Wordless Wednesday
Peekaboo view of American badger: Wordless Wednesday
Wordless Wednesday
Mussel Beach near Pacific City: SMM
Sunshine’s Macro Monday (SMM)
Juniper rainbow: Wordless Wednesday
Wordless Wednesday
Tules by the shore: Monochrome Monday
Monochrome Monday
A sweet spot: The Foxtail Bakeshop
We recently visited a newish bakery for a cup of coffee and a sweet. This sweet spot has a good variety of sweets and beautiful artwork.
Check out this large mural full of flora and fauna. Find out more about the six artists that helped create the artwork in this space here.
The front counter has bold black and white tilework.
A kaleidoscope of color: Friday Flowers
Friday Flowers
Western Screech Owlets: Wordless Wednesday
Wordless Wednesday
Brown-eyed wolf lichen up close: SMM
Sunshine’s Macro Monday (SMM)
Fire pits alight at WinterFest: LAPC
Last weekend we visited the Oregon WinterFest event in Bend. I always look forward to seeing the fire pits and there were over 20 entries this year.
The Lens-Artists Photo Challenge (LAPC) this week is Treasure Hunt. I thought the fire pits fit perfectly under the suggested topic of “something hot.” Here are a few of the sculptures I saw at the WinterFest event.
A scaly tree holding a suspended ball of fire
This one looked like kindling hovering over a fire
Tall and graceful, reaching for the sky
Views from the Cosmos: Friday Flowers
That’s some pig!: Wordless Wednesday
Wordless Wednesday
Paper birch up close: SMM
Cave Spring Trail in Utah: LAPC
If you decide to walk the short Cave Spring Trail in Canyonlands National Park, you will be rewarded with unique encounters with history and nature.
The 0.6 mile loop trail takes you past a narrow cowboy camp tucked under a rock ledge. Camps like these were in use from the late 1800s to 1975. The Scorup-Sommerville Cattle Company managed as many as 10,000 cattle in this region. Cowboys lived a life on the range and artifacts from their outdoor camp remain at this site.
Continue readingLove is in the air on Valentine’s Day
On this day when love is in the air, remember to…
Be the rainbow in someone else’s cloud.
Maya Angelou
On the Hunt for Joy Challenge – Cheer Someone Up
Beaded hat, Wasco tribe: Wordless Wednesday
Wordless Wednesday
Bunchberry in full bloom: SMM
This small groundcover plant is actually a type of dogwood. These striking plants range in height from eight inches, as in the bunchberry, to the 60-foot tall Pacific dogwood tree. Beautiful in any size!
Sunshine’s Macro Monday (SMM)
Someday in the future: LAPC
Someday in the future I’ll live on a street full of possibilities
Someday I’ll live where birds are the color of the sky
And flowers are the color of the sun
White-headed woodpecker: Wordless Wednesday
Wordless Wednesday
Great horned owl nest in silhouette: Monochrome Monday
Monochrome Monday
Secret Blue Views: Two short stories
Did you know there are secret rooms at McMenamins Old St Francis in Bend? Here are pictures of two of the blacklight rooms with their secret blue views.
You can’t get into to the rooms through a traditional door. You have to find special panels in the hallway and push them in just the right spot.
The secret blue views inspired me to write microfiction stories related to each room.
Story 1
On the night of the harvest moon, trees in a hidden forest create plump blue and red fruit. Jackrabbits venture into the forest, searching for the red fruit. They nibble on their magic and dance until the sun rises and the fruit disappears.
A snack at Crux: Wordless Wednesday
Wordless Wednesday
Bumblebee on paintbrush: SMM
I saw this bumblebee on paintbrush at Yellowstone National Park in the late spring.
Slender paintbrush was common near the thermal features.
Sunshine’s Macro Monday (SMM)
We got the beet!: Silent Sunday & LAPC
Autumn walk in Bend: LAPC – Finding something red
A beautiful October walk along the Mill A Loop Trail in Bend, Oregon. The rising sun’s rays highlight gold and red fall foliage. The sunlight was hitting the trees just right on this autumn walk.
An American flag flies from one of the Old Mill smokestacks. Recreational Equipment Inc. (REI) renovated the 28,000-square-foot former lumber mill and opened a retail store there in 2005. They retained much of the building’s historic charm and it’s one of Bend’s iconic landmarks.
The Lens-Artist Photo Challenge (LAPC) today is Find Something Red.
