: It looks like Mt Tom is erupting, but that is just one of our crazy clouds.
: Long Valley has a big sky. To get a sense of how dynamic the winds and clouds can be here, consider …
: Long Valley grasses near Lake Crowley. Long Valley is a caldera, the site of a supervolcano that …
: Long Valley often seems to have these high cirrus clouds of just the right thickness to photograph …
: Releasing a rehabilitated Peregrine falcon. #peregrine img.left { float: left; max-width: 40%; height: auto; padding-right: 2em; } #peregrine …
: empath : empathy :: _____ : apathy
: Band of Granite. Wheeler Crest with a spotlight on it.
: Well, we finally had clear skies when a rocket went up from Vandenberg last night. I took a photo. …
: Baby clouds sliding down the mountain canyon.
: Pleasant Valley, where the Owens River spreads out into oxbows, from Chalk Bluff Road. With all the …
: No cats for #caturday, so I decided to go with some hummingbirds that were kung-fu fighting. (Those …
: Some days we have a distinct wind layer that is just floating atop the warm air near the ground. It …
: Partial cloud cover at the right time of day puts the rugged, granite crags of Wheeler Crest in …
: From low to high, Owens River to the high Sierra. As you look up, you see the Horton Creek drainage, …
: Tuff Henge. Blocks of Bishop Tuff lay on the Pleasant Valley floor, fallen from the cliff behind the …
: There were monsters in the sky yesterday.
: Sawmill Road in the Horton Creek valley. Still cycling through photos from Tropical Storm Hilary.
: Today’s game is “find the thermocline.”
: Sunflowers growing along Horton Creek, Coyote Willow lining banks. The Tungsten Hills are brown and …
: Tuff and poof. The pink rock is Bishop Tuff, the welded volcanic ash upon which we live. The poof, …
: Horton Creek drainage, sunflowers blooming, looking to Pleasant Valley and the White Mountains.
: Round Valley pastures lead to Mt. Tom, Pine Creek Canyon, and Wheeler Crest.
: Round Valley, with cloud cover courtesy of Tropical Storm Hilary.
: A recent conversation with Diego. #caturday Diego: Did you say something? Me: Please don’t put …
: As Tropical Storm Hilary waned, she left a parting gift.
: Time for #WhatsItWednesday, Towers of Power edition. What’s up with these towers?
: Filed under #InvoluntarySculpture.
: Hilary pretty much obscured Mt. Tom yesterday.
: At the market, the young checker was having trouble with the scale, anxious that it was actually …
: As Tropical Storm (née Hurricane) Hilary approached, the skies leapt into action.
: In August, we usually have no clouds, searing sun, and everything is parched. But this year is …
: I don’t know what they wanted, but I had the urge to back away slowly. #caturday
: Every time we get clouds like this, I hear Dan Akroyd’s voice in my head, saying “What …
: I believe this is the dust kicked up from two bulls wallowing. If you look closely, you can just …
: Time for #WhatsItWednesday. Expected difficulty: moderate for the general solution, extremely …
: We continue to get more storms than I’ve been used to, even through the summer. Here, storm …
: I’m told these are not Brown-eyed Susans, but common sunflowers (Helianthus annuus). What …
: Rummaging through old files, I found a short entry in a folder named “Writing”. Last …
: In my neighborhood, when you get a text in the evening, it’s likely a “beauty …
: Today, I admonished a cat not to wolf down his food.
: While I was looking for the dance flies, the sun went down behind the ridge, putting a spotlight on …
: Brown-eyed Susans are everywhere this year.
: RIP Robbie Robertson. Listen to “Music from Big Pink” yesterday to remember his genius. …
: Another type of #WhatsItWednesday. Can you explain this?
: After record snowfall, record runoff makes for great waterfalls. Horsetail Falls, June Lake.
: I went searching for the dance flies and the Brown-eyed Susans. I climbed down into the marsh, where …
: As the road turns, so do the utility lines.
: Best wifi password I’ve seen in a while, at a brewery/restaurant: pikabrew.
: Horton Creek drainage, with clouds of flies doing their mating dance. This is a wider shot of the …
: The answer to yesterday’s puzzle. In summer, these flies gather in large clouds and spiral …
: A study in contrasts, a Spotify playlist put Prince’s “Kiss” and Ed …
: A different sort of #WhatsItWednesday.
: The Owens River in Pleasant Valley is full, the flora is rampant. The bluff on the north side shows …
: Pleasant Valley in peak summer.
: Another bit of cirrus lit from below by the setting sun.
: It felt like these clouds were sending me a message, but I still don’t know what it is.
: I guess this is #WhatsItFriday.
: A building in Mammoth Lakes presenting an abstract view.
: The eastern slope of Mt Tom becomes alluvial rubble, filling the valley floor.
: Deactivated my twitter account. I left it fallow for 6 months or so. Nothing good happened.
: Rain on the Volcanic Tablelands.
: It’s always darkest before the dawn. But what about sunset?
: If yesterday was for meditation, today is a day for inspiration. Let your thoughts float, expand, …
: Homeoclock: a device that tells you the time as the ancient Chinese cultures understood it.
: It’s a good day to let your mind meander, deep and hidden, like the river that cut this …
: When someone says, “Come see the hummingbird chicks,” don’t dawdle, because just a …
: Sunset over Wheeler Crest, earlier this week. We got rain the next day.
: I feel like “phonetic” should be spelled with an “f”.
: I don’t have a true #WhatsItWednesday, but how about we play #WhatDoYouSee? #RorschachClouds
: The sky couldn’t make up its mind yesterday, so it just produced every kind of cloud it knew …
: I thought breakfast was kind of pretty: cast iron pan, black beans, tomato sauce, an egg, and hot …
: Hot outside already, harsh light, so I went for something soft and cool inside.
: The broken lines of pergola.
: You know it’s summer when the zucchini ripen like wildfire: Just picked at 6:00 pm tonight, …
: On the southern shore of Mono Lake, even when shrubs do get a foothold, fire may come through and …
: A vague, meandering statement that is neither true nor meaningful.
: The southeastern shore of Mono Lake is a tough place to make a living, even for a Jeffrey Pine.
: I think there is still time for #WhatsItWednesday, even if it’s already Thursday for all you …
: Flooded pastures are a common sight this year only due to the deep snow and high runoff.
: Most years, this is a mud puddle, an artificial widening of a creek diversion that goes dry in …
: Where the water runs down from the Sierra Nevada, ranchers made roads and lined them with Cottonwood …
: In the future, when they say, “Elon Musk broke Twitter,” it won’t mean the same thing as it does …
: Hagemite, a dark brown paste with a bitter umami flavor, made by boiling children in a cauldron. …
: The time a witch can stay aloft on her broom.
: It’s summer, so Greybear is cooling off by keeping his paws outside the sheepskin-lined bed. …
: When I took this, I was trying for “landscape as body”, because somewhere in there I saw …
: That feeling when… the cat knocks over the trash can, you drop yesterday’s socks on him as …
: A #VisualPuzzle for #WhatsItWednesday. I think you will find this isn’t what it looks like.
: It’s the 4th of July, clear skies, a light breeze, and pushing towards 100F. So I’m …
: Summer has arrived in force, along with the predictably cloud-free skies, so I reached back a few …
: Just two blokes hangin’ out, a day late and a dollar short for #caturday.
: When a cat is hunting mode, and you wiggle your finger within range, you are a…
: If I fits, I sits. #Caturday
: Same rain as yesterday’s photo, just further up the valley, showing the Buttermilk Hills in …
: Time for #WhatsItWednesday. Well, it’s kind of obvious what it is, but what is it, really? I think …
: To end the series, I’m revisiting the beginning. This is the same cloud just ten minutes …
: Closeup of the last cloud formation in the series. I really don’t know what to call this.
: Part 4 in the series of clouds from a single evening. This cloud runs from south to north, forming …
: This photo of another bank of clouds is looking south to the Coyote Hills, where the Eastern Sierra …
: Yesterday’s photo was taken facing westward. Today’s shows the view to the east, a bank …
: Last week I walked outside at sunset to see this. It turned out to be the least dramatic cloudscape …
: When I look at these clouds, I hear Joni Mitchell singing, “…and ice cream castles in …
: Mt. Tom, feeling quietly furious, though it doesn’t know why.
: Finishing off the photos from last week’s trip to the Parker Bench super-bloom. The yellow …
: Buff the kitty, he don’t care what appendage you use. #caturday
: It’s a banner year for moths, presumably fuelled by all the rain. Every night 20-30 get in and I …
: Deadman Creek is running high and fast with runoff from record snowfall.
: A California mule deer doe keeps an eye on me as she eats some Bitterbrush. I’m told that …
: I was out scouting for firewood and the views of the record snowpack in the Sierra were pretty …
: That feeling you drank just a bit too much.
: Arrowleaf Balsamroot and Blue Lupine on Parker Bench, looking north to Mono Lake.
: Arrowleaf Balsamroot having a banner year at Parker Bench near Mono Lake.
: Me: Mortimer! Mortimer: What? Me: Look up! Mortimer: Ohhhhhhh!
: Point of Rock Spring, Ash Meadows. According to the park brochure, the water that emerges in these …
: Everything is flat for miles in all directions. What is that cone warning me about? It seems like a …
: Crystal Reservoir, Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge, where deep Mojave water flows emerge in the …
: I brought my own absurdity to the desert. Before I drive through Death Valley, I stock up on food …
: The desert seems to collect absurdities. Infrastructure is often crumbling, or improvised, signs …
: I drove through Death Valley National Park yesterday, and I had the pleasure of witnessing this dust …
: This is Mortimer, named when the vet’s assistant said male, not renamed when another said …
: The sign reads: Theo’s MUSEUM OF INTERESTING THINGS Have a beautiful day! Est. 2020
: These magenta flowers grow on long stems, forming a layer of color hovering above pale sage-green …
: I can’t believe the New York Times doesn’t recognize “deligod”.
: Yesterday I saw a snail dreaming of writing a novel.
: Nevada wears its geology on its sleeve.
: Name a bookyou love that nobody else seems to know about or appreciate. Mine is “Doorways in the …
: My brother and sister-in-law are serial Golden Retriever owners, first Budger, then Bingley, now …
: On this Memorial Day I honor this fallen horse and the friend he left behind. I stop for photos at …
: Pedestrians have the right of way at crosswalks.
: His Majesty, in royal slumber.
: “What do you ask of your King, subject?”
: A bird’s-eye view proves the world is made of cotton fluff.
: Late afternoon light and shape.
: The light and space attracted a mother to give her baby girl room to roam.
: This should totally be a word.
: Smoke signals. I think it says, “Stand up and go outside.”
: As the snow melts, the mountains become blander and the pastures bright with greenery and flowers. …
: I need to set up a family chat room. I need a technology that will support users from multiple …
: Virga over the White Mountains, lit with just a hint of sunset.
: Yesterday had the perfect cloud.
: Uh-oh. Maybe I should turn around?
