garden art in Silverton, OR: LAPC

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Garden art may be realistic and small

garden art

Or tall and abstract, casting striking shadows

Abstract sculptures

You may hear garden art bark from the shadows cast by trees

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In the moments before dawn poem: WWP & WIL

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In the moments before dawn,
Light from a single star
Awakens the spirit
Hidden within
Slumbering winter trees

in the moments before dawn

Weekend Writing Prompt (WWP) – Spirit (18 words)

Whatsoever is Lovely

Apple drawing & photos: First Friday Art

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Today I’m sharing an apple drawing I did using the stipple technique with pen-and-ink. I used hundreds of tiny dots of ink to portray this red delicious apple.

Most of the time when I’m working on a final version of a drawing, I work on it from start to finish. However, when I’m doing a stipple drawing, I often take breaks. Sometimes I go back to it the next day. You have to concentrate on not overlapping dots in most of the drawing. If you’re too hyper or too tired, you will mess up. I was happy how this drawing turned out after working on it for a couple of days.

apple drawing

To go with the drawing, I’m sharing a photograph I took of a red delicious apple. For this portrait, I used the Food setting on my Samsung Galaxy phone. I like how it blurred the background. It reminded me I should experiment more with other settings on my phone.

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A challenging photo edit: Sunday Stills

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Today I’m sharing a particularly challenging photo edit I worked on recently. Sometimes putting extra time into something can really pay off.

When I visited the Museum of the American West in Lander, Wyoming last year, I took a couple pictures of an art piece entitled The Confrontation. I marveled at the detail the artist, Tess Diaz, created with thousands of tiny glass beads.

Here are the two pictures I took that day, shown with no editing. As you can see, the bright light and many reflections hid the beauty of the work.

glare on artwork

challenging photo edit
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Hawk eating breakfast: Bird of the Week

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I was driving near my house early one morning when I saw this sight. It was a hawk eating breakfast on the road.

I had interrupted a Red-tailed Hawk while it was feasting on a rabbit or hare. The local Black-billed Magpies appeared out of nowhere to get the leftovers.

As you can see, if you zoom in, the magpie pictured below was moving at a speed of 0 MPH. 😉

hawk eating breakfast

The hawk wisely decided to move its breakfast off the road.

hawk & magpie
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Chevrolet fire truck 3 ways: Sunday Stills

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Today I’ll be featuring a photo of a 1935 Chevrolet fire truck on display at the High Desert Museum in Bend, Oregon, edited three ways. This truck, pieced together with parts from trucks in Prineville and Lakeview, Oregon, was restored to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Smokey Bear. For years, Smokey Bear has been reminding people how to prevent wildfires.

I’ll show a pair of pictures with and without editing effects. Slide the slider to see the full images. I use Corel Paintshop Pro software to edit my photos.

The first pair shows the original picture and one using the Hot Wax Coating Artistic Effect. I like how it almost looks like a pen and ink drawing with color added.

Chevrolet fire truckChevrolet fire truck

The second pair shows the original picture and one using a Retro Lab Photo Effect. The effect darkened the whole picture. I loved how it and gave the chrome details a warm brass color.

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Daylily Trail: FOTD & WPWC

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A colorful daylily trail in the Oregon Garden in Silverton, Oregon.

These perennials have showy, long-lasting flowers that attract butterflies and hummingbirds. Daylilies grow well in full sun to partial shade.

daylily trail

Here’s a closer view of violet purple daylilies with bright yellow throats. I’m not sure what variety of daylily this is, but I loved its ruffled edges.

Close up of lily

Flower of the Day (FOTD)

Weekly Prompts Weekend Challenge (WPWC) – Edge

Sounds of wild creatures: LAPC

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Sounds of wild creatures, the large and the small,
Pulling our attention, leaving us enthralled

Small Black-throated Sparrows pause and perch high
Singing unforgettable melodies to deep azure skies

Black-throated Sparrow song

sounds of wild creatures
Black-throated Sparrow at Arches National Park, UT

Large Wild Turkeys graze and promenade
Chortling calls rise, then fall in cascades

Wild Turkey call

wild turkeys
Wild Turkeys at Capitol Reef National Park, UT
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Chomp Chomp in Bend: Dining Out

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We try to support local businesses by dining out at least once week. We recently visited Chomp Chomp in downtown Bend, Oregon.

Their website describes what they serve as follows:

Gently expand your culinary horizons while enjoying our broad curation of Japanese, local and global whiskies, seasonal cocktails, and draft beer

The first dish I’m showing is Kara’agé. Tasty bits of fried dark chicken meat rest on a bed of rice with cucumber slices, pickled ginger, a slice of lemon, and house-made dipping sauce.

Chicken Kara’agé
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Searching for a sweetheart: RDP

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This handsome mule deer buck was searching for a sweetheart in my front yard.

searching for a sweetheart

Wishing you a Happy Valentine’s Day, filled with love (and chocolate)!

Ragtag Daily Prompt (RDP) – Sweet

Beneath the Clouds in B & W: LAPC & WS

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Paddling beneath the clouds
Floating lacelike
Over lakes of lifegiving water

Beneath the clouds

Puffs of pale exhalations
Follow meandering rivers

Flaming Gorge clouds
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Osprey & fish sculpture: Sculpture Saturday

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This osprey & fish sculpture is at the north end of the Old Mill District shopping mall in Bend. When I walked by it recently, ice covering most of the pond made it stand out.

Osprey & fish sculpture

Here’s a more distant view that includes the two flag bridges. They change the color of the flags on these bridges to celebrate holidays and events.

Ice-covered pond

There’s an osprey nest just north of here, right next to the Bend Whitewater Park. I bet the local birds would love to catch two fish at once, as portrayed in this sculpture.

Sculpture Saturday

The Future Starts Now mural: Monday Murals

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This dramatic mural, The Future Starts Now, is located on The Palace building in Burns, Oregon.

The Future Starts Now

The artist, Matthew Miles Gutierrez, goes by the nickname of Matteo Miles. Miles has done graphic design, canvas paintings, tattoos, sculptures, and sewing projects. His personal interest in pop culture and vintage ads shows in this mural.

Miles was invited to paint murals in Burns by Forrest and Jen Keady. The Keadys were impressed by the work he’d done in Greenville, South Carolina, where he lives. They wanted murals in Burns “that would spread a positive message, bring life and energy to the spaces they occupy, and give people yet another reason to stop in our small town.”

The Keadys requested that this mural be more edgy. The woman portrayed is part 1950s pinup/ part cowgirl. Her tattoo-covered arms bring her forward to more modern times.

I visited Burns on a chilly day in April 2023 and The Future Starts Now radiated a warm feeling. It delivered exactly what the Keadys hoped it would.

Monday Murals

The spirit of… :LAPC & WOTD

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The spirit of a sea creature living on, forever guarding its seaside home

The Spirit of

Fiery red maple leaves, trembling in autumn’s cool showers

Red vine maple

The edges of never-ending books, revealing themselves on rolling hillsides

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