Category Archives: The Grand Landscape

The overview of the natural landscape.

Good Morning World !

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Sunrise Over the Garden
Heatherwood, Early Autumn

We were given a glorious Good Morning gift a few days ago. It was a wonderful way to start the day. As the sun rose, the sky was a beautiful pinkish gold. Through the clouds it cast a warm pink blanket over our Heatherwood garden and the valley below. As the day’s beauty was released, it gave me a feeling of warm peace. Even with all the strife that is currently going on, there is still a lot of wonder and beauty that reminds me of the many things that are right about our world. It is all our challenge to spread this among the peoples of our world.

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A Little Rain Drizzle Pops Out the Color

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‘Selah Ridge Bluff’
Heatherwood, Early Fall

When I walk out to our driveway to get into my car, I look up and see this stately bluff looking over me. A little rain drizzle perks up the colors in our Heatherwood garden. Soon the dogwood will brighten up with its reddish purple leaves and bright red berries. Behind, the large maple tree will turn to a brilliant red.

P.S. The little black spec in the upper right corner of the sky (if you can see it) is one of our neighborhood red-tail hawks.

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Peace in the Afternoon

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‘Purple and Yellow Mounds’
Badlands National Park, South Dakota

It was late in the afternoon and the sun had gone behind the clouds. It felt like rain was coming. There were few cars passing along the adjacent road. No one was stopping to enjoy the beauty of the colorful hills. Alone, I had this wonderful panorama in front of me. I felt at peace in one of nature’s wonderlands.

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Who Said the Badlands Look Dull?

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‘Mid-morning Sunlight on the Purple Mounds’
Badlands National Park, South Dakota

Pastels proliferate the hills of the Badlands during mid-morning sunlight. The golden and green grasses in the foreground set the stage. The yellows, oranges, reds, and purples of the different sediment layers of the mounds provide the center focus. The purple striped rugged mountains and blue cloud covered sky creates an intriguing background setting.

Millions of years of creation stand directly in front of me. I dream of the wonder of nature and the beauty it brings.

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Late Afternoon Glow

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‘Traveling Through the Yellow Mounds’
Badlands National Park, SD

The late afternoon sun warmed up the rolling hills near the Yellow Mound Area of the Badlands National Park. The warm sunlight warmed up the grass-covered hills creating a glowing gold scene. This image was created during my first evening in the Park. I came back several times to get different perspectives of this beautiful area.

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Fire in the Sky

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‘Sunset from Norbeck Pass’
Badlands National Park, SD

My previous post was from my last day in the Badlands. This image was my greeting on my first evening in the Park. It was a great way to start my Badlands adventure. During my seven day excursion, we photographed scenic vistas, intimate vignettes, wildlife, old abandoned buildings, sunsets, sunrises, harsh mid day brightness, color, infrared, and many other perspectives. The workshop was an opportunity to play and experiment, as well as creating serious images.

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Color in the Badlands

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‘Light Rain Over the Badlands’
Badlands National Park, SD

I just returned from a great workshop with Tony Sweet and Sue Milestone in the Badlands of South Dakota. During our last day, we had some light rain which highlighted the striking colors over the terrain. The slight moisture brought out the normally subdued colors. What a beautiful sight!

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Hot, Hot, Hot!

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“Dog Days of Summer”
Heatherwood Lower Yard

This week has been a scorcher with temperatures rising above 105 degrees! By 10 AM, the temperature reaches above 90 degrees. It is really too hot to do much of anything outside. But, it is a great time to create a few infrared images. I need to do a little IR photography practice as I prepare for a workshop in the Badlands of South Dakota in September.

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Looking Northeast, I Dream

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‘Lower Yard Looking Northeast’
Heatherwood Summer

My eyes follow the lawn path through the lower garden up to Selah Bluff on the horizon. The infrared perspective puts me into a dream-like state. I wonder what is beyond the bluff. Beyond, the Wenas valley slopes to the Yakima River. Then another set of ridges rise up then down to the Ryegrass plateau. The plateau rolls along then descends down to the Columbia River. Ridges of the Yakima folds rise up from the river and level off into the farmlands of the Columbia Basin. A few small farm towns sprinkle the basin. Two-hundred miles away lies Spokane.

I then think of the sprawling metropolitan area between Olympia and Everett, and am thankful for where I live. I am a country boy at heart.

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A Warm Summer Day

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‘Lower Yard & Meadow’
Heatherwood Midsummer

Early in the morning on a midsummer day it is wonderful to be out in our Heatherwood garden. After a cup of coffee in the morning, we have our breakfast on the upper patio. This is the scene that we are blessed with. We look out over our lower yard and meadow to the our neighbors pastures. In the distance we see the ridges and the gap between Selah and Yakima. We can’t ask for a better way to start a midsummer’s day.

After breakfast we work/play a little in the garden before it gets too hot. By late morning, it is time to come inside to get relief from the hot sun. Temperatures continue to range between the high 80’s and mid 90’s. We are watering almost continuously twenty-fours a day to keep the lawn green and the plants healthy.

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