Delicate symbols
Of peace
Vying for space
Endure
Settle
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Ten years ago today, I published my first post on this blog. I am celebrating Bend Branches birthday with a little treat.
My first post was titled, Time. It featured a photo of my favorite western juniper tree in my yard in Bend, Oregon. A winter sunset paints the skies in the background.
My post also included the following observation:
“The twists and turns of time can ravage one or make them into a thing of beauty.”
Thank you to my followers and to others who stop by to view my posts. Your likes and comments have encouraged and inspired me. I hope to celebrate another Bend Branches birthday ten years from now.
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You can get creative on blog posts in several ways.
You may want to showcase your own artwork.
This rock was the perfect shape for a barn owl painting. I used acrylic paint on this rock. First, I applied a cream colored base coat, then used small brushes to add the details. I perched it in the fork of a tree in my yard for the photo.
The next photo shows a magpie flying over the Painted Hills. As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, the bird is a character in a book I’m working on. For this painting, I used watercolors and ink from a Chinese inkstick.
In the next drawing, I used pen and ink. This a stylized drawing of a grizzly bear. I had forgotten it was on the back of another drawing I had done of a bear.
You can be creative in other ways. I like to occasionally post photo bloopers. This is where I post pictures that didn’t turn out as expected, so I add a little humor to them.
One day, I was following a family of Trumpeter Swans near the Sunriver Nature Center in Oregon. As soon as I started taking pictures, they did this.
The caption reads, “She’s about to take our picture. Quick, everyone put your head underwater!”
The next one shows the Three Gossips rock formation in Arches National Park in Utah.
One of the gossips is saying, “Then Rocky told me he’d give me the latest scoop.” Another says, “Really?” The last one says, “Cliff, you really shouldn’t spread that kind of dirt.”
The next photo shows a close up of wrinkly bark on a western juniper tree.
The caption reads, “Uh… the anti-wrinkle cream doesn’t seem to be working.”
Another way to get creative on your blog is to use photo processing effects. I use Corel PaintShop Pro 2021 to edit my pictures.
The first shows a cloud-filled sky over Playa at Summer Lake. If you move the slider, you can see how the original compares to the edited version. I increased the contrast and used a black and white film effect. This effect works well with cloud formations.
In the next photo, I used a colored edges effect on a picture I took of daisies. I like this one because it almost looks like a drawing with this effect.
The last photo shows a windmill at Fort Rock Homestead Village Museum in Oregon. For this picture I used a glowing edges artistic effect. It makes all the details stand out.
Lens-Artists Photo Challenge – Creativity
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Here’s a photo of part of Grizzly Falls in B & W. I took this picture in Kings Canyon National Park and thought it looked best with a monochrome effect. Grizzly Falls is a 75-foot tall waterfall right beside the road.
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Reflecting on adventures to
national parks to see iconic landmarks
Or to hidden gems in more isolated places
Remembering trips in search of feathered friends and
Finding tiny floating treasures
Or elegant creatures striding on stilt-like legs
Reflecting on adventures to
familiar places seen in a new light with a coating of snow
Or framed by the fiery leaves of fall
Lens-Artists Photo Challenge – Reflections
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Last weekend, we had an excellent meal at the Brickhouse in downtown Bend, Oregon.
I started with the Beet Salad. This salad includes pickled beets, endive, arugula, radicchio, and candied pumpkin seeds topped with Rogue Blue cheese crumbles and citrus vinaigrette. I especially liked the tartness of the beets and the sweetness of the pumpkin seeds.
By the way, the Rogue cheese sprinkled on the salad won the World’s Best Cheese award in 2019 and won a Super Gold Award in 2022 at the World Cheese Awards.
Next, I had the Seafood Pasta. This dish includes wild prawns, sea scallops, and fresh fish topped with Parmigiano Reggiano cream sauce and fresh herbs. This was delicious and so rich, the leftovers lasted for two more meals.
