Grand Canyon - Part 2 - “All Along the Watchtower”

We kept the view. While women came and went. Nike clad tourists too. Outside, in the distance, a storm did growl. Two cells were departing. The wind began to howl.

(My apologies to Bob Dylan. I had to do it.)

While in the distance, a wildcat did growl

And the wind began to howl

All along the Watchtower
(pictures scroll)

The Desert View Watchtower is a notable landmark on the South Rim. If you look closely, it is in each of the images in this post. You can learn more about the Desert View Watchtower by clicking: https://www.nps.gov/places/000/desert-view-watchtower.htm

Boyd TurnerSeptember 28, 2022Comment

Grand Canyon - Part 1 - Canyon and Clouds

We have wanted to visit the Grand Canyon again for a long time. It had been years, maybe decades, since our last visit. We knew we wanted our next visit to be when the monsoon was in progress. The monsoon season in Arizona brings spectacular storms and interesting skies. When combined with the grandest gorge on the planet, it is place that calls to any photographer of the land. So, we answered the call, loaded up, and made a road trip.

Days are long here for photographers. Not that the sun stays up longer than other places at this latitude, but because you don’t want to miss sunrise or sunset. Because microclimate and burbles in the monsoon atmosphere cause moisture to move in complex ways, we found that weather forecasts often are frustratingly inaccurate about potential cloud cover and the chances of a spectacular sky. So we work under the old saying: “If you don’t go, you don’t know.” It’s up early (first bus at 0400 to the west end) and stay up late.

Evening dissipation - a storm breaks down at sunset

And because it’s the Grand Canyon, there can be interesting light, shadows and clouds at any time of the day; so no napping!

The big reason for coming in the monsoon is the chance of a storm.

Of course, even in the not-quite-off-season of late August, there are other people here, although, we found the crowds relatively small.

But, we didn’t go to the Grand Canyon for a storm that drops a little shower as the cloud collapses, or a storm that covers the sky in shades of gray or even a storm lit from below by a sunset, but the storm that has the power to dance with it’s erosional partner below. We came for a powerful dance between the sky and the river. And one evening it happened…

The first stroke of lightning is a surprise. It comes from a relatively small cloud. The crowd of visitors gasp and yell. “Did you catch that?” And then the intensity ramps up.

Even as night fell the storm continued off to the east as the clouds parted and the stars came out to watch.

We hope to have the next part of this story posted in a few days. In the meanwhile, you can click on the individual photos to see them in a larger “letterbox”. And if you can, use a large device to view these images, a phone just doesn’t do them justice. Hopefully, we did some justice to the dance in the sky.

Boyd TurnerSeptember 24, 2022Comment

August already?

Wow the last Journal entry was April! We apologize to the 3 viewers who check back regularly. The last three months have been a little busy. But we have a short break and we thought it would be good to get some of the latest work posted.

Shocking really. We haven’t added to our journal. Or maybe we are sparking excitement with a new post?

So here are some images from the last 3 months. The lead photo of lightning is a 4-image composite from early July.

Spring means Flowers

So of course we have been making flower images.

Purple Pac-man flower

Yellow Stamens

Rhodie Detail

Hiding in the Shadows

Falling Water

We can’t help ourselves; we are attracted to water.

Golden waves

Lower Diamond Creek Falls

Waterfall Detail #66

Waterfall Detail #20

And some new friends

Well, maybe just new portraits of old friends.

Angry Tree Swallow

Morning Guard

Mr. Wilson

Doe Eyed

I guess if we posted more often maybe all these critters wouldn’t be giving us the stink eye.

All we can do is try…

Boyd TurnerAugust 2, 2022Comment

Cape without Disappointment

We recently had the opportunity to visit the mouth of the Columbia River. This is where Lewis and Clark found themselves at the Pacific Ocean. The expedition spent the winter of 1805/1806 here. It was a cold, stormy and wet winter for the Corps of Discovery. The Columbia River is still cold, stormy and wet. One of the landmarks here is Cape Disappointment on the Washington side of the river. This point of land was a “disappointment“ to British explorer John Meares who, in 1788, thought the point was just a peak on a bay, not the mouth of what would become known as the Columbia River. Today Cape Disappointment is known as a famous photographic landmark. We were fortunate enough to spend several hours over a couple of days watching storm generated surf pound the Cape. One point to remember is this is inside the Columbia River jetties - technically this is the Columbia River not the Pacific Ocean.

