Framing the view from my garden

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Making a frame for the mountain on this particular morning, seemed like something creative to try.  Tom Torrens is a well known Northwest artist who created a bell that has stood on our patio for 20 years.  The frame for the first photo is part of that bell, and presented itself as the perfect accompaniment for a photograph on such a stellar morning. As the day progressed and the sun began to set, the cloud formations were nothing short of dazzling. And looking easterly, at the same moment as the sun disappeared behind the cloud bank, in the clarity of the brilliant late afternoon light - the mountain and Commencement Bay were equally beautiful.

At the end of my garden this morning! A picture IS worth a thousand words! A tribute to the young ranger killed at Mt. Rainier earlier this week.

An hour later it seemed someone had sat on the mountain!

In my garden!

What is a rose doing in bloom in my garden on the 2nd of January in a new year?  Clearly it's confused! But the beauty of its color, and arrangement of it's leaves, are an inspiration for these wintry days, and a reminder that out of darkness comes this beauty.  The rose was a gift from a friend, delivered in one of those four inch grocery store plastic pots, almost 11 years ago! Despite severe weather, being moved from our former garden to this new one and little attention this rose has continued to grow and flower - this year non stop since summer! Thanks Jill.

Meanwhile at the end of my garden, in that azure moment at the end of the day yesterday - January 1st, 2012 - the reflections of the lights at the Port of Tacoma danced across the open water creating a watercolor-like image for our late day enjoyment.

Different shades of blue papered the sky behind Mt. Rainier in the low light of late afternoon yesterday and I watched fascinated by a flurry of cloud on the SW side of the mountain.  The disturbance continued for sometime and what it was will remain a mystery but it was fascinating to watch the flurry of clouds in an isolated place on the flank of the mountain.

End of Year Reflections ... not of the philosophical kind!

We are continually amazed at the number of days of sunshine, or at least no rain, that we have experienced in December this year.  Reading the forecasts we have had galoshes and umbrellas ready to greet the days and instead had to grab for the sunglasses.  This morning was no exception. Monotones of color certainly were prevalent - mostly grey.  But as the sun rose from behind the mountain the shaft of light created pointed right to the end of my garden! Another stunning sunrise. With very best wishes, to anyone who comes across this blog, for a joy filled, adventurous, healthy new year.

Matisse was here?

Late afternoon December 24, 2011

On the south facing end of my garden the view looked as though Matisse had come to visit.  At this time of year the sun is at its most southerly place in the sky creating new images across Puget Sound. So low was the setting sun that a shadow of the trees, on the top of the hill across the water from us, was projected onto the water looking just like an impressionist painting. It reminded us of his paintings of the gardens at Giverny.  And then .... it was gone.

Winter Solstice approaches ...

As the winter solstice approaches ( this year at 12.30am on the 22nd of December) the sun is so much further south and rises almost behind Mt. Rainier highlighting the mountain from behind.  These two images were taken on the day before and the day of the winter solstice last year.  Who knows what the morning will be like for the next couple of days, but photos like these remind us that the most spectacular sun rises of the year, from our vantage point, happen in winter. I haven't seen any druids at the end of my garden but rest assured we will be on the lookout for the next couple of days!

Should you post "pretty pictures"?

I have the privilege of living in a very beautiful area, with a very spectacular view from my home, and the surrounding area as well. Looking at stunning images in various publications, or in one of the many online photo storage and display sites, it's easy to think that unless you "fix" or embellish a photograph and make it "perfect' or extraordinary ( in whose eyes is always my question)  ... it should just be left in your computer photo book, or your personal photo album. Who cares? Should you even bother to put "pretty pictures" in a blog for goodness sakes! But I choose to do so, for now.

Looking at the westerly facing end of my garden this afternoon I watched a stunning sunset image develop before my eyes. I'll just look, I thought, no need to try and capture it.  But ultimately I couldn't resist.  And as so often is the case ... this was the light one minute and less than a minute later ... it was gone. A fleeting, stunning end to what had been a bleak, grey, rainy  day.