living, learning, and keeping with the times
the world is full of magic things, patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper
wb yeats
This winter I plan to see the magic in our county and bring it to my blog. I’ve already learned (no confirmed) how much I love white space … it’s a good thing, since I have until the end of April to capture it :)
“Women think of all colors except the absence of color. I have said that black has it all. White too. Their beauty is absolute. It is the perfect harmony.”
Coco Chanel, Chanel
Yesterday as I was heading out to do some shopping I decided to stop at one of my favourite “lookouts” to take a few photos. After I took about a dozen shots I decided they were all a bit “meh” and I carried on into town.
However, on my way home I noticed hoar frost was forming on a few trees so I went back to my little “lookout” and oh.my.oh.my…
I guess I should stop whining about the lack of sunlight around here.
So grateful for my neighbourhood, it never ceases to amaze me and inspire me.
My apologies for the copyright … I’m planning on turning this one into a print :)
#NaBloPoMo
Today I have a review of our trip to the top of Mount Lemmon via the Catalina Highway. Armed with plenty of water, a homemade lunch, and snacks, we set out on our adventure.
The Catalina Highway, officially the General Hitchcock Highway, is the popular name for a Forest Highway and scenic route located in Pima County in southern Arizona (Wikipedia).
When we first arrived in Arizona it was early November and I wasn’t ready to let go of autumn. After a little research and much debate, we decided to make a trip to Mount Lemmon (near Tucson) rather than Oak Creek (near Sedona) to search for colour.
We weren’t sure we’d find autumn, but we’d never been to Mount Lemmon, so we decided to take the chance. It was quite a hike from our place in Fountain Hills at 172.1 miles (3 hours 28 minutes), and after a while I was feeling a little sheepish, thinking I had sent us on a wild goose chase. But not to worry. It was spectacular! The whole drive was spectacular … we love the Arizona landscape, so really, we would have enjoyed the trip whether we found autumn or not.
As we neared our destination and arrived at the park we found the Cactus Forest which “is a census-designated place in Pinal County, Arizona, United States. The population was 594 at the 2010 census (Wikipedia).”
Like I say, spectacular!
When we stopped for lunch at wonderful picnic area, I was already seeing colour … not really, but … maybe? The air was fresh, scented lightly by pines, and if you weren’t in the sun, it did get quite cool. I love that …
I have finally, after years and years of travel, started taking photos of the signs on the highway … oh my … am I the last person in the world to do this?
Mount Lemmon Hoodoo at Windy Point:
and then this … I think we’re on the right track …
I hope you’ll join me tomorrow when I share the spectacular colours we found … you won’t be disappointed!
Day 13 #nablopomo
Autumn in Alberta II … because it’s just so amazingly gorgeous out there and I want to remember it … one of the reasons I continue to blog.
The wood pile photos were taken a few weeks ago as we started the preparations. We ordered a full cord of birch which will probably last us three years! Hubby stacked it all … I begged off because of a bad back, and sore knees, etc. etc. etc.
Most of my Upcycled Toolbox Planter is going to have to hit the compost heap … I simply cannot save everything (that succulent in the middle being an exception).
I dropped everything and took a walk …
If you click on the following photo you will be taken to my new IG account @barbbrookbank where you can watch the leaves fall, and listen to the sound as a light breeze blows through them …
Have a wonderful Tuesday!
Autumn in Alberta is beyond stunning this year, and I can’t remember such colour! Everywhere I look I imagine flames …
I used a polarizing filter on this … pretty dramatic …
I was out and about on Wednesday and stopped to take a photo of the landscape, but look who was hiding in the trees waiting for me (kinda wish I’d used my filter here). Do you ever use a polarizing filter? Truthfully, I’d forgotten about it …
Almost home …
My back yard …
I am not looking forward to the first winds … and I’m sure you can guess why … .
Thank you so much for dropping by and have a wonderful Friday!
You might want to check out Autumn in Alberta II
On Sunday morning, we took one more tour around the lake for some autumn colour inspiration; brilliant blues, yellows, greens, and golds.
It was a perfect morning with wispy white clouds painted across the blue skies, calm glassy water, and other than a couple of people fishing, we were the only ones out there.
Later in the day the lake exploded with boating activity complete with music blaring from speakers until about 10:00pm when it was completely dark. There are two types of lake-life here … early morning coffee cruisers, and late night partiers. Kind of hard to picture the latter when you see this:
So this is it for my autumn lake reflections (I know, it was a bit of a photo dump). We’ve brought the boat in, put it away, and covered it for what is surely coming … the autumn colours will inevitably be replaced with browns, and greys, and eventually white.
If you want to see our evening tour, check out my post, Autumn Reflections.
Have a Happy Monday! and thank you for dropping by!
One of things I look forward to in September is our last tour around the lake, to take in the autumn reflections. Here’s the view from our dock, and you can see that some of the leaves have already fallen off the tallest trees. It happens so fast …
We were the only people on the lake … and it was absolutely incredible. The photos don’t do it justice.
Summer ends, and Autumn comes, and he who would have it otherwise would have high tide always and a full moon every night
~Hal Borland~
What is it about coneflowers?
I love them at all stages, but it’s at the end of the season when the petals are crispy and curling that I find them the most beautiful.
I’m offering a free template to use with your autumn photos! Please enjoy … for personal use only!
It’s a *fully layered psd template, compatible with Photoshop Elements, and Photoshop.
As October draws to a close, most of my autumn photo opportunities are over. Our “show” starts early, and ends early.
This year I was particularly inspired because our weather was warm, dry, and calm, which resulted in some spectacular colours. I also had a my new D7100 to play with, and oh, does it ever do bokeh well! I’m excited for (then next season) and another chance to rock the bokeh!
I made up a template to showcase some of my favourite shots, and you can get it here for free!
It’s a *fully layered psd template, compatible with Photoshop Elements, and Photoshop.
bb_9 photo template
*For personal use only
Happy Halloween!!
Soon I’ll be heading out to meet my friends at the mailbox, but these days I have a little extra time to have coffee, and maybe write a blog post before I go. We’ve had to push our walk back to 8:30 because it’s still so dark at 7:30… You might think that that is depressing, but I find it kind of cozy. This is when I bring out my bright orange pillows, set out a few candles, and start thinking about having fires in the fireplace.
I’m going to enjoy every single minute of this beautiful season.
…or is that winter preparations?
We’re having the most gloriously warm and sunny autumn this year. There’s hardly any rain to speak of, lots of colourful leaves, and amazing light.
Every time I go out into the yard with full intentions to clean up flower beds, I somehow never get to them… photos happen instead.
So yesterday hubby coaxed me outside, and after I spent a half hour playing, he managed to get me to clean up the two front beds. Progress.
He was busy blowing leaves off the roof, lawn and driveway, and then he roto-tilled the garden.
Today I have three more flower beds to clean up, four autumn bulbs to plant, and I’m done. It’s a cozy, familiar feeling when the yard is all tidied up for winter. Now we just wait…