Magnificent mountain goat at the Oregon Zoo, Portland, Oregon
Travel
Giant jaws of Megalodon shark: Monochrome Monday
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!
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 readingWinterish 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.
Columbia 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.
Near the ocean’s shore: LAPC & WS
Near the ocean’s shore, wind and water create ephemeral works of art
Ebbs and flows peel away the earth’s surface to reveal its hidden brilliance
Arising from the mist: Wordless Wednesday
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)
Brews & views, Ferment Brewing Company: OLWG, FOWC, WOTD
Ferment Brewing Company, in Hood River, Oregon, is a nice warm place for brews & views. I made it appear even warmer by using a warming filter in the photo below. The big tanks below are actually silver but I thought they looked great in gold! 😀
Ferment opened here in 2018. They fuse traditional farmhouse brewing techniques with a modern touch. The brewmaster, Dan Peterson, has a degree in Microbiology and Molecular Genetics and uses his scientific knowledge to create unique brews.
The fermenting theme is also featured in some of their food offerings. If you browse the menu, you’ll find fermented foods such as sauerkraut and kimchi, but fermentation is also in more unexpected offerings, like kombucha ketchup.
Their tasting room is decorated in a modern, industrial style, with lots of symmetry. It’s a comfortable spot to share a meal and a drink.
Metropolis of Thermopolis: LAPC & RDP
What’s so special about the metropolis of Thermopolis? It’s a great place to stay to see several amazing attractions nearby.
Thermopolis is a small city located in central Wyoming. In 2020, its population was 2,725. Its name means “hot city” in Greek. Here’s a view of it in the distance from Hot Springs State Park. Though I didn’t take pictures of the downtown, the sights within and near the city are very photogenic.
As you can see in the photo below, they proudly advertise their hot springs. “World’s Largest Mineral Hot Spring” is spelled out in big white lettering. Visitors can pay to soak in two commercial hot springs or soak for free in the state-owned State Bath House.
We stayed in our campervan for much of our recent multi-state trip, but our driver needed a break, so we stayed in a Thermopolis hotel for a couple of nights.
Guinness advertisements: Word of the Day
In celebration of St Patrick’s Day, I’m sharing Guinness beer advertisements I saw at the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin. We were there in March of 2020.
The first one is a giant tortoise carrying a beer. It looks pretty happy!
The second one shows a display cabinet full of toucans and other items. The toucan was a favorite, used in many of their ads.
Garden of Surging Waves: LAPC
The Garden of Surging Waves is located in Astoria, Oregon. The city was founded in 1811 and this garden was a gift to celebrate the city’s 200th anniversary. The Chinese were an important part of Astoria’s history. At one time, 22% of the city’s population was Chinese. In the Pacific Northwest, Chinese were instrumental in the cannery, logging, mining, and railroad construction industries.
I’m starting with a circular mosaic of three sturgeon. It was my favorite artwork there.
This is part of the Pavilion of Transition, pictured below. The fish theme is repeated in the circular lantern hanging above the mosaic. Nine salmon swim around its perimeter.
The pavilion has eight columns with dragons carved into each. The squares, circles, and even and odd numbers in this garden represent elements of Yin and Yang.
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.
Allosaurus moving at breakneck speed: WW
Garden art in Silverton, OR: LAPC
Garden art may be realistic and small
Or tall and abstract, casting striking shadows
You may hear garden art bark from the shadows cast by trees
Continue readingSounds 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.
Osprey & fish sculpture: Sculpture Saturday
This osprey & fish sculpture is at the north end of the Old Mill District shopping mall in Bend. When I walked by it recently, ice covering most of the pond made it stand out.
Here’s a more distant view that includes the two flag bridges. They change the color of the flags on these bridges to celebrate holidays and events.
There’s an osprey nest just north of here, right next to the Bend Whitewater Park. I bet the local birds would love to catch two fish at once, as portrayed in this sculpture.
The Future Starts Now mural: Monday Murals
This dramatic mural, The Future Starts Now, is located on The Palace building in Burns, Oregon.
The artist, Matthew Miles Gutierrez, goes by the nickname of Matteo Miles. Miles has done graphic design, canvas paintings, tattoos, sculptures, and sewing projects. His personal interest in pop culture and vintage ads shows in this mural.
Miles was invited to paint murals in Burns by Forrest and Jen Keady. The Keadys were impressed by the work he’d done in Greenville, South Carolina, where he lives. They wanted murals in Burns “that would spread a positive message, bring life and energy to the spaces they occupy, and give people yet another reason to stop in our small town.”
The Keadys requested that this mural be more edgy. The woman portrayed is part 1950s pinup/ part cowgirl. Her tattoo-covered arms bring her forward to more modern times.
I visited Burns on a chilly day in April 2023 and The Future Starts Now radiated a warm feeling. It delivered exactly what the Keadys hoped it would.
Monday Murals
Cape Meares sign: Wordless Wednesday
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
Bony seat and view: Pull Up a Seat
A bony seat and view at Dinosaur National Monument in Utah.
This bench fit right in next to the enormous wall full of dinosaur bones.
It’s a wonderful place to visit for those who love dinosaurs and fossils.
Wheelbarrow planter: Wordless Wednesday
Egg River Cafe mural: Monday Mural
This colorful mural is at the Egg River Cafe in Hood River, Oregon. The rooster crows proudly from a fence post in front of a happy little farm. Orchards cover rolling foothills and Mount Hood peeks out in the distance. Chicken-themed decorations can be found throughout the restaurant.
This is a great place to stop for breakfast or lunch while visiting Hood River.
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
Sage grouse head dress: Wordless Wednesday
Oregon/California Trail mural: Monday Mural
This large mural is inside the National Oregon/California Trail Center in Montpelier, Idaho. The mural is by artist Gary Stone. While researching the painting, Stone traveled parts of the pioneer trail crossing Idaho and nearby states.
Gary Stone read emigrant journals and diaries and depicted what travelers experienced along the trail. You can tell he put his heart into getting the scenes shown right.
Here’s a closer view of the details on the mural.
Monday Mural
Moments of Magic in Oregon: LAPC, WWP
Remembering moments of magic in Oregon
Rambling past remnants of history with curious children in tow
Watching bird broods on windswept islands stretch their wings to flutter and fly
Carter Wyoming. Population 6: Wordless Wednesday
Hot Springs State Park: LAPC
You’ll see unique sights if you visit Hot Springs State Park in central Wyoming. Unlike other state parks in Wyoming, entrance to this park, located in the city of Thermopolis, is free. I’ve included a map of this day-use park at the end of this post.
History of the park
In 1897, Big Horn Hot Springs State Reserve became Wyoming’s first state park. The park, now called Hot Springs State Park, has always been famous for its therapeutic mineral hot springs.
On the iconic Monument Hill, you’ll see the words “World’s Largest Mineral Hot Springs” in large white letters.
Painted turtles drawing & photos: First Friday Art
Today I’m sharing a pen and ink drawing I did of a painted turtle. I have fond memories of them as a child, when I kept painted turtles as pets.
I’m also sharing a couple photos of them I took in Custer State Park in South Dakota. When we made a quick stop to walk the dogs, I was surprised to see this “island” near the road.
When I took a closer look, I discovered the island was covered with painted turtles, taking a break in the warm sun. Cool! 🙂
Do you have artwork you would like to share? Be sure to include the First Friday Art tag.
First Friday Art (FFA)