26-SEP-2013
Brice Creek Falls
My friend, John, and I took the Brice Creek Trail to Brice Creek Falls this morning. What a beautiful walk it was!
25-SEP-2013
Vibrant Beauty
I think this is a Dahlia, but I know for sure it is a vibrant beauty!
24-SEP-2013
All Dolled Up And Ready To Go
Old Ford pickup parked in a farmer's orchard along McKenzie View Drive.
23-SEP-2013
My 71 Year Old Sweetheart
I haven't posted a portrait of Carol for a little while. After all these years, she is still my sweet little girl at 71!
22-SEP-2013
Hall House, Fish Lake Historical Site
"Fish Lake Historic Site, also known as the Fish Lake Remount Depot, is located in the heart of the Oregon High Cascades in the Willamette National Forest. Located along the Santiam Trail, since the mid-1800s thousands of travelers including Indian tribes and wagon trains, along with their livestock, pack animals and freight have passed through the site. The seasonal lake and meadow offered them a place of rest and bountiful provisions. Today visitors can explore the legacy of Fish Lake. Enjoy!" -
http://www.fishlakehistoricsite.org/
Fish Lake itself is dried up because of a long, hot summer. But the Fish Lake Historical Site is a very interesting place to see. Check out the website above and the map of the site. It was great to learn it was there. It is some 75-80 miles from Springfield, OR.
21-SEP-2013
Raining At the Rose Garden
Even though it was raining early this morning, I decided to pay a brief visit to the Owens Rose Gardens. There are still flowers in bloom, though some are looking sad now. I did get a good variety of pictures of them. The rain added a bit to their beauty. This Hibiscus was one of them.
20-SEP-2013
Red Crossbill At McKenzie Pass
"A stocky finch of mature coniferous forests, the Red Crossbill is dependent on the seed cones that are its main food. Its peculiar bill allows it access to the seeds, and it will breed whenever it finds areas with an abundance of cones. It may wander widely between years to find a good cone crop." (The Cornell Lab of Orthinology)
19-SEP-2013
Mt Washington Rising Above The Lava Beds
This is a view of Mt Washington from the Dee Wright Observatory at the top of the McKenzie Pass along Hwy 242. Elevation: 7,795' (2,376 m)
"Mount Washington is a nearly extinct volcano in the High Cascades of Oregon, just north of Three Sisters peaks and west of the town of Bend. It's a composite volcano, thick basalt flows at the base and mixed flows and ash making up the top of the pile. Glaciers and the general instability of volcanoes have together eroded it to the state we see today. A small eruption occurred on one flank about 1300 years ago, but it's basically dead." -
http://geology.about.com/library/bl/peaks/blmtwashore.htm
18-SEP-2013
Territorial Conflict
It appears that controversies over territorial rights are not just limited to humans. :)
Great Blue Herons just don't like Great White Egrets infringing on their territory.
A scene from Delta Ponds.
17-SEP-2013
Our Delightful Guest
This is another photo of the volunteer Amaryllis Belladonna (Naked Lady) that came up in our backyard.
Now that the rains have started, it will soon be gone. But we have certainly been delighted with our lovely new friend. :)
http://www.pbase.com/fotabug/image/152154679
16-SEP-2013
Portent of Summer's End?
"Portent - a sign or warning that something, esp. something momentous or calamitous, is likely to happen." (Wikipedia) Our weather is changing as we approach summer's end and this image seems to give evidence of that.
I shot the photo while riding in the back seat of our car with dilated eyes. We were on our way home from Portland where I had my semi-annual checkup on the eye treated with radiation in 2011. Things are looking pretty good.
15-SEP-2013
Pleasant Hill Barn
This barn, bathed in morning light, is located on Parkway Road between Pleasant Hill and Jasper. I thought it made a pretty picture.