SYLVIA PATTON - 2019 - 2021 - CALENDAR EXTRAS

RICK DIRECTING TRAFFIC IN NORWAY                                                                     HAPPY NEW YEAR! I told you quirky was the password for 2023, so no better shot to begin with than the one above! This was taken in Norway in 2015. Rick and I had a wonderful road trip north from Bergen through the mountains and around the fjords. The 2016 Calendar featured some of my favorite shots from that trip.  Below is a selection from Norway, taken in 2015.                                                  Have a healthy January, see you next month, and feel free to comment!                             ...

CROSSING THE CASCADES - EAST TO WEST  After photographing the Palouse and the Scablands, Rick and I headed west to cross the Cascades heading for the west coast.  On the way we passed through apple country. Even with one's eyes closed, there was no doubt it was apple season. We passed through small towns with shipping warehouses. The smell in the air was totally apple scent! I suppose one might get tired of it after awhile, it was so heavy in the air. But, passing through, it was Delicious, or maybe Honey Crisp :-)) Apple orchards Pick up boxes or bags of apples, and leave your money in the drop box! You may, or may not, have figured out that for a brief moment, December was November. And if you are really a dedicated blog follower, you may, or may not, notice both November and December are posted.  Most of you will never notice. For the rest of us, that is our little secret. Take care of yourselves, and have a Happy Thanksgiving! Sylvia

                                                        No road calendar would be complete without a road through the giant redwoods! Giant redwood forests, like Sequoia National Park, are found only on the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada mountain range in California. The Sequoiadendron giganteum found there are the largest trees on Earth.  While giant redwoods, or giant sequoias, are the most massive trees on earth, the tallest trees are  the Coast redwoods, or California redwoods - Sequoia sempervirens .  They do not have the girth of the giant redwood, but they grow taller. All sequoias are close to my heart. They are not only the largest trees, but they are also some of the oldest living things on Earth. (Sadly, they are also on the endangered species list.)  Their m...

PALOUSE - INFRARED We are still in the Palouse this month. Last month was in color, but this month in infrared.  Last month I added some infrared images for comparison.This month I have added another infrared image, as well as another color image.  On our trip to the Palouse we also visited The Scablands. This area is  between the Washington State Cascade mountain range, to the west, and the wheat fields of the Palouse to the east.  It is very different from either! The Scablands is a vast, scarred,  desert area formed by mega-floods coming from Montana during the Ice Age.  Large lakes formed at the base of glaciers as they began to melt. As the glaciers melted, these lakes were formed and held back by ice dams. As the weather warmed, the water broke free and sent devastating mega-floods all the way to the Pacific Ocean. This repeated flooding caused the formation of the Scablands and the Columbia gorge.  A quick google search for Scablands will find l...

THE PALOUSE - IN COLOR  If you were with me in 2015, then you have seen a whole calendar devoted to the Palouse of Eastern Washington state. Still the monochrome palette above pleased my eye. The wheat fields of the largest wheat producing area in the US are wonderful to look at in spring, summer, and as here, in fall. And in IR as well as in color!                               Just to remind you, I'll put a few of my favorites from 2015 below. Enjoy, comment, and see you in OCTOBER, which is just around the corner! Sylvia

  LOOKING ACROSS THE MOORE PLACE AT BULL HILL The "high country" - evergreens, aspens, meadows, afternoon rains and lightning.       This track is a shortcut from the Gold Camp road to the road leading down to Beaver Creek, and our summer dwelling - the cabin. Saves driving an extra couple of miles. Victor is just the other side of Bull Hill. Cripple Creek a few miles to the right. THE WIDOW WOMAN'S PLACE      When we first started summering the cattle in the "high country" in the early 1950's, this is where we stayed! (The disparaging name came with it.) While it was in a bit better shape then, it was pretty much the same as you see it. It's located in a pasture called "The Moore Place".      Off to the right, behind the pole fence, is a spring-fed water tank where we got our water; the outhouse was about where the white boards are. We only used two rooms: the one with the window on the left side was the main room, and next to it a...