Beer rainbow at Deschutes Brewery in Bend, Oregon
Memories of… 2024: LAPC
Memories of…
Relentless rain falling on a wise heron in a serene scene
Pronghorn pausing beside boulders layered with lichen
Crabs pacing and pirouetting in sun dappled darkness
Dust devils twisting over distant desert playas
Storms soaring past mountain peaks and lingering over large lakes
Waves, drifting and defiant, pummeling sandy shorelines
Wagon wheels carrying settlers to the promised land on treacherous treks
Trash turned into whimsical creatures making nests in restful retreats
Memories of…
Relentless rain falling on graceful dancers in a serene scene
Lens-Artists Photo Challenge – Last chance
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Some howliday cheer: TTT
Are you in need of some howliday cheer? The holidays can be full of joy, but they can also be stressful. My talented dog, Tesla, would like to bring a smile to your face with some of her beautiful singing.
Here she is standing right in front me singing a short song. Note the wagging tail.
I have never owned a dog who has been quite so vocal before. Here’s Tesla accompanying random notes on a harmonica in a more complex song. She especially loves music with harmonica in it–any type of music. My other dog, Shelby, is her backup dancer in this clip.
Here she is singing in a more relaxed position. If you feel the urge to sing, you have to go for it no matter where you are, right?
Winter officially begins in one week. Try to stay warm and comfortable. Tesla is a pro at that. 😉
Hope this dose of some howliday cheer brightened your day!
Three Things Challenge (TTT) – Vocal
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Museum of the Rockies (MOR): FOWC
Museum of the Rockies (MOR) in Bozeman, Montana, is a place I’ve always wanted to visit. I had known about their impressive dinosaur fossil collection for years. In June 2024, we visited this museum on the Montana State University campus.
A huge Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton sculpture greets you near the entrance. The Big Mike bronze sculpture, created by research Casting International of Ontario, Canada, is based on T. rex bones found in Montana.
MOR features several primary exhibits inside the main building.
The Living History Farm, outside of the entrance, gives glimpses of what farm life was like from 1890 to 1910. Programs on a variety of topics are shown in the Hager Auditorium.
Seibel Dinosaur Complex
No visit to MOR is complete without viewing the Seibel Dinosaur Complex. It is this museum’s star attraction. The collection is one of the largest in the world and features examples of Triceratops, Tyrannosaurus rex, and Allosaurus.
These and other dinosaurs are on display in the Dinosaurs Under the Big Sky exhibit area.
A generous donation by Thomas and Stacey Siebel tripled the exhibit space.
Jack Horner, paleontologist, and former director of paleontology at the museum, played a pivotal role in the design of this space.
You can observe preparators working on excavating encased fossils in one section.
Prehistoric mammals that once lived in parts of Montana are on display in the Cenozoic Corridor. These include mammoths, rhinos, and bone-crushing dogs.
Enduring Peoples
This section focuses on the lives of American Indians of the Northern Plains and the Rocky Mountain region. Native peoples have lived in this region for thousands of years. When Euro-Americans moved into this part of America, conflicts followed. Despite being forced onto reservations and having much of their culture stripped away, Natives worked hard to maintain many traditions.
Members of the Lewis and Clark Expedition (1803-1806) were among the first non-native people to explore this area. After their expedition, waves of outsiders flooded the area in search of gold and furs for trade. The Homestead Act brought thousands of settlers there. Limited resources affected the Natives’ way of life.
As more settlers and trappers established themselves in this part of the country, Native culture changed. However, they preserved elements of their culture that have existed for generations.
Since I have a deep appreciation of beadwork, I aimed my camera at several beaded artifacts in this exhibit.
Examples of quillwork were also displayed in this exhibit.
Paugh History Hall
In this hall, the journey from early exploration to the mid-20th century is illustrated. The displays in this hall show elements of cultural and social change.
Murals, photographs, and numerous artifacts pull visitors into this area’s rich history.
I was drawn towards the line of carts and carriages in this section. The shock absorbing parts of these vehicles have always fascinated me.
