black and white photography
The guy next door: Monochrome Monday
We have a resident herd of mule deer here and I refer to this buck as the guy next door. He didn’t seem to be bothered by my presence at all.
Bridge with a view: Monochrome Monday
This bridge with a view takes you to the entrance of the Portland Japanese Garden. The bridge’s glass walls bring you closer to the natural world beneath you. Straight lines contrast with the curves and textures of the surrounding forest. When you ascend the stairs and exit the path, you’ll enter the Cultural Center. With its minimalistic design, it stands out yet blends in at the same time.
Dragons breathing fire – haiku: Haiku Challenge & MWM
dragons breathing fire
over magical snowscapes
on the edge of spring
Along the Mud Volcano Trail: Monochrome Monday
These are some of the sights you’ll see along the Mud Volcano Trail in Yellowstone National Park.
Here is Mud Volcano, located at the base of the trail. It used to have a 30-foot tall volcanic cone. Albert C. Peale, a member of the 1871 Hayden Geological Survey, noted, “The trees all about this place are coated with mud showing that it throws out mud sometimes to a considerable height.”
However, sometime prior to the area being designated a National Park in 1872, the cone blew up in an eruption. This area is still worth a visit. The rumbling sounds, smell of sulfur, and various thermal features make it a treat for the senses.
Here’s a closer look at the cracked mud around the base of Mud Volcano.
The 0.7-mile trail includes these stairs that take you up to Black Dragon’s Cauldron and the Sizzling Basin. They certainly came up with some interesting names for these thermal features!
River otter on ice: Monochrome Monday
I saw this Northern river otter on ice a few days ago along the Deschutes River in Bend. If you walk early in the morning, as I like to do, you’ll get to witness magical moments such as this one.
A portal in Portland: Monochrome Monday
When I saw this woman in a cape pass through an arch, it looked like she entered a portal in Portland. I imagined her entering a distant mystical land. Infrared processing enhanced the mystical theme I attempted to capture.
Nose to nose with a biplane: Monochrome Monday
I took this nose to nose with a biplane picture at the Western Antique Aeroplane & Automobile Museum. This large museum is located in Hood River, Oregon. All of the aircraft on display are in flyable condition, unlike at other museums.
Monochrome Monday
Cirrus clouds over a country road : Monochrome Monday
Diablo Dam in black & white: Monochrome Monday
At one time, the Diablo Dam in Washington state was the world’s tallest dam. This 389-foot tall dam is located on the Skagit River. Construction began in Diablo Canyon in 1927. Though completed in 1930, the Great Depression delayed generation of electricity until 1936. The 1920s architecture stands out in this black and white photograph.
Tundra Swan in black & white: Monochrome Monday
This lone tundra swan lived in the Old Mill District of Bend, Oregon for several months this year. Its graceful silhouette, and the waves surrounding it, are highlighted in these black and white images.
On a corner in Howe – John Day history: MM
I saw this abandoned building on a corner in Howe, Idaho. Though I could not learn the history of this specific building, I learned a well-known historical figure spent part of his life nearby.
The Little Lost River, located north and east of this site, was once known as “John Day’s River” or “Day’s River.” In 1810, the John Jacob Astor Pacific Fur Company set out to establish a base of operations at the mouth of the Columbia River. They made many discoveries along the way while searching for the easiest routes of travel. John Day, an experienced hunter and trapper, was a member of the party.
John Day’s travels
The group, led by Wilson Price Hunt, divided into four parties when food became scarce. John Day became ill and was left behind with Ramsay Crooks on the shores of the Snake River. The two men eventually made their way to the mouth of the Mah-Mah River, where it joins the Columbia. At that site, the two were robbed of all their belongings and stripped naked by Natives. Because of this incident, the river was renamed the John Day River. Crooks and Day were rescued days later by Robert Stuart, of the Pacific Fur Company, and taken to Fort Astoria at the mouth of the Columbia River.
In June 1812, Day accompanied Stuart on a trip back east, but he was left on the Lower Columbia when he appeared to experience an emotional breakdown. He returned to Fort Astoria and hunted and trapped in the Willamette Valley.
John Day in Idaho
When the Pacific Fur Company was sold to the North West Company in 1813, Day became a free trapper working under contract with them. Though exact information on his travels is limited, Day made plans to work in parts of southern Idaho and northern Utah.
In 1820, he was at the Company’s winter camp near Little Lost River, Idaho, with Donald McKenzie. John Day passed away there on February 16, 1820. The winter camp is thought to be near Fallert Springs, Idaho. That’s about 19 miles north of this abandoned building on a corner in Howe.
John Day’s name is associated with:
- John Day River, Oregon
- The cities of John Day and Dayville in Grant County, Oregon
- John Day River and unincorporated community in Clatsop County, Oregon
- John Day Dam on the Columbia River
- John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, Oregon
- John Day Formation strata
- Day’s Defile, Butte County, Idaho (Historical place name near where he is supposedly buried)
For more on John Day, see this article on Oregon Encyclopedia or this one, on the city of John Day’s website.
Monochrome Monday (MM)
Creatures of the mist – haiku: LAPC
creatures of the mist
graze in meadowlands of steam
whisperers of warmth




