Exploring the Back Roads

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“Lonesome Road”
The Palouse, Washington

One of the things I enjoy the most is just driving around exploring the countryside. An old dirt road, rolling hills, puffy clouds puts my mind at peace. I stop in the middle of the seldom traveled road not worrying about another car or truck coming by. I pause and enjoy what I see around me and contemplate how this beautiful land has been used to support a long abandoned homestead and now as a section of a large mega-farm. Sometimes I create an image with my camera. Sometimes I just drive on with the image as a memory in my mind.

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Patience

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“Sunlight on the Curves”
Palouse, Washington

Springtime in the Palouse is a wonderful time to practice my skills using infrared photography. The bright green winter wheat and the great clouds add to the experience. It was a cool windy day with rapidly moving clouds. Patches of sunlight rolled along the hills. I spent about an hour and created almost 100 images trying to catch different patches of sunlight crossing the two curvy hills at the same time. Patience paid off as I was able to catch the bright strips of sunlight on the two ridges.

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Focused Foreground and Borrowed Background

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“Conifer Corner View”
Heatherwood Spring

This image is the springtime perspective of the view from the southeast corner of Heatherwood looking north. A semi-circle of conifers and junipers surround an Adirondack settee from the back. Specimen conifers encompass the sides. And, the foreground area with shrubs, dwarf conifers, and ground covers focus our immediate interest. We borrow the distant background hills frame the view. We call it our little “Conifer Corner.”

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Three Garden Layers

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“Meadow, Rock, & Japanese Gardens”
Heatherwood Spring

Heatherwood is comprised of several separate garden areas. Each one has a distinctive feeling and character. Even though the gardens are distinct, common elements link them as they flow from one to the other. The scene above illustrates three layers of gardens; the foreground meadow, the mid ground rock garden, and the distant background Japanese garden. Conifers and rocks are repeated to transition from the Japanese garden to the rock garden. Perennials are repeated to transition from the rock garden to the meadow. Together they harmonize with each other.

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Late Spring Burst

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“Spring Meadow”
Heatherwood

I was away on a photography workshop in the Palouse for just a week. I came back to a wonderful surprise. Our meadow had transformed from a collection of buds to a burst of spring color. Yellows, greens, reds, and purples burst throughout Heatherwood. It was a wonderful welcome home!

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A Special Day

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“Orangeola & Kotoji Abstract”
Heatherwood Japanese Garden

Today is a very special day full of sweet and happy memories of the past. Many times we spent the day walking through gardens around the areas where we lived. On our adventures, we were always keeping our eyes and mind open to observe the beauty surrounding us, both natural and man-made. We collected ideas on what we could bring home to our own garden.

Other years we would explore various garden centers and purchase new additions for our garden. We couldn’t wait to plant the new acquisitions. Here at Heatherwood, I have been able to draw on these previous experiences to develop a Japanese-influenced garden in part of our property. Strolling through Heatherwood takes me back to prior wonderful memories and stimulates me to enjoy the present and look forward to bright future days.

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Gifts For the Taking

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“Forest Pansy Redbud”
Heatherwood Spring

Heatherwood continues to give up something new and interesting every time we stroll around the garden. Little elements of nature abound at every turn. These gifts are for the taking. I just need to recognize them and add a little creativity.

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The Guardian

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“Kotoji, Waterfall, & Japanese Maple”
Heatherwood Japanese Garden

I keep coming back to this view in our Heatherwood Japanese garden. The Japanese maples continuously change in color, shape, and texture through the revolving seasons. In time they will flow over the stream’s edge becoming one with it. The Kotoji Japanese lantern acts like a guardian over the stream stabilizing the scene with its graceful legs .

The Guardian
A Japanese maple gently bends,
Shielding the flowing stream,
As the guarding Kotoji overlooks.

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Spring Is Time For Infrared

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“Waterfall & Kotoji”
Heatherwood Japanese Garden

Spring brings out the energy of emerging new life. The sensitivity of infrared to the bright greens and yellows highlight spring’s energy. Springtime in Heatherwood is the time for me to explore with my infrared photography.


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Time For A Little Flare

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“Impressionistic Variegated Redtwig Dogwood”
Heatherwood Spring

As I stroll around Heatherwood, I am constantly on the alert for those little vignettes that catch my eye. For this shaded scene, I first noticed contrasting blue and green colors. Looking closer, the contrasting textures of grasses, the variegated redtwig dogwood, and the background blue spruce add to the interest. Reviewing the image on my computer, I thought that it would be interesting to view it as a painting. I added an impressionistic flair to achieve this image.

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