November 18, 2009

Snow Examined II

As if our last adventure was not cold enough, I found myself on the eastern side of the cascades well over 5000 ft and quite cold. It was actually quite a bit warmer then last time I was at Cresent Lake, but the driving wind, blowing snow at quite a horizontal angle made it seem quite harsh... Or at least it may have to some. I was however rather occupied and enjoyed every minute of it!




The lake freezes over in the winter, the cold weather now is just a taste of what is to come. In the meantime the fish in the lake attract eagles and here is a picture of one that flew right over head!


Traveling a short bit up Hwy 58 gets you to Odell Lake.

A large lake and a perfect place for eagle watching.




I had spotted the lone eagle at Cresent, at Odell, I saw two pairs as well as solitary one, bringing the total for the day to six!

Snow Examined

The pursuit of waterfalls led high into the mountains, around 4000 ft snow covered the ground, and by the time the trailhead was reached the world had turned white.

Hemlock Falls is the name of the falls, and is a mere mile and a quarter from the beginning of the trail. The only two difficulties in reaching the falls were these: The one and a quarter were uphill... in the snow... And once you reached the falls you could not see but a small edge as trees blocked the view! What is a photographer to do? Well, climb down in to the ravine and travel up the stream bed jumping from rock to rock, scrambling under giant downed trees, and finally stopping on a massive snow covered boulder... That was easy... Now what about getting back?

Getting back was a must as there were lakes to be seen, first the aptly named Lake In The Woods. The lake was originally a swamp but was drained to provide pasture for horses, then later in the century it was undrained and dammed up to create the lake.





Then there was Hemlock Lake, bearing the same name and water source as the above mentioned falls. Dusk was here and mist swirled on the surface of the lake...

November 13, 2009

Idyllic Fall Days

Idyllic is not exactly an accurate description of Autumn. The dying summer... The earth being wrenched back into frost and cold... However it suits the accompanying picture well!











Scott

November 7, 2009

Waterfalls Observed III

Sometimes it is hard to get a good picture of a waterfall. And sometimes you don't get it- it gets you.
Watson falls(the second picture in the series) is southern Oregon's highest waterfall plunging over 300 feet. It is high enough that wind rushing along the side of the basalt cliffs can move the entire falls many feet in the direction that it is blowing.

When a certain intrepid, daring photographer ventured down the slippery, dangerous slope to the base of the falls, he began taking pictures just a few feet from the freezing water. Then without warning a strong wind rushed along the canyon wall and and began moving the waterfall. The photog was drenched. He tried to move but the slippery rocks, and the pounding water(bitingly cold) slowed his progress... Instinctively he pointed his camera upwards and snapped a few frames. Then realizing that the settings would be wrong(All this happened much quicker then it takes to tell!) he hunched over his gear and fiddled with the buttons and knobs, and then snapped a few more. The moss covered rocks that littered the gorge afforded little in the way of a good foothold and yet our brave shutterbug scrambled with his soaking gear bag and dripping camera(weather sealed!) out of danger and went sloshing down the stream.

In spite of this somewhat wet affair, our cameraman's spirits were not at all dampened and he(conveniently having a change of dry clothes in the car!) went on to enjoy the rest of the day...

If you have ever wondered what it would be like to look straight up into a waterfall, this picture may give some indication of what it would be like.

Waterfalls Observed II

This Waterfall is called Grotto Falls. It is interesting in that there is a low hanging but sizable cavern behind the falls. The trail to the grotto wraps around the canyon, along the cliffs and eventually ends behind the cascading torrent.

November 6, 2009

Autumn Gold

A delightful array of fall beauty!

October 28, 2009

Waterfalls Observed

Last week while watching the crashing water pour over Deadline Falls waterfall,(The top picture in the previous post) thousands of gallons a minute, it seemed to me to be unstoppable. However as I pondered, this water did not just appear. This is all a result of things that already happened. Rain and rivulets dripped and streamed down the valley, each course and drop adding to a steadily growing torrent that eventually plunged over these rocks in a great show of power.

Our lives bear remarkable similarity. It is not so much the big choices that define our lives as it is the countless small ones we make every day. These choices define who we are. Remember that the little choices that you make today will be who you are tomorrow.

Scott

October 23, 2009

Waterfalls





I have been hunting lately. Waterfalls.