Cape Disappointment, the lighthouse and Columbia River Bar observation bunker during a squall.

Even without a squall in the area the surf here is impressive.

The cliffs of the Cape (just to the left of the image) reflect the waves back out into the river.

Sometimes the interaction of waves creates delicate fountains.

Sometimes explosions of foam and water are the result.

When the tide, wind and waves come together in the right sequence, the explosions of foam and water are [use your own superlative]!

If you have read our journal before you know we love to dive into the details of a subject.

(You may have to be patient with the gallery above if you have a slow internet connection.)

Cape Disappointment didn’t disappoint us when it came to being image worthy. Oh, and the beach we were on when we took these shots - it is named Waikiki. It is a slightly different vibe here at the mouth of the Columbia River than at the world-famous similarly-named beach a few thousand miles to the southwest. We’ve been to both, and we like the Columbia River one better. You might say it’s a beach that has a Cape without Disappointment.

Boyd TurnerApril 18, 2022Comment

Painted Hills

Formally, the complete name is ”Painted Hills Unit of John Day Fossil Beds National Monument.” But if you say “We went to Painted Hills” pretty much everyone around Central Oregon knows where you went. Outside of Oregon, probably few people have heard of this subunit of the National Park system. In some, mostly selfish, ways this is a good thing. It means there are a lot fewer visitors (148,000 for the whole monument in 2021) than, say, Indiana Dunes NP (about the same size but 3.17 million visitors in 2021).

In some ways the low number of visitors is too bad. People are missing an area of striking natural colors - from the birds…

… to the dirt itself. How striking those colors are change from minute to minute as the light changes and season to season as the soil moisture changes with precipitation (or lately lack of precipitation). For the best color, hope for a cloudy day after a rain or snowmelt. Someday we hope to visit after a snowstorm to get the contrast with the white snow, stormy skies and brilliant dirt. Until then enjoy the Painted Hills. Just don’t tell anyone about this colorful bit of Central Oregon.

Here is a gallery of some images we have made of the Painted Hills. You should click on each one to see the full image as these are cropped to fit the grid format.

Boyd TurnerMarch 18, 2022Comment

Frost along the Deschutes

It is turning into another dry winter here in Central Oregon. But some days start cold with freezing fog. This combination can create ice that is sculpted by the wind and brief sun breaks. Sometimes it is hoar frost and sometimes it is rime ice. Yes there is a difference. No we aren’t going into the definitions. Yes we will wait while you go look up the definitions. No, we are not giving out prizes for the best definitions. Yes we like the results of frozen water built up from the air..

All the images in this post are “light boxed” which means you can click on them to see them in their own window.

Boyd TurnerFebruary 8, 2022Comment

Street Dreams

Sometimes a place won’t leave our subconscious. The alleys and back streets of Tuscany and Umbria are so different from the western US scenes we are used to. The narrow passages and places waiting for crowds either before dawn or late in the evening, seem to stick with us. Add a little time and the vagaries of memory and soon these scenes eek out in our editing and assume their own place in our photographic dreams.

You can click on the images to see them open in a letterbox/separate window. And they are best viewed on larger devices.

A note about the technique. Adobe Photoshop has a set of algorithms called Neural Filters. When combined with our photos, the result can be an interesting (at least to us) mix of photo realism, abstract painting, and other styles that give a different look to an image. A look we feel is akin to the things memory does over time: sometimes subtle changes, sometimes bold highlighting, sometimes muted details. Hope you enjoyed this diversion into the less literal.

Boyd TurnerJanuary 20, 2022Comment

Portals of TUR Part II

If you have never heard of TUR scroll down and read Part I first.

