a wandering soul
trudges between boulders and blooms
on a quest for spring
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A wandering soul haiku
Poetry
Red blanket flowers haiku: FOTD & FF
red blanket flowers
golden edges echo shades
of summer sunsets
Driving through… : LAPC & SS
Driving through…
Big rock mountains, sculpted and fired by the sun
And ranges, arising from basins washed by summer storms
Approaching cliffs layered with basalt flows preserving stories of their past
And volcanic hills, pounded by thundering hooves and eroded by falling rain
Driving through…
The warm comforting embrace of oak trees
And pine forests, swaying in celebration of winter’s first snowfall
Lens-Artists Photo Challenge (LAPC) – On the Move
Sunday Stills Color Challenge (SS) – Brown and/or Gray
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The majesty of mountains: LAPC
The majesty of mountains with distinct fringes of red
Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area, Utah
and coming into focus over a blur of the Sagebrush Sea
Mt. Shasta, Shasta-Trinity National Forest, California
The mood of mountains retreating in a blush of color
Painted Hills Unit, John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, Oregon
and rising above, snow-clad and strong
Mount Rainier, Mount Rainier National Park, Washington
The majesty of mountains layered in subtleties
Badlands National Park, South Dakota
and taking center stage above a curve of crops
Mt. Jefferson, Willamette National Forest, Oregon
Lens-Artists Photo Challenge: Looking back at LAPC #31 – Landscapes
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In our dreams: LAPC & WS
In our dreams,
we remember
the light and dark moments
of our lives
We remember soaring
over the highest peaks
and sinking to the lowest lowlands
In our dreams,
we remember the stormy times
and anticipate
the rainbows to come
We remember
turning around dark bends
towards the light of a new day
Lens-artists Photo Challenge (LAPC) – Dreamy
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Steens in the fall: LAPC, RDP, & WS
The valleys on Steens in the fall
Are filled with green, yellow, and orange leaves,
Framed by mountain mahogany
Clouds skitter across the sky;
Parting to enlighten
Lone patches of gold
On Steens Mountain
Fall’s foliage gathers at the bottom of
Deep glacially carved gorges
Golden leaves of aspen and
Fuzzy flowers of rabbitbrush
Edge the ridgetops and roads
The last colorful moments shine brightly
On Steens in the fall
As winter’s darkness creeps in
Lens-Artists Photo Challenge (LAPC) – Looking Back to Lens-Artist Challenge #106: Autumn
Ragtag Daily Prompt (RDP) – Valley
All pictures were taken on 1 October 2025 while driving to the top of Steens Mountain, Oregon. The mountain reaches an elevation 9,733 feet. The 52-mile long Steens Mountain Backcountry Byway loop road to the summit is open seasonally.
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She stands by his side tanka: TTPC
she stands by his side
in the dappled morning light
white dewdrops on grass
reflect the last days of youth
as antlers of spring emerge
Tanka Tuesday Poetry Challenge (TTPC) – White dew on grass
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In a quiet space haiku: LAPC
in a quiet space
dark shadows dance and light sings
on a summer morn
Anila Quayyum Agha: Geometry of Light exhibition at Seattle Asian Art Museum.
Lens-Artists Photo Challenge – Quiet moment
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Trails wind and descend haiku: WWC
trails wind and descend
elements of earth arise
on the cusp of fall
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Balloons before lift off – Rispetto poem: LAPC
Colorful resting balloons, drowsy at dawn,
Breathe in heated air, unfold, stretch, and inflate
Burners roar, envelopes fill, tense crews hang on
Baskets shift on the ground, sandbags balance weight
Pilots check the weather, instruments, and tanks
Passengers clamber aboard, voicing their thanks
Flames dance over burners, heat enters the skirt
Lift greater than weight, balloons float o’er desert
Photographs taken at Balloons Over Bend event July 2025. Here’s a short video from a previous post.
