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.
Lens-Artists Photo Challenge – Leading Lines
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.
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.
They are trying to purchase 880 acres that are currently in private hands. The Land Trust and Global Wildlife Conservation organizations will match funds for each donation to make the $182-per-acre purchase.
Once the purchase is complete, the public will have access to the land. The purchase ensures that the site will not be developed in the future.
This bit of the desert includes interesting natural and archaeological features. The salt flats and rimrock hillsides are home to mule deer, pronghorn, greater sage grouse, and burrowing owls. Migratory birds live in the sagebrush and greasewood habitats.
The Paisley Caves contain evidence of humans that dates back to over 14,000 years ago. The nearby Fort Rock Cave and Catlow Caves contain similar artifacts.
If you donate to this site, you can visit “your” acreage. I haven’t visited the parcels I helped purchase yet, but I can’t wait to see them in person. It will bring me great joy to see how I made a difference, one acre at a time.
There is a new weekly photo challenge called “On the Hunt for Joy Challenge” and the topic this week is “Get Outside.” I thought this would be a perfect time to feature this conservation opportunity.
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.
May the new year bring you wisdom, patience, and peace.
Lens-Artists Photo Challenge (LAPC) – Favorite Photos of 2019
Wordless Wednesday
Wordless Wednesday
Monochrome Monday
Snowy quilts now cover the gardens, but I remember summer’s bounty
Glossy purple eggplants, leafy green artichoke buds, and garlic cloves wrapped in crisp colorful coverings
Rainbow shades of plump tiny tomatoes
I remember the fresh taste of cool cucumbers, the crunchiness of celery, and the sweet snap of carrots
Smooth rounded new potatoes, rough deep red beets, and elongated pods of green beans
Winter is on our doorstep, but I look forward to the tastes, textures, and colorful tones of summer’s bounty
Lens-Artists Photo Challenge (LAPC) – On Display
The Lens-Artists Photo Challenge this week is Seeing Double. Sometimes two heads are better than one.
With two you can share your wisdom.
With two you can have differences of opinion…
But learn to work together in the right direction.
With two you can brave the elements together.
With two you can reflect the best in each other…
And learn to function as one.
Lens-artists Photo Challenge – Seeing Double
Wordless Wednesday
Sometimes you get lucky when you’re taking candids of critters. This little burrowing owl gave me a knowing wink right when I took its picture.
We visited the Caswell Sculpture Garden in Troutdale, Oregon a couple days ago. This sculpture of two great blue herons is right by the entrance.
I noticed a movement near the willows right behind this sculpture. I spied a real great blue heron!
This ground squirrel didn’t want me to know where it was hiding its cache. It had so much in its cheek pouches it could barely walk.
These spotted pigs look content in this shot, but one of the piglets had just escaped its enclosure. I scooped it up and returned it to its family.
There are lots of opportunities to take candids of critters right on our property. This morning I was out walking my dogs and I noticed this orange tabby cat. He blended in so well with the plants around him that my dogs didn’t even notice him.
I took this candid shot of my dog, Shelby, relaxing on the window seat. See her ball right next to her head? She is dreaming of when she can play fetch again. 😀
Lens-Artists Photo Challenge – Candid
In this land, Nature weaves colorful tapestries into the earth and sky
And creates havens for its creatures to pause and rest
In this land, pale sandy deserts settle in some basins
While water collects in others
In this land, mountains tilt and rise above sagebrush plains
Where glacial sculptors carve them into works of art
Lens-Artists Photo Challenge – Countryside/ Small towns
Wordless Wednesday
I dug through my archives to find pictures of this mellow fellow we once had as a pet. Calypso Blue was a miniature horse and he measured 32 inches at his withers. He was one of the mellowest horses I ever met. His companion, Scooby, pictured here, was a lot more feisty.
I’m posting these because I noticed that one of the Icelandic horses in Leya’s post on the Precious Pets photo challenge looked a lot like Calypso Blue.
I think I took these photos on the day we bought him. It took a LONG time to brush out that mane and tail.
