Wordless Wednesday
Sunrise on green sheen obsidian: Wordless Wednesday
Wordless Wednesday
Plateau Indian Beaded Moccasins: LAPC
I’m featuring pictures of Plateau Indian beaded moccasins for the Lens-Artists Photo Challenge. The challenge this week is “A labor of love.”
After so much was taken away from Native Americans, creating beadwork became a labor of love. They preserved parts of their culture by decorating everyday items.
Prior to the European invasion of North America, Native Americans decorated their clothing with shells, porcupine quills, and bones.
Encouraging words on my walk: Monochrome Monday
I saw these encouraging words while walking my dog in a local park. I shared words seen on another walk on Hopeful words seen on my walk.
These words were drawn onto a curving section of the path. In these times of uncertainty, it was nice to see that someone took the time to brighten our days.
Grizzly Drawings – pencil and pen & ink: First Friday Art
I’m sharing grizzly drawings for First Friday Art this month. I found this pencil drawing tucked away in a forgotten file drawer. This bear, in a typical bear pose, is feasting on a salmon.
When I flipped the pencil drawing over, I found this on the back. I forgot it was there! The fur is not drawn realistically, but this stylized pen-and-ink is interesting. The bear looks so content.
Maybe I’ll let these grizzly drawings out of their lonely drawer and do something with them. There must be an empty wall somewhere…
Do you have some artwork you would like to share? Use the First Friday Art tag.
Looking up in Kilmalkedar Church: Wordless Wednesday
Wordless Wednesday
A praying mantis of another color: Macro Monday
When I first saw this praying mantis on hop plants in our garden of plenty, I thought it must be a species I had never seen. Its coloring was so light it was almost white. I learned that when some types of mantis shed their skin, they stay white for a short period of time. They can molt 10 times before reaching their adult size. This one will probably turn green, like others I have seen on our property.
Macro Monday
The Oregon Garden in late summer: LAPC
The Lens-Artists Photo Challenge this week is to pick images that go with five possible words. I chose to use all five.
I am featuring pictures from a late September trip to The Oregon Garden, in Silverton, Oregon. It’s an 80-acre botanical garden that is beautiful to visit during any season.
This mixed border is an “exuberant” mix of colorful flowers of various sizes and textures.
This planting looked “comfortable” with every plant spaced out so you can appreciate the details.
A garden of plenty: Homegrown Harvest Photo Challenge
Last year we started to create a new garden space in our backyard. After a lot of work, it’s looking like a garden of plenty now.
This is how it looked several years ago when we bought the place. The house included a fenced dog run with a heated doghouse.
Some of the beds in our newly-created garden are bordered by rocks collected on our property, and others are store bought. Smaller rocks we collected on our rock hounding adventures decorate the edges of the raised beds. See the obsidian from Glass Buttes?
Because otters make you smile: Wordless Wednesday
Wordless Wednesday
Millican cabin in B & W: Monochrome Monday
Monochrome Monday
Household treasures from a different angle: LAPC
I am sharing photos of some of my household treasures taken from different angles. I used a tabletop studio to take these pictures. The Lens-Artists Photo Challenge this week is Everyday Objects.
The first two pictures are of a cricket cage I’ve had since I was about eight years old. I distinctly remember taking it in for Show and Tell. The crickets were chirping in the darkness within my school desk.
This is an antique egg beater I purchased at an antique show in Portland, Oregon. I’m not sure if the parts were meant to go together but that’s how I bought it. I use it regularly and it works great!
A silent symphony haiku: Friday Flowers
A deserted stage
Emptiness filled with blossoms
Silent symphony
Friday Flowers
August cactus in B & W: Wordless Wednesday & MWM
High Desert Mural: LAPC & Monday Mural
I have been busy filling up space and time by creating a High Desert mural. I recently posted more details on creating my Outdoor Pronghorn Painting. This weekend I added three additional paintings to the mural.
Masks with customized fabric: Getting creative
Did you know you can order customized fabrics from JOANN Fabric & Craft stores and other sources? Neither did I. This week I made face masks with customized fabric that I ordered online.
Fence lizard on Western juniper: Wordless Wednesday
Wordless Wednesday
Ice plants up close: Macro Monday
Here’s a photo of ice plants up close from my garden near Bend, Oregon. I always look forward to seeing their bright, long lasting blooms.
Macro Monday
Arches National Park in bloom: LAPC
In early May 2017, we visited the national parks in Utah. With temperatures in the 90s, we didn’t exactly avoid the desert’s heat, but we were happy to see Arches National Park in bloom.
These plants grow well under the hot, sunny conditions. Here are a few of the plants we saw in bloom. Some are big and bold; others are small and subtle.
