Window On Lake Powell

Recently I had the privilege of spending a week at Lake Powell.  I love the rocks!  There are plenty of them at the lake. :)  I never tire of searching for new views to photograph.   We stayed in Rock Creek Canyon and had a beautiful beach, sun and cool water to play in.  Here are the pictures I've chosen to share with you: (Click for larger view.)

This window rock is near Antelope Marina

Another 'arch' at the mouth of Rock Creek Canyon

Sentinel

View from our beach

I kept seeing things in the rocks.

Helloooo Mr. Lincoln!

Dubbed this one:  Knife's Edge

You know I'm always chasing rainbows.

Sunset on the rocks.

I just had to include this one.  We played the craziest game of Watermelon Keep-away with mini melons. Soooo fun. (No we did not eat it later.)  Wish you had been there.

  

Meadow

The Wasatch Wildflower Festival at Albion Meadow has become a favorite of mine over the last few years.  

It spans 3 days and four different ski resorts.  Saturday is Albion Meadow at Alta and according to the festival guides, has the most and showy flowers of all the resorts.  


Every year the display is  a little different depending on what the weather conditions have been.  It was a very warm spring and so many of the flowers I've seen in the past had already 'lost their bloom'.  But this was made up in abundance by the surprises I received along the way. 


(And to my friends who introduced the festival to me, and couldn't attend this year, you were missed. :) )  


The intermediate hike claimed to be 1 1/2 hours.  (It was 3!) It was uphill and then down.  (No cushy van to the top of the trail-head this year!) It's a trail I've taken 'down' the mountain before; it's so amazing how different something looks depending on the way one is facing on the path.  


When we finally descended the trail, the guide took us on a side path I'd never noticed before.  I saw three things I've never seen at the festival before.  Seeing pink Yarrow and white Indian Paintbrush for the first time made it  well worth the extra 45 minutes.  That's 2.  Continue on to find the third.  Enjoy!  


OH! You may have noticed I have a music box again. Yippee! If you want to hear it, just click play.   To see larger versions of the photos just click on them also.

Pearly Everlasting

Monkey Flower

Monk's Hood

This beautiful little flower was plentiful this year.  When we got back to the festival I indulged in the offered sidewalk chalk and drew my own rendition on the pavement. :) 

Pink Yarrow

This was on the side trip.  Click to see it up close.

Twinberry Honeysuckle

Sadly, not the least bit fragrant.  But it is intriguing.

Indian Paintbrush

This flower comes in many shades in the meadow, red, hot pink, pale pink, coral and russet.  But even the guide was surprised to find...

...White!!!

Here is the third thing I had never seen on this trail before... a bright orange toadstool!!!

This appeared to be a loner and  not a ring of them

 or I never would have gotten so close for fear of Faeries. :)

Oh Deer!

 This little lady posed sweetly for me.

I love how the morning sun is kissing her ears.

All in a Row

My camera and I have been in search of a theme the last few months.  I have a small offering of photos for you this month.  I have to wonder if I've simply become too picky about which photos I'm willing to share.  Ah well, I hope they please.
The first set were taken at the lake here in Daybreak.  I have been enjoying the walking paths around the lake.
The last photo was taken at the Mc D's on Time Square earlier this month. 
I hope to bag some nice photos in my travels to Lake Powell and  southern California soon.  
Remember to click on the photos to get a better look!
Sorry to say the service I used for my music widget is no longer available.
Love you all, Laura 

Sentinel

6 little ducks went out one day over the hill and far away...

I love little ducks.  Apparently I always have. 

 My mother once told me that I used to pray for

 'all the little duckies' in my bedtime prayers. :)

What is it about this that makes me laugh?

 They all seem to be waiting in line for something, 

but are too cool to admit it...like guys trying to get tics to a chick flick.

Front Row on Time Square.

The original was in color but it felt like it should be black and white.

Stars in My Eyes

Have you ever had a bright blissful moment when you suddenly felt or knew something with clarity that had been beyond imagining? Perhaps you’ve seen something that seemed impossible? Or received kindness or relief from pain when none seemed forthcoming? I have.

Have you ever tried to describe your experience to someone else? I have.

It’s not easy to convey the complicated feelings and thoughts, sometimes worlds and lifetimes that one experiences in the moments of the miraculous.

