Plumeria
Waikoloa, Hawaii
Most of the blooms were gone. But this little Plumeria flower stood out like a star. It was like a magnet to my camera lens. It brightened my day.
Plumeria
Waikoloa, Hawaii
Most of the blooms were gone. But this little Plumeria flower stood out like a star. It was like a magnet to my camera lens. It brightened my day.
Hydrangeas in the Fog
Heatherwood Winter
Many times I wake up early in the morning and my mind is in a fog. It doesn’t worry me though. I close my eyes and think what is right about the world around me. I open my eyes and up pops an idea or thought that I can focus my day upon. It’s a much better way to start the day than brooding on something that is outside my influence.
I often use a similar technique when I photograph. I will be walking around with my camera enjoying the world around me. I feel good, but nothing is popping up that focuses my interest. I close my eyes and clear my mind. I open my eyes and just look around. Then there it is, something captures my eye and off I go!
Pahoehoe Lava Sculpture
Kilauea Lava Flow, Hawaii
Pahoehoe lava flows and cools slowly. It forms ropey type patterns as it cools. Walking over the Kilauea lava flows provides an infinite source of vignettes for creating images. My mind wanders as it gazes over the terrain. I discover pattern after pattern. Each one is unique and my imagination goes wild. I get lost and lose track of time. Each time I have walked the flows with travel partners, they have patiently(?) waited for me with stern faces by the car ready to drive to the next stop.
Kilauea Crater Edge
Kilauea National Park, Hawaii
We checked the weather forecast before we started a two hour drive to the Hilo side of the island and up to Kilauea. Everything looked good for a nice day. By the time we reached the top, it was heavily raining with dense fog and wind. We could hardly see the bottom of the crater, but decided to make the best of the day and drove down the chain of craters road down to the ocean.
Sunset over Anaeho’omalu Bay
Wiakoloa, Hawaii
We were gifted a beautiful sunset on our first evening of our 2024 Hawaiian vacation. It was like a movie, with a colada in our hands we toasted to a beautiful welcome to Hawaii. It was followed by a romantic dinner with a local musician playing near our table and the gentle tropical breeze flowing through the palm trees.
Grass Abstract
Heatherwood Winter
I saw a mass of snow-covered ornamental grasses along our garden path. I attempted multiple times to create an interesting image without much luck. I decided to play a little and came up with this abstract. Something different for a cold winter day.
Chief Joseph #2
Heatherwood Winter
Chief Joseph #2 is our visual target at the end of our Japanese Garden pathway. Because of their seasonal interest, we have placed them at strategic places in the garden. Chief Joseph #1 shown in an earlier post, is located at the corner of a bend in our upper Japanese garden pathway. It is the focal point walking both up and down from Heatherwood’s Perch.
Chief Joseph Lodgepole Pine
Heatherwood Winter
In its winter glory the Chief Joseph pine is one of our winter garden stars. Its bright yellow winter color makes it stand out among the other conifers. We enjoyed this little star so much, we added two more in different parts of our Heatherwood garden. In summer it turns back to its green color as it merges back with the other surrounding conifers.
Today is our first real snow of the year. It looks like I will need to get out the snow plow tomorrow morning.
Color in the Woodland
Heatherwood Woodland Garden
Heatherwood’s woodland is slowly maturing. Four years ago this area was a grass covered lawn. We first started converting the lawn by removing the grass and planting about 30 trees. Some were tall canopy trees others were understory trees. We then started adding shrubs and ground covers. Now the woodland is starting to take shape.
Throughout the woodland garden area, we added deciduous shrubs and trees that are characterized by their winter color. This scene is highlighted by the reds and yellows of red and yellow twig dogwoods and white bark of viburnums and redbuds framed by the bronze leaves of a scarlet oak. At the bend of the garden path sits an Adirondack settee, one of our favorite spots for a morning cup of coffee or an afternoon sip of wine.
Garden Path
Heatherwood Japanese Garden
A little fog in the morning adds interest to my morning strolls through the garden. Colors seem to pop out while the background is somewhat blurred. What lies around the corner? What is behind and beyond the trees and shrubs?
We only have a few of these mild winter days left in the horizon. In a few days the temperatures will drop down to -7 degrees at night and highs will be only in the low single digits. I hope that the sudden severe drop in temperature will not harm the garden!