: Wind turbines, Mojave, California. This is the photo I was after when I pulled over and saw this …
: The scene of the crime for yesterday’s #WhatsItWednesday. I stopped to photograph wind …
: I found Chumbawamba’s album “Tubthumper” a few years ago, and I come back to it …
: From the back catalog, a lovely lizard at the Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve. I got down low to get a …
: Late afternoon clouds over Mt Tom. This is the time of year where cloudscapes are frequent but not …
: I came up with a new insult. You are as unpleasant as a solar shower at the end of a long hike on a …
: Last week had a few really good days for clouds, and this seemed like a good Sunday photo.
: This made me think of Ferdinand the Bull, just resting peacefully in the shade.
: Last year’s drought brought fire, this year’s record rain and snowfall brought …
: Waterfalls are everywhere this year!
: I’ll let the clouds do the talking.
: The Coyotes Hills are brooding.
: Cumulonimbus over the White Mountains. We’ve had clear skies for most of the month. Great to …
: I bet the cattle are enjoying all this water, fresh greens to munch on all over the place.
: The old shed down the road always looks a bit haunted in afternoon light, even with spring growth …
: Just a reminder to keep going, despite the obstacles.
: I used to get confounding directives from marketing about product versioning. They actively avoided …
: Rain clouds over Bishop. We are just getting reports of how much summer runoff we are going to get …
: Contrails, smeared by wind, hovering over the White Mountains at dawn.
: Rest stop pergola, Owens Valley.
: The Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve was beautiful, but after leaving the park, I discovered denser …
: More wildflowers, another raven.
: Flowers in the Antelope Valley Reserve. The orange are California Poppies, the tall yellow ones are …
: A beautiful flower with a name that didn’t age well: Blue dicks.
: I thought these were Blue Lupines, but according to a wildflower guide, the more likely species to …
: A raven flies over the Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve.
: A Horned Lark at the Poppy Reserve, a species I’ve only seen once before, a few years ago in …
: Greybear demanding attention after sticking his head in the way while I was doling him out some …
: I predict there will be controversy over today’s pangram.
: It’s called the Poppy Reserve, but it really has all sorts of wildflowers in grasslands on …
: I visited the Poppy reserve in Antelope Valley recently. The light wasn’t great, but after the …
: Time for a visual puzzle, although this is more in the style of #WhatsItWednesday. Does looking at …
: Another lone tree in Pleasant Valley. Chalk Bluffs behind, then the White Mountains.
: Red paint. Yeah, that’s the ticket. That’s what I’ll tell them.
: Burned in a fire a few years ago, Pleasant Valley has many skeletons of trees, while the grasses …
: A lone Cottonwood tree stands in the floodplain below the White Mountains.
: There are earth-movers everywhere these days, restoring roads and water channels after the flooding.
: Entertaining cats with a box and a toy fishing rod.
: Saturday morning cattoons. #caturday
: I have cats this weekend, so I can #caturday. It got a little chilly overnight, so Diego was …
: Nature’s spotlight was in full effect this day. The Fish Slough peak is lit up in the …
: Taken from the same location as yesterday’s photo, but facing west instead of east. @miraz …
: A Cottonwood among the power poles. Is that like a cat among the pigeons?
: For those who play cribbage, my best hand in a while.
: Fence post and barbed wire, Riverside Road. White Mountains in the background.
: Five Bridges is a large flood plain with the occasional lone tree. Fire swept through a few years …
: After shopping in town, I stopped by some canals to see the high water levels. The clouds and the …
: I’m looking forward to a summer with snow on the heights.
: Clouds were filling up the far valley, looked to me like something gigantic was boiling.
: Fit a curve to these points: Nights and Weekends, 2008 Lady Bird, 2017 Little Women, 2019 Barbie, …
: The eggs are worshiping idols and whispering behind my back.
: Life at intermediate altitudes is getting easier. Roads are cleared or being repaired, the days are …
: This immature Red-tailed Hawk needs practice defending itself. It came to our neighborhood recently, …
: It’s not often we have standing water, and when we do, we often have cloud cover. The desert …
: The landscapes here are often sliced horizontally. Rapid changes in altitude and geology create …
: Spring is not prompt this year, but I’m not complaining. The copious snow and rain is a great …
: One of the double-edged swords of the internet is that we get to know people’s pets, wherever …
: This is firewood, but I really want to make an instrument out of it. Maybe a mandolin? A small harp?
: Greybear in the sun on a lazy Caturday, pondering how to add spice to his life. He decided the best …
: To get photographs of special moments in the mountains, it helps to live among them, so you have …
: Someone decided not to take a chance climbing the hill in the snow and turned around.
: On Monday, I ran into my first insect of the spring, a wood ant that hitched a ride on my socks. …
: If you look closely at the highway in the lower right corner, you will see a tiny white dot. That is …
: I went to the sun room to photograph houseplants, but I was diverted by a cat sleeping in a box. …
: The analog view is my antidote to a digital career.
: Today’s Spelling Bee wants to enter the photo challenge.
: Looking back through the snow pics from the last month or two, giving second chances. Spring is …
: The Clark’s Nutcracker is a corvid native to the western United States and Canada. They …
: The base of Mt Tom in snow and cloud. The snow in the center canyon is disturbed by an avalanche. To …
: This shot took patience: find the camera, then an SD card, then struggle with autofocus. I was lucky …
: My horizons have been dramatic, recently. Volcanic Tablelands in the foreground, White Mountains …
: Light makes connections between physical structures.
: We’ve had rain, flood, power outages, deep snow, deep cold, now more rain, even bigger floods. …
: In a landscape muted by rain, one shiny cloud stands out.
: These mountains are gimcrack. They look nice, but a little weather comes along and they fall apart. …
: My coffee ritual involves a french press and a mug preheated with boiling water, covered with a …
: Two things I’ve not seen together before: my neighbors’ Baja garden and 2 feet of snow. …
: If I had my way, my retirement home would be on NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. Why? …
: Walking under the eaves becomes more challenging with a large snow pack melting on the roof.
: We got enough snow that the whole landscape changed character. It always looks stark, but now …
: In my neighborhood, the contrast between human engineering and landscape is so stark, the nature of …
: Yesterday’s loaf turned out nicely, but I didn’t think to photograph it until after I …
: I managed to catch Jupiter and Venus as they zip past each other, just before setting behind the …
: “Well, that shut them all up. Finally, a little solitude.”
: A break in the weather let us see the new fallen snow on Mt Tom, some of which was airborne again …
: Well, the photo challenge is on, but I don’t think it’s amiss doing an easy visual …
: So close! Wordle 620 2/6 🟩🟩⬛🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
: A Northern Flicker manages to secure a meal, even in deep snow. A Roadrunner came walking up the …
: Snow days can be hard work for parents with young kids.
: Snow Days It snowed more than a foot on Friday, then another foot overnight by Saturday morning. I was just …
: Mr. Sulu, maximum magnification. Now reduce by a factor of two. Again. Again. Again. …
: We don’t mess around with trucks, our plows are construction equipment. We got nearly another …
: And the power went out. Crews were set to arrive Monday to finish upgrading our power lines…
: Out shooting before dark, I saw two women in thick parkas emerge from a nearby airbnb to play in the …
: Snow cornice forming on my rain gutters.
: Status update: 90 minutes later.
: Super skinny lenticular clouds.
: It’s Wednesday, so I think it’s time for a visual puzzle.
: We had some nice clouds yesterday. Many were photogenic, but not unexpected. And then there was this …
: I think today’s loaf was the prettiest I’ve ever made. It’s tasty, too, made from …
: Agonym, definition: a synonym for excruciating pain.
: Amongst the myriad harbingers of doom available to depress us, there is one software issue that …
: And then a rainstorm came down from the mountains and shut down all the dust.
: A big wind came up the valley and created a dust storm with crazy atmospheric effects.
: Steller’s Jay on the snag. This winter has been good for corvids in our neighborhood. Pinyon …
: Recommendation: The Don Was Motor City Playlist Yesterday I posted an [impossible …
: What do the following have in common? “Opalescent Hobnails” Blue Note Records Johnny …
: A modest proposal for a micro.blog alternative to Reply All Here’s something I think would be an awesome little feature for micro.blog. I and many others …
: Hey, it’s Wednesday in my location. Time for a visual puzzle.
: And now for something completely different: red onion trio.
: A Red-tailed Hawk waits for thirsty critters to make a mistake.
: Shift change. Wheeler Crest, lit by sunrise, touched by moonset.
: A Robin was giving me the stink-eye today. Pretty tough look from a bird that can’t keep its …
: Shadow of an object I’ve had since childhood, a strange trigger in the middle of the afternoon.
: Why does old snow get bumpy like this? This patch is on the north side of some brush, on a …
: Here’s a visual puzzle. I know what this is, but there are parts I cannot explain.
: Finally, enough precipitation to fill the borrow pit and make a reflecting pond.
: It’s been cold here, so I’ve been watching fire, but that’s indoors, of course. …
: I find myself watching the fire. Not sure why.
: Poconip, Fog on Mono Lake This week I drove through Lee Vining, the tiny town above Mono Lake, and experienced …
: Bird on a wire. In this case, it’s a Magpie, sitting on cables covered in rime frost near Mono …
: What do you do when you want to go skiing in the fresh snow, but the county won’t plow the …
: Birds can be maddening. The ease with which they flit around, the angles they can take, sometimes I …
: I recommend micro.bloggers play Globle today.
: Definition: turncat, noun, a cat that suddenly lashes out while being petted. Alternate definition: …
: Pine Creek Canyon, after the storm.
: Mt Tom, covered in snow, draped with clouds.
: Cattle in Pleasant Valley, seemingly unmoved by the snow on the White Mountains.
: After sulking, then meditating in the sun, Greybear was finally ready for his contractual …
: Greybear, the supermodel, was visiting this past week. Saturday morning the light was streaming in, …
: Another life bird, the Bohemian Waxwing. The Cedar Waxwings have yellow bellies and no wing bars. …
: Runes of fire, secret messages from my woodstove.
: A Downy Woodpecker visited this week, an infrequent guest. Normally we get Hairy Woodpeckers. They …
: Well, the cats are visiting again. They brought their wool cat cave, which they never use. But I …
: Cooper's Hawk on the Snag A juvenile Cooper’s Hawk visited this morning. Although it might be a Sharp-shinned Hawk. My …
: All morning this view was pure white, snow storm everywhere. When the storm broke, the White …
: Black Mountain was looking very sharp today.
: Flooding can be so serene, if you aren’t worried about property damage.
: Swaddled in clouds, Wheeler Crest is all dressed up, with nowhere to go.
: We’ve had an influx of birds recently, possibly pushed south by the big storms. I suspect this …
: Fog over the highway after two days of rain.
: We are often on the borderline between snow and rain. With daily temperature swings of 30F-40F, even …
: If you don't like the weather, just wait five minutes. That’s what they say about the weather here, and they aren’t wrong. It rained again …
: How long is a cubit? Asking for a friend... A few days ago, my neighbor was out with a shovel clearing out a culvert entrance in the ditch next …
: I have a sudden desire to see a biopic of Gareth Bale starring Christian Bale.