Living History Farm
An original homestead, built in 1889, is at the heart of this exhibit. Visitors are taken back in time to 1890-1910 by a series of buildings, recreated to look authentic. These buildings include a milking barn, blacksmith, root cellar, granary, shed, chicken coop, and outhouse. Gardens of flowers, vegetables, and grains contain examples of heirloom plants. Activities such as barn-raising, sewing circles, and quilting bees were an essential part of the communities.
Other MOR exhibits
Another section at the museum is the Welcome to Yellowstone Country exhibit. This exhibit shows parts of the past history of Yellowstone National Park. The work of entrepreneurs Charles A Hamilton and F. Jay Haynes in the park’s tourism industry in the 19th and 20th centuries is described.
The Martin Children’s Discovery Area is an interactive exhibition for kids. Children can visit the Explore Yellowstone and pump a geyser, climb a fire tower, fish from a bridge, set up a campsite, or experience the Old Faithful Inn.
For an additional fee, visitors can go to the Taylor Planetarium. There, you can enjoy regularly scheduled shows on the 40-foot-wide dome screen throughout the day.
Changing MOR Exhibits
During our visit, the MOR changing exhibit was Dragons, Unicorns, and Mermaids: Mythic Creatures. Since I like to include mythical creatures in novels I’m working on for kids, this exhibit was right up my alley.
This exhibition runs from May 24, 2024, to January 5, 2025. For more info on this exhibit, see one of my previous posts. It includes LOTS of pictures.
Other MOR information
See operating times and days and admission prices here.
MOR has a large store near the entrance. It includes clothing, games, books, etc.
Here’s the Museum Map, near where you pay admission.
Fandango’s One Word Challenge (FOWC) – Complete
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Sandhill Crane family: Birds of the Week & RDP
Last June, while visiting the Lamar Valley in Yellowstone National Park, I watched this Sandhill Crane family stroll across a meadow in rapt silence. I took these pictures through my spotting scope with my phone.
We saw another Sandhill Crane family at this exact same spot three years ago. It’s right next to a pond. According to All About Birds, “Breeders gravitate toward the edges between wetland and upland habitats.” Yup, a perfect description of this site.
Sandhills perform elaborate courting dances and mate for life. Dances include bowing, jumping, and spreading the wings.
They nest in or near wetlands and construct their nests from nearby vegetation such as cattails. Sandhill Cranes lay 1-3 eggs in their nests. Their young are called “colts” and they stay with their parents until they are 9-10 months old.
Ragtag Daily Prompt (RDP) – Rapt
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2024 Literary Collection COWG: OLWG
This week the Central Oregon Writers Guild (COWG) launched their 2024 literary collection. This 304-page anthology includes fiction, non-fiction, and poetry by published and emerging writers.
There were way more entries this year than in years past. I was honored to have one of my short stories selected for this book. The fictional story, The Lost Forest, is based on an actual place in Central Oregon. I included a few fun facts at the end of the piece about this unique forest.
I’m including a recording of myself reading an excerpt from the story. A few days ago, I was one of seven readers chosen to read their pieces aloud at a local bookstore in Bend.
If you’re looking for a special gift, please consider purchasing a copy of the Central Oregon Writers Guild 2024 Literary Collection. It’s available at Roundabout Books & Cafe in northwestern Bend and at Amazon books.
I suppose I should also mention that a couple pieces of my work are featured in the 2022 edition as well. So please consider buying previous editions of this book.
We appreciate your support!
Siobhan Sullivan
On-line Writer’s Guild (OLWG) – I suppose
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Winter’s ice and snow acrostic poem: LAPC
Winter’s
Ice and snow accumulates
Neutralizing colors
Transforming the ordinary into
Enchanted scenes
Reverberating silence
All photographs in this post were taken at my High Desert home in Bend, Oregon.
Lens-Artists Photo Challenge (LAPC) – Winter
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Magpie silkscreen & photos: First Friday Art
Today I’m sharing a magpie silkscreen image I created with blue ink. One of the things I like about Black-billed Magpies is their contrasting black and white plumage. There are a lot of birds that are showier than magpies, but their simple markings make them a good subject for art.
