Wednesday, June 11, 2014

On the Way There, Part 1

Breathtaking above the Gibbon Falls, Yellowstone Park, WY

On the way to Yellowstone's Canyon area, I find myself getting side tracked quite easily with other gorgeous vistas that I'm wanting to stop and photograph.

Gibbon Falls, Yellowstone Park, WY

Massive and majestic-- above the Gibbon Falls, Yellowstone Park, WY


Buffalo path  I took from the roadside to some innocent looking water.

Much of Yellowstone consists of marshlands covered in streams and water like this one. You'd never suspect that it's over 100's of degrees just by looking at it. All of the grassy areas to the right and left of that path are extremely wet and muddy. Some places you even sink in up to your ankles. When I drove back by later that evening, I saw steam rising from the water, so I was glad I didn't go in!


I passed by here later to see steam rising and bubbles out of these hot springs. 

Behind this stream in the distance, I saw buffalo rolling around in the marshlands splashing water all around like a great sprinkler. It was beautifully backlit...but I'd have needed a different lens. And sometimes you just have to enjoy the moment rather than photograph it!


Buffalo print. 

I found some buffalo hair on the way back to the truck; it's quite soft. I added it to my journal.



Celebrate World Oceans Day

Monterey, CA - Point Lobos

I'm a little late in getting something out for World Oceans Day, but I figure every day should be Ocean Day. So, I have a special treat for you from guest blogger, leading green industries publicist and publisher of Green Techies, Debrah Dubay of Austin, Texas.
.....................................

 “There is Something for Everyone in the Sea”

   by Debrah Dubay, guest blogger, June 8, 2014
   Original from Cleantechies.com


Nobel-prize winning author John Steinbeck recognized five decades ago the need to study and protect the world’s oceans. Steinbeck argued that investigation of Earth’s oceans was critical to the success of humanity and deserved the same funding and organization as space exploration. Steinbeck wrote, “We have not, as a nation and a world, been alert to the absolute necessity of going back to the sea for our survival.” He recognized the economic value and need for sustainability and knowledge of our vast oceans and all they contain.
Steinbeck shared his love for the sea in an open letter to the editor of Popular Science magazine in 1966 saying, “There is something for everyone in the sea—incredible beauty for the artist, the excitement and danger of exploration for the brave and restless, an open door for the ingenuity and inventiveness of the clever, a new world for the bored, food for the hungry, and incalculable material wealth for the acquisitive—and all of these in addition to the pure clean wonder of increasing knowledge.”
With three-fifths of the earth’s surface under the seas there is nothing simple about protecting them as a whole or about creating and protecting marine reserves. The value of these reserves was discussed in a New York Times, NYT article, Sustaining Resilience at Sea. The article covered a report by Nature Climate Change finding that the ability of ocean species to endure effects of global warming depends more on the overall health of ecosystems where the species live rather than on the individual species. Just a few months prior to the NYT article Pew Charitable Trusts announce a partnership with which it is seeking to establish a new benchmark for the protection of ocean ecosystems by creation of the first generation of great marine parks around the globe by 2022.
Organizations, universities and others have long since acted on Steinbeck’s vision of systematically studying the world’s oceans. Yet work needs to be done to expand on engaging public awareness and increasing public sentiment to protect world oceans. A fun and valuable way for individuals to become involved in efforts to save the world’s oceans, beaches and the sea life found there is to join in celebrating World Oceans Day coming up June 8th. Go toworldoceansday.org and see how you, your kids and your family can participate and raise awareness in your community for the condition of world oceans.

Monday, June 9, 2014

Yellow in Yellowstone

Singer, Cardigan Welsh Corgi, Gettin' Yellow in Yellowstone!

"There's a bright golden haze on the meadow,
There's a bright yellow haze on my Corgi,
And the "pie" is as high as his Cardigan eye...
And it looks like it's climbing right up to the sky!

Oh, what a beautiful morning,
Oh, what a roll-around day,
He's got a wonderful feeling,
Everything's smellin' dog's way!"

That's one happy stinky boy rolling in the horse apples! Look at his tongue, even! Eew! The rest of my day was dedicated to cleaning dog...and trailer! But not before I took some beautiful shots of this gorgeous day...enjoy!

Lyrics borrowed from Oklahoma's "Oh, What a Beautiful Morning" 


The clouds were glorious on the campground today!

Heading out to pasture from my trailer

Through the gates and up the hills...huffing and puffing

Free at last!

Love all the wild daisies in the fields

Mother Nature

Sunny one minute, raining the next...then sunny again.

Old school house


Leaning from age and weather

Neighboring ranch...love all the dandelions

Singer!? Are you eating what I think you're eating!!! No! No! No!

One of my favorite views

June is always cloud month

The campsites are over the hill and between all these trees planted by the owner

June is busting out all over!

A close up of the campground

Cloudscapes


Singer doing Corgis all around the school house

More cloudscapes

No shortage of cloudscapes today!

Singer pauses before taking off after a field mouse or bird

The light dances across the plains, going in and out of view as the clouds go by

Our favorite school house again
All cleaned up...for now!


Friday, June 6, 2014

Starting to Paint in Yellowstone


Singer and I have been busy exploring and painting...







Beauty in Unusual Places



This was literally a kind of pool of stench and steam complete with dead trees. But, with the setting sun reflecting in clouds on the water, it made for some incredible scenes that reminded me of the Fauvist painters. Enjoy.






Moving on Down the Road


I couldn't seem to leave Yellowstone that evening without finding a few more wonderful scenes to shoot. I found myself pulling over constantly. Good thing the sun was setting or I may never have made it out!





In Another Light


After seeing Old Faithful, I went to a couple of gift shops to purchase ghost stories to share around the campfire...but not before a staff member of a photography store there told me of one of the area's ghost stories.
What a treat! 



I decided to return to Old Faithful for another look around and
was enchanted by the changing sunlight on the surroundings.



Looking into the sun, with Old Faithful to my back.







As I heard the crowd exclaim, "Ahhhhhh!" in unison,
 I turned around in time to see Old Faithful erupt again.


It was an even better show than the first!


Now all that remains is her puffs of smoke.


Shadows of a self portrait with Old Faithful.




I asked this couple if they'd like their picture taken with their camera because
it seemed such a nice moment. They said no, they were waiting for Old Faithful. 



This couple did enjoy taking each other's photos...with or without the dramatics of Old Faithful. They let me take their pictures on their camera and mine. They both seemed to be in touch with their own dramatic flare for color...and life. From India, they spoke mostly in smiles.