My dining companion had the Rib Eye Steak. This is an 18-oz piece of heavily marbled USDA Prime meat. It was perfectly prepared and served with bone marrow butter (for an additional cost).
We celebrated a special occasion with the Marionberry Cobbler. The cobbler was full of flavorful berries and topped with vanilla ice cream and a mint leaf. The crumble topping on this dessert was very good.
Service at the restaurant was prompt and polite. Since we ordered a salad, dessert, and drinks in addition to the entrees, this was a pricey meal. However, I appreciated the well-prepared meal, good service, and the fact you can carry on a conversation. As I’ve mentioned before, restaurants where I have to shout to be heard, lose points with me. I will definitely return to the Brickhouse and recommend it to others.
The Brickhouse is located at 5 NW Minnesota Ave, Bend, Oregon 97703. It’s open seven days a week from 4:00 to 9:30 pm. Brickhouse offers First Hour Specials at discounted prices from 4:00 to 5:00 pm.
One Word Sunday (OWS) – Looking down
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Chihuly glass art at the Seattle Aquarium
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Stormy skies can be seen over inland saline lakes
Or by the shore of the sea
Clouds collect over unique natural wonders
and over acres and acres of the Sagebrush Sea
Stormy skies settle along distant horizons
Or float above the place you call home
Lens-Artists Photo Challenge (LAPC) – Stormy
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I took pictures of this checkerspot butterfly up close on Winter Ridge in Oregon. I believe it’s a Anicia Checkerspot, Euphydryas anicia, based on the description on the Butterflies of Oregon website.
It’s a beautiful checkerspot butterfly on its own, but I noticed it blended in really well with its environment. Can you see how all the colors on the butterfly’s wings are also in the lichens on the rock? Was it just a coincidence, or did it land here on purpose? Hmm…
Macro Monday (MM)
Fandango’s One Word Challenge (FOWC)
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Content critters know when to relax with family,
Or get together with the neighbors
Animals know when to find a cozy lap,
Or seek out the warmth of the sun
Content critters know when to stand alone,
Or work together towards a common goal
Lens-Artists Photo Challenge (LAPC) – Mellow
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Today I’m sharing a few rattlesnake drawings and a couple of recent photos I took. I did these drawings when I was working on a writing a character in a book. When I draw a character, it helps with my writing.
Roca, the rattlesnake character, gets his power from thundereggs. Thundereggs are the official state rock in Oregon. As of this year, they have been designated as the state rock for 60 years.
Here’s a photo of a giant one that I had cut in half. I found it at the Priday Polka-Dot Agate Beds, located near Madras. Read more about this amazing site here.
Anyway… back to rattlesnakes. While participating in a workshop through Playa at Summer Lake, we stopped at Abert Lake. At the north end of the lake, we saw not one, not two, but three rattlesnakes rattling their rattles. Here’s one of them.
In Oregon, there are two subspecies of Western rattlesnakes. The one pictured above is a Great Basin rattlesnake, Crotalus oreganus lutosus. The other subspecies is the Northern Pacific rattlesnake, Crotalus oreganus.
Here’s another snake nearby.
We may have seen three snakes in close proximity because they denned together over the winter and recently emerged. Reptiles have a hard time regulating their body temperature. In the winter, they gather together and go into a kind of suspended animation called “brumation.”
Though people may fear them, it should be remembered snakes play an important role in maintaining the balance in ecosystems. They play a significant role in controlling rodent populations.
Do you have artwork you would like to share? Be sure to include the First Friday Art tag.
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in a blue landscape
a swallow’s iridescence
echoes summer sun
Birds of the Week (BOTW)
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This 1914 Model T Ford is on display near the entrance of the High Desert Museum in Bend, Oregon. The Ford Company produced the Model T from 1908 to 1927. Over 15 million were sold in that time period.
Moving assembly lines were utilized to produce this affordable vehicle. Production speed was increased by having groups work together in an 84 step process. In 1913, a car was produced every 1.5 hours. In 1923, production time was cut to 23 seconds. Wow!
