ONDA

Last evening I received the following portion of a message from Lace Thornberg of the Oregon Natural Desert Association.

Congratulations! ONDA’s Calendar Committee has selected one of your images to be featured in the 2021 Wild Desert Calendar.

The image below is the one that was selected.  Very happy to have an image chosen.  The image is of sunset at the top of Little Blitzen Gorge on Steens Mountain.

I will let y’all know when the 2021 calendar becomes available.  I know it will be sold widely across the State and on-line so if you can purchase a copy you will be aiding the efforts of a good organization.    To get a larger view just click on the image and as always I welcome your comments.

(No jokes about being a Calendar Boy!!  Hee Hee)

A Lovely Summer Evening

Spent part of last evening at Shorelane Park on the edge of Fern Ridge reservoir. I have shot here many times in the past and while not always successful in coming back with reasonably good images I think last night I managed to capture a couple that will give you an idea of how lovely it was. There were clouds scudding across the hills being blown apart a bit by strong winds but creating interesting formations. The setting sun always seems to add interest and drama.

As the sun set the color in the remaining clouds seemed to come up and be reflected in the choppy water.  It was a really nice evening and I hope these images convey some of that to you.  Comments are more than welcome and thanks for looking

Time in the Garden

Following my workout I went directly to the Owen Rose Garden hoping for a decent shot of this bloom.  I tried to get one yesterday but the wind just dominated the scene so I got nothing that really worked.  I am not sure of  the name so would welcome an addition to my botanical knowledge.

This is a stacked image created from 14 separate images.  It is the only one that worked for me from the images I collected this morning which just means that I will return soon.  A large view is better so click on the image if you would like to see it that way and I welcome you comments.  Thanks for looking

Alton Baker Pond

Spent the early morning hours on the banks of a small pond in Alton Baker park here in Eugene. I watched a video on YouTube yesterday – an interview by Alister Benn – one of my favorite photographers – of T. J. Thorne. He has a new ebook out titled “There is No Such Thing as Bad Light”.  I have not purchased it just yet but the interview was heartfelt and informative.  This morning that book title was in the front of me wee brain as the light was rather flat. Got me to slow down and really look as I wandered along. Found this simple welcoming view to the edge of the pond. Spent about an hour down there and it was a very nice way to start the day.

Hope you all enjoyed the holiday and as always comments are more than welcome.

Spring blooms

As I said in a post yesterday I think the Metolius River is one of the prettiest rivers in Oregon and in the spring the banks are full of wild flowers.  Not just the banks but there are small mid-channel bars that are covered with beautiful bouquets.  Below is one example.

South of the town of Sisters are hillsides that were severely burned a few years back.  Those hills are coming back and are covered with ceanothus that are bloom.

Thanks for looking.  Stay healthy as we move into yet another phase of virus protection.

M & M

The title of this post stands for Metolius and McKenzie – not the tasty little multi-colored candy treats.  After meeting my friend Chris at the Camp Sherman store we headed to Wizard Falls.  The Metolius River is one of the prettiest rivers in Oregon in my opinion.  However I also think it is one of the most difficult to photograph in a way that displays the beauty of the river and its environs.  Below is my simple attempt at doing that from this recent outing.  I am sure I will be giving it another go in the future.

One of my favorite things to do while walking the banks of the river is to photograph the detail in the runs and riffles.   Below is one that if found interesting.

Following a stop at the bookstore in Sisters to pick up a copy of Ellen Waterston’s new book “Walking the High Desert” we headed for a spot south of town that on a clear day offers a spectacular view of the 3 Sisters.  However yesterday the mountains were wrapped in clouds.  No view.

The Old Mckenzie Highway Scenic Highway is open and I think always worth the trip and that is where we headed next.   Given the traffic on the main highway I was glad to detour.  We both noticed this wonderful wild white lily growing at the edge of the forest.  It was windy so had to grab an image quickly between gusts.

Clouds and rain filled the hills and made for some very interesting images as we drove up into the old burn area.  Fog and the dark burned ground set off big clumps of beargrass – “You can’t have a light without a dark to stick it in”.  Not sure who said that but it seemed to work for the two images below.

This outing was one of the most enjoyable that I have had in sometime and I love sharing the images with y’all.  Please click on each one for a larger screen view and as always I welcome your comments.

The First Sunday of Summer…

I  used to envy the father of our race, dwelling as he did among the new made plants and fields of Eden.  But I do so no more.

For I have discovered that I also live in “creation’s dawn”.  

The morning stars still sing together, and the earth, not yet half made,

becomes more beautiful everyday.                                                                                                         – John Muir

… found me out early on Highway 58 headed to Salt Creek Falls.  I remembered from a similar trip a few years back that there were wild rhododendrons in bloom this time of year so I thought I would take a chance that my timing got me there in order to photograph them.  From just below the highway exit to the Salt Creek Falls and for about a mile above the junction the sides of the main highway are adorned with beautiful flowering rhododendrons.  The same is the case of the access road to the Salt Creek Falls visitor area.  Below is an example of what I found.

I went up a side road mostly to just look around and came across a meadow filled with beargrass.  Not as abundant as they were a few years back on Old Mckenzie Pass but still they seemed to be just right for the meadow.  Fog was coating the tops of the mountains and the beargrass was lighting the meadow.

I love being in the mountains and scenes like these renew that love.

I welcome your comments.

 

 

Nature’s Tatting

“Tatting is a type of vintage lacework.” 

I spent part of this morning at the pond in Mt. Pisgah Arboretum  looking for and hoping to find water lily in bloom.  They are just starting and not very abundant but it mite be worth a trip back as it is a nice walk in there.  The pond is becoming very overgrown and it will not surprise me to see it fill in over the next few years.

As I walked back up the trail I came across the image below.  It is a stacked image (16 individual shots) and for some reason the delicate structure of the plants brought to mind tatting.  Nature’s handiwork.

Spring on the North Fork

Originally I had intended to go up the North Fork of the Middle Fork of the Willamette River on Friday but decided to get some work done around the house and thus beat the rain that was predicted for Saturday morning.  No rain this morning but nice overcast sky and a wonderful river and a small tributary that were both filled with spring runoff.

I have photographed the small stream below quite a few times tumbling down what I am sure was at one time a sluice-out but it is so charming that I always stop and do my best to capture the seasonal view.  The white wild iris was just along the side of the road waiting for me as I parked!!  Nice treat from the natural world.

I drove upstream and have a few more images that I will work on and hopefully share but there was one more this morning.  Three bracketed images shot with a 6 stop ND filter.  I personally like the dynamic nature of the flow that resulted.

T’was a fun morning and was restorative after a week of turmoil.  Rain finally came into town here.  Nice to hear it dripping on the driveway.   Love to have your comments.

Monday Mountain #10

Remembering this trip to Grand Tetons NP and finding an image like this one from that trip takes me back there and is why I decided to post Monday Mountain images in the first place.  My way of staying connected with mountainous landscapes as I waited out my solitude.  This may be the last Monday Mountain post but I hope you come back from time to time as I continue to gather, process and post images.  It has been fun for me and my thanks to you for looking.

Love having your comments.  Take care, have fun and stay healthy as we move into summer.