October 16, 2009

The Flickring torch

I have a small gallery @ flickr. Some photos are the same but there are plenty not to be seen here!
Link

October 3, 2009

Seasons of Change

The war against the sunshine is in earnest today. A cold biting wind is wuthering down the mountain invading all warmth and making it difficult to bring to memory the recent days of triple digit weather. I am not an extremist. I like the temperature moderate from, say 50 to 80 degrees although 80 is getting rather warm. I cheerfully put up with the extreme temperatures knowing that the heat ripens the tomatoes and peppers, and the cold among other things, halts the ravaging insect population. The range in our climate does a great deal of good(even if I have to work at having a good perspective!) and yet, when the seasons change, my mind invariably wanders to more temperate climes... In the midst of winter's cold I dream of warm sunny Italy, or a coastal cottage... In the heat I think again of the coastal cottage(the ocean keeping the temperature from getting too extreme one way or the other), faraway mountains with their peaks covered in snow begin to appeal...

As the seasons change a contemplative mood settles over me. I think of a place, a beautiful valley, verdant, lush. Come with me to see... We crest the hill and look along the road lined with maple trees that travels down and through fields and orchards. The fields are green and the orchards are budding with delicate pink and white blossoms. Horses look up, as if startled by our presence, pricking their ears and nickering softly. The road continues and as we look forward we see the glitter of water and we see a lake to the right, a lake that shines with gold in the sun and shimmers silver in the moonlight, (it hisses gently in the rain and in the early morning, ephemeral mist rises from its surface). As we gaze across and beyond the lake, rows of grapevines grace the hills, various cultivars producing a bounty in their harvest. The road begins to curve and our attention shifts to a house. Surrounded by an amazingly green lawn with tall trees providing shade in the summer, benches and a swing invite(an apple and a book would be appropriate). The manor rises in stately elegance before us, not intimidating, but rather, alluring.

To see the estate properly it must be surveyed from a height, and the great house provides such an opportunity from its roof... Entering a oaken door through a small portico we take small spiral stairs that take us to the second floor. Barely stopping to admire a gleaming kitchen, continue up to the third floor for a glimpse of books and maps... And now we climb out on the roof! As we walk around the parapets and roof lanterns, we see the acreage spreading from the house to the surrounding hills. Behind the house a solarium is attached and a separate conservatory graces the grounds. Looking past the neatly kept acreage near the house a more utilitarian view meets our eyes. Barns, shops, stables and a dairy, a row of greenhouses and ponds stocked with fish. Toward the right the lake spreads out and a dock extends out from a small boathouse. Out in the lake a small island is seen with beehives painted the classic white.

Walking back to the stairs and going down a flight and through the kitchen area a balcony beckons. The terrace is large and has tables and chairs for summer dining. It is not summer, however, the air is balmy and there is some leftover pizza in the fridge! As we eat, we look out over to the left of the house. Beautiful gardens! Raised beds, hanging gardens, herb gardens, even a flower clock! Time treads on and we have not seen the half of the estate! The house remains to be explored! The outbuildings inspected! No time, no time! It is a dream. A fancy.

Yet onward!

Scott

September 12, 2009

A tribute to summer





The days of summer are drawing to a close, and in spite of the temperature still being rather hot there is something in the air that foretells of the coming autumn.

There is much to be said about the wonderful things of summer, however I shall showcase some favorite pictures of this '09 season so I will not have to say much...

I'll post a few and then perhaps I will post few more later on...

June 11, 2009

Going back













As we travel the earth seeking photographic opportunity there are at times opened before us advantageous circumstances and we rejoice!(although sometimes it happens when we do not have our cameras with us!). Later remembrance of the wealth draws us back to the area to seek for more, yet arriving we find it uninspiring. The treasure of light left us for another place of repose and we must start our quest once more.

24-105L@24
ISO 100
f/11.0
Location: Cape Arago
Weather: cold spring dawn

May 8, 2009

Essence of Life


Ah Time that has slipped away

never to be recovered

Ah, I long that it would stay

yet what of that discovered?

February 17, 2009

Wealth














Gold is abundantly found if you know where to look...

Too often in our search for gain, we miss the treasure all about us.

24-105L@105
ISO 100
Location: Cape Arago
Weather: sunny winter day