: Cinder Cone, Owens Valley Between Independence and Big Pine, the slope below the Palisades was smooth with snow. On the valley …
: Leaving Death Valley, Approaching Lone Pine This is a classic place to take a photo. You can see it many car commercials and old westerns. Head …
: Death Valley National Park, Joshua Trees Time was drumming in my ears, get home, get to work, so I turned on the navigation and set my speed …
: Marking the passage of time. My father (94) with all four sons. New Years Eve, 2022.
: Death Valley, muted by grey skies, but brightened by standing water. Strong storms this winter have …
: Approaching Death Valley from Rhyolite, the mountains in the distance fresh with snow. Cold, barren, …
: The tarmac had leopard spots yesterday. I’ve never seen that before.
: Last year, Blur I meant to post this for Halloween, but it didn’t make the cut for some reason. I am drawn to …
: Remembering the Big Show I sometimes refer to the cloudscapes here as “the big show”. Everyone sees the quality …
: Clouds at the end Since it has been such a banner year for clouds, I thought I would close with a few more photos of …
: Rabbit Brush, Yellow The desert scrub isn’t always the most photogenic. I work to make it so, since it really is …
: Natural patterns, big and small When I am in urban or sub-urban landscapes, I tend to avoid the man-made. There is always some …
: Mortimer, Tiger Girl Apparently, there is a book about a cat named Mortimer, though for the life of me I can’t …
: Interruptions I don’t know whose chalks these are, but I completely understand why they didn’t put …
: Christmas photobomb with a moral The Christmas sermon was about how different the Christian mythology is from so many other …
: Christmas Eve As many around the U.S. are experiencing a “bomb cyclone” in the days before Christmas, …
: Leaky Windows Do you have modern windows, sealed tight, with multiple panes? Then you probably don’t see …
: A Sourdough True Crime Story Ladies and gentlemen: the story you are about to hear is true. Only the names have been changed to …
: Light, Expose This is one of my favorite photos to show the importance of the right lighting conditions. This was …
: I may write a December retrospective post on this image, but I’ll do a standard #WhatsItWednesday …
: Mistake, Failure Not every mistake is a failure. I had my camera set to manual exposure and took this image before I …
: Fall, Granite Cottonwood trees in fall colors really make Wheeler Crest look its best, I think. This granite ridge …
: Close, Moon Robert Capa said, “If your photographs aren’t good enough, you’re not close …
: Borrowed Cats, #Caturday Well, it’s time to celebrate #Caturday again. These two villains live next door, and I get to …
: Snow Shadow Wheeler Crest during a recent snowstorm. I mentioned that we rarely have a blanket of clouds, but …
: Clouds, Humility Yes, that says “humility”, not “humidity”. I’ve been writing about …
: Thoughts on #WhatsItWednesday This year I’ve borrowed an idea from @dejus, a regular visual puzzle posted on Wednesday, …
: Roadrunner, Owens Valley A roadrunner sits on an old, burned fencepost in Owens Valley. Funny thing about the Greater …
: Rain Shadow, The Other Great Divide Normally, a great divide is a drainage divide, the peak of a mountain range where water on either …
: Clouds, Mountain huggers I’ve talked about cloud layers and lenticular clouds, but there is another formation here that …
: Lenticular, Sierra Wave Persistent stable clouds form in the Sierra Wave. Winds form standing waves over the mountains …
: Sunset, Beauty Call Sunset over the shoulder of Wheeler Crest. Clouds are a big part of the show here, and …
: Granite spires, Wheeler Crest. Wheeler Crest is a wall of granite, roughy 8 miles long, rising from 5000’ to 12,500’ in …
: Lone, Cottonwood A lone Cottonwood tree in Round Valley. Cottonwood trees grow in the high desert along the …
: Retirement, Molly the Mule Speaking of retirement, this is a mule, out to pasture in Round Valley. My neighbor owns a mule …
: Tired, Gray Fox One week into the new year, this little Gray fox spent a few mornings on my deck. It climbed the …
: Vox clamantis in nebula. Just last night, I told @Maique that we almost never get fog. Naturally, I woke up to this: That …
: Not a word, more’s the pity.
: Sharp, Mt Tom Mt Tom in February. This photo jumps out at me from the collection because of the light and …
: Lustrous, Owens River The Owens River on a cloudy winter day, running south from Bishop down the Owens Valley. The river …
: December Retrospective This month, I’m posting photos from throughout the year, some “best of”, some that …
: This week I’ve decided to disengage the safety on #WhatsItWednesday. I stumped my Thanksgiving …
: Looking down from the Volcanic Tablelands to the Fish Slough Ecological Reserve and the north end of …
: Hiking in McGee Creek, where the trend is upward.
: The light that emanated from Patrick, when he separated his head from his body, was all the …
: Photographing the sunrise may not seem like a big commitment, but when it is winter, and I am sleepy …
: After the ritual stuffing of the humans on Thanskgiving, I always try to get out for a good hike the …
: Spatchcocked! (Violins frm Psycho shower scene shrieking.)
: Happy Thanksgiving! I have some wonderful guests, a feast in the works, and a full firewood rack. …
: Time for an update from the #WhatsItWednesday headquarters.
: I stopped on my way into town to watch the animals graze. This looks like a horse to me, but mostly …
: Some big fat robins stopped by for a week, fleeing snow and ice, devouring juniper and cotoneaster …
: This is the picnic area at a rest stop in the Owens Valley, where temperature runs high and humidity …
: I’m very fond of the Cotoneaster in my front yard. It came with the house, but it was novel to …
: A Cedar Waxwing, enjoying the juniper berries. Waxwings are mischievous birds, and I never tire of …
: Ice formed from snowmelt at the bottom of my wheelbarrow, embedded with chips of lodgepole. Did you …
: This week’s entry in the #WhatsItWednesday franchise.
: At the prompt “aluminium”, I made pizza to go with my last can of Wasatch Brewery’s “Polygamy …
: Snow adorns the Cotoneaster, bending the branches low. American Robins have arrived in force, eating …
: No matter how early I rise and venture forth, someone is out there before me. I have tried to adjust …
: My suspicion is that I could not carry the equivalent weight of snow and ice as this little plant. …
: The snowstorm turned my display of firewood rounds into a bunch of marshmallows.
: Tuesday’s storm brought snowfall so thick, we couldn’t see the mountains. Wednesday …
: I completely forgot last week. Well, #WhatsItWednesday is promised to no one, I guess. I am looking …
: It’s snowing today. First predicted for Sunday, we’ve seen the leading edge for the last …
: Fire provides insight into the structure of flora. In full foliage, you can’t see more than a …
: I would love to hear sounds echo off these granite spires, but getting close enough to them is a …
: When one whiff tells you that you badly need a shower.
: How long is a date? Or “Why does @Jean have so much trouble with international announcements?” How long is a …
: Clouds in the Eastern Sierra Nevada seem exempt from the usual rules.
: I know some of you will enjoy these recordings of mechanical keyboards.
: Sometimes I have nothing pithy to say, just admiration for the creative process of clouds at sunset.
: Doing today’s Spelling Bee, I keep finding “pronup”, and I’m wondering if that’s a synonym for …
: A woman with no ticket evading security in an empty section of stands creates a real-life game of …
: Skies like this grant license to play hooky and head out with a camera.
: Fresh snow on Mt Tom. This is the tiniest morsel of snow, and it probably won’t last, but …
: We had a small brush fire a week ago. They figure 25 acres of reeds went up in smoke, but was …
: Happy Halloween!, courtesy of this Hentz’s Orbweaver in my woodpile. That’s actually not …
: Sunrise. With winter approaching, we are getting clouds again, which makes for easy photos, as long …
: A note on Wordle strategy. Today’s Wordle went like this for me: Wordle 497 5/6 ⬛⬛⬛🟩⬛ ⬛⬛🟨🟩⬛ 🟩🟩⬛🟩⬛ ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 If you get to a …
: Agave thorns. Note on the right that the leaves have impressions of thorns. These leaves start out …
: Be glad it’s not Wednesday, because I don’t think y’all would be able to identify …
: This discovery is the coolest science announcement I’ve seen in a while. Researchers created …
: The business end of the agave leaf.
: Don Was, on performing with a full orchestra From The Don Was Motor City Playlist at WDET FM. Don Was, on doing a live recording with Bob Weir, …
: This seems creepy enough for a pre-Halloween #WhatsItWednesday, doesn’t it?
: On my way home from suburbia, the large landscapes returned.
: Exercise in futility, take #729: try to make the elbow in this tree look interesting. I love the …
: Autumn shakes the leaves off the bean plants, exposing the dried tendrils they use to scale the …
: The leaves of an orange tree, always so glossy.
: In Southern California, people landscape with ornamental plants from all over the world. These …
: I have no idea about the level of difficulty of this one. #WhatsItWednesday
: Do you remember in “Who Framed Roger Rabbit”, when Eddie draws the Singing Sword? It …
: The pepper tree, from below. Gnarly.
: My friends’ house is shaded by a large pepper tree, and I’m always fascinated by the …
: I’m looking for recommendations for a science fiction author. Someone current, with ongoing …
: While back in suburbia for a while, I took to my old habits, wandering the neighborhood looking for …
: Yesterday morning I woke to fog in Altadena. I had the wit to hop out of bed and go for a walk with …
: A Day in the Life Photo Challenge Altadena, CA. Oct 13, 2022, 6PM (PDT). Visiting friends, photos of …
: I woke up to to some beautiful fog, got out and shot some nice photos, very different from what …
: An elegant little figurine my friend’s parents bought in Mallorca, many years ago. We assume …
: Today’s subject may be difficult emotionally as well as visually. #WhatsItWednesday
: Burning the grease off before grilling some lamb. The grapevine climbing up to the deck light …
: Dreams seen by a man-made machine How does it seem, how does it seem That we can see each others …
: I have invented a device that attaches your phone to your knee so you can watch the screen without …
: When you are running late on a long drive to a party, but the clouds just keep getting better and …
: Last night’s wooding (firewood collection) trip at Dry Creek Road, near Inyo Crater. A truck …
: Lodgepole Pine needles, Inyo National Forest.
: My first pangram is not in the word list. Some editor is a dickhead.
: Taking the fast lane. One sheep decided to pull left and accelerate, presumably because all the good …
: A more standard view of the paperweight from yesterday’s #WhatsItWednesday. I did a little …
: This is either easy or impossible, I’m not sure which, though it might be somewhere …
: Sheep grazing along a road in the Inyo National Forest. There are some Basques around here who drive …
: Sunrise, clouds and contrails.
: Pleasant Valley, the day the lenticular clouds were tearing apart on Wheeler Crest. You can just see …
: The valley floor, late September, early morn.
: Photos with great light are one of the principal benefits of waking up at sunrise.
: The mathematics of sunrise is cruel. Too early in summer, too late in winter, yet that is when the …
: A light puzzle. #WhatsItWednesday
: A strong easterly wind was forcing the clouds coming over the crest into unusual shapes. It seemed …
: Juxtaposition: quiet, not quiet.
: I liked the soft look of these clouds. They seemed appropriate for a Monday morning where I’m …
: Fresh cumulonimbus served on a bed of fog, with streaks of grey sauce. Honestly, I have no idea what …
: I was feeling sort of abstract today.