In 1999, the Model T was recognized as the Car of the Century.
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This bronze mountain goat sculpture shows an adult goat with a kid on its back. This piece was created by Pete Helzer and installed at the Oregon Zoo in 1998.
You can see real mountain goats at a nearby enclosure.
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Red Beard Barbecue is a great place to order barbecue in Bend, Oregon. Their food truck is located at the Dogwood at the Pine Shed food truck lot. They have an additional truck at Otto’s Landing in Redmond, Oregon.
The photo below shows the Three Meat Combo. There are several choices for meat. This one includes Pork Ribs, Tri-tip, and Chicken. Red Beard offers seven sides. We had the Coleslaw. The sauces with this order included the Spicy Honey Garlic and the Honey Garlic.
The smoked meat tastes good with or without the sauce. That’s how I judge a barbecue place. I also liked how they serve a generous portion that gives you plenty for leftovers.
This picture shows a few of the food trucks at the Pine Shed lot. Red Beard Barbecue is the red one in the back. Note, this picture was taken in February when there was a little snow on the ground. They have a wonderful indoor seating area here and they serve unique cocktails.
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remnants of sunlight
slash across High Desert skies
on a cool spring night
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Riding on the range in Yellowstone National Park
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On a recent trip to Seattle, I visited Pike Place Fish Co. at the Pike Place Market. There are lots of opportunities for photography at the Market. On the day I visited, it was packed with people.
I used Corel PaintShopPro 2021 for different photo processing effects on this picture of the Pike Place Fish Co. booth. In the original image I slightly increased the contrast and fill light and cropped the edges. Use the slider to view each effect compared to the original.
The first one shows the original photograph and the same picture with a Cross Process effect. For this image I went to Effects>Photo Effects>Time Machine>Cross Process. I liked how this effect intensified the colors. The original had a lot of color to begin with.
The next one shows the original photograph and the same picture with a Film & Filters effect. For this image I went to Effects>Photo Effects>Film & Filters>Enhanced Reds>Cooling filter. I liked how this effect enhanced the red color on the crab, salmon, and spice jars.
The last picture of the Pike Place Fish Co. shows an Artistic Effect. For this image processing I went to Effects>Artistic Effects>Colored Edges>Default setting. I used the Fill Flash adjustment to lighten it slightly. I liked the strong outlines and muted colors of this image. It looks like an old-time illustration.
One-to-Three Processing Challenge – May 2025
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In June 2024, we visited hot springs in three western states, and Bozeman Hot Springs in Montana was our favorite. The modern rustic design is beautiful inside and out. We arrived early in the day, and it was peaceful and serene.
There are 12 pools at Bozeman Hot Springs. Water temperature ranges between 57 to 106 degrees Fahrenheit.
Outside, two curving pools flank the stage with another one in front. I like how they incorporated big angular boulders into the landscaping.
The curving outdoor pools include Big Pool, Kiddie Pool, and Middle Pool.
There is a large rectangular pool nearby.
This is Springs Pool.
Inside, three smaller pools are at one end of a large pool and four are at the other. This picture shows Upper Left Hot Tub, Upper Cold Plunge, and Upper Right Hot Tub.
I zoomed in a bit to show you the seals spouting cold water. They were a nice whimsical detail.
The large indoor pool is known as Big Pool, appropriately. I liked being able to do some swimming here between time spent in the other pools.
At the other end of Big Pool, you’ll find Kiddie Pool, Adult Hot Tub, Lower Cold Pool, and Lower Right Hot Tub. Note that Adult Hot Tub has the hottest temperature of any of the pools.
This sign shows the current temperature of the outdoor pools. The temperature fluctuates throughout the day.
Jeremiah Mathews originally purchased the springs in 1879. He built five private bathing rooms and a 14 foot by 18 foot plunge bath. In 1890, E. Myron Ferris purchased the springs and built a two-story motel, plunge bath and private baths. The springs supposedly treat several kinds of ailments. After World War I, the parcel containing the springs was raffled off. In the early 1920s, Sam Collett purchased the springs. His renovations included a dance hall. Later, it was turned into a roller skating rink.
