Leaves are falling; though the sun is shining, winter is on its way.
Leafy
Another autumn downtown tree
Autumn Heron
When we arrived at Watson Lake, a heron was sitting on the little float that sits in the middle of the lake. After awhile it flew in front of us and then across to the opposite shore. The wind was ruffling its feathers as it stood immobile until after we left.
Shades of Yellow and Orange
Our walk by Watson Lake last Friday provided views of fall color in all its hues! The weather has turned since then; we had a light snowfall with heavy wind Sunday evening and overnight. I wonder how this scene looks today!
I am using this image in my photo group today for our photoimpressionism assignment. Coincidentally, our photo club has the same theme this month. I won’t be using the same image for both groups, so I will be posting that photo here next week.
Let the Sun Shine
As I write this, we are having snow flurries and very welcome rain- but when I took this photo on Friday the sun was shining. We walked along the trail by Watson Lake and admired the yellow, orange, and still green leaves- knowing that many of those leaves would be off the trees over the next few days. Autumn is my favorite season, and this autumn I’m holding onto the hope of better days ahead with a less volatile political climate, a more united country and an end in sight to the pandemic. Sunnier days ahead!
Peeking at Autumn
I spent some time looking for signs of autumn in our own backyard yesterday. One of my favorites was this view of our neighbors’ tree FROM our backyard.
Post Election Mood
Autumn Beginnings
We took a walk in Watson Woods about a week ago, looking for signs of fall. We did find some autumn color in isolated groups of yellowing leaves on some of the trees, yellowing grasses, and brown leaves scattered on the ground. What we also found were signs of drought. This stream that usually flows from Watson Lake through the adjacent woods was drying up, which you can see as the water curves to the left in the photo.
Happy Halloween!
Even in 2020 this beautiful neighborhood creates the most amazing Halloween displays for Prescott and the many, many visitors who come to experience the Halloween wonderfulness. Happy Halloween, everyone! Stay safe and WEAR A MASK!
I Left My Heart in California
Dry. Parched. Windy. Smoky. Burning.
Those are the words that come to mind when I think of the west these days. October is always fire season, but in recent years ever more so. My home state of California has been on fire this last month, causing tens of thousands to evacuate and thousands of others to be without power. We have a massive drought going on here in Arizona as well- no monsoon season the last two years. Add in a pandemic, an election, and political upheavals- the world of 2020 is not the world we thought we were promised.
I’ve learned in recent years that the process of taking and editing photos soothes my worried soul. Below is a little piece of photo art I created this week. As always, a camera (or in this case an iPhone) and Photoshop ease my worries.
Pray for rain.
Fall Rose
We call these yellow and pink roses our tropicals; we never heard the correct name when we bought the plant, but think the word “tropical” might have been part of it. Because the weather has turned, we’ve picked a few for bouquets to enjoy inside while we can. I edited this multiple exposure image with a hint of a fall palette to go with the season.
Little Bear
One of my favorite series of books for beginning readers (my children and grandchildren as well as my first grade students) is the Little Bear series by Else Holmelund Minarik. There is something about this photo of one of the three little grizzlies at Bearizona that brings those books to mind. It has been two months since I saw those bears, and I’m sure they are a lot bigger (and scarier) these days!
Big Horn
The last few days I have finally gotten around to editing more of the photos I took at Bearizona a month or so ago. I had fun playing with textures and some new brushes in photoshop to create somewhat painterly looks.
Another Window View
Same photoshoot as my other window shot from a week or so ago, but with the items rearranged and a slightly different look. Thank you to Debbie for giving me this old window to use in my still life shots- so much fun!
Octoberness
Below is a still life I shared with my weekly photo group on Tuesday. I have been in the group over 4 1/2 years now, and it has become an important part of my life. As I prepared this photo for class (on zoom, of course), I remembered that I had created a still life in the same spot in our house (on my father’s antique dental cabinet) for my second photo ever for this group back in 2016. You can see that photo and read about my experience as a new and very nervous member of the group here. I still learn new things every week and am constantly inspired by the group’s creativity and technical skills.
melinda anderson photography 