Along Sage Ridge Road
Badlands National Park, SD
Colors, light, shadows, hills, ridges, and valleys … they are all here in the Badlands. The late afternoon sun pops out the colors, shapes, and textures from a rather grey-brown scene at midday. This image is not as sharp as I would like it to be, but it still captures the feeling of awe I had gazing over the vast landscape.
Blue Sky Over Cherry Allee
Heatherwood Autumn
Some days are stunning. Heatherwood and the surrounding hills were absolutely beautiful on this late afternoon. Colors just popped out, especially the golden browns of the ornamental grasses and the panicle hydrangeas. The blue skies said summer, the garden colors said fall. I just strolled through the garden absorbing the warm afternoon sun and the colors of autumn. It was a great day!
Selah Bluff and Lower Garden
Heatherwood Fall
A neighborhood garden should be designed to be enjoyed from the outside looking in as well as internally. As we designed Heatherwood, we wanted to provide a separation between our property and our neighbor’s. At the same time, we wanted to present a pleasing view from our neighbor’s back yard through our garden up to the hills rising above. In this section we kept the planting height down with ornamental grasses and mid-sized deciduous shrubs. For winter interest, the yellows, reds, and oranges of the Midwinter Fire, red twig, and yellow twig dogwoods mixed between the ornamental grasses will provide a textured and colorful winter foreground for the bluff above.
During our design process, we reviewed our concepts with our neighbor over a glass of wine or two. They were happy with what we envisioned and we were happy that they could enjoy it as much as we would.
View from the Visitors Center
Badlands National Park, South Dakota
Photographing in infrared is perfect for midday. All I need are a few clouds in the sky and some interesting foliage. This framed view is directly across the park road from the Visitors Center. It is great place to catch a little food and a photo or two.
“Southeast Corner Rest Station”
Heatherwood Spring
We call the southeast area of our garden the “Conifer Corner.” We planted a row of conifers around the southeast corner of our garden to create a little privacy from our neighbors. Within the corner, we also have planted additional specimen conifer trees and shrubs. We added bright ground covers and perennials to give it a little pizzaz. We finished it off with a little rest area tucked into the corner. Many times after walking down to the bottom of our property, I take a little break before walking back up the hill. More times than not, I get sidetracked and wander into a little day dream. Sitting in the Adirondack settee, I look up and gaze into the scene below.
“Wide Angle View Looking Up the Hill”
You can see how easily I could fall into a day dream!
“Mt. Whitney and Lone Pine Peak”
Alabama Hills, California
Boulders of the Alabama Hills frame Lone Pine Peak on the left and Mt. Whitney on the right. From this position, Lone Pine Peak (elev. 12,949 ft) looks significantly higher than Mt. Whitney (elev. 14,505 ft) in the background. It is just a matter of perspective.
“Mt. Whitney”
Eastern Sierras, California
The Mt. Whitney hike starts here in the Alabama Hills west of Lone Pine, CA. I reflect back to my younger days knowing that I could have made it to the top. Those years are long gone. Now I look up and just dream of what it would be like to be at the top looking down over the surrounding Sierras.
“Mono Lake”
Eastern Sierras, California
I’ve driven by Mono Lake three times in the last four years in the February/March time frame. This year with the combination of the skies and the snow, the view was striking. A few moments after I took this image, a breeze came up and the clearness of the reflection was gone. Sometimes, I just lucky to be at the right spot at the right time. Thank YOU!
“Mono Lake & White Mountains”
Eastern California
We had just driven through a beautiful winding road up from Carson City, Nevada into the California Sierras. Coming down a steep winding road, we rounded a bend and saw this wide plain right in front of us. We quickly pulled off to a view point to take in the wide view of Mono Lake. The wind was howling. It was difficult to get the car door open. We could see gusts of wind blowing the light salt cloud over the lake.
“Rocks of Alabama”
Alabama Hills, California
I cannot define why these rock formations caught my eye. They just did. Was it their unusual shapes? Was it the contrast between the smooth eroded rocks in the foreground and the more rugged rocks in the background? Was it the textural difference between the Alabama Hills and the background Eastern Sierras? Or was it the memories of all the old cowboy movies of my childhood? Does it matter?