It’s hard to tell in these photos, but underneath all that mane he had piercing blue eyes. We sold him when we moved. This mellow fellow went to a home with a little girl who showered him with affection.
I was visiting one of my favorite plant nurseries recently and saw a little sign on one of their grape plants. It says the plant is not currently for sale because it is occupied by a robin and her hatchlings. In other words, this bird is not for sale. You can see her with her beak pointed up in the air at the top of the picture. She is one proud and protective mother!
Granny Shot It Challenge – BOTD
Wordless Wednesday
Friday Flowers
I can be jubilant one moment and pensive the next, and a cloud could go by and make that happen.
Bob Dylan
Here are few clouds in my sky from the last year’s worth of Lens-Artists Photo Challenges. These pictures were taken in Eastern and Central Oregon, my favorite country. Enjoy their many moods.
Special thanks to Patti, Amy, Tina, and Ann-Christine for hosting the Lens-Artists Photo Challenge for one year! Many of us eagerly await the weekly challenge and look forward to seeing all the entries.
Lens-Artists Photo Challenge – A country that’s special to you
Ponderosa pine is a tree for the senses. These trees can grow as tall as 268 feet. Their bark turns an interesting shade of orange-red as they mature.
The branches twist and contort into interesting shapes as the tree ages.
The furrowed bark has been described as smelling like vanilla, butterscotch, or cinnamon. The bark looks like jigsaw puzzle pieces.
I love taking pictures of bark! See Silent Barks for a few more of my photos.
Ponderosas grow in mountainous areas but can also be found along meandering waterways.
Ponderosa pines host a wide variety of wildlife species, including great horned owls.
Though young trees are destroyed by fire, older Ponderosa pine trees have thick bark, which can protect them in low intensity fires.
Trees in burned areas produce cones with more seeds. More seedlings grow in burned areas and in edges between burned and unburned areas.
This lesson will have to end here because my dog is eating my “model.” She likes pinecones better than any toy I can buy her at the store. 😀
Lens-Artists Photo Challenge – Trees
These petroglyphs at Newspaper Rock State Historic Monument near Monticello, Utah look otherworldly in infrared. To see the whole amazing rock in color, see Newspaper Rock – Ancient Messages in Stone.
There are many wild Oregon places and this post highlights just a few of them. The ever changing skies can make familiar landscapes look completely different. Here are some portraits of Oregon’s wild places.
Oregon is an inspiration. Whether you come to it, or are born to it, you become entranced by our state’s beauty, the opportunity she affords, and the independent spirit of her citizens.
Tom McCall, former governor of Oregon
Lens-Artists Photo Challenge – Wild
Wordless Wednesday
The Lens-Artists Photo Challenge this week is the five elements of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. Here are pictures that feature several of the elements that I took at Yellowstone National Park.
The five pictures above of Yellowstone elements each include wood, water, fire, and earth. In this case, the fire is below the surface. This area sits inside a giant caldera and geysers and hot springs are common in the park. Steam rises over these thermal features.
You may be wondering where the element of “metal” is in these photos. In the photo below, I was using our metal car as a blind to take pictures of the bison and accidentally took a picture of myself holding my metal camera. 😀
Hope you enjoy my interpretation of this challenge!
Lens- Artists Photo Challenge – Five Elements
I don’t see the desert as barren at all; I see it as full and ripe. It doesn’t need to be flattered with rain. It certainly needs rain, but it does with what it has, and creates amazing beauty.
Joy Harjo
Here are a few delicate beauties growing in the High Desert near Bend, Oregon. Enjoy their rainbow colors and gentle grace.
Lens-Artists Photo Challenge – Delicate
Wordless Wednesday
When focusing on only parts of a scene, showing less can reveal more.
This fox didn’t pause to smile for the camera, but this image of her running across a sun-dappled meadow captured her spirit.
This image doesn’t include any wildlife or colorful flowers but it conveys peace.
Snowfall accentuates and enhances the simple and beautiful form of bunchgrass growing in my yard.
