“Sunset”
Heatherwood Late Fall
Looking southwest from our house, we often get beautiful sunsets that backlight a clump of trees on the hill above. This hill shields a view of Mt. Adams in the distance. However, this scene isn’t bad at all.
“Late Fall Softness”
Heatherwood Meadow
At this time of the year, there is a warm softness through our Heatherwood meadow. The warm colors blend together into soft yellow-brown hues. The spent flowers and grasses merge together into a homogenous mass to the eye. The autumn plumes of the ornamental grasses are soft to touch. Gentle breezes blur the grasses and flowers together on a warm sunny late fall afternoon.
“The Vessel”
New York City Hudson Yards
This interesting piece of architecture captured my imagination when I started my walk along New York’s Highline. I had no idea of the background of this amazing structure, so a little homework was needed. The active sculpture is 16 stories high comprised of 154 staircases, 80 landings, and 2500 steps. The path to the top is a little over a mile. The creator, Thomas Heatherwick, said that his intent was to create a focal point where people can enjoy new perspectives of the city and one another from different heights, angles and vantage points.
At its opening dedication in 2109, the Vessel was deemed to be safe, able to carry 1,000 people at a time. However, since its opening four people have committed suicide. In August of this year, the 4th suicide occurred. The Vessel is now indefinitely closed.
“Abstract – The Shed”
Hudson Yards, New York City
Do you believe this monster really moves? The Shed is a multi-cultural, multi discipline center for the arts in New York City. It provides a venue for established and emerging artists to show and perform their creative endeavors. The image above is a face of a movable shell that doubles the space of the facility for large displays and performances.
Large wheels, I guess the diameter to be about 8 feet, move the Shed’s outer shell. It takes 5 minutes to fully move the shell in or out. See image below.
“The Shed’s Wheels”
When I first saw this structure, I had no idea what it was. I just thought it was a cool piece of architecture. When I had the chance, I did a little homework. It is an amazing application of a creative solution. To add a little creativity of my own, I created an abstract of the lines and reflections of the shell. Next time we are in New York, I plan to venture inside this amazing facility.
“The San Remo”
Upper West Side, New York City
Walking in Central Park, I looked up and saw the San Remo apartment complex framed between the trees in the Park. What a cozy little place to live. Apartment sizes are as large as 7,500 sq. ft. Prices are typically between $2,500-$3,500 per sq. ft. That is a little steep, but it does include use of the 1.32 sq. mile Central Park with all of its gardeners.
“Future Garden Room View”
Heatherwood Late Fall
We have designed locations for ten different viewing areas within our Heatherwood garden. Some look inward to the garden, some look outward, and some do both. Six are currently in place. We are planning on implementing two more this coming year. The one illustrated in the above image is in the southwest corner. We will create a little garden room around this spot. It will be designed to enclose the foreground lawn area and provide privacy to the sitting area. From this spot we will be able to enjoy the plants surrounding the lawn up close and still maintain the view of the north and western hills above Heatherwood. It will take several years to achieve this goal. We will patiently enjoy watching it mature.
“Rock Garden Path”
Heatherwood Fall
Last Friday morning, I went out for what I planned as a short stroll through our garden. Three hours later I came in for lunch. Late fall sunlight is beautiful across the Heatherwood landscape. I just kept wandering through the garden waiting for the next image to appear.
Heatherwood is still full of color, even after all the leaves have fallen from the trees. As winter approaches (snow is predicted this coming week), the colors still decorate our rock garden hillside. They will remain until next spring when the ground covers will transition back to their rich greens and the conifers loose their yellowish tinge.
“Sunny Afternoon in the Arboretum”
Yakima Area Arboretum
For late fall, we are having beautiful weather. The sun was casting its late afternoon rays across the trees in the Yakima Arboretum. I was only able to catch about 30 minutes of the beauty before I had to quit. It was a nice way to end an afternoon.
“Late Afternoon Sunlight”
Heatherwood Rose Garden
It was a beautiful late autumn day. The sun was just about ready to fall behind the western hills. I was out strolling through the garden enjoying the warm sun and beautiful light shining across our Heatherwood lower garden. The last rays were caressing one of the late roses. It stood up beconing me to pay attention and photograph it. I made one image, then the sun dropped below the hill and the light was gone. What a wonderful gift to end the day!
“Thistle”
Heatherwood Late Fall
The best way to learn is to just do it, experiment and play. I just got a new Lensbaby lens to add to my arsenal of tools for macro photography. After watching several videos on using the Lensbaby by other photographers, I came away with the bottom line tip, “Put the lens on your camera for several weeks, and just go out, play, and experiment.” This image is one of my first experiments.