: California Quail, sittin’ in a tree, looking quite dapper.
: The answer to this #whatsItWednesday, a stained glass window, covered with 3M insulation film, …
: I planned pizza, but a frozen salmon filet thawed a bit too much as I dawdled taking photos coming …
: Abandon all hope, ye who attempt this #WhatsItWednesday. I’m experimenting with different …
: Wheeler Crest, spotlight on the shark’s teeth.
: I think Wordle was trying to tell me something the other day.
: A Great Horned Owl hooting at sunset. A second one came to a nearby tree and hooted loudly, which …
: Last night’s pizza was pretty good. I put some shaved fennel and goat cheese in it, which tasted …
: This week’s bread. 100% freshly milled whole grain: a bit of rye, a bit of soft white wheat, …
: Wheeler Crest looking steely in the morning light under storm clouds.
: Cloud pocket. That spot is actually a huge canyon running from upper right to lower left, but the …
: The solution to this week’s #Whatsitwednesday This setup was inverted aand I was looking through the …
: What’s going on here? #WhatsItWednesday
: I really want to go see the waterfalls in Death Valley, but their very presence means the place will …
: Foggy clouds sneaking around the face of Wheeler Crest, a wonderful accompaniment to actual rain …
: We got real rain this weekend, overflow from Hurricane Kay off the coast of Mexico. During a lull, …
: California Quail have been scarce in our neighborhood this year. I have speculated it is because of …
: Here’s a weather pattern I haven’t seen before: hurricane moisture coming up the Owens …
: Folks liked the cowlick photo from yesterday, so here’s another section of reeds in Pleasant …
: Software developers have a huge blind spot. Witness a full page of ad-hoc documentation to …
: Pleasant Valley, cowlick in the reeds. Somehow, I ddn’t get down here for a month or so and …
: Pleasant Valley, yesterday. Hurricane Kay is coming to SoCal, and we think the clouds on the left …
: A funny shape for this #WhatsItWednesday.
: Rain on Bishop Creek Canyon, from a few weeks ago. A hurricane is moving towards Southern …
: Greybear won’t be working on Labor Day. Or any day, really, but especially not today. Because …
: Just the valley, looking dapper in mid-afternoon.
: Still rolling through cloud pictures from mid August.
: Yesterday’s Spelling Bee pangram was “prodigy”. Naturally, I didn’t get that …
: We have clear skies and full summer heat, so I’m reliving the cloudy days from earlier in …
: I needed to kill a large flying ant tonight. I missed it on the first grab and it wouldn’t stay …
: A dark #WhatsItWednesday. #Pareidolia
: The cinematography in Netflix’s adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s “The Sandman” is …
: Grey skies at night, photographer’s delight.
: Curtain of virga, with a line of sunset.
: A week ago we had some blustery weather come through, but there were cat photos to post, sothey got …
: This is a good #Caturday to be an indoor cat, lest this Coopers Hawk take an interest.
: After a hard WhatsItWednesday, I thought you all deserved a sunset.
: Spotlight on a bubble of Bishop tuff. Tuff is volcanic ash that was so hot when expelled, it welded …
: I think I’ve found a really good #WhatsItWednesday this week.
: After the modeling session, time to remove the makeup.
: Diego, watching the birds, reflected in the sun room door.
: Greybear: Please, please, please, can I come up on your lap? Me: Only if you pose first. Greybear: …
: You know it’s really #Caturday when your monitor, printer, and desk speaker are all in peril. …
: I always want to roll a boulder down this silhouette. Bowling for Pinion Pines. It wouldn’t …
: Alternative medication They say, “Don’t read the comments on youtube,” but like anything else, there is …
: Every corner of the sky had something special that evening, and every minute brought new surprises. …
: On a typical #WhatsItWednesday, you post a puzzle, in photo form, to which you know the answer. …
: Raggedy clouds catch the sunset light and scatter it back. We continue to get clouds in the late …
: Scattered clouds over Wheeler Crest, lit from below by the setting sun. This is one of those sunsets …
: Last week’s full moon. There were too many clouds to see it at moonrise, but gaps opened up as …
: I’m using a new recipe from Breadtopia, and I’m very happy with it. This is 100% whole …
: What kind of clouds you want? We got all kinds! Fluffy, poofy, wispy, from white to dark and …
: I tried for a caption about clouds, winds, mountains, but all that came to me was Gary …
: Ambition. This tiny Praying Mantis staked out the hummingbird feeder for several hours, often …
: When a storm breaks late, the clouds hovering over our valley get lit both from below and above by …
: Waxing crescent moon, peeking through the clouds after sunset.
: When rain or snow comes our way, we often get this strip of cloud running level along the crest. …
: Pine Creek, wearing a feather boa. The rain clouds continue to cover the area. It cooled off so much …
: It has been raining since midnight. Not hard, but steadily, so that the eaves are always dripping, a …
: We’ve been getting late afternoon thunderstorms for the last week, kind of like south Florida. …
: Mt. Tom and Pine Creek Canyon, all dressed up for the rain.
: We got actual rain yesterday. Not for long, maybe a half hour, but it will make a difference.
: I saw these Water Striders and wondered out loud what it would be like to be so light and free. The …
: Though the boat ride on Convict Lake was a week ago, the good time lingers on through photos. Here …
: Dead wood on the shore of Convict Lake.
: Kara, enjoying the boat ride on Convict Lake. Her nose was working overtime with all the new smells. …
: Convict Lake had a startling look near sunset. A heavy chop alternately reflected the brown of the …
: The smoke chased away a bunch of tourists, which opened up some boat reservations on Convict Lake. A …
: The Oak Fire erupted into the headlines on Saturday, burning 15,000 acres southwest of Yosemite …
: I love a big, partially-cloudy sky. Once again, the arc of confrontation, where wet weather from the …
: The tail end of the storm passes the mountains. Clearer, calmer, brighter skies can just be glimpsed …
: Battleship. That’s what I think of every time I see a cloud like this. The broad base, the …
: Cloud cave. Clouds here change quickly, varying greatly in form over short distances. Peekaboo views …
: When the skies over the Sierra Nevada are partially cloudy in the late afternoon, the effect on the …
: Flotilla of fluff over the White Mountains. I don’t have a good explanation for why the clouds …
: The remains of the storm. Just a few wisps left where all the rain fell.
: This is Wordle at it’s best, I think. Misses can be as helpful as hits. Wordle 394 4/6 ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ ⬛🟨⬛⬛⬛ …
: As the sun went down , the rain abated and everything softened. Rain ten miles away doesn’t …
: Filed under “Did not click.”
: David and Goliath at the arc of negotiation, where weather systems meet and mingle.
: Cumulonimbus parade. The whole area was covered by these on Thursday, eventually leading to this …
: Yesterday a thunderstorm passed along the southern end of our valley. As I watched the rain fall, a …
: I found a bit of shade for a snack while out taking photos. I’m still not sure what these old …
: While recording micro.monday, @jean and I talked home recording studios and audiobook narration. I …
: Burned tree trunk, Owens Valley. I love sihouettes and that is one thing that wildfires in wooded …
: The recent #BishopAirportFire ran south along the Owens River, reducing the trees to black …
: Go away. It’s Sunday. Don’t bother me.
: Diego was sleeping behind my monitor. He rolled over and stretched his legs towards me, pushing my …
: Isn’t there some story where a white horse is a harbinger of death? Well, I think this was …
: Another reflection, but this time wth more of a kaleidoscope effect. I am always drawn to the …
: Round Valley and Mt. Tom, from the hidden pond.
: I felt the need for quiet reflection today.
: Fires happen. New growth will appear out of the ashes.
: Artesian well, Owens River Valley. The Bishop Airport Fire left these trees blackened, but fresh …
: Saturday morning cartoon. Meep-meep!
: Sunset on the Coyote Hills lights up a bank of wispy clouds. Around the summer solstice, this means …
: Whenever I see this cloud formation, in this spot, I notice that the cloud mirrors the shape of the …
: Big cumulonimbus clouds over Mt. Tom. They look roughly the same size, don’t they?
: I told my troubles to my neighbor this evening. As we parted, I thanked him, fumbling around for a …
: Puffs over the Buttermilks, with dark in the background.
: Peekaboo clouds. When the storm clouds slide over the trailing Sierra Nevada, the landscape can be …
: Joyful, angry, impertinent, rude, brave, and entirely appropriate, this performance lifted my …
: Dawn, June 22, the day after the solstice. Winter is coming.
: When the rain falls in the east, we often see a band of gold. Clouds shadow the foreground, rain the …
: The storm put on a real show to the east, with virga over the White Mountains, shadows on the …
: Looking 180° from yesterday’s photo should lend some understanding to the weather here. …
: Weather rolling through from the west (left), dominating the sky from the canyon. This was an …
: We had a bit of wind and weather last week, and enough chill to warrant a small fire. I love it when …
: Moonrise though trees. #MoonMonday.
: You’ve heard of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse? Meet the Three Donkeys of Dilapidation. …
: I highly recommend the Atomic Inn, Beatty, Nevada. It’s a themed motel, a mish-mash of fifties …
: A last look at Badlands National Park. I’ve been posting pictures of the Badlands for about …
: This is more of a #WhatDoYouSeeWednesday than #WhatsItWednesday, or perhaps #PareidoliaWednesday. …
: Clem, looking for fossils, Badlands National Park. He found one elsewhere, collected GPS …
: Sage Creek, Badlands National Park. Another photo that shows grasslands giving way to weak, pale …
: Castle Trail, Badlands National Park. Water up, watered down.
: If you are a USMNT fan, or soccer fan in general, I recommend @watke_’s compilations and …
: My nephew Tim is a wildlife observer and spent much of his time in the Badlands actively looking for …
: Cliff Swallows, Cheyenne River, near Badlands National Park. The swallows have made nests all along …
: Coyote, Sage Creek Campground, Badlands National Park. I followed him through a Prairie dog town. …
: These are the monsters some Russians fear and wish to eradicate.
: Sort of #WhatsItWednesday. If you’ve been following along, this is obviously something from …
: Tim, walking in the Badlands. This really reinforces the fantasy golf course imagery for me. He …
: Fantasy golf course, Badlands National Park. It isn’t really a golf course, it just looks like …
: Sage Creek Campround, Badlands National Park My family had gathered in Chicago for a family wedding, and I had left time for a road trip after. …
: Dried mud, Badlands National Park. Yesterday’s photo was all about erosion and water flow on a …
: Fractals in the erosion of soft rock, Badlands National Park.
: Broken grasslands, Badlands National Park. So many dramatic sandstone forms arise from a durable …
: Western Meadowlark, Badlands National Park. We saw a few of these, but they didn’t get …
: Erosion forms, Badlands National Park. I grokked the key to the Badlands on this visit, which I did …
: Elsewhere, a Pronghorn Antelope shows off her butt. This was a good lesson in idiosyncratic …
: A Bighorn sheep guards his butte. Castle Trail, Badlands National Park.