Lens-Artists Photo Challenge – Lines, colors, and patterns
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The silence of… : LAPC
The silence of sunrise
Over High Desert lakes in the spring
And juniper forests in the winter
The quiet presence of dawn
dewdrops on strawberry blossoms
And ripples radiating around curious creatures
The muted tones of a morning
rainbow forming over stormy seas
And icy rivers, meandering through winter landscapes
The silence of daylight
breaking over misty mountains
And awakening birds, in the blur of sleep
Lens-Artists Photo Challenge (LAPC) – Quiet hour
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Delicate symbols of peace acrostic poem: BOTW
Delicate symbols
Of peace
Vying for space
Endure
Settle
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Stormy skies: LAPC
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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Content critters: LAPC
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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In a blue landscape haiku: BOTW
in a blue landscape
a swallow’s iridescence
echoes summer sun
Birds of the Week (BOTW)
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Remnants of sunlight haiku: WWE & WS
remnants of sunlight
slash across High Desert skies
on a cool spring night
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Creatures of the sky tanka: TTPC
creatures of the sky
preen within shallow marshlands
in pale shades of white
gathered from Winter’s first snow
cast over gossamer wings
Rippled memories haiku: BOTW
rippled memories
disappear beneath the waves
rise renewed in spring
Watching wild things: LAPC & FOWC
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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Plants grow… : Sunday Stills
Plants grow in bunches in dry environments
And in dense carpets in moist places
Plants grow with sharp defenses in dry places
And rounded edges in wet environments
Plants disperse in rockbound dry environments
And collect along waterway edges in wet places
Sunday Stills – All shades of green
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A cliff by the sea haiku: Whatsoever is Lovely
a cliff by the sea
smiles in shades of gold and gray
as spring tides roll in
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Cascades of blossoms haiku: FOTD & WIL
cascades of blossoms
delicate and resilient
varnished with spring rain
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Memories of… 2024: LAPC
Memories of…
Relentless rain falling on a wise heron in a serene scene
Pronghorn pausing beside boulders layered with lichen
Crabs pacing and pirouetting in sun dappled darkness
Dust devils twisting over distant desert playas
Storms soaring past mountain peaks and lingering over large lakes
Waves, drifting and defiant, pummeling sandy shorelines
Wagon wheels carrying settlers to the promised land on treacherous treks
Trash turned into whimsical creatures making nests in restful retreats
Memories of…
Relentless rain falling on graceful dancers in a serene scene
Lens-Artists Photo Challenge – Last chance
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Winter’s ice and snow acrostic poem: LAPC
Winter’s
Ice and snow accumulates
Neutralizing colors
Transforming the ordinary into
Enchanted scenes
Reverberating silence
All photographs in this post were taken at my High Desert home in Bend, Oregon.
Lens-Artists Photo Challenge (LAPC) – Winter
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Silent scene: LAPC
In a silent scene, filtered light illuminates deserted dwellings
Gentle ripples trail an American Avocet quietly striding across a wetland
Aerial angels haiku: Birds of the Week
aerial angels
drift o’er a desert dreamland
shadows of summer
Birds of the Week
Falling back into Autumn: LAPC & TTC
When days start to shorten and nights take on a chill,
the world begins falling back into Autumn.
A single fallen leaf shines as brightly as a star,
announcing Fall’s arrival.
Leaves begin to turn,
slowly at first.
High Desert Skies: LAPC & Weekend Sky
High Desert skies can be full of fiery emotions
Or calm and blue, framing peaceful works of art
A killdeer paces haiku: Birds of the Week
a killdeer paces
along a sandy shoreline
awakening spring
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Clouds collect overhead : LAPC
Clouds collect overhead, darkening and protecting the landscape
Cumulus curtains part and the earth awakens
Colorful voices shout from sloping shorelines
West Thumb geysers: LAPC
At West Thumb, magma boils below
Cooled by lake water’s ebb and flow
Alkaline frosting marks the shore
Thermophiles collect, framing more
Banded trumpeters haiku: Birds of the Week
A pansy rainbow haiku: Macro Monday
Black-necked stilts parade tanka: LAPC & BOTW
black-necked stilts parade
on pink legs, slender yet strong,
in search of magic
hidden beneath the marshlands
in iridescent ripples
Lens-Artists Photo Challenge (LAPC) – Delicate
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Hope may be… : LAPC & WPWC
Hope may be bright spots in the darkness
Or at the end of a twisted and turning path
Hope may be something we wish and pray for
Seeing 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
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)
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
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
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
