Nature

A High Desert playa: LAPC & SSPC

I awaken on the shores of a High Desert playa

Dust devils on the distant shoreline dance across the flats

Dry soil at my feet cracks and crumbles

The funnel of a dust devil hovers over me and carries me a few miles away

I drift over a lake of summer and a ridge of winter

Water meanders its way through marshlands of green

I hear a rolling call, soft and bugling

A Sandhill Crane wades through the marsh, searching for sustenance

The dust devil pulls me into the skies again

I hover over alkali flats, stark and pale

I watch a bird perched on a fence post, waiting

The Turkey Vulture scans the landscape for lost souls

A sudden gust of wind pushes me to the west

I spin above a rustic barn, full of history

The leaves of a willow tree rustle in the wind

A golden-eyed Great Horned Owl imparts its wisdom to me

The dust devil pulls me skyward

It carries me back to the place where its companions await

Along the shores of a High Desert playa

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge (LAPC) – Habitat

Sunday Stills Photo Challenge (SSPC) – Landscapes

Bend Branches always appreciates your comments and likes. Comments may not appear right away since they’re screened for spam prior to posting. Thanks!

SoyBend

Centered in Bend, Oregon, my blog branches out into nature, history, and art-related topics.

View Comments

Recent Posts

Steps up & down: LAPC

Steps lead you from one level to another. In MoPOP, the Museum of Pop Culture…

2 days ago

Prickly pear fruit up close: Macro Monday

This year, we had a bumper crop of prickly pear fruit on the cactus growing…

4 days ago

Clouds over Pilot Butte: Weekend Sky

Clouds over Pilot Butte in Bend, Oregon Weekend Sky Bend Branches always appreciates your comments…

6 days ago

Southpark Seafood: Foodie Friday

Last February, on a trip to Portland, Oregon, I had a meal at Southpark Seafood.…

7 days ago

A Painted Hills morning: WW

A Painted Hills morning in John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, Oregon Wordless Wednesday (WW)…

1 week ago

Kwakwaka’wakw art, Seattle Art Museum: Sculpture Saturday

This beautiful collection of Kwakwaka'wakw art is at the Seattle Art Museum in Washington state.…

2 weeks ago