: Okay, everyone take a panorama at the same time…
: Clem surveys his options and decides the original explorers knew what they were talking about when …
: I really want to know this tree’s story. Yellow River State Park, Iowa.
: Quick stop at the Yellow River State Park (Iowa), on the west bank of the Mississippi River. Nothing …
: Max and Dan. Married. Telling lies, I mean, stories. Making toasts.
: Natalie Rose and Fernando asked for a portrait, as long as we were all dressed up for Max and …
: Dancing the Hora at Max and Dan’s wedding.
: Karaoke night at my nephew’s wedding. Committed friends and family making strong performances. …
: Amazingly, that is not the sun, but a sun dog, which is something like a rainbow. I really need to …
: A question for all you iOS users who study apps: What do you use to organize travel? I am at one of …
: Black-headed Grosbeaks showed up in force this year and stuck around for several weeks.
: All I said was, “Nice wings.”
: Let’s try this as #WhatsItWednesday. I think the general answer will be trivial, the specific …
: Near Lida Pass (Nevada), looking west to the Sierra Nevada (California). I love this view because on …
: This sign may seem unnecessary, but I always think of it as life advice, rather than traffic …
: Great-tailed Grackles, Beatty, Nevada. This is a territorial display, accompanied by a lot of noise. …
: Rolls of wire fencing cast shadows on walls of lime plaster.
: This is my rock. There are many like it, but this one is mine.
: I just made a pleasant little discovery. I bought some reishi mushroom tea recently, on a whim, and …
: Hairy Woodpecker, feasting on bugs in my dead pine tree.
: Just taking a moment to enjoy the deep green of the east coast (U.S.).
: Eastern Tiger Swallowtail on the Azaleas at the “Mountain House” that my grandparents …
: Red-winged Blackbird, McKee-Beshers Wildlife Management Area. I like this photo because you get to …
: Mother’s Day for turtles? I have no idea, but it sure caught my eye. I wanted a better shot of …
: Eastern Bluebird, C&O Canal, Lock 24 (Rileys Lock), right on the bank of the Potomac River. …
: Analysis of the Russian war on Ukraine as of March 4th or so, reportedly written and leaked by a …
: Barred Owl, McKee-Beshers Wildlife Management Area, Poolesville, Maryland. During a family visit to …
: Vortex off the shoulder of the ridge. This cloud formed half way between the high peak and the pass …
: Do vertical cloud forms have a slimming effect? Asking for a friend.
: Mind the gap. So much of the magic of this place is that weather varies so much within visible …
: Gradient at the ridge line seems to stretch the clouds until they break.
: Virga over the Owen Valley, lit from below by the setting sun.
: Last week we had some weather pass nearby, so it’s going to be cloud porn for days.
: Full moon rolling down hill. This is one of my favorite illusions, photographing the moon at the top …
: Great Blue Heron nests, Pleasant Valley. The birder on this walk identified seven different nests in …
: Birds gather in a tree in Pleasant Valley as the full moon rises over the White Mountains. They …
: Red-winged Blackbird, perched on a reed, enjoying the wetlands in Pleasant Valley and the view of …
: I want to be able to find this video of a puppy pile on a dark day.
: Troublemaker. Everything is flowing smoothly, west to east (right to left), except where Mt. Tom has …
: Big Sierra Wave trailing off the peaks behind the Coyote Hills.
: Filed under “You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.”
: Rush hour. No cats this #Caturday, just California Mule Deer ambling down the middle of the main …
: Morning light under a storm is the best. The crest faces east and rises from 5000’ to …
: Rain, like the moon in the Moody Blues song Late Lament, “removes the colors from our …
: This Rufous Hummingbird was not pleased at my invasion of his privacy. I explained that he could do …
: Full moon reflected in Horton Creek, amid reeds.
: Spring sunrise, White Mountains. Happy Easter.
: Dawn reveals the arc of negotiation. East and West hold strong positions, diametrically opposed, ad …
: Clouds flowing from the heights until they hit the thermocline of warm air rising from the valley …
: The weather is having mood swings. Bi-polar, someone quipped. Now that I think about it, the whole …
: Places to go, beetles to see.
: “Stratification” seems to be the word this site inspires every time I photograph it. …
: Turbulent sky. The Sierra Wave produces lovely, smooth, lenticular clouds. But sometimes we see the …
: Friday’s sunset was chilling. A huge standing wave formed in the late afternoon. The last bit …
: Uploaded photos from early this week, and there was #Caturday waiting for me. Greybear, looking a …
: I got the wordle in in two…and was disappointed it was over so quickly. Wordle 294 2/6* 🟨🟨🟩🟩⬛ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
: Caterpillars are on the move. We get a bunch of Painted Lady butterflies (Vanessa cardui) showing up …
: Horned lizards are out and about and breeding. This is a young one, perhaps one-third the size of an …
: Broad strokes. I don’t know what causes this, but sometimes the arc of negotiation fragments …
: Pink light reflecting off clouds, illuminating Pine Creek Canyon. I’m reminded of the time my …
: Molly (the retired pack mule) was very suspicious when I offered her a carrot, but as soon as I put …
: Burn scar from the Bishop #AirportFire, along the Owens River. I’m going to try and visit this …
: Spring is here and the wildflowers are popping.
: Say’s Phoebe, one of the Tyrant Flycatchers, in the Buttermilk Hills. They like the high …
: Patric saw a giant breast with a sleeping area carved into the bottom and just couldn’t …
: What happens when a bat gets laryngitis?
: A magntude 4.0 earthquake originating 5 miles away is quite the ride.
: Not a true #WhatsItWednesday, more like #WhatHappenedHere. Also, a Bigfoot sighting as a bonus.
: Boulder forms in the Buttermilk Hills. I think I need to go for a full day, sunrise to sunset, …
: Landscape as body. The boulders in the Buttermilk Hills are so varied, one sees body parts and faces …
: Odd pattern. Wordle 282 5/6 ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ ⬛🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ ⬛🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
: Action shot from the Buttermilk Hills, where cows grazed in high meadows all summer Stage coaches …
: Really good one. Wordle 281 4/6 🟨⬛⬛⬛⬛ ⬛⬛⬛⬛🟨 ⬛⬛⬛⬛🟨 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
: The secret switchbacks leading to Elderberry Canyon. Well, not really secret, just remote and hard …
: Stopped by a pasture so the city folk could get their fix of big animals. I’m not sure who is …
: Patric having a good time exploring in the Buttermilks, looking his usual stylish self.
: Time for a visual puzzle. #WhatsItWednesday
: Fresh snow blowing off White Mountain. This was a stealth storm; the weather near me was …
: No, Tuesday is no good. Could we meet on Wednesday at 10AM?
: I met a super hero this weekend and managed to catch an action shot.
: Storm descending the ridge. Too weak to drop much snow, though.
: Full moon rising over the White Mountains. Thanks to Mike for knocking on my door.
: First California Quail I’ve seen this year, sittin’ on the highest tree, yodellin’ …
: Time again for #WhatsItWednesday.
: One more sunrise photo, looking south to the Coyote Hills this time.
: I am outraged that today’s Spelling Bee does not accept “begindebegine”.
: Yesterday’s sunrise, closeup. I think these sunrises are distinctive because the high …
: This morning’s sunrise eased the pain of switching to daylight savings time.
: A nice place to retire. I believe this is Molly, a pack mule bought by my neighbor after a …
: Storm on the mountain. Elderberry Canyon is obscured at the top but lit below as the storm wraps …
: Today’s NYT Spelling Bee did not accept “goattale”, but that was enough to make me think “riding the …
: Big sky. From Round Valley, looking east to the White Mountains. Sometimes it pays to use a really …
: Clouds over the White Mountains. I wish they would drop more snow.
: Moody Cottonwood trees. Impatient for spring.
: Waves at all levels. @jean observed that the east side of Mt Tom looks like a tsunami. Yesterday I …
: Built by a structural engineer, my neighbors’ house divides opinion. The straw bale walls are …
: No cats around today, so I thought I’d go with a lizard instead. This fellow is a regular on …
: Here’s to the ladies who lunch Everybody laugh Lounging in their caftans And planning a brunch …
: King of the world. It is just an impression, but I think the hummingbirds are starting to pose more. …
: Clickbait for childish geeks?
: Winter pasture in Bishop, with a view of the White Mountains.
: Peeking through the veil. This kind of looks out of focus, but it’s just the fading storm …
: Shark’s tooth. Wheeler Crest could be the mouth of an ancient megalodon, if you scaled it down …
: Big poofs over Mt. Tom. We had several days of storms that obscured the peak, with little happening …
: Clouds surfing down the Owens Valley.
: I propose the following sanctions: Russia and Belarus cease the invasion of Ukraine immediately and …
: The term “storm front” really makes sense here. We often see the leading edge arrive …
: Wordle 250 4/6 ⬛🟨⬛⬛⬛ ⬛🟨⬛🟨⬛ ⬛🟩🟩⬛🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 I feel like this one is going to get backlash.
: Foot of Mt. Tom, eastern slope, below the snowstorm.
: Proud mountain, looking fine in a little fresh snow.
: Morning ablutions. Cats don’t have to stand in a little room in front of a mirror to bathe. They can …
: This #caturday was so good, it deserved a second look. Glares gave way to lounging.
: I remember that #caturday like the beginning of the internet. I left the door open as I went for …
: The #AirportFire is pretty well contained, with nearly 700 firefighters working through the night to …
: A wildfire started near Bishop Airport yesterday afternoon. North winds exceeding 20kph drove the …
: Car windshields are not particularly interesting subjects for photography, at least, directly. But …
: Weathered pine board, horizontal light. This is the bottom of a drawer in a table left outside in …
: Good morning. We have had clear skies for weeks. There is a small amount of snow and rain expected …
: Winter has taken a breather, so I stopped by some waterways to see what’s up. The flora …
: Driving with Kara. It doesn’t matter if you are going 60mph, Kara will take in the smells as long as …
: Flowering kale, the underside.
: Flowering kale. Every so often, the produce aisle becomes an irresistible source of photography …
: You sunk my battleship! Wordle 236 2/6 🟩⬛⬛🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
: Remember “Romancing the Stone”? When I see a tree like this, I immediately think, …
: After an extensive modeling session, Greybear deserved a proper nap in a soft, fuzzy bed.
: Greybear doesn’t mind action shots, either. Many cats will halt play as soon as the shutter …
: Greybear isn’t opposed to dressing up while modeling. Here he is wearing a fishing toy as a …
: Cover Cat. Greybear in soft light and focus, showing off the natural look.
: Greybear visited again. He’s a super model. He isn’t just beautiful, he knows how to …
: I watched Olympic mixed-doubles curling this evening. USA versus Italy was at least 50% more …
: Second day in a row I have gotten the word in 2. I may be getting better at this game. Or I might …
: Hanging by a thread. A Cottonwood twig and leaf, held by a long bit of spider silk, hovers over the …
: Gadzooks! Wordle 228 2/6 ⬛⬛⬛🟩⬛ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
: Coot, reeds, water. Stillness.