When we were there in June 2024, they were putting the finishing touches on the latest renovations. Robyn Duffy-Carlson and her late husband, Tom Duffy, bought the property in 2013. Since then, they have added three outdoor pools, a live music stage, and a business hub. The most recent renovations included redoing the locker rooms.
This facility also includes several other amenities. There is a fitness center that opened in 2010. It offers classes and personal trainers. Accommodations at Bozeman Hot Springs include RV camping sites, tent sites, and one-room and two-room cabins. For a list of upcoming events there, see this page.
A cafe provides comfortable seating next to striking artwork.
There is more seating nearby.
Things that made this hot spring stand out for me were the overall design, the number and type of pools, and the restrooms. Everything was clean and inviting. The pools include cold pools if you want to cool off after being in a hot one. The restrooms had nice showers, changing rooms, and lockers.
The restrooms had something else… hot water! A couple of the other commercial hot springs we visited did not have hot showers, even though they are built atop one of the most geologically hot places on earth.
If you’re looking for a great place for rest and relaxation, be sure to visit Bozeman Hot Springs.
Lens-Artists Photo Challenge (LAPC) – Serenity
Fandango’s One Word Challenge (FOWC) – Visit
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I wrote a 9-sentence short piece about a tree’s birth as part of a recent writing workshop. Author Pam Houston taught the More Than Human World online course.
In class, she gave us the following prompt. We had to complete it in about five minutes.
Nine Sentence Writing Exercise
Sentences 1-3 Describe a natural object’s birth. It can be an animal, plant, rock, etc.
Sentences 4-6 Describe what else is happening at the time of the object’s birth.
Sentences 7-9 Put the birth in an ancestral context.
Here is what I wrote…
A Tree is Born
By Siobhan Sullivan
I am emerging from the sand of the High Desert. The first thing I do is send a taproot down, seeking water. After that, I send a stem up, covered with sharp, scaly leaves on its branches. I feel the earth trembling beneath me. In the distance, I see dense clouds forming over a sharp peak. I smell a powerful scent, like rotting eggs. Above me, my great grandfather shifts his branches to shelter me from the ashfall. He has lived on this hilltop for 5,000 years. I am a juniper, grateful to be a part of his family and a part of this developing world.
When you do generative writing like this, you’re forced to think fast, sort of like an improv actor. I usually type everything I write on my desktop computer or other device. However, when I take writing classes with prompts, I often use longhand. Why, you may be asking. It uses a different, sometimes more creative, part of your brain. I can write and cross things out quicker in longhand.
Here’s a picture of the first draft I created in class. It includes a quick sketch of a tree. Yeah, it’s messy!
Is this short piece about a tree’s birth the best thing I’ve ever written? No, but I can see how something similar could be incorporated into some of my other writings.
I was inspired to create this piece by western junipers growing on my property in Bend, Oregon. I often use the tree in the first picture as my muse. Can you see why?
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Porcupine chew toy white-tailed deer antler
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I saw this bear having fun sculpture at the Oregon Zoo in Portland last spring. The artist did a great job of capturing a moment of a bear just doing what bears like to do.
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Today, I’m sharing a pygmy rabbit drawing I created with pen and ink. These tiny rabbits are the epitome of cute. They are the smallest rabbit in the world.
This rabbit weighs between 9 to 15 ounces and measures between 9.2 to 11.6 inches in length, small enough to fit in your hand.
Pygmy rabbits, Brachylagus idahoensis, live in sagebrush-steppe habitats. Unlike other rabbit species in North America, they dig their own burrows. Their range includes parts of Oregon, Montana, Idaho, Utah, Nevada, and California. Washington and Wyoming’s populations are genetically isolated. The Washington state population is endangered and attempts to captive breed them with rabbits from other locations have met with limited success. Elsewhere in their range, biologists classify them as Least Concern.