Symphony in the skies: Monochrome Monday
We witnessed a symphony in the skies over Shoshone National Forest. Spectacular cloud formations and landforms are common sights near Cody, Wyoming. Dramatic wispy clouds such as these often fill the skies.
Miller cabin in the morning: Monochrome Monday
I took this photo of the Miller cabin in the morning at the High Desert Museum in Bend, Oregon. I used the platinum process for this image. This method, popular from 1873-1920, was discontinued due to the high cost of platinum.
Pinecones in black and white: Monochrome Monday
A collection of pinecones shown in black and white. These cones were found in the Lost Forest of Central Oregon, a remnant from another time.
Monochrome Monday
Frosty ponderosa pine pom-pom: MM & MM
After the fire near Warm Springs: Monochrome Monday
Walking with Winter in B & W: LAPC
Walking with Winter along a River of Falls
Where snow softens hard edges of steel

And creates ephemeral works of whimsey

Where snow and ice form furrowed bridges
Continue readingJuniper caught misty moon poem: Monochrome Monday
Frost spikes haiku: Haiku Challenge

Captured by frost spikes
Struggle against winter’s grip
Glints of sun, released
Ronovan Writes Weekly Haiku Poetry Prompt Challenge #341 — Frost and Glint
Halters & bridles of old: Monochrome Monday

Halters & bridles on display at the Fort Rock Homestead Village Museum in Fort Rock, Oregon.
Monochrome Monday
Rounded river rocks haiku: Monochrome Monday
Focus on the form of cactus: LAPC
The Lens-Artists Photo Challenge this week is Symmetry. I decided to focus on the form of cactus in my garden by showing them in infrared. It highlights their prickly symmetry well.





To see some of these cactus blooming in brilliant colors, see Prickly and pretty.
Old barn in hay field: Monochrome Monday

Monochrome Monday
Millican cabin in B & W: Monochrome Monday

Monochrome Monday
August cactus in B & W: Wordless Wednesday & MWM
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
Living in the Past: Monochrome Monday

Living in the past at Fort Rock, Oregon.
Monochrome Monday
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
Hops reaching for the sky: MWM & Wordless Wednesday
Hampton in Oregon: Monochrome Monday

Monochrome Monday
Layered bark of junipers: Monochrome Monday

Monochrome Monday
Wolfe Ranch root cellar: Monochrome Monday

Wolfe Ranch root cellar at Arches National Park, Utah. This ranch was settled in 1888 by John Wolfe and his oldest son.
Monochrome Monday
Golden sword yucca: SMM & Monochrome Monday
A barn full of stories: Monochrome Monday

Monochrome Monday
Home-Then and Now: Monochrome Monday

Monochrome Monday
Tules by the shore: Monochrome Monday

Monochrome Monday
Great horned owl nest in silhouette: Monochrome Monday

Monochrome Monday
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