: Recently, my affinity for abstract photos has been on the rise. I don’t know why, but perhaps …
: Diego, on a sunny Sunday morning, soaking in the rays.
: From the NY Times Crossword puzzle for Saturday, January 29, 2022, I think this ranks pretty high in …
: Cottonwood Trees in winter. Part of what makes these trees so great is that they grow to be huge …
: When I look at this photo, I hear Cat Stevens singing, “Well you’ve cracked the …
: The base of Mt. Tom has structure I don’t really understand, but which fascinates my eye, …
: This game has some unexpected properties that derive from the constraints that guesses must be …
: Dawn, White Mountains, pink fluff.
: Contents may vary. Greybear sleeps on the kitchen cabinet above the refrigerator. He looked a bit …
: Something new in the pizza domain. I was out of my standard ingredients, so I improvised: smoked …
: Diego and Greybear are visiting again. They decided that Hanna, the visiting notary, needed close …
: We spotted a Bald Eagle on the way home from the falconry event.
: Wordle 215 3/6 ⬛⬛⬛⬛🟨 🟨🟨🟨⬛⬛ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
: After the falconry competition,we visited one of the nearby artesian wells. I gather the Owens …
: The falcon returns. The falconer-in-training watches carefully.
: I have discovered a new word in today’s Spelling Bee puzzle from the New York Times. Illuminotion: …
: Falcon in flight. In this competition, they launch the falcon, wait for it to climb. When it hovers, …
: My neighbor happened to hear about a falconry event nearby and we went this morning. It was quite …
: Father and sons, Christmas, 2021. We managed to get us all in one place and remember to take a …
: The road west after some nice puttering in Death Valley National Park.
: Dunes, Death Valley National Park.
: Triangles, Zabriskie Point, Death Valley National Park. Everything is rounded by erosion, yet I see …
: I got a glimpse of a Barred Owl when I was in Illinois. Another first for me. That neighborhood is …
: Pareidolia at Zabriskie Point, Death Valley National Park.
: This morning a fox climbed the stairs to my deck and has been snoozing in the sun. And I’m …
: Chicago, approach to O’Hare, pre-dawn.
: Sycamore seed pod. After posting a picture of a Sycamore tree yesterday, @Miraz asked about whether …
: Sycamore trees are at their best on a sunny winter’s day.
: Outside the shopping center, a sub-zero Sunday morning, a new year offers a scrap of a story. Maybe …
: Walking at night, artificial lights.
: Fog to ring in the New Year.
: The last tomato. Food geometry.
: A drunken octopus challenged me to a fight this morning. I gave him space.
: Spelling Bee Pangram Drugs Today’s NY Times Spelling Bee pangram was very difficult for me to find. Often, I see an …
: When flash goes wrong, it can produce ghastly photos. But sometimes with cats, it just adds humor. …
: Is there a posting glitch? Today’s post not showing up in the timeline, despite several …
: Bricks, ivy, graffiti, ONE WAY.
: Finnegan, Master of his Domain.
: We went with something different this year for Christmas dinner, a 10lbs salmon roasted with lemon …
: Christmas kitten, all tuckered out.
: Night flight, partially cloudy.
: Morning light on the freshly covered crest.
: Peak snow from last week. The triangular fracturing of granite under stress underlies the scene.
: First Robin of…winter? Migratory visitors are up since the snow started. Presumably they were …
: As I huddle inside, orbiting the woodstove, I always marvel at the folks who get through life in …
: The nearby ski area got over 5’ of snow this week, but even such a big storm dissipates over …
: Big snow storms this week. This photo is from Tuesday. The crest is covered in fresh powder, but the …
: A new episode of #WhatsItWednesday.
: The arc of negotiation, new weather pushes in over Mt. Tom and displaces the old.
: Light and shadow livened up the valley, but neither rain nor snow made it down that far.
: Winter storms are rolling to us over the Sierra Nevada. They haven’t had enough energy and …
: Recently, I have been singing “Easy to be Hard” from the musical Hair. No idea why, …
: Any shape of standing wave you see in a river seems to appear above the mountains here eventually. I …
: A Klingon battle cruiser appeared over the crest at sunset. Moments later, it disappeared. I assume …
: Good morning. Another sunrise over the White Mountains. The clouds look out of focus, but the …
: I didn’t get the best photo, but I wanted to celebrate seeing a new bird: Townsend’s …
: Good morning. Two weeks to the winter solstice (in the northern hemisphere), making it easier for …
: Dried onion Sunday. Ten percent humidity does a number on cut vegetables. #OnionSunday
: Whispy, white, smeared by the change in winds as they arrive at the valley, these clouds always have …
: Wispy, stretched, and pink, clouds disappear into the dry dark, while Venus provides a counterpoint …
: Big, pink and fluffy terminator, expanding into the night like unrealistic plans for tomorrow.
: The color of pizza when you use pesto as a base instead of tomato sauce.
: I spoke briefly with M today, the operator at a local facility. C: Thanks. I hope you had a good …
: A prescribed burn is very civilized, producing enough smoke for photographic effect, but not enough …
: Trees don’t have eyes, so it seems anthropomorphic to view this scene as grisly, the dead on …
: Burn zone. Smoke from a prescribed burn in the background, I stopped to admire the stark reality …
: High desert stratification. Long Valley to White Mountain Peak.
: Thanksgiving day was so busy, I forgot to take any photos, much less post one. So here is the …
: Smoke from a prescribed burn sent me on a diversion to scars from a previous fire.
: Lenticular cloud stack, just a baby one, lit by dawn. I think this is a pretty good one for …
: Lone lenticular, pink with dawn light.
: Watching a helicopter fly on Mars is both amazing and mundane. Intellectually, I understand how …
: Cat and lamp in the morning sun.
: Lobbyists for the “Feed Me Now!” industry.
: A wider view shows a two layer storm, organized and serene above, tumbling and wet below.
: Turbulence. A storm drops some rain on Mt Tom.
: I am the panther, barely visible in full sunlight, undetectable at night. You will not see me coming …
: I am not fooled by your stupid toy. Yet. You must work harder to suspend disbelief.
: Pinyon Jays travel in flocks. Noisy, gossipy flocks. I’m not sure what they are finding in …
: Greybear and Diego the Dark Lord of Destruction are visiting again. They were pacing around and …
: Cloudscape at the arc of negotiation. Changing weather is the greatest thing, here. The open …
: Closeup of Wheeler Crest, with foggy clouds.
: The storm left fresh snow on the peaks and clouds on the mountains all day long. The lower clouds …
: You’ve got rain! I went to sleep as a few drops were plinking the windows, and woke up to …
: Clouds arriving at the arc of negotiation, seemingly tearing into pieces.
: This is a regular cloud pattern, westerly cool and wet winds meeting warm desert air. Recently, I …
: Winter light comes in below the eaves and shows off the custom stained glass windows that are a …
: Same sunset as yesterday, same location, just looking down the valley.
: Rabbit brush, sage, and sunset. I’ve switched my photo post-processing software and I’m …
: Late afternoon sky. The arc of negotiation between the cold and wet coming in from the west, and the …
: Just Mt Tom, with fresh snow.
: The clouds here are often dramatic, but the softer moments can equally impress. I love when the …
: The view from home. May I never forget how special it is. #mboct
: Today’s prompt is red, a color that isn’t common in my neighborhood flora. There is some …
: Dawn, the day after the storm. The cycle begins again. #mboct
: Cooper’s Hawk on the snag, surveying everything underneath. #mboct
: A month ago I flew up the west coast, L.A. to Seattle. I could see the smoke plumes of the wildfires …
: Bliss is a full day’s storm that brings a fresh coat of snow to the mountains. Mt Tom’s …
: When I let the nectar supplies run low, the hummingbirds took to the basil flowers bolting at the …
: Wells Meadow. In the high desert, there is a strong connection between water and color. #mboct
: It’s just light reflecting off plastic ripples, but I can’t help looking for meaning in …
: When I need to rest my eyes from looking at the monitor, this is the kind of place I go. #mboct
: The interaction of mountain peak, wind, and moisture, defining an unexpected space. #mboct
: Lenticular clouds have returned. Storms bringing inches of snow have calmed the fires, cleaned the …
: I’m not much for team sports anymore, but I’m looking forward to trying these snowshoes …
: I like to stop by Millpond and enjoy the natural mirror. Plus, there are often ducks or the like, …
: Out of the oven, but not finished. They need at least an hour to continue cooking inside while they …
: I carry a compass in my knapsack. It seems prudent with wilderness so near. I meant to get a photo …
: I upgraded my circular polarizer and my technique. To find the angle with the most contrast, I look …
: The mountains of Pine Creek Canyon were looking quite ethereal during the big storm. #mboct
: I learn things by following the wheels of others. In this case, I was chasing the storm that cleared …
: The Mule Deer returned yesterday. They summer in the High Sierra and winter down here like the rest …
: Eastern Sierra weather is legend. Add in the smoke from massive wildfires for more drama. This is …
: My favorite place for an afternoon nap. Hygge, with a view. #mboct
: Everybody is breathing easier, now that the smoke has cleared. Rain and snow hit the Sierra and the …
: I live where there are few bridges, because the terrain is both challenging and protected. This …
: Ruby Beach. I could have spent quite a bit more time here.The broad flats, concave shoreline, and …
: It’s a beautiful spot, but I don’t imagine it is a safe place for sailors. The gull …
: Twilight at low tide with clouds, Ruby Beach, Olympic Peninsula. #mboct
: Capturing twilight. Lynn uses her iPhone and patience to take photos of Ruby Beach as the light …
: I like a bit of spice with my eggs. #mboct
: Stranded kelp. After a lifetime of ebb and flow in the trough of waves, this little kelp lost its …
: Wave foam. Surf spray is always intriguing, but there’s a balance point, between rocky and …
: It did my soul good to travel to a place where the streets are very different. Mine are dry, …
: Who needs a toy when you’re with your mom at the beach? #mboct
: Inside, looking out. The trees at the boundary of forest and ocean are looking distinctly ready to …
: When Facebook comes back to life, I’m going to tell everyone about micro.blog.
: The Yucca family has sharp leaves that mean business. #mboct
: Driftwood barrier. Rialto Beach seems naturally inaccessible, because the forests march to the ocean …
: Power to the majority. #mboct
: Orbiting stones. I couldn’t read the driftwood, but clearly the stones that comprise the beach …
: Reading driftwood. I didn’t understand much, but I had fun trying.
: They said, “Don’t touch the trees.” But did they tell the trees not to touch us? I …
: Cormorant’s lament. Though they are amazing divers, these birds’ feathers aren’t …
: I keep seeing an advertisement for a flu vaccine called “Fluzone High-Dose …
: Big sky, Rialto Beach, Olympic Peninsula. This beach is a place of strong contrasts and long lines. …
: Rialto Beach, Olympic Peninsula. Three things stood out to me here. Monoliths of rock defying …
: Big stump, with Sam and Lynn for scale. This isn’t the same tree from a few days ago, but …
: Fern. A form that never fails to entertain me. Simple, graceful, yet enduring through the ages.