Though I’ve only created one magpie silkscreen, I’ve done several paintings and drawings of this bird in the past. Here’s a magpie I painted as part of a mural on my studio/guesthouse.
Here’s a photo of a magpie perched on a fence in Bozeman, Montana. They are year-round residents in much of western and central North America.
Black-billed Magpies are omnivores that feed on a wide variety of plants, insects, birds, and small mammals. They are also opportunistic feeders. Here’s a picture of a couple magpies trying to get a bite of a rabbit a Red-tailed Hawk was feeding on.
The scientific name of Black-billed Magpies is Pica hudsonia. When people have compulsive cravings to eat things with little to no nutritional value, it’s referred to as a ‘pica disorder.’ This temporary disorder is most common among children and pregnant women.
Do you have artwork you would like to share? Be sure to include the First Friday Art tag.
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High Desert alkali flats: Wordless Wednesday
Water and other elements: LAPC & WWE
Water pounds down mossy hillsides into heart-shaped ponds
and flows past creations full of fire
It meanders past herons, crafted of bronze,
and ponds bordered by colorful fragments of earth
Traveling through dense forests, it thunders over sheer cliffs,
and settles in creeks, calm and cool
Lens-Artists Photo Challenge (LAPC) – 5 Elements
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Fresh fruit pastry: Foodie Friday
If you’re looking for a special sweet treat while in Bend, Oregon, consider getting this fresh fruit pastry. You can buy this and many other delicious treats at Richard’s Donuts and Pastries, located at 61419 S Hwy 97 Bend, OR 97702.
The phyllo dough pastry is filled with a custard filling and drizzled with icing. The fresh fruit in light syrup rests on top of the pillowy pastry. Since it includes fresh fruit, it’s healthy, right? Well… maybe not.
A word of caution: Between the flaky pastry, custard filling, and chunks of fruit, this delicious treat can be a bit messy to eat. Do not attempt to eat this particular pastry while driving! 😉
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Colorful cliffs: Wordless Wednesday
Colorful cliffs near Red Fleet State Park, Utah
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Backyard buck: Monochrome Monday
This backyard buck visited our yard on a cool winter day. Mule deer are frequent visitors on our property. Most of the year, we see does and fawns. The bucks are more common in the fall and winter months.
High Desert wonders: LAPC
High Desert wonders
Roam and rest in grassy meadows
Emerge from burrows, full of curiosity
Fossil Butte National Monument: RDP
The visitor center at Fossil Butte National Monument may be small, but it’s jam packed with AMAZING fossils, many excavated here or nearby. Fossil Lake once covered this area and the conditions existing at that time preserved fossil remains especially well. Fossil Butte National Monument is in Kemmerer in southwestern Wyoming.
The fossils were discovered in this area in the mid 1800s. One well-known collector, Lee Craig, quarried and prepared fossils for museums and private collectors from 1897 to 1937. When collectors illegally used bulldozers in fossil beds nearby, preservation became a higher priority. The conservation of this site’s unique treasures was ensured in 1972, when it was established as a national monument.
Fossil Butte fossils
This fossil was huge! It’s from the genus Borelosuchus, neither a true crocodile nor a true alligator. They could grow to a length of 16 feet.
Fish fossils
Here are some of the fish fossils on display. Twenty seven species have been found in this area.
As I mentioned in my Fishing for Fossils post, this is one of the best places in the world to find fossils of fish. Since you cannot collect fossils at the monument, we dug fossils at a commercial business just east of Fossil Butte National Monument.
Downtown Deadwood: MM & WW
Grateful to visit: LAPC & FOWC
Grateful to visit vast landscapes
where lone bison contemplate the day ahead
And places where Cliff Swallows
flutter around High Desert nests
Grateful to visit coastal aquariums,
where Pacific sea nettles drift together in jubilant dances
And places where dinosaurs,
trilobites, and other creatures’ last moments are forever preserved
Lens-Artists Photo Challenge (LAPC) – Gratitude
Fandango’s One Word Challenge (FOWC) – Jubilant
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Columbia Gorge Museum: RDP
When I travel along the Columbia River, I usually drive on the Oregon side because it’s faster. Last spring I drove on the Washington side and made a stop at the Columbia Gorge Museum near the small town of Stevenson, Washington. This hidden gem of a museum opened in 1995 and it houses a wide variety of art, historical artifacts, and immersive exhibitions.
