Tag Archives: Heatherwood

Looking Up Through the Garden

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View Looking Up Through the Meadow
Heatherwood Fall Colors

More color is bursting out every day! There is something new to capture my interest every morning. I need to get out and photograph every day. A little rain here and there coupled with wind knocks the leaves off quickly. One day our stewartia was covered with bright orange leaves. The next day after an evening wind, only a few leaves were left. The constant change is part of the glory of autumn. Each day Heatherwood delivers a new gift. I can’t wait to see what tomorrow will bring.

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Fall Glory

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Japanese Garden Entry
Heatherwood Fall

I started the day walking into the garden with my garden tools. I was planning on doing a little work. I did not get very far. The sun softly peeked through the light cloud cover. The colors of the garden were gorgeous. I turned around, put my tools away, and grabbed my camera. Three hours later I came in for lunch.

I have been working on our garden for ten years now. Our efforts are gradually taking effect. I had pretty much a clean slate to work with. For the first three years, this hillside was just a green lawn. In 2019, we tackled this area and started to create a Japanese inspired garden. Six years later most of this upper area is covered with maples, conifers, and ground covers. We sit back and enjoy just watching the area mature. As the conifers get larger and produce more shade, there will be room for a few more Japanese maples who are less tolerant to the bright eastern Washington sun.

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Look Down

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Shapes, Textures, and Tones
Heatherwood Japanese Garden Path

As I walk along our garden paths, my eyes are constantly moving. I look down and see this dwarf hemlock being surrounded and crowded by Japanese forest grass, low hanging viburnum branches, and a little Japanese variegated fern. What catches my eye is the variety and combination of textures, shapes, and color tones. When I stroll around the garden, I usually am not looking or searching for anything specific. I take the time to let a scene or vignette come to me and say, “Here I am, enjoy!”

Have a great day and enjoy each moment!

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Around the Corner

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Japanese Garden Path
Heatherwood Autumn

Walking around the corner of Heatherwood’s Japanese garden path, I immediately am attracted to the fall color beauty of our variegated dogwood. I pause and enjoy the colors, shapes, and textures of the overall garden scene. The dogwood leaves and berries draw me in for a closer look.

‘Cherokee Daybreak’ Flowering Dogwood

Red berries pop out along the branches. Pink fall color takes over the leaf margins. It’s a pretty sight to see!

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Around the Corner

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Japanese Garden Path
Heatherwood Autumn

Morning sunshine flows through the Japanese maples and conifers along the garden path. The maples are beginning to transition to their bright fall color. The ground covers and green shrubs and conifers are holding on to their summer greens.

As I walk along the path I look side to side and enjoy the various plants up close. I look forward along the curving path and anticipate what is around the corner … next post.

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Fall is Here!

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Early Fall Colors
Heatherwood NW Corner

Heatherwood is starting to transition into its fall colors. The maples are gradually turning color branch by branch. A little color from the yellow rudbeckia and purple Russian sage remains to provide a little splash of color. A few recent sprinkle of rain has encouraged the lush green lawn to put out its last spurt of growth. A few fallen red maple leaves sprinkle the green grass. Autumn is well on its way.

This little scene looking through the northwest corner of Heatherwood is one of my favorites. The planting bed around the flume is maturing nicely. We have added a few amsonia in the back to brighten it up a bit from the street view. The flume itself is a little bit of history dating back around 100 years when it was the new source of irrigation water in our area.

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Crazy Clouds

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Overlooking the Lower Garden
Heatherwood, Late Summer

The clouds were forming crazy shapes as they moved across the sky. They overshadowed the view of Heatherwood and the valley below. They presented an eerie feeling as I walked out onto the lawn. It was a strange occurrence on a hot summer day in the mid-90’s. To emphasize the sky, I used infrared to create the feeling that the clouds produced.

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Looking at Life from a Different Perspective

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View from Our Patio
Heatherwood & Selah Ridge

During the last two years I have been focusing my photography in our Heatherwood garden using my standard visible light camera and presenting how I see the garden in color. I was becoming stuck looking at things in the same way. Yesterday I brought out my infrared camera from retirement and took a stroll through the garden. I looked at the garden around me with a different perspective seeing the landscape with a new view. The color was gone; the sky was dark; vegetation was white; greens and reds were the same tone; clouds were dreamy. Beauty presented itself in a different way.

At times I tend to get trapped in looking at life from a set perspective. It feels good and gives me balance when I step back and open up my mind to other viewpoints, focusing on a positive perspective. Opportunities open up. Life is more enjoyable!

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Feeling Versus Reality

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Pond Abstract
Heatherwood Japanese Garden

I always have been drawn to the work impressionistic painters. When viewing their work I tend to walk away with a deeper feeling than I do with other forms of painting. As I photograph, many times I will focus on a scene and think this spot would be a great spot to set up an easel if I were a painter. I squint and try to envision how an impressionistic painter would attempt to create their art piece. Today, I decided to play with one of my images and try to create an impressionistic feeling.

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Blue Sky Summer Day

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Color Against the Conifers
Heatherwood Summer

The sky is pure blue without a cloud. The eastern Washington summer is in full force. It has been very warm with the temperatures in the 90’s. The summer perennials are out in their full glory.

On a day like this, the garden opens up its full beauty. It provides a beautiful foreground to the surrounding hills as well as focused vignettes like the one above. Strolling around the garden brings me peace. I become absorbed in the environment surrounding me. I first take in the panoramic view of the garden and hills rising above. I get a feeling of perspective. After a bit of walking, little things pop up before me as small vignettes appear. I stop, observe, move around, and sometimes take a photo or two. Many times I move in and just touch the leaves, needles, or bark. Each plant has its own feeling. Some are soft and fuzzy, some have sharp points and are prickly, others are smooth, others are rough, and some even smell really good. The confusion of the world around me disappears. The clarity of nature’s beauty takes over. I am at peace.

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