: Natural Kanji. Are different styles of language transcription influenced by the environments they …
: Maple light. The Hoh Rainforest is not all cedars and moss. Deciduous trees survive, outnumbered …
: Moss. The Hoh Rainforest is full of moss growing on trees. But I don’t know much, because we …
: Hoh River Trail. The Hoh Rainforest is terrific. That is all.
: Hoh River Trail, big Cedar. My brother asked me to take a photo of him next to this huge tree, but I …
: Crescent Lake, Olympic Peninsula. No time to write, so I decided to send a telegram.
: Leaving Seattle on the Ferry. Somehow, I had never made it to Washington State, so this was a nice …
: Crossing the Sound. S&L enjoying the scenery, looking for whales.
: Museum of Flight, Seattle. I really enjoyed this place. Lots of good history, engineering, iconic …
: Smoke-tinged sunset. The French fire is out, the Dixie and Caldor fires mostly so. But several …
: Trapped. This winged ant(?) really wanted out, but wouldn’t let me help. It paced around the …
: Where the Sierra Nevada meets the Mojave Desert. These clouds brought a little rain last week. When …
: Storm light. Long before I attempted photography, my favorite weather was a late afternoon storm …
: Rain. I returned home to clear air and scattered showers. For once, my neighborhood got a slow, …
: Croton leaf. Smooth and translucent, with widely varying colors, the Croton makes an excellent light …
: Come into my leaves, said the plant to the spider. San Diego County is home to a startling number of …
: Am I a bad man because I like the blossoms better on the ground?
: Sparse symmetry. Another plant I don’t know, but whose geometry always intrigues me. So many …
: I don’t know what this flower is called, but I have always loved the way it curves and fills …
: Norfolk Island Pine. San Diego’s moderate climate accomodates plants from many regions. The …
: Sunday breakfast. A latte and breakfast salad. Romaine and spinach topped with fried eggs, dressed …
: The plumeria. With five petals that overlap and curl in two directions, its form is distinctive yet …
: Venn diagram. I love the way these bladed succulents filter light. When the sunlight has washed out …
: Stalking succulents. When I’m in the suburbs of San Diego, I often shift my attention to the …
: Change of venue. Fled the smoke.
: Received an email today: This is a message from Mono County Elections. Your ballot for the …
: I wonder what the livestock think of the smoke. Do they miss the view?
: Persistent haze. With fires are burning north and south, this is the new normal. I live at the edge …
: Rainbow in the desert. I was really surprised to see a big rainstorm in Nevada, north of Las Vegas, …
: Kaibab Paiute. I started the drive past a Paiute reservation. Some 8 hours later, I passed another. …
: Stop. Look. When driving like mad to get to a destination on time, I often talk myself into stopping …
: Foothills. I can’t help but see these as a sort of geologic scale submarine, diving into the …
: Desert clouds. In addition to the exposed geology, Nevada so often has great cloudscapes, which …
: Near Deep Springs. Often, the uplift of geologic layers is impossible to miss in the Great Basin and …
: Firescape. Still hazy at home, so I’m posting photos taken while travelling to and from the …
: Wildfires to the north of us, a new fire to the south. Here I am. Stuck in the middle with haze.
: Skeleton sketches. Today I took a quick online course from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Taught by …
: Currently reading. Sun Tzu - The Art of War: The Art of War by Sun Tzu 📚
: North Rim, visual haiku. This is the last photo in my queue from my visit to the North Rim of the …
: Wotans Throne. With thunderstorms frequently dousing the crowds on the South Rim of the Grand …
: Natural fill. When photographing landscapes, it is difficult to bring a reflector and light up …
: The battleground. A cadre of Ponderosa(?) Pine stands at the edge of a big kill. A young, vital …
: My friends spotted this scene and anthropomorphized it. But they don’t know who Groot is. …
: Visiting cat number two (no favoritism implied) came to my lap for a vigorous rub down. #caturday
: Black cat on black sofa, helping me watch Chelsea play Crystal Palace. #caturday
: RIP Nanci Griffith. Her album “Other Voices, Other Rooms” is one of my favorites of all …
: Young Aspen. The new growth has dense, lush foliage, fueled by a large opening in the canopy of old …
: Some of the dead trees have fallen, and they seem to point the way through the young aspen grove.
: Naked trunks, ants-eye view. Knobbly is the word that comes to mind, repeatedly.
: Naked trunks. Weathered, knobbly, smooth, silvery, these two stood straight up in the middle of a …
: Puffball. Near our campsite were some flowers gone to see that might be oversized dandelion puffs, …
: Amphitheater. For the nimble only. You might think this is habitat for birds only, but I saw …
: North and east from Cape Royal, clouds gather over the plateau beyond the canyon.
: Friday night pizza, made in a cast iron pan. Spinach, mushroom, garlic, pesto, serrano chilis, Genoa …
: Angels Window, Cape Royal. The sedimentary layers are obviously fragile in the long term, yet …
: Arrival, watching the rain. We drove through thunderstorms to get to the North Rim, but after that, …
: What’s It Wednesday. #WhatsItWednesday
: Lupine in bloom. One of the joys of the North Rim of the Grand Canyon is high elevation (roughly …
: The cast of characters. Clearly, some are troublemakers.
: The Grand Canyon, from the North Rim. My friends were lucky enough to acquire reservations for two …
: Transept, from the camp site.
: Not UFOs. Cloud shadows from a pair of little cunims in a big field of virga. But they sure do look …
: Ho-hum, back to golden landscape lit by partially cloudy skies.
: I highly recommend “Project Hail Mary: A Novel”, by Andy Weir. It has been some time …
: Whats It Wednesday. Reaching back in time for this one. #WhatsItWednesday
: Accidental photograhy. The accidental snap rarely speaks to me, but this one stood out in the proof …
: Landscape spotlight. In the right conditions, you get a spotlight and you can see the shaft of light …
: Grouse Mountain. The rough and rubble nature of this formation shows itself in the late afternoon …
: Owl weekend. Something diverted the attention of this juvenile Great Horned Owl. I wonder if owls …
: Owl weekend. An immature Great Horned Owl hanging around the neighborhood has been an annual joy …
: Band of gold. The afternoon sun found a thin, wide gap between the cloud layer and the mountains.
: The Sierra shapes the weather. The peaks and valleys channel the winds and the clouds follow along, …
: After the ominous comes the spectacular. A mid-week rainbow with virga to get you over the hump.
: I have enjoyed @dejus playing What’s It Wednesday, so I decided to try it out myself. I used to post …
: Dogs and cats! Living together! We’ve been having some “real wrath-of-god type” …
: Round Valley, late afternoon, high summer. One neighbor who cycles told me his phone is full of …
: Mid-summer, late evening, big show. No matter how hot it gets during the day, the desert evening …
: The real story. I identified the squawker as female, but didn’t check my work. My neighbor is …
: A wandering eye. The female Pinyon Jay does not seem too happy with the longing gaze of the …
: Master of all he sees. This California Quail was looking very imperious. He also didn’t have …
: California Quail doing yoga.
: Something to keep an eye on: Kickstarter Color e-Paper Tablet running Android
: Canal life. The arcs and reflections of water grasses are endlessly fascinating and oddly soothing.
: Canal at sunset. The Owens River is diverted for irrigation in many places, a controversial practice …
: More contre-jour. These locust trees burned in 2018, I think. They grew sparsely along the river. …
: Earthquake 5.9 32km SSW of Smith Valley, NV 2021-07-08 15:49:48 (UTC-07:00) 9.8 km
: Pine Creek Fire. Yesterday this plume of smoke appeared, roughly 10 miles away. Two hours later, …
: Growth rate. Some flora recover from fire a lot faster than others. Lucky for me.
: Contre-jour. Show me a solitary tree with a strong profile, and I will stop and take the shot. …
: Shadow can be as effective as a spotlight in distinguishing landscape features. Here, the trees that …
: Independence Day. Celebrating the ability to live by yourself while ignoring the ecosystem that …
: Another spotlight. The gap in the clouds shapes the shaft of light. The topography where it strikes …
: Nature’s spotlight, part 2. Yesterday’s photo showed the cloud formation that produces a …
: Nature’s spotlight. When the sky looks like this, with that little area of blue, get your …
: Western trucking. It takes a really big storm to block the sun completely from everything I can see. …
: Finally, rain. It has been all cloud and no water for more than a year. But yesterday, we had a …
: Atmospherics reveal. Wheeler Crest is enormous and complicated. At first, it seemed to me a sheer …
: Cloud on cloud shadows. I don’t see this often, but it is always striking. The sun is low, the …
: Resist. Granite spire in the middle of a hillside. Lake Sabrina approach.
: Ripple, Bishop Creek. I came across a standing wave of a different sort. This long ripple is …
: Big Pink. This is one of those forms that needs a wider lens or image stitching tech. This bank …
: Apparently, the term ‘flash flood’ does not really get the message through to some …
: Another Sierra Wave form. This one filled so much of the sky, I needed a wider lens.
: The Sierra Wave came by again last week and filled the sky.
: Wispy moon. A closeup of the moon in yesterday’s photo. As the sun sets, there is a balance …
: Sunday brunch to usher in the summer. Home-made cured salmon, summer pickles, capers, shaved butter, …
: Today’s bread. Fifty percent freshly milled grains: hard red winter wheat, some soft white for …
: Sunday serenity. The moon punctuated an arc of fluffy clouds above Wheeler Crest. I should have …
: Dogs at play. A flash is such a wonderful tool for catching expressions too fleeting to see …
: Sunset machine, 3/3. Here is another example of clouds overhanging the valley, catching the …
: Sunset machine, 2/3. This is the same location, but another evening. Sometimes we stand at the end …
: Sunset machine, 1/3. Clouds often spill down from the heights to hover above this shoulder. Beyond, …
: Still life. The landscape has been so stunning for the last few months that I haven’t been …
: Morning shadows on the tuff bubbles. A feature of the west that I love is being able to see geometry …
: Barely lit, the far side of Round Valley and the Tungsten hills look so tranquil. The lighting …
: Virga in the distance. After floating across the valley, the storm drops the rain when it encounters …
: Fade to light. You might think that the blue skies in the distance are the desirable bits, but in …
: I love it when I step outside and see this. Time to grab the camera and go see what the new shadows …
: Big puff balls moving past Mt. Tom. Looks like a race to me.
: Diego beginning the day by absorbing energy. He wakes up slowly, needs some time to meditate before …
: I envy cats for their ability to sleep seemingly anywhere, in this case, on a plank 4” wide and 6’ …
: I think I finally found the place to photograph Diego, a grey background lit by a north-facing …
: The cats visited again last week. This is the moment I explained that their food bowls were in the …
: More rain shadow. The storm is moving towards the Owens Valley, but is rebuffed by the heat rising …
: Looking back at the storm from Pleasant Valley. It won’t reach here directly, but all the …
: Rain shadow. Yesterday’s photo shows a huge storm on the mountains, the source of shadow in …
: Spring rain on Pine Creek Canyon. We got a few drops from this, but not nearly as much as I had …
: Sheer variety is a big part of what make this place so interesting. Altitude, climate, vegetation, …
: Clouds overhead, blue skies and fresh snow on the Gables. Views like these remind me to drive to …
: Pleasant Valley, taking the old canal road. Spring rains and warmth have brought green to the Coyote …
: Full moon rising through evening haze over the White Mountains.