There is an arch at the top of this formation at Clarno Palisades but I was amazed by the stair steps near its base.
Part of the moon hid in the shadows during an eclipse but showing less can reveal more of its interesting details.
Lens Artists Photo Challenge – Less is more
My friend asked me to go hear author Pamela Royes talk about her book Temperance Creek: A Memoir at a quilt shop. At a quilt shop? I thought. I didn’t know that QuiltWorks had a “Books to Quilts” program.
Pamela spoke about her book and showed slides of where she lives in the rugged country near Hells Canyon in northeastern Oregon. A chance encounter with Skip Royes led her into living the life of a wandering shepherder. She and Skip spent four years on a life-changing journey in the wilderness. Pamela transforms from a carefree hippie into a responsible woman who learns to appreciate the wildness of her new home. She also learns of the culture of the Nez Perce, who first occupied this land.
Her lyrical prose helps paint pictures in your mind of her adventures and the surrounding country. Quilters made the “words into art” and they displayed their work in this shop. Pamela became emotional as she described her appreciation for the quilts depicting her words. These creative works meant more to her than any trophy.
These quilts show different interpretations of sheep. Some are realistic while others are whimsical. Their dog, Puss, helped keep the sheep in line.
Here are quilts showing horses and mules, an important part of their family.
These quilts show some of the plants and animals that live in northeastern Oregon. Pamela and Skip had many exciting encounters with wildlife in the back country.
They spent months out in the wilderness living in a tent. They remembered the contributions of Native Americans who called this place home.
These quilts focus on some of the small details of their life. Sometimes Pamela had one foot in one world and the other in another.
Many of the quilts focus on the beauty of the land. Some of these are abstract, others are realistic. They vary in appearance and texture, just like the land they represent.
This quilt captures the color and majesty of the country around North Temperance Creek. I hope you liked these beautiful words into art quilts as much as I did.
Lens Artists Photography Challenge – Creativity
Wordless Wednesday
Wordless Wednesday
Care to join me for a piece of snowy cake?
Monochrome Monday
I’ve featured several outdoor photos taken in and around Fort Rock, but now you’ll get glimpses indoors at the Fort Rock Valley Homestead Museum. Many of these historical buildings were moved here from nearby. The homes and businesses are furnished as they would have been in the early 1900s. This is a place where history truly comes alive.
A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots.
Marcus Garvey
Lens-Artists Photo Challenge – History
Winter is a special time of the year here in Bend. Winter walks around the neighborhood are highlighted with landscapes covered in snow and ice.
He who marvels at the beauty of the world in summer will find equal cause for wonder and admiration in winter.
John Burroughs
Buildings are blanketed with snow and edged with icicles.
Twisting trails are carved through snowdrifts.
Meandering rivers are covered with a cool layer of ice.
Bare branches are clothed in frost and snow.
Lens-Artists Photo Challenge – Around the Neighborhood
Monochrome Monday
Wordless Wednesday
When I last visited Yellowstone, I was searching for a new world to inspire me in my fiction writing. Here are some that I found…
A new world of waves and wonder
A world of contrasting colors
A world of muted rainbows
A warm and fuzzy new world
A cold, colorless, and cracked new world
A world where meandering water turns to gold
A new world where everyone lives in spherical houses along the shore
Lens-Artists Photo Challenge – Close-up
Study nature, love nature, stay close to nature. It will never fail you.
Frank Lloyd Wright
Here are a few pictures of wild things resting, feeding, and breeding. They are always reminding me to love nature and share that love with others.
There are nights when the wolves are silent and only the moon howls.
George Carlin
Being born in a duck yard does not matter, if only you are hatched from a swan’s egg.
Hans Christian Andersen
…When alarmed, their rapid career seems more like the flight of birds than the movement of an earthly being.
George Ord
It’s not only fine feathers that make a fine bird.
Aesop
Each bird loves to hear himself sing.
Arapaho
Lens-Artists Photo Challenge – Nature
Wordless Wednesday
