Where the path may lead: Monochrome Monday

I saw this well-known quote on where the path may lead you at the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum in McMinnville, Oregon.

Where the path may lead quote

Monochrome Monday

Dinner at Spork: Monochrome Monday

Dinner at Spork

I took this picture while having dinner at Spork restaurant in Bend, Oregon. The decor is a mixture of straight, industrial lines and curving lampshades and baskets made from natural materials. Houseplants add a touch of color. The menu includes an eclectic mix of wonderful tastes and textures.

Monochrome Monday

Early morning light: LAPC & MM

In the early morning light, shadows shift with the rising sun

Early morning light

Playgrounds wait patiently, quiet and still

Harmon Park
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Forest fire ahead: Monochrome Monday

The smoke from a forest fire ahead of us near Crane Prairie Reservoir was an eerie sight to see. The nearby Cedar Creek Fire reached a size of 127,311 acres and burned for three months. Once wet fall weather moved into the area, the fire was finally contained.

Forest fire ahead

Monochrome Monday

Bison in steamy landscape: Monochrome Monday

Bison in steamy landscape near Grand Prismatic Spring in Yellowstone National Park.

bison in steamy landscape

Monochrome Monday

Fish sculpture on overpass: Monochrome Monday

Fish sculpture

Fish sculpture on overpass in The Dalles, Oregon. Salmon and sturgeon leap and splash in churning waves in this metal artwork. This sculpture is by the exit for the Columbia Gorge Discovery Center, a sight worth seeing.

Monochrome Monday

Remnants of a Solitary Life: Monochrome Monday

I found these remnants of a solitary life in my yard yesterday. This is what was left of a Townsend’s Solitaire thrush. I suspect one of our resident Cooper’s Hawks preyed upon it. The cycle of nature continues.

Remnants of a solitary life

Monochrome Monday

Rollin’ across the Columbia: Monochrome Monday

Rollin' across the Columbia

Rollin’ across the Columbia River near Biggs Junction, Oregon

Monochrome Monday

Where hula hoops come from: MM

Did you ever wonder where hula hoops come from? I think I found out. They’re grown from tiny round seeds at the community garden in Hollinshead Park in Bend. 😁

Hula hoop farm

Monochrome Monday (MM)

Barn beside the road: Monochrome Monday

A barn beside the road near Redmond, Oregon shown in black and white.

Barn beside the road

Monochrome Monday

Sticks & stones: Monochrome Monday

A collection of sticks & stones along the shoreline at Yaquina Head in Oregon.

sticks & stones

Monochrome Monday

The guy next door: Monochrome Monday

the guy next door buck

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.

Monochrome Monday

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.

view a with Bridge

Monochrome Monday

Dragons breathing fire – haiku: Haiku Challenge & MWM

dragons breathing fire
over magical snowscapes
on the edge of spring

Dragons  breathing fire

Weekly Haiku Poetry Prompt Challenge – Dragon and Magic

Mid-Week Monochrome #77

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.

Mud volcano

Here’s a closer look at the cracked mud around the base of Mud Volcano.

close up of cracked mud

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!

Stairs on Mud Volcano Trail

Monochrome Monday

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.

River otter on ice
River otter on ice

Monochrome Monday

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.

A portal in Portland
A portal in Portland Japanese Garden

Monochrome Monday

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.

nose to nose with biplane

Monochrome Monday

Cirrus clouds over a country road : Monochrome Monday

These cirrus clouds stretched across the sky over a country road in Bend.

cirrus clouds

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.

Diablo Lake Dam

Monochrome Monday

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.

Tundra swan on Deschutes River
swan on Deschutes River

Monochrome Monday

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.

in Howe, Idaho

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.

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Creatures of the mist – haiku: LAPC

creatures of the mist
graze in meadowlands of steam
whisperers of warmth

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge – Black & white

Symphony in the skies: Monochrome Monday

Symphony in the skies

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.

Monochrome Monday

Miller cabin in the morning: Monochrome Monday

Miller cabin in Bend, Oregon

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.

Monochrome Monday

Pinecones in black and white: Monochrome Monday

Pinecones in black and white

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

Frosty ponderosa pine

Close up view of a frosty ponderosa pine pom-pom in black and white.

Monochrome Monday

Macro Monday

After the fire near Warm Springs: Monochrome Monday

After the fire, this split-trunk western juniper tree is still standing tall in the grasslands near Warm Springs, Oregon.

After the fire

Monochrome Monday

Walking with Winter in B & W: LAPC

Walking with Winter along a River of Falls

Where snow softens hard edges of steel

Walking with winter - Matched pair sculpture

And creates ephemeral works of whimsey

A whimsical snowman

Where snow and ice form furrowed bridges

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Juniper caught misty moon poem: Monochrome Monday

Juniper caught misty moon on a chill winter night
Struggling to escape, moon gave up on the fight

Juniper caught the misty moon

Scrub jays gathered atop the great tree
Pecking and prodding until moon was set free

scrub jays infrared

Monochrome Monday in infrared

Frost spikes haiku: Haiku Challenge

Frost spikes on a fence

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 at Fort Rock, Oregon  November 2020

Halters & bridles on display at the Fort Rock Homestead Village Museum in Fort Rock, Oregon.

Monochrome Monday

Rounded river rocks haiku: Monochrome Monday

Rounded river rocks

Solitary standing snag

Weaving waterway

Rounded river rocks on Deschutes River

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.

Focus on the form of cactus in infrared 1October2020
Close up of cholla cactus infrared 1October2020
Cholla cactus fruit up close 1October2020
Prickly pear cactus in infrared 1October2020
Focus on the form of catus - Prickly pear fruit 1October2020

To see some of these cactus blooming in brilliant colors, see Prickly and pretty.

Brothers Stage Stop: Monochrome Monday

Brothers Stage Stop in Oregon July 2020

The Brothers Stage Stop, in Brothers, Oregon, is a little oasis in the high desert an hour east of Bend.

Monochrome Monday