We had a story previously about the Portals of St. Elmo. We may have a thing about portals. This set of portals are in TUR. Never heard of Tur? It’s Tuscany, Umbria and Rome. We wondered in Part I what lies behind these portals into the heart of central Italy. You may not have noticed but Part I was windows. Part II is doors. So many doors of so many different kinds, colors and conditions.

Some are nicely decorated.

Some are very simple and plain. Often these simple portals have clearly seen many changes of the season.

Some portals lead to the inner sanctums of holy places. These tend toward the intricate. Stories and metaphors abound with iconography of great detail. We wonder how an alien with no previous knowledge of the stories behind the depicted scenes would interpret them.

But more simple portals also have interesting stories in their more limited adornments. Why use this figure for outsiders to announce their presence? Why choose colored locks? Is there a magical sequence known only to the initiated? Are there prizes for the most attachments?

And many of these portals have signage either on the portal or adjacent to assist the passerby. Sometimes there is an ornate coat of arms over the portal. Sometimes there is faded and cryptic lettering on the portal itself. And of course there are more formal signs placed adjacent to some portals.

There are so many stories in the land of TUR. And so much mystery.

Boyd TurnerJanuary 9, 2022Comment

Portals of TUR Part 1

We had a journal entry a few months ago about the Portals of St. Elmo. This set of portals are in Tur. Never heard of Tur? Probably because I just made it up. It’s Tuscany, Umbria and Rome. That area of ancient villages, walled cities, and the odd Etruscan artifact. Buildings are considered new here if they are less than 250 years old. Tur is ancient and yet modern. What lies behind these portals into the heart of central Italy? Sometimes it is stacks of fine leather. Sometimes there are ultra modern residences. Most of the time one can only guess. But the portals themselves provide clues to an ancient past with textures and hints of places far away in time.

Clues to what lies behind these portals are often found hanging nearby.

And there are a substantial number of portals with flowering plants nearby.

We don’t know where the lower portal in the image below goes, but it doesn’t look good.

Portals in danger of being swallowed.

High density portals

Portals to high fashion,

portals to religious passion.

And portals to other passions:

So many portals into the soul of TUR.

Part 2 soon.

[And if you are on a device with a larger screen, click on any image to see a larger version.]

Boyd TurnerDecember 10, 2021Comment

Making Cheese by Hand in Chianti

We recently returned from a trip to Italy - Tuscany, Umbria and Rome specifically. This is a land with lots of history, churches, artwork, narrow streets and red wine. We experienced all of that and more. But we thought we would start with a post about something you might not associate with Italy: goat cheese. We were fortunate to have a demonstration and assist in the making of goat cheese by hand at a small, artisanal operation called Podere Le Fornaci.

Of course it starts with a goat.

Goats provide the main ingredient of milk. The herd was very friendly and obviously well cared for. But like any milking operation, there is a ton of work to do. Not only do the goats have to be milked every single day during the milking season. (Yes there is a season. The goats get time off in the winter to get ready for having baby goats.) But there is feeding, and cleaning and caring for the goats.

Once you have goat milk, you need a cheese maker.

The cheese maker works with the milk to make curds and whey.

With the help of some natural enzymes, the milk separates into the firm curds which the cheese maker will cut and breakup. Under the curd is the whey.

This is a small operation where the cheese maker uses a lot of handwork to cut, stir and pack the curds.

An example of the curds.

On this day, she hand packed the curds into these small plastic containers. This allowed the excess whey (the watery part) to drain out.

After filling the containers there are more steps of drying and aging. Of course this is also managed by the cheese maker and requires a lot of knowledge of cheese and fermentation.

And yes our cheese maker is a very animated person, who loves to talk with her hands about what she does.

And with different aging time and conditions the farm produces a variety of cheeses from this simple process. And we can testify that they were all delicious. Especially when washed down with a little red wine.

So a hearty Thank You to the folks at Podere Le Fornaci for spending a morning with us. These ladies are extremely dedicated to their farm, goats and cheese. They also are really fun people.

If you want to learn more about this farm, check out their website below. The website is in both Italian and English.

Boyd TurnerNovember 13, 2021Comment