Magnificent mountain goat at the Oregon Zoo, Portland, Oregon
Photography
Giant jaws of Megalodon shark: Monochrome Monday
Peaceful Prineville paddle: Wordless Wednesday
Soda Springs Scene: Monochrome Monday
The dramatic cloud formations caught my attention in this Soda Springs scene.
Soda Springs is a small city in Idaho known for its geyser and mineral springs. The Soda Springs Geyser is on a timed release valve and it goes off once an hour. Yes, really!
Morning breaking over the High Desert: LAPC
Twin Falls ranch: Wordless Wednesday
Mt View Orchards mural: Monday Mural
This Mt View Orchards mural is located in Parkdale, Oregon. The plants growing around the mural make it blend into the background.
This is one of our favorite businesses to visit to buy fresh local fruit in the fall. You can pick your own fruit and flowers or buy what they’ve harvested. They also produce beer, wine, and cider. This beautiful 50+ acre site was featured on a Top Chef episode in 2021.
This business is part of the Hood River Fruit Loop. There are 28 farms open to visitors along the 35-mile route .
Here’s some of the fruit we bought last year. Yum!
Continue readingSeeing the softness of nature: LAPC & WPWC
Seeing the softness of nature
Walking behind a wall of water of a woodland waterfall
Regarding a heron ruminating over rippling reflections
Spotting the strength of steel softened by a spring snow
Skink among the stones: WW & LAPC
Rocks I remember: LAPC & FOWC
The rocks I remember may rest on the slopes of extinct volcanoes
And show cryptic carved messages created years ago
Winter tree from 3 perspectives: TTL
These photographs show a winter tree near Bend, Oregon shown from 3 perspectives .
Western juniper trees are great to photograph. I show this one from a distance, looking up its trunk, and with a close up view of its rough and wrinkled bark. These trees’ unique characteristics are enhanced by a light snowfall.
Winterish Spring on Santiam Pass: WW
Hook & Plow in Bend: Monochrome Monday
Hook & Plow is a farm-to-table restaurant that recently opened in Bend, Oregon. The seafood, meats, and produce served here are sourced locally. Wines and craft beers on the menu are also from the local area. Take a peek at their full menu here.
I’m highlighting the interesting architecture with sepia tone processing. Straight lines, curved lines, and various textures stand out in this monochrome picture.
Monochrome Monday
Enhance the beauty of photos: LAPC
When I process pictures, I think about how to enhance the beauty of the subject.
The natural features at the Red Canyon Overlook in Dutch John, Utah are beautiful, but so is the visitor center. The roof looks like wings swooping upwards. A fence with a modern design and a standing dead tree add to the beauty.
To enhance the architecture of the building, I used a cold filter and a dark vignette. I framed it with a simple white slide mount effect.
Coyote print & photo: First Friday Art
A coyote howling drawing
Today I’m sharing a coyote print & photo. I drew the coyote in pen and ink and printed it with sublimation ink onto special paper. Then I used a heat press to transfer it onto a fabric bag. I gave the finished product to a friend for a birthday present.
This was my first attempt at this type of printing. It turned out a little blurry. I tried transferring another one of my drawings and didn’t have the press hot enough. Maybe I should have read the suggested settings by the fabric manufacturer. 😉
Sublimation printing
What is sublimation printing? It uses heat to bind the ink and fabric together. A post on prodigi describes it as follows: “The inks that are used turn into gas when brought under heat, then combine with the fabric and permanently print onto the fabric.” They compare it to a tattoo.
One thing to think about if you are considering trying this type of printing; the printer should only be used with sublimation inks. Fortunately, the cost of the equipment is relatively low. I bought an Epson ET-2800 printer and an Offnova heat press machine for less than $300 total. Of course, you can spend hundreds of dollars if you want products with more features.
Continue readingColumbia Gorge reflections: Wordless Wednesday
Photo op Robert’s Bookshop: Monday Mural
While visiting Lincoln City, Oregon last week, I saw this photo op Robert’s Bookshop sight. A small mural of a comfortable room full of bookshelves adorned the wall next to something odd–an airplane nose! Apparently, this 1967 Boeing 727-100 found a nice spot for its final landing place.
