SYLVIA PATTON - 2019 - 2021 - CALENDAR EXTRAS

        May is here, and LA is getting ready to celebrate Cinco de Mayo. Many people believe it is a remembrance of the Battle of Puebla, but it really is a celebration of MY birthday :-)) It's so nice when everyone is happy on one's birthday!     This month's photo is a bit  different from the others in that it has a definite subject! It was captured on the Big Cypress Bend Boardwalk in 2011.  I had gotten together for a reunion with some of my Peace Corps buddies in Venice, Florida. I took the opportunity to spend some extra time in the swamps and byways of the Western Everglades. Having never spent any time in Florida, it was a new experience. The flora and fauna there are all not found in SoCal :-)) The Boardwalk was quiet, I had it to myself, and there were many birds and reptiles along the way.      I did fear for the bird, but nothing happened while I was there! The "cousin" hanging out down the road a bit. Where's the Barbie...

     The above image was taken in Yellowstone National Park at Mammoth Hot Springs. Different algae grows at different temperatures. The variety of colors  which make Yellowstone so magical is due to the different water temperatures from hot springs mixing with cold river water and springs. Different temperatures, different colors, and different textures. Have a good month and see you in May. Stay safe!        Sylvia

  This photo is for fun! I like it well enough, but what makes it REALLY special is you can play a game with it! Look at it, and decide which tree is the front tree. Got it? Now tell your brain that it really is the OTHER tree that is in front. Can you make your eyes believe it? You should be able to - AND - you can flip back and forth at will! Fun, no? While the above image was captured in Kona, Hawaii, from the balcony of Stacey's condo, the below image was captured in the Eureka Dunes in Death Valley National Park.  It has the same attribute as the above image, but I find it a bit more challenging! Are there valleys, which are lighter, with dark ridges (concave)? Or - are they light humps with dark valleys (convex)? Right now, for me, they are  concave, light valleys with raised dark ridges. I can switch it, but it's harder. Let me know what you think, and which was your first impression as to which was front, in the first image, and whether you see convex or concave i...

BLUE ICE is one of my favorite things in the world to see, to experience and to photograph.      This up close and personal view was captured in Antarctica in 2007. I went there on a Russian ice cutter with some 50 plus other photographers. That was my first big adventure on a ship. I had the good fortune to share that extraordinary experience with my good friend, and yours, Rick Allen.      For more pictures of that trip, go to the link below. Lots to noodle around in there, should you be so inclined.  https://pbase.com/sylviapatton/antarctica__2007&page=5     And of course you have seen lots of grand vistas of blue ice in previous blogs.     If you live in the right place, right now,  - say Minnesota - you may have more snow and BLACK ice than you wish! Big storm coming through!     Stay safe and warm. I'll see you next month.                      ...

You have a choice for JANUARY 2021! The photo above is taken on Chiloe Island. It is one of Chile's largest islands, and a fascinating place to visit. These houses on stilts are found in Castro, along with unique wooden UNESCO World Heritage Churches. The churches were made by shipbuilders in the 17th-18th centuries and are made entirely of native wood, down to the wooden pegs used instead of nails. Two are pictured below. You can always use google to find out more! MOVING ON TO 2021 AND ANOTHER JANUARY 2021 Above :This image was captured in Zion National Park in February of 2013. Below: A wider view of the location where the image was taken, along with an image that didn't make it. Some images have an inherent flaw, as calendars go - they are vertical images! Above: Death Valley floor from Dante's View Below: Abstract takenfrom Zabriskie Point - JANUARY 2021 Below: Two wider views from Zabriskie Point. ...

        December is a photo of a guanaco - (guan-A-co) - a camelid, but not a llama, not an alpaca, and not a vicuña.  So what's the difference, you may well ask! All are from the species camelid, with the guanaco and the vicuña being wild, while the llama and the alpaca have been domesticated. All live in the southern altiplano of South America, with the guanaco being found further south. This one was photographed in the Torres del Paine National Park in Argentina. Llamas, descended from the guanacos, are the largest, and are primarily used as pack animals as its wool is not as fine as the alpaca. The wool from the smaller alpaca is quite soft and makes wonderful sweaters, etc. The wild vicuña has an even finer wool, and due to this, and its relative scarcity, is quite expensive. The guanaco has a coarse coat and is not prized for its wool, like the vicuña.      This video explains in more detail the similarities and differences among the four: ...

This will be a November to remember, having absolutely nothing to do with this calendar! NOVEMBER, with its snow and rock design is a distraction from that "other" reality. You  couldn't be further from the angst of the election than this: on the deck of the Nat. Geo. Explorer in Southern Patagonia, looking up at this wonderful vision. Think about that! How far away it seems, even in "normal" times, let alone 2020! Snow, ice, rocks, trees - all form wonderful patterns for us to contemplate. So I thought I'd take this opportunity to introduce 2021's theme, as it continues this idea of design in nature.  Some images are iconic. You see them and immediately know where they were taken. Others, as the one above, could be from anywhere, well - anywhere really cold! In next year's  calendar you will find images from a number of travel destinations. Some you can figure out where they were taken, others you will not be able to identify the location by viewing...