I saw this rabbit on my back porch one day and I believe it’s a pygmy rabbit. Their fur color is uniformly brown to dark grey and their ears are small and rounded. Pygmy rabbit’s short brown tail is nearly invisible under their fur.
I’ve also seen black-tailed jackrabbits and mountain cottontails on our property. This photo, also taken on my back porch, shows a mountain cottontail face to face with my cat for comparison. It had a white tail and undersides and large ears. Yes, my cat enjoyed the free show. 😉
In the winter, pygmy rabbits feed primarily on sagebrush. In spring and summer months, they add grasses to their diet. Pygmy rabbits also eat roots, wood, bark, stems, and seeds, grains, and nuts. Weasels, coyotes, foxes, badgers, bobcats, owls, and birds of prey feed on this rabbit. Predation can eliminate up to 88% of juveniles and adults. Other threats include habitat loss, competition with heavy livestock grazing, severe weather, isolation of populations, and road mortality.
Though we have limited information on their reproduction, they produce 4-8 offspring in late winter and early spring. They may raise their young inside burrows, but no one has found any.
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This Plesiosaur model can be seen at the Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman, Montana. This museum has an amazing collection of fossils, articulated skeletons, and models.
Plesiosaurs were always one of my favorite dinosaurs as a kid. Pterodactyls, a flying reptile, were also a favorite of mine. I must have admired these creatures’ ability to travel through water and air, respectively.
Plesiosaurs were 11 to 14 feet long and weighed between 400 to 1,100 pounds. They fed on fish, reptiles, and cephalopods. Plesiosaurs disappeared at the end of the Cretaceous period.
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Summer Lake’s scenery is full of drama
From a distance, clouds, water, and flora all play parts in a scene
Up close, individual plants become the stars
From the sky, works of art are minor components of a vast playa backdrop
Up close, the strength of a single piece of art shines
From above, an old barn is one of several structures on the sagebrush set
Up close, the barn’s face is shown in its best light
From a distance, the action of a cattle drive scene blurs in a cloud of dust
Up close, a cowhand and his dog costars come into sharp focus
Summer Lake’s scenery is part of an impressive production, from a distance and up close
Lens-Artists Photo Challenge (LAPC) – Cinematic
Fandango’s One Word Challenge (FOWC) – Cattle
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Depression glass S & P shakers in geometric design
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This week, the Lens-Artists Photo Challenge is to show your go-to places. For me, I’ll never get enough of seeing the wonder of Yellowstone. Every time I visit the national park, I see amazing new sights.
When visiting the park, I often see bison, pronghorn, and elk. I know exactly where to find the Sandhill Cranes and Mountain Bluebirds. Ravens and killdeer are common. But sometimes you get to see creatures that are not as common. I’ve had memorable encounters with badgers, foxes, and snowshoe hares.
In the spring and summer, you may catch glimpses of wildflowers in bloom. Gentian and Indian paintbrush brighten the landscape. Meadows are filled with vibrant green grass.
The thermal features are one of the things that distinguishes this park from all others. Grand Prismatic Hot Spring is the largest and most colorful. Morning Glory’s yellow edge shines like a spring flower. The water of Artemis is brilliant blue in color. The trail at Artists’ Paintpots wanders through several features.
The landscapes are big and bold at Yellowstone. The Yellowstone River cuts through canyons in dramatic waterfalls. Storms brew over Yellowstone Lake. The Lamar Valley hosts vast herds of wildlife.
Lens-Artists Photo Challenge (LAPC) – Go-to places
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creatures of the sky
preen within shallow marshlands
in pale shades of white
gathered from Winter’s first snow
cast over gossamer wings
Here’s a picture of Petunias up close I took last summer. These delicate looking blossoms have a powerful, sweet scent.