In 2015, the owner of the bookstore, Bob Portwood, bought the nose section at a state surplus auction. He attached it to the building and opened the interior wall to make a small office space in the cockpit.
The store has 1.64 miles of shelves full of books. They sell used and antiquarian books, including books related to aviation.
If you’re on the Oregon coast looking for roadside attractions, consider stopping to view the photo op Robert’s Bookshop in Lincoln City.
Painted Hills trail Rispetto poem: JMW
A rough Painted Hills trail meanders ahead
Curving towards colorful hills of mystery
Cutting through foliage, shriveled and dead
Through an ancient landscape filled with history
Covered with ash spewed by Cascade volcanoes
Compacted, sculpted into hillside rainbows
Layered with varied stripes of red, green, and gold
Reminders of climates, hot, humid, and cold
Jo’s Monday Walk (JMW)
Bison Center: Wordless Wednesday
A glowing winter walk: Monochrome Monday
A Badlands bench: Pull Up a Seat
The view from a Badlands bench in Badlands National Park, South Dakota.
Why are they called the Badlands? The Lakota name for this place is mako sica, which translates to “bad lands.” Later, when early French fur trappers moved through this land, they called it les mauvaises terres a traveser, which means “bad lands to travel across.”
Hot, dry summers and cold, windy winters, combined with few sources of water, make this an inhospitable environment. During times of heavy rainfall, the soil becomes slick and sticky. The jagged mountains and canyons are hard to navigate through. Though evidence of Indigenous people hunting in this area has been found, it was used seasonally, not year-round.
We were at this Badlands bench scenic viewpoint in the beginning of June, early in the morning. Temperatures were already in the low 90s. It must get really hot in the middle of summer. The layered mountains are photogenic, probably even more so after a good rain.
In the moments before dawn poem: WWP & WIL
In the moments before dawn,
Light from a single star
Awakens the spirit
Hidden within
Slumbering winter trees
Apple drawing & photos: First Friday Art
Today I’m sharing an apple drawing I did using the stipple technique with pen-and-ink. I used hundreds of tiny dots of ink to portray this red delicious apple.
Most of the time when I’m working on a final version of a drawing, I work on it from start to finish. However, when I’m doing a stipple drawing, I often take breaks. Sometimes I go back to it the next day. You have to concentrate on not overlapping dots in most of the drawing. If you’re too hyper or too tired, you will mess up. I was happy how this drawing turned out after working on it for a couple of days.
To go with the drawing, I’m sharing a photograph I took of a red delicious apple. For this portrait, I used the Food setting on my Samsung Galaxy phone. I like how it blurred the background. It reminded me I should experiment more with other settings on my phone.
Continue readingA challenging photo edit: Sunday Stills
Today I’m sharing a particularly challenging photo edit I worked on recently. Sometimes putting extra time into something can really pay off.
When I visited the Museum of the American West in Lander, Wyoming last year, I took a couple pictures of an art piece entitled The Confrontation. I marveled at the detail the artist, Tess Diaz, created with thousands of tiny glass beads.
Here are the two pictures I took that day, shown with no editing. As you can see, the bright light and many reflections hid the beauty of the work.
Chevrolet fire truck 3 ways: Sunday Stills
Today I’ll be featuring a photo of a 1935 Chevrolet fire truck on display at the High Desert Museum in Bend, Oregon, edited three ways. This truck, pieced together with parts from trucks in Prineville and Lakeview, Oregon, was restored to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Smokey Bear. For years, Smokey Bear has been reminding people how to prevent wildfires.
I’ll show a pair of pictures with and without editing effects. Slide the slider to see the full images. I use Corel Paintshop Pro software to edit my photos.
The first pair shows the original picture and one using the Hot Wax Coating Artistic Effect. I like how it almost looks like a pen and ink drawing with color added.
The second pair shows the original picture and one using a Retro Lab Photo Effect. The effect darkened the whole picture. I loved how it and gave the chrome details a warm brass color.
Continue readingWinter wonderland at night: Wordless Wednesday
Daylily Trail: FOTD & WPWC
A colorful daylily trail in the Oregon Garden in Silverton, Oregon.
These perennials have showy, long-lasting flowers that attract butterflies and hummingbirds. Daylilies grow well in full sun to partial shade.