Outdoor pronghorn painting: First Friday Art
Here’s an outdoor pronghorn painting I did in our backyard. It’s the first Friday of the month so it’s time to share your First Friday Art. If you have artwork you would like to share, use the First Friday Art tag.
We have an 8 x 16 foot shed in the backyard and it had a boring blank west-facing wall. It needed something to make it more interesting. I thought of painting a pronghorn, one of my favorite critters.
A rush of green: Wordless Wednesday
Wordless Wednesday
Brothers Stage Stop: Monochrome Monday
The Brothers Stage Stop, in Brothers, Oregon, is a little oasis in the high desert an hour east of Bend.
Monochrome Monday
My sanctuary through the seasons: LAPC
In my sanctuary
Spring arrives with a symphony
Birdsongs and blooms
Summer arrives with a sizzle
Glowing and grand
Plant ID – To weed or not to weed: Friday Flowers
To weed or not to weed. Sometimes weeding is a big job, so how can you tell which plant is a weed?
Are the tall plants in this photo weeds that I should pull?
What about this plant with pretty purple flowers?
Are these two plants weeds?
An assortment of eggs: Wordless Wednesday
Wordless Wednesday
A coneflower up close: Macro Monday
Macro Monday
Resplendent with crystals of snow: LAPC
Winds shift and winter blows
In from the farthest reaches of
North, carried on cold fronts
Turning landscapes into
Enchanted scenes
Resplendent with crystals of snow
Horsetail Falls View: Pull up a Seat & PFTW Challenge
Last fall we were treated to a beautiful Horsetail Falls view on an October day. We took a trip to the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area to see some of the sights. The Historic Columbia River Highway runs parallel to the river and takes you past several spectacular waterfalls, including iconic Multnomah Falls.
You can take in the views from this comfortable bench or…
Get great photos of this 224-foot tall waterfall from the roadside.
I liked the interesting rock formation to the left of the falls and the layers of green moss and ferns.
You can also get a good Horsetail Falls view from Horsetail Falls Trail #438. This 2.3-mile loop trail takes you past Horsetail Falls, Ponytail Falls, and Middle Oneata Falls.
Check ahead of time before visiting. The site may be closed because of COVID-19 restrictions, wildfires, or for other reasons.
Onion in the Obsidian: Wordless Wednesday
Wordless Wednesday
Living in the Past: Monochrome Monday
Living in the past at Fort Rock, Oregon.
Monochrome Monday
Autumn kaleidoscope colors: LAPC
Rotate the autumn kaleidoscope lens to see summer’s verdant green fade
And mix with blades of rich gold.
Rotate the autumn kaleidoscope lens to see warm reds mute cool greens
Desert skies over Hampton Buttes: Sunday Stills
Hopeful words seen on my walk: Wordless Wednesday
Wordless Wednesday
Blue flax flowers up close: Macro Monday
Blue flax flowers up close in my garden. These delicate flowers are difficult to photograph because they have a habit of turning away from the camera. I guess they are a little camera shy!
Macro Monday
Yellowstone in spring is a time to… : LAPC
Yellowstone in spring is a time to
Shrug off that old winter coat and
Feel the warmth of the sun
Continue reading
A mixed flower border: Friday Flowers
Friday Flowers
Bathtime for a sharp-shinned hawk: Wordless Wednesday
Wordless Wednesday
A tree in the making: Monochrome Monday & Macro Monday
A tree in the making up close and in black and white.
Monochrome Monday
Macro Monday
Outdoor Horse Sculptures: LAPC & Sculpture Saturday
Summer is a great time to go see outdoor horse sculptures in Bend, Oregon. Here are some of my favorites.
This mare and foal sculpture by Bernie Jestrabek-Hart is at the High Desert Museum. Constructed of barbed wire, this piece portrays a tender moment in a work that is strong yet delicate. Bernie wrote the book, Creating Realistic Works of Art with Barbed Wire , to help others interested in working in this medium.
This draft horse standing within three large circles of steel is by Devin Laurence Field. Horses played an integral role in Bend’s logging industry. Devin painstakingly constructs each steel piece in a process that includes cutting, forging, pressing, welding, grounding and polishing. This sculpture is in a roundabout in the northeast part of Bend.
Tiger painting in acrylics: First Friday Art
Here’s a tiger painting in acrylics I did on a small wooden box. I liked how the eyes turned out on this piece.
It’s time to share artwork since it’s the first Friday of the month. If you have something you would like to share, use the First Friday Art tag.
A Saturday Sunrise: Wordless Wednesday
Wordless Wednesday