Remembering a time when
harvests of corn and rye persevered within my earth-warmed embrace
Recalling the shuffling footsteps of laborers
in search of sustenance and rest within my drafty walls
Remembering a time when
stallions and fillies nickered and whinnied within my sturdy stalls
Recalling the sounds of laughter and song
lingering within my heart in this place they called “Home”
Lens-artists Photo Challenge – Abandoned
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In early March, we visited Salute restaurant in downtown Bend, Oregon. This restaurant serves “contemporary Italian cuisine.”
This Endive Salad included endive, walnuts, bleu cheese, walnuts, and green onions. It had a light vinaigrette dressing. This salad was my favorite part of our meal. All the flavors blended together well. Note, this item is not currently listed on the menu so check the website ahead of time for availability.
The Scampi included wild ocean prawns, capellini, white wine, garlic, shallots, butter, and fresh herbs. This dish had good flavor and had a nice serving size of prawns. However, the prawns were a bit overcooked. I know from cooking them myself, it’s easy to cook them for too long.
The Hand Made Ravioli included raviolis stuffed with four cheeses with your choice of spinach alfredo or house Bolognese meat sauce. While this dish had good flavor, the serving size was way too small. There were only seven very small raviolis.
The word I would use to describe this restaurant is “light.” Light flavor is great, but tiny, light serving sizes are not, in my opinion.
The Banana Millefeuille contained layers of caramelized phyllo & banana pastry cream, butterscotch sauce, coconut “snow”, whipped cream, and roasted walnuts. The dish was beautifully presented and I liked the crunchiness of the phyllo dough layers.
We arrived at Salute restaurant at 4:00 pm, right when they opened, without reservations. Service was slower than we are accustomed to.
Though there were a few glitches, the food itself at Salute was good. Fingers crossed that our next experience there goes a little more smoothly. 🤞
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rippled memories
disappear beneath the waves
rise renewed in spring
Here’s the High Desert Voices April 2025 newsletter for your reading pleasure. Lots of nice photos as well!
This newsletter is published by volunteers at the High Desert Museum in Bend, Oregon. We have a great team of writers, photographers, and editors that help put this publication together. I’ve been a part of that team since 2013.
Articles this month include one about the many forms of fractals, one on the history of flannel, one on portraits of Native Americans created by Frank S. Matsura, and one on removing the invasive American Bullfrog. The last page of the newsletter includes a list of upcoming events related to the Museum.
Please enjoy the High Desert Voices April 2025 issue!
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Here is a dog travois sketch I drew based on a display at the Plains Indian wing of the Buffalo Bill Center of the West in Wyoming.
Before the introduction of horses in North America, people relied on dogs to pull loads up to 75 pounds in weight. After the use of horses became commonplace, dogs continued to carry lighter loads.
This quick sketch was done for the Inktober challenge in 2024. The prompt for that day was “nomadic.”
This beautiful display at the Buffalo Bill Center shows a woman walking beside a dog travois. A man on horseback leads the way. Native people have relied on dogs as guardians, hunters, and companions for hundreds of years.
I’ve used saddlebags on my dogs in the past, but travois carry much heavier loads. Here’s a historical photo of dogs pulling travois in Alaska in 1897.
Do you have artwork you would like to share? Be sure to include the First Friday Art tag.
Three Things Challenge (TTC) – people
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Bobcat in black and white at the High Desert Museum, Bend, Oregon
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Watching wild things
Ruminating on what they’ve left behind
And looking forward to what lies ahead
Watching winged wonders
Considering what’s best to leave buried
And what’s worth soaring towards
Watching wild creatures
Surfacing from turbulent waters
And basking in their many accomplishments
Watching wild things
Transforming from earthbound organisms,
Into many-eyed sages of the skies
Lens-Artists Photo Challenge (LAPC) – It’s a Wild Life!
Fandango’s One Word Challenge (FOWC) – Bury
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The eyes of March on aspen trees at Pine Nursery Park, Bend, Oregon.
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Favorite sunrises & sunsets seen at my home in Bend, Oregon
Lens-Artists Photo Challenge (LAPC) – Personal favorites
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