Here’s a closer view of violet purple daylilies with bright yellow throats. I’m not sure what variety of daylily this is, but I loved its ruffled edges.
Sounds of wild creatures: LAPC
Sounds of wild creatures, the large and the small,
Pulling our attention, leaving us enthralled
Small Black-throated Sparrows pause and perch high
Singing unforgettable melodies to deep azure skies
Large Wild Turkeys graze and promenade
Chortling calls rise, then fall in cascades
Chomp Chomp in Bend: Dining Out
We try to support local businesses by dining out at least once week. We recently visited Chomp Chomp in downtown Bend, Oregon.
Their website describes what they serve as follows:
Gently expand your culinary horizons while enjoying our broad curation of Japanese, local and global whiskies, seasonal cocktails, and draft beer
The first dish I’m showing is Kara’agé. Tasty bits of fried dark chicken meat rest on a bed of rice with cucumber slices, pickled ginger, a slice of lemon, and house-made dipping sauce.
Searching for a sweetheart: RDP
This handsome mule deer buck was searching for a sweetheart in my front yard.
Wishing you a Happy Valentine’s Day, filled with love (and chocolate)!
Beneath the Clouds in B & W: LAPC & WS
Paddling beneath the clouds
Floating lacelike
Over lakes of lifegiving water
Puffs of pale exhalations
Follow meandering rivers
The spirit of… :LAPC & WOTD
The spirit of a sea creature living on, forever guarding its seaside home
Fiery red maple leaves, trembling in autumn’s cool showers
The edges of never-ending books, revealing themselves on rolling hillsides
Continue readingSigns of the Times: Wordless Wednesday
Snow in words and images: LAPC
Today I’m featuring quotes related to snow next to snowy pictures taken in my yard. Winter has finally arrived here in Bend, Oregon.
A snow day literally and figuratively falls from the sky, unbidden, and seems like a thing of wonder.
Susan Orlean
Advice is like snow – the softer it falls, the longer it dwells upon, and the deeper it sinks into the mind.
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Lewis & Clark’s Fort Clatsop: RDP
On a recent trip to the Oregon Coast, we made a short stop at Lewis and Clark National Historical Park, near Astoria. We were there early in the morning time, before the Fort Clatsop Visitor Center and Bookstore opened.
We walked the short trail to see the replica of Fort Clatsop.
After the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, Thomas Jefferson commissioned an expedition to explore the new territory and lands farther west. At that time, little was known of the natural resources along the route. Jefferson hoped to find a water route across the U.S. and establish good relations with Indigenous residents.
In November of 1805, the Lewis and Clark Corps of Discovery arrived in a storm-wracked location north of the Columbia River in what is now Washington State. They voted on whether they should stay there, move upriver, or establish a camp south of the river, as the local tribes suggested. They overwhelmingly voted to move to the Fort Clatsop site, south of the river.
The group started construction on the original fort in December of 1805. Construction went slowly because of the stormy weather conditions.
Finding drama in Oregon: LAPC
Finding drama in branches haphazardly woven together
Or planted in concise rows bearing intoxicating fruit
2023 favorites: LAPC
Here are some of my 2023 favorites. Enjoy!
2023 favorites of scenic roads & trails
Quiet places to sit and ponder the wonders of nature
Bridges swaying over stormy seas, with thundering waves below
Landscapes uplifted over eons to reveal the colors of earth’s core
Fire on the Mountain Buffalo Wings: RDP
We recently visited the new Fire on the Mountain Buffalo Wings restaurant in Bend, Oregon.
The wings were good, but I immediately noticed the quirky interior design. “Rays” of beams painted orange, red, and yellow radiated out from the middle of the room on the ceiling.
A painting of Jimi Hendrix covered a wall near the entrance. The wall behind the bar was covered with a colorful mosaic of a sunrise. A video of a fireplace crackled from a TV hung over the bar.
We visited during the lunchtime rush. I noticed one other quirky thing that day. Fire on the Mountain Buffalo Wings was filling up fast with customers–30 guys plus me. Funny! :D
Noticing landscapes: LAPC
Noticing…
unique landscapes
with rivers rolling on and on
and hills full of stories,
repeated and remembered
Noticing…
the brilliant colors
of a new day in the skies