Collections at the museum include artifacts from centuries ago to the present. The displays include traditional Indigenous tools, pioneer-era artifacts, and contemporary works of art.
Native American artifacts at the Columbia Gorge Museum
Several styles of baskets used for different purposes are featured in the displays.
The design of this part of the museum really impressed me. Big pieces of columnar basalt framed the display cases.
Nearby, a sculpture of a Native American fishing from a platform towers over visitors. This traditional fishing method is still in use today at places like Cascade Locks, Oregon.
Long shelf life: Wordless Wednesday
Turkey Vulture up close & far away: LAPC & BOTW
When you see a Turkey Vulture up close and far away, you’ll have much different opinions of them.
Up close, you may not think of them as exactly beautiful. However, their bald face is more likely to stay clean after eating dead animals. Their scientific name, Cathartes aura, means ‘golden purifier’ or ‘purifying breeze.’
You will also see their dark brown feather’s iridescent color if you observe them up close.
From a little farther away, their distinctive profile stands out. The lack of feathers on their head makes it look smaller. When they’re flying, this is even more obvious.
You often see more than one Turkey Vulture at a time since they’re attracted to prey by smell. Compared to other birds, the part of their brain responsible for detecting smells, is much larger.
This bird that’s considered to be ugly up close, is incredibly graceful in flight. They glide on their six-foot wingspan in a distinctive teeter totter flight pattern. I often have the pleasure of seeing Turkey Vultures drifting by in the skies right outside my window.
Lens-Artists Photo Challenge – In the details
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High Desert Voices November 2024
Here’s the High Desert Voices November 2024 newsletter for your reading pleasure. Lots of nice photos as well! This newsletter is published by and for volunteers at the High Desert Museum in Bend, Oregon. I’ve been working there as a volunteer since 2013.
Articles this month include one on historical residents of Central Oregon, one on dragonflies, one on Petersen Rock Garden & Museum, and one on a guided bat walk at the Museum.
Please enjoy the High Desert Voices November 2024 issue!
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Horse gear of the past: Wordless Wednesday
Horse gear of the past at Museum of the American West, Lander, Wyoming
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Petersen rocks up close: Macro Monday
Here is a close up view of some Petersen rocks. I took this picture at Petersen Rock Garden and Museum in Redmond, Oregon. This unique roadside attraction has small-scale buildings and landscaping covered with local rocks.
To learn more about this attraction, see my previous post. It includes LOTS of photos!
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Silent scene: LAPC
In a silent scene, filtered light illuminates deserted dwellings
Gentle ripples trail an American Avocet quietly striding across a wetland
Corky’s Bunny: First Friday Art
Years ago, I volunteered at an artists’ cooperative gallery in Bellingham, Washington. A man named Corky regularly visited the gallery. He had special needs and, despite his challenges, always had a sunny outlook on life. One day, he asked if I could draw him a rabbit. I drew him this pen and ink drawing that I titled, “Corky’s Bunny.” I decided to portray this rabbit looking up because that’s what Corky always did.
I’ll never forget how excited Corky was when I gave him the final drawing. I only charged him ten dollars for the original artwork. To him, this drawing was something of immeasurable value that he would always treasure.
Dancing skeletons: Pull up a seat
Here’s a scene you don’t see everyday… dancing skeletons with a beautiful mural displayed behind them. Visitors can take a seat in a couple of black Adirondack chairs to watch the dancers perform.
Though I’m sharing this picture on Halloween, the skeletons were seen in an Edmonds, Washington yard in September. Some people enjoy displaying their favorite decorations throughout the year.
Happy Halloween!
