Beautiful light on autumn leaves. . .
Thank You, Veterans!
I ‘m not able to attend this year’s Veterans Day parade in Prescott, so I’m posting this photo from last year. I’m pretty sure there will some very similar sights to see. . .
Blue and Gold
More roadside beauty!
Roadside
More aspens- these along the road as we drove up to Snowbowl.
Aspen Glow
We were fortunate to be in Flagstaff a couple weeks ago on a beautiful Fall day when the aspens were in all their glory. It made my heart happy to see so many other people up at Snowbowl, late on a weekday afternoon- everyone there just to catch the late afternoon sun hitting the aspens. Unforgettable!
Burro Breakfast
We had to create a fantasy landscape composite for my photo class. This was quite challenging- and for me involved three photos- a sky, mountains, and a Zabriskie Point (Death Valley) scene. I attempted to create early morning light- which everyone interpreted as sunset. And I added a bit of whimsy with the donut truck and burros. Lonnie is in there too, but he’s pretty hard to find. Oh yes- pelicans from Laguna Beach are flying over as well.
I Heart Pelicans
Last week I started hearing about some white pelicans that people were seeing at Watson Lake. I had seen a group (a “brief”, a “scoop”, a “squadron”) of pelicans fly over last year, but I had never seen them by or in the water. So of course, we went over to take a look.
The first day, we got there too late. At five o’clock they were already tucking their heads under their wings, but at 8:30 the next morning, there they were! I didn’t lug my long lens along, so the photos are not stellar, but it was so much fun to see them. Those of you that know me know I am NOT a birder- or even a lover of birds- but I do love water birds, shore birds and herons etc. And pelicans are my favorites!
We watched for about 45 minutes, and then all of a sudden a jerk with a camera strode across the grass right toward the pelicans and off they flew to another part of the lake. *&%#$
I also took some egret and heron photos- I’ll post those another day.
Zabriskie at Midday and No Clouds
On the way back to Arizona, we drove through Death Valley. This shot was taken from Zabriskie Point- love those undulations in the rock!
Once upon a time in Bodie . . .
Bodie looks a bit like a storybook town, and, when you wander over the acres and acres of this old ghost town, you can almost see the stories come to life.
Window Dressing
I loved photographing and editing this old window display in Bodie. I was in the mood for blues!
Corrugation
as seen in Bodie
Bodie
We took a day trip from Lone Pine to the famous ghost town, Bodie, which is now a state park. Bodie is interesting and fun for everyone, but is especially beloved by photographers. I was intrigued by the angles and shapes of the buildings contrasting with the almost cloudless skies that day- and had to force myself to take photos of some of the wonderful vintage items on display (those are usually my favorites). This is one shot of the shapes and angles of Bodie, but I edited it three ways for fun.
Welcome to Manzanar
On our last day in Lone Pine, Lonnie and I spent a couple hours at Manzanar, the Japanese internment camp which is now a National Historic Site through the National Park Service. It was a sobering experience, but learning about this part of our history is important for all Americans.
Although the original buildings were torn down after the war, replicas have been rebuilt in the footprints of the originals, so one can get a sense of what this place was like during the war years.
Backdrop
The mountains behind the Alabama Hills made a beautiful backdrop as Lonnie and I drove through the dirt side roads of this fascinating area which was the setting for so many old western movies. This is a zoomed in view of Mr. Whitney behind the hills.
Whitney Portal
Whitney Portal Road goes from Lone Pine through the Alabama Hills and then starts its ascent up the mountain to 8,389 feet, where it ends at Whitney Portal. There are spectacular views of the hills below and of the mountain itself.
melinda anderson photography 