Rock squirrel eating scouring rush: Wordless Wednesday
Wordless Wednesday
Noticing the lines in a scene: LAPC
When I travel, I think about photographing what I see by noticing the lines. Your eye wants to follow where they lead you. Here a few leading lines from northern Oregon.
Spruce cones up close: SMM
A photograph of spruce cones up close that I took in my Bend, Oregon yard.
Sunshine’s Macro Monday (SMM)
Pub Art at Silver Moon Brewing
This pub art at Silver Moon Brewing captures many of the iconic landmarks of Bend, Oregon. Artist Natalie Fletcher included Smith Rock in the background flanked by the Painted Hills on the left and Mt Bachelor on the right. The Deschutes River winds through the scene.
Can you see the source of the river? An overflowing glass of beer of course. Little Lava Lake is the “real” source and it’s a great place for kayaking.
Continue readingForests of Steens Mountain: Wordless Wednesday
Wordless Wednesday
Ordinary to extraordinary: Monochrome Monday
Even a little bit of snow turns the ordinary into the extraordinary. Here are some patterns in the snow I noticed on my morning walks.
Monochrome Monday
One acre at a time: On the Hunt for Joy Challenge
Last week I helped preserve a bit of the desert, one acre at a time. Sometimes it isn’t apparent how your $$$ help a cause. When you donate to conserve.org, you can see your money in action.
Making a difference
For only $46 per acre, you can help the Oregon Desert Land Trust purchase part of the 118,794 Diablo Mountain Wilderness Study Area in eastern Oregon. You can view a 360-degree photo of each individual acre and choose which you want to help buy.
Continue readingDolphins in Flight: Monochrome Monday
This sculpture by Robert Dow Reid is called Rhapsody. It’s located in Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada. The artist captured their playful spirit perfectly.
Monochrome Monday
Firehole Swimming Hole: LAPC
On your way to see Old Faithful, you may want to take the 2-mile long Firehole Canyon Drive to the “heated” Firehole swimming hole in the Firehole River.
You will drive past the 40-foot waterfall of Firehole Falls.
Just a little farther up the road, you’ll see the Firehole swimming area. The hot springs of Yellowstone National Park feed into the river and heat the chilly water to a comfortable temperature. There is another swimming area called Boiling River near the north entrance of the park.
Please read the regulations and find additional information about the Firehole and Boiling Springs swimming areas at Swim and Soak prior to your visit. Most of the park’s hot springs are extremely hot and soaking in them is prohibited. These are the only two places where swimming is allowed.
Continue readingProstrate lupine – a tiny beauty: Friday Flowers
We stopped at the Kiger Gorge overlook on Steens Mountain in August and saw tiny flowers at our feet. These are prostrate lupines, Lupinus lepidus var. lobbii. I put my hand in the picture just to give you an idea of the scale.
This native plant grows in alpine habitats. The tiny blue or purple flowers measure 1/3 inch across. The plant grows to a height of 4-6 inches. Another common name for this low profile plant is “dwarf lupine.” Lupines have distinctive leaves that are almost star-like in form. The seedpods are often covered with soft “hair.”
Continue readingGreat horned owl vignette: Wordless Wednesday
Do you wanna play?: Monochrome Monday
Monochrome Monday
Favorite Pictures 2019: LAPC
It’s that time of year when you share some of your favorite pictures. As usual, I have a hard time narrowing it down. Please enjoy this selection of wild places, wildlife, history, and a pinch of art at the end.
Earth & Water: Wordless Wednesday
Wordless Wednesday
Snow in the Sage: Monochrome Monday
Monochrome Monday
Beaded bags: LPM Photo Adventure
These beaded bags are some of my favorite works of art. The bags are part of a display at The Museum at Warm Springs. In this region, work with beads began in earnest in the early 1800s. The beads, created in the glass shops of Venice, Italy, were transported across oceans, mountains, and plains. Settlers, trappers, and explorers used them in trade.
When you look at these photos, you will notice something becoming more clear in the background. Right across from this display, there is a modern-day image showing members of the three tribes that live on the Warm Springs Reservation. You can see their reflections in my photos of the bags. It was almost as if they were looking over my shoulder making sure I noticed their presence.
This museum features parts of their history you probably didn’t learn about in school. It also shows their resilience and celebrates their heritage. These beaded bags are a part of their culture that preserve moments worth remembering.
