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
Oregon
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
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
Lighting up winter nights: LAPC
Last February I was happy to see the Central Oregon Light Art exhibition lighting up winter nights in Bend. Oregon WinterFest has food, beer, and music like other events, but it’s also a showcase for artists. I have photographed the Fire Pit Competition (one of my favorite events!) and the Ice Sculpture Competition in the past. Central Oregon Light Art was added in 2019. I was surprised and impressed with what I saw this year.
This one looked nice in the daylight but look at how it changes at night.
Hampton in Oregon: Monochrome Monday
Monochrome Monday
Placer Mine, High Desert Museum: Monochrome Monday
Monochrome Monday
Ahead of the curve: Wordless Wednesday
Wordless Wednesday
Many shades of obsidian: Weekend Challenge
There are many shades of obsidian in nature. The Weekend Challenge from GC and SueW, and their monthly color challenge for June, is the color Obsidian.
By coincidence, I was out in the yard yesterday morning rearranging some of the obsidian I’ve collected at nearby Glass Buttes. Here in Bend, Oregon, we recently had a huge storm with high winds, rain, and hail. My rocks all had a nice bath. 😉
Here are few portraits of obsidian rocks in my garden.
A piece of black obsidian in with the ice plants. I like to pick up pieces that have interesting textures.
Here’s a larger piece of black obsidian tucked in under the mint plants.
Layered bark of junipers: Monochrome Monday
Monochrome Monday
Rainbow of soft colors in my garden: LAPC
Right now I have a rainbow of soft colors in my garden. Many plants are blooming in the high desert.
This lupine has delicate shades of purple and peach on the same plant.
My purple sage shrub started blooming last week. This plant is a member of the mint family. If you crush the leaves you’ll get what some refer to as a “mildly intoxicating minty aroma.”
This a sweet little carnation with dusty green foliage and small blossoms in varying shades of pink.
Residents of the Range: Wordless Wednesday
Wordless Wednesday
First lupine of spring: Floral Friday
Congestion in Diamond, Oregon: Wordless Wednesday
Wordless Wednesday
Vista House: Views of the Columbia
A unique landmark
Vista House is a unique landmark sitting high above the Columbia River about a half hour east of Portland, Oregon. Perched atop Crown Point, 733 feet above the Columbia River, this site serves as a rest stop and observatory for people traveling the Historic Columbia River Highway.
Assistant Highway Engineer Samuel Lancaster was the supervisor of the Columbia River Highway project in 1913. It was his idea to offer a place that would make the natural wonders of the Columbia River Gorge more accessible to visitors. Lancaster thought Crown Point would be an ideal site for “an observatory from which the view both up and down the Columbia could be viewed in silent communion with the infinite.”
Continue readingDoe a deer, a female deer: Wordless Wednesday
Wordless Wednesday
Clover up close at Glass Buttes: SMM
Last week we visited Glass Buttes to collect obsidian and many wildflowers were in full bloom. Here is a clover up close.
A cow with character: Wordless Wednesday
Wordless Wednesday
Hart Mountain in celebration of Earth Day: Wordless Wednesday
Wordless Wednesday
Day breaks and clouds wait: LAPC & Sunday Stills
Ferns at Latourell Falls: Photo for the Week
Golden sword yucca: SMM & Monochrome Monday
Buckwheat blossoms in the summer: Floral Friday #13
These wild buckwheat blossoms were photographed in the High Desert near Bend, Oregon. I believe this is a variety of Eriogonum umbellatum, the sulfur flower. Their yellow blossoms brighten up the desert like little rays of sunshine!
Springtime serenade of frogs: Wordless Wednesday
Wordless Wednesday
A barn full of stories: Monochrome Monday
Monochrome Monday
Dinosaur rock: Finding my calm
I was looking for things to do around the house and decided to paint this dinosaur rock. This 8″ x 12″ Tyrannosaurus rex is the bigger version of this rock that I painted several years ago. Maybe this one will find a place in my garden.
In these chaotic times, I was looking for something to bring a sense of calm. Who knew I could find my calm by painting a dinosaur rock.
Art, in itself, is an attempt to bring order out of chaos.
Stephen Sondheim
This morning I found this article – Soothe Your Soul With An Arts Break. It features a wide variety of artwork from diverse artists. The site features six short videos. I hope some of the art in these videos will soothe your soul… at least for a little while.
Prickly pear in the snow: SMM
Sunshine’s Macro Monday (SMM)
Hells Canyon in the Spring: Friday Flowers
Hells Canyon National Recreation Area is tucked into the northeastern corner of Oregon and the western edge of Idaho. We visited Hells Canyon in the spring last year. At the overlook, the meadows were carpeted in wildflowers. Perfect timing for pictures!
Many different types of flowers were in full bloom.
We had great weather to take in the panoramic view. The Snake River winds through this canyon nearly 8,000 feet below the canyon rim. Hells Canyon, the deepest gorge in North America, is almost 2,000 feet deeper than the Grand Canyon.
Continue readingThis World is on Fire: Wordless Wednesday
Home-Then and Now: Monochrome Monday
Monochrome Monday
Nature’s Still Life: Wordless Wednesday
Wordless Wednesday
Spruce Cones in Snow: SMM
We got some much needed snow in the last few days of our mild winter. This close-up of spruce cones in snow was taken in my yard in Bend, Oregon.
Sunshine’s Macro Monday (SMM)
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 kaleidoscope of color: Friday Flowers
Friday Flowers