Aerial angels haiku: Birds of the Week
aerial angels
drift o’er a desert dreamland
shadows of summer
Birds of the Week
A snowy divide: Monochrome Monday
I took this picture of a snowy divide in my front yard last winter. Snow mutes colors and I decided to accentuate that by showing this image in black and white.
Though it may be a while before I get much snow at my house, snow is beginning to accumulate at higher elevations. In Bend, there’s a snowy divide based on elevation. I live at an elevation of 3,400 ft.
Continue readingUsing their nose to bury things: WPWC
Here’s a short video of my dog, Tesla, burying a log. Some dogs like using their nose to bury things. A few days after I filmed this, Tesla dug up the log, played with it for a while by herself, and then buried it again.
I’ve had a longtime fascination with this behavior, so I finally looked it up. I learned that wolves and other canids often cache food by burying it for another day. After they’ve put what they’re caching into a shallow hole, they cover it with loose soil by using their nose. Here’s a video of a wolf using its nose to bury food.
You can easily tell when dogs and their wild relatives have been using their nose to bury things. Their snout will be covered in dirt. Yeah, it looks pretty funny!
I’ve seen my dog bury bones and sticks, but she also buries toys. Her one-time favorite duckie plush toy is buried somewhere on our property. Perhaps she thought if she planted it, more duckies would grow. 😉
Lakota ceremonial dress: Wordless Wednesday
Cat’s eye up close: Macro Monday
Here is a photo of my cat’s eye up close. She likes to sit on my lap every time I sit down so I thought I might as well take her picture.
As cat’s age, the color of their irises changes and they may have a “lacy” pattern. The edge of the black pupil can also become less sharp and distinct. My Pixie-Bob cat is fourteen and a half.
Reaching for the rain haiku: FF & FOTD
reaching for the rain
bordered by purple petals
hostas welcome spring
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Seabirds by the sea: Wordless Wednesday
Founder’s Square: Monochrome Monday
Founder’s Square features a large open-air pavilion at the Oregon Garden in Silverton, Oregon. At certain times of the year, the Silverton Market Garden, located behind the pavilion, is full of color.
The Founder’s Square pavilion structure is beautiful year round. I’m highlighting its architecture in black and white. This pavilion is one of several venues available for rental at the Garden.
The Oregon Garden is designed to showcase foliage and flowers throughout the year. It’s easy to overlook the architecture and many outdoor sculptures. This is the kind of place where you will notice new details every time you stroll through it.
Falling back into Autumn: LAPC & TTC
When days start to shorten and nights take on a chill,
the world begins falling back into Autumn.
A single fallen leaf shines as brightly as a star,
announcing Fall’s arrival.
Leaves begin to turn,
slowly at first.
Delicious fish at Brigham Fish Market: Foodie Friday & FOWC
If you’re looking for some delicious fish while traveling in the Columbia River Gorge, check out the Brigham Fish Market in Cascade Locks, Oregon. This business is owned and operated by a local Native American family.
We like going there for the delicious fish and chips. The clam chowder is also one of our favorites.
In fact, this restaurant is so successful, it’s been featured in an issue of Food and Wine magazine. The article tells about how sisters Terrie Brigham and Kim Brigham Campbell are part of a family with a long history of fishing this area. After their preferred fishing grounds at Celilo Falls were inundated to create The Dalles Dam, their father and grandfather moved an hour down river. The sisters still use the scaffolds their family built for fishing.
Lovebird window display: Wordless Wednesday
Baranger lovebird window display at National Neon Sign Museum, The Dalles, Oregon
High Desert Skies: LAPC & Weekend Sky
High Desert skies can be full of fiery emotions
Or calm and blue, framing peaceful works of art
Boot for walking drawings: First Friday Art
Before going on a long trip, I spent a lot of time shopping for a good boot for walking. Today I’m sharing my pen and ink boot drawings and photos.
While considering different boots, I considered the fit, materials, quality, etc. These Chaco boots seemed to be just what I was looking for. I liked the styling, but also how you can roll up the cuff to keep your ankles warmer in cold weather.
A killdeer paces haiku: Birds of the Week
a killdeer paces
along a sandy shoreline
awakening spring
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