The picture I present is an example of one such experience. It taught me that one can’t always share the extraordinary, when in making the picture (verbally or visually) it is a pale shadow of the actual event.

I wish you had been there so we could have shared it. I hope you saw it from wherever on the planet you were that evening.

About two weeks ago, Jupiter and Venus were in conjunction in the night sky and it was a spectacular sight for several nights. This particular night they looked like two bright eyes or enormous diamonds set in the deep velvet blue night sky. This is the picture: Please click on it so you can see it full size.

Here is a closer look. It was amazing. These two planets were like beacons. It was lovely.

I know that there are some things that are not possible to share, but being very human, I try anyway.

Surrender

My camera and I have been restless. Cooped up in winter's chill and drabness, I felt empty. I wondered if I would simply have to wait for spring. But then a word crept in that changed everything: Surrender. Surrender to the season, the place and the now.

And when I did, I realized that the winter world wasn't devoid of color, but was simply wrapped in sweet subtle tones that inspire stillness, reflection and if allowed, a moment of peace.

Spring will come with her promise of sunshine, lush greenery and showy flowers to adorn earth's fair head. But for now, I've surrendered to the vision of a crystalline clear lake under the afterglow sky which faded to reveal a crown of winter stars. Sleep well, have peace.

Paddling near the ice rim

Trees, as though etched in charcoal reflect in the icy water.

Cattails silently observe the mountain in the lake.

Afterglow framed in ice.

Shepherd

Time's sleigh ride to Christmas has moved apace this season. So many packages yet to wrap and yes, fruitcake to make. Yup, fruitcake. It is one of my deep dark secrets, that I genuinely enjoy. OOh, with a little slice of medium cheddar and a tangerine. YUM. (Just blame my English ancestry, I guess!) There are also chocolate cakebites to make and caramel popcorn balls to hang on the tree. Games to play, dancing in the kitchen and the hope that there will be friends and family to share it all with.
The early part of the month was spent finishing the layout for my cookbook, Baking Outside the Box, which is now up on Amazon. Hurrah! Thanks to my daughter, Angel,I have learned a lot about photographing food and my nifty-fifty lens.
This month I have just a few pictures to share, some I took out on Pasture Road, just south of my neighborhood and a couple from southern Utah in New Harmony.
The music box this month includes "Mary Did you Know?" A song I love. With no baby to cuddle this year, my arms feel a tad empty.
May The Christmas spirit shine bright in your homes and hearts. Love, Laura




Shepherd






I love these peaks. When one is driving up out of St. George on the way to Cedar City, you pass them as you pass New Harmony. But you never see them from the freeway as it hugs the eastern hills. You have to drive west into New Harmony valley before they come into view in the east. How often do we not see or value something amazing because it's not apparent from our point of view?

Summer's Bloom, Autumn's Blush

I found as I was pouring over my photos recently that somehow, I had missed putting up my wildflower pictures from Albion Meadow this year. My apologies, I will share them. I spent a blissful day with friends and my camera. Truthfully, there weren't as many flowers as usual, because of the lateness of summer. In fact many plants that were just coming into bloom late in July, were a month late and others were not to be found at all. But the few that I have, I give to you.

For Autumn's Blush, I have a few pictures that were taken up at Albion Basin a few weeks ago, for comparison.

As an extra, I've also include a shadow subject that interested me. As a side note, sadly, I've captured no rainbows this year, despite the rain. So hopefully one will put in an appearance before winters steals the possibility or perhaps one of you will be so kind as to capture one for me?

Albion Basin late in July

Another view:

This is a fine array of Sedge. It never looks this romantic in my backyard.

Click on the picture to take a close look at this one. I think it is called Elephanthead.

I don't know what this little dainty is called. I can't identify it.

This is a Sugarbowl or also called a Hairy Clematis. This is its Sugarbowl phase. See the picture below for the 'Hairy' phase.

You'd never guess it was the same flower. Such an exotic transformation!

We step into Fall at Albion. The meadow is snuggling down under a brilliant quilt for a winter's sleep.

I found some bright pink 'late bloomers' . Do you know what they are?

'Closing Hymn'

'Shadow Art'.

It appears most early mornings in my room and I finally took a picture so I could have time to study it and satisfy my curiosity about the various shapes on the wall.