Snow Wings … Hidden Haven
The old branches shrouded the stump, looking like wings of snow. Almost angelic to the bunnies or birds that could have hidden beneath, protected from cold or predators.
“Who has wrapped up the waters as a cloak?”
Trail Ghost
We rounded the curve in the trail and there, ghostly, rising, floating, dripping “drops of water, which distill as rain from the mist.”
Last view of November
On the trail or on the rails? Which way? Last photo on the DSLR.
The first sign of Christmas shall be the last photo on my cell. As my daughter lives 3,000 miles away, we decorate together by sending cell pics to each other. My mother bought this Nativity set in 1963. Remembering setting it up and turning the key to play its music brings her back to me. This year, looking at the old box’s splitting seams, I noticed the sticker for the first time: Einneitspappkasten? Hachstgawidt? “Made in Germany.”
Needled snow desktop
“Have you entered the treasury of snow?”
Wishing for snow … maybe if I envision it … snow will fall and I will enter its treasury … “let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!” I live just below the snowline, too low to ever shovel but high enough to reach snow in 30 minutes. Several years back, I captured this close-up of the Ponderosa Pine 20 feet from my deck after a rare snowfall at our home. Seeing it on my desktop always makes me winter happy.
Architecture … Basically
Wrapped in scaffolding, before the final facade, framing the architectural interest for Sacramento.
Was the architect playing tic-tac-toe while designing this Seattle skyscraper?
San Francisco arches create a portal to the sky.
Lens-Artists #173 — Interesting Architecture
Heavy, chiseled columns dress up an outdoor shopping mall (originally posted in December 2012).
Fall into Winter
“He spreads the snow like wool and scatters the frost like ashes.”
The week before, the trail was clear, and the aspen leaves blocked the sky overhead. What a change a bomb cyclone has made. This day, the snow was 8 to 12 inches deep, and golden leaves dotted the crystalline carpet.
Seed’s Eye View of Blue
and of the sky over the neighborhood meadow. From this perspective, the grass is as tall as the cottonwood tree.
Falling Water Water Everywhere
Big falls … “Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls” Burney Falls
Resting falls … “‘Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters’”
Little falls … “He waters the mountains from his upper chambers; the land is satisfied by the fruit of his work.” Fordyce Falls Creek
Red Sun Mourning
“Red sky at night, sailors delight. Red sky at morning, sailors take warning.” Red sun rising … the bright sun red burned out to white as the camera tried to see through thick smoke from 4 wildfires. Normally, the Sierra Mountain ridge, about 60 miles away, stands sharply visible below the eastern sky. This morning’s smoke from those wildfires hid the ridge. Above is the unedited original. Below are Elements 14 (Photoshop) edits.
First, on the left, I matched the photo’s sun to the red sun my eyes had seen. Selecting and filling the selection was easy peasy. Oh yes, I cropped the top and bottom edges.
Then, on the right, I applied the haze removal tool.
The left is the same version as the above right. But now, on this right is a solarized iteration of the version with the burned out sun.
Which version do you prefer?
The Squirrel Chase One-two-three Photo Processing Challenge–August 2021
Looking down on myself … last chance
Before Heading Out — Last DSLR
Looking down on our barbecue … hoping
The owl who came to dinner — Last cell
Fisheye view of the lift in the sky
When you can’t ski down … pull up a seat! Summer at Northstar
By the light of the golden sunrise
Pull up a seat on the beach at Lake Tahoe.
Found Fenced Flowers — A to Z
Azalea or rhododendron? “Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come …”
Texture in the Way of Life
Texture on the hiking trail
Texture of light and brick in Sacramento
And what about the elastic texture of time? It flies smoothly when having fun, yet drags roughly when dutifully dogging work.
I’ve not had time to capture or create an image to express this taffy-pull challenge of returning to work, that necessary reality tugging time from photography. And, therein lies the rub of my existential Which Way Photo Challenge: take time to make a living or make time to take a photo.
All hail the end of the COVID-battical!
Two Shades of Bright — Squared
Looking into the window of a lighting shop in Sacramento.
Early sun landing on the airport hangar rooftops in Truckee, as seen through the window.
Carol’s Cheerful Selfie Challenge
Church, Cross, Christ?
“May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ”: “‘… my disciple must … take up their cross and follow me …’ ‘… learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.’”
The Last Photos of March 2021
Last full moon waning — last on the DSLR
Last trail trekked — last on the cell camera
Bushboy’s Last Photo Challenge — March
Just One Person From Around the World — ThatTravelLadyInHerShoes
Colors of Rust and Decay
All out of gas
not that it matters when you break down on the trail
Oh, scrap!
Shutter’s on the World 