: Black-headed Grosbeak, someone I don’t think I’ve met until now. That’s quite the …
: Super Flower Blood Moon. Expialidocious. These aren’t sharp, which I attribute to a sleepy, …
: Peekaboo mountains. Snow on the Whites in May, but none for us down low. The weather skips across …
: Wheeler Crest got the lightest dusting of spring snow, but then the sun came out. It was pretty …
: Sunset palette, but reflected and diffused from the east, and one of my favorite effects around …
: For Firefly fans, a sighting of Serenity in the clouds.
: Dipped in raspberry juice. That was the joke that always made my mother laugh. Those finches look …
: Spring rains on the White Mountains. The next day I discovered it had actually snowed, perhaps …
: Big poofy sky. And all those clouds mean water, heading east, skipping over my valley on a cushion …
: Dawn, after a day of wind and rain. Rain that fell on the heights, with enough falling down to our …
: Fallen petals on cedar chips.
: Night closing in, my view narrows until it expands to the stars.
: The Western Kingbird again. There were quite a few here for a while but I guess they have moved on …
: Standing wave clouds over the Coyote Hills. This looks huge, doesn’t it? It is, but if you …
: More lenticular cloud forms. Interestingly, these shapes often don’t trigger shape recognition …
: Pancake stack. Lenticular clouds over Bishop. If I’d been in town, I don’t think this …
: More funky lenticular clouds. Gonna need a wider lens.
: Last night’s Starlink pass, a group of 60 satellites launched just three days prior.
: Starlink Launch 24 went up April 29. Those sixty Starlink satellites paraded brightly across our sky …
: Do ravens think the landscape beautiful? I often ask, but they remain taciturn.
: Partially cloudy is a weather report I look forward to. Cool in summer, not too cold in winter, …
: Virga is a word I didn’t know until I moved here. In the west, with huge views, shafts of …
: Hooded Oriole. Another spring visitor. This one is particularly annoyed by the hummingbird feeder …
: Western Tanager. Birds migrate through this valley. Many species I knew only from the guidebooks and …
: Tall grass gets the light. Sometimes big views dominate an outing, but once the sun is well up, the …
: Source to sink. In the background, the Sierra Nevada. In the foreground, the Owens River. In …
: Golden loops of grass. Shaped by the river and the cattle, last year’s grasses lie in startling …
: Burn victim. This tree was reduced to black and white by fire. It stands naked, falling as slowly as …
: First light in Pleasant Valley, above a bend in the Owens River. Waking at 5AM and not being able to …
: Osprey, Horton Creek at Pleasant Valley. I was very surprised to learn we had Osprey here, because …
: Layer cake. The southern end of Round Valley shows the effect of landscape engineering, by humans …
: Great Blue Herons on the Owens River, Pleasant Valley. I believe these are mates, a pair I’ve …
: A Hairy Woodpecker swiped the perch from the Western Kingbird. I’ve lost two small pine trees …
: An acrobatic hunter, the Western Kingbird plucked an insect from thin air and returned to the snag …
: A Western Kingbird stopped by yesterday. He’s a handsome fellow. I wish he would visit more …
: Comfort break. Looking at dusty old waterways and buildings was pretty fun for a dog, but Rudi drew …
: Lost technology. Kids these days don’t know how to operate a 19th century hay bailer. They …
: Inside the barn, DeChambeau Ranch. My apologies to anyone with OCD. It’s not a matter of …
: DeChambeau Ranch, Mono Basin. Now part of the forest service, this ranch was founded in 1871, …
: Violet-green Swallow, DeChambeau Ponds. Getting a clear photo of these is not easy. Bullets with …
: A northern beach of Mono Lake. The white on the shore is not wind-swept foam, but alkali deposits. …
: Yellow-headed Blackbird and some Coots. It’s not a band name, but it should be. The experts …
: Field trip. A group of us went exploring in the Mono Basin, looking for the history of the …
: The moon through the trees. Silver Lake, June Lake Loop.
: Sunday duck. In its natural state, not roasted. On Silver Lake.
: NR climbing on fallen trees, as per usual.
: Mallards landing. Silver Lake, June Lake Loop.
: Silver Lake, June Lake Loop, April 3.
: Ruby-crowned Kinglet. A first for me. Imperfect photos, but good enough to confirm identity. Seen …
: You’ve got to get up pretty early in the morning to get here before dawn. And we didn’t, …
: Silver and copper twist. One of my favorite Bristlecone forms, this branch looks to me like a …
: Happy Easter. Here is a Bristlecone Pine older than your religion.
: Moderna #2 done. Two and a half hours, no side-effects so far.
: Palate cleanser. Weather on Wheeler Crest.
: The Shape of Cats My brother Sam occasionally delivers the sermon at his church and yesterday he sent me the text of …
: 🎵 And if I had a boat I’d go out on the ocean And if I had a pony I’d ride him on my …
: Burn victim. A Cottonwood Tree in Pleasant Valley refuses to fall, despite being burned in February, …
: The curves of the White Mountains in partial shadows give me goosebumps. Up close, those hills are …
: Same cloud, a little bit later, from Pleasant Valley and the Owens River.
: Above the Owens Valley, rising warm, dry air meets the cold, wet wind coming off the Sierra Nevada. …
: Clouds making spotlights on the White Mountains.
: The Pleasant Valley bluff can be hard to appreciate in full sunlight, but it really catches the eye …
: Cottonwood Tree in Round Valley pasture. Mt Tom behind, shrouded in a storm bringing fresh snow.
: Raptors have such terrifying visages…until they do this. Then they just look plain goofy. I …
: Immature Red-tailed Hawk, hunting from the cedar snag.
: Storm coming down from the heights above Swall Meadows.
: Shift change. I also am going to sit in the sun by the woodstove and keep an eye on you.
: I’m going to sit in the sun by the woodstove and keep an eye on you.
: A pod of sky whales swam through this week.
: White Crowned Sparrow. Here’s a little puzzle I’ve been working on. Birds on the south …
: Lesser Goldfinch, male, foraging on the back pine tree.
: From Long Valley, Mount Morrison with fresh snow.
: Up in Long Valley to catch some fresh snow on the Sherman Range. This is the other side of Wheeler …
: “Stand by the grey stone when the thrush knocks and the setting sun with the last light of …
: Storms are coming through this week, so the Sierra Wave is back.
: Caption this. (Was offline much of yesterday, waiting, found this while scrolling through last …
: Step 1 of 2. Moderna vaccine, administered 21 hours ago, no significant side effects. The efficiency …
: Twice a year, the sunset shines straight through Pine Creek Canyon. It’s like having a big …
: You’re never too old to enjoy the magic of a cat’s tongue.
: Greybear’s brother Diego. Though tougher to photograph, he is in no way the lesser of the two. …
: Every time I pass this wind farm, I try to get a photograph. This time I drove a few miles around …
: Alabama Hills, from the south end of Movie Road. If it looks familiar, you have probably been …
: February Photo Challenge Day 28: up. I stopped by the Alabama Hills to look up at Mt. Whitney.
: February Photo Challenge Day 27: pompasetting. I’m not sure if Greybear is actually showing …
: Postprandial couch: New Yorker, LA Times sudoku, freshly-baked chocolate chip cookies.
: February Photo Challenge Day 26: favourite. On my way home today I stopped by the shooting location …
: Moonrise over the Angeles Crest.
: February Photo Challenge Day 25: code. Whenever I look at a grove like this, I always feel there is …
: February Photo Challenge Day 24: baby. Long ago, I could wear Natalie Rose as a hat. I’m …
: My brother is complaining about all the big sky photos. “Where are the animals, trees?” …
: February Photo Challenge Day 23: banana. See the resemblance? Yeah, no, neither do I.
: More big sky, sunset this time. I estimate that formation to be more than ten miles across.
: February Photo Challenge Day 22: spell. Me: Stay still for a second. Greybear: Are you still here?! …
: Play time. Diego eyes Greybear with intent to cause mischief.
: February Photo Challenge Day 21: color. A Cedar Waxwing on the Cotoneaster, a photo I used as my …
: Sunrise, this week. I’m always moved by the subtlety of the color palette when the cloud …
: February Photo Challenge Day 20: weather. Normally I like my photos with minimal post-processing, …
: Just another sunset in the Eastern Sierra. We have a little joke here. When the sky puts on a show, …
: February Photo Challenge Day 19: alive. My cousin sent me one of her mother’s paintings. She …
: February Photo Challenge Day 18: at home. When the landscapes are boring or I don’t have time …
: A cunim reworked by winds to look like a brain.
: February Photo Challenge Day 17: still. Still here, standing still, throughout the winter chill. …
: January brought some spectacular cloud photos, delayed behind behind December travel and late …
: Pyramid Rock, Gallup, NM, 7/7. The summit. I was the caboose, but Tony let me take my time, which …
: February Photo Challenge Day 16: erudite. I am conflicted on all things erudite. I need them, but I …
: February Photo Challenge Day 15: reflection. This prompted a (figurative) reflection on my time …
: Pyramid Rock, Gallup, NM, 6/7. Another Pinyon Pine profile. Though this one has died, its …
: Pyramid Rock, Gallup, NM, 5/7. This Pinyon Pine scoffs at the need for soil.
: February Photo Challenge Day 14: compassion. Diego the Dark Lord of Destruction, my neighbors’ cat …
: February Photo Challenge Day 13: make. You have to break some eggs to make an omelette, but I felt …
: Pyramid Rock, Gallup, NM, 4/7. Hiking with Tony and Chimayo. The Pinyon Pines make for interesting …
: Pyramid Rock, Gallup, NM, 3/7. The trail climbs the north-eastern shoulder of the peak, passing a …
: February Photo Challenge Day 12: sporg. Land of the Sporg, giants who love rolling boulders. In …
: Pyramid Rock, Gallup, NM, 2/7. The first stretch of trail takes you past some great sandstone …
: February Photo Challenge Day 11: machine. Irrigation in the high desert.
: Returning to my trip in December, I stopped to visit friends in Gallup, New Mexico. This is Pyramid …
: February Photo Challenge Day 10: energy. Understanding how energy transfers can be quite useful. On …
: Last of the best of the big snowfall photos. You know it’s a big storm when it snows all the …
: February Photo Challenge Day 9: muddy. Used to be muddy. Will be again. But it’s prettier in …
: February Photo Challenge Day 8: hope. It is always uplifting to wake up before dawn, with neither …
: Across the valley, the Tungsten and Coyote Hills covered in snow and clouds.
: Wheeler Crest covered in snow, full sun. The crest is always so beautiful after a snow storm. The …
: February Photo Challenge Day 7: craving. Pizza. Oscar Wilde said the only way to get rid of …
: February Photo Challenge Day 6: sport. My neighbors’ dogs engage in mock battles whenever they …
: Spotlight on some of the “shark’s teeth” of Wheeler Crest.
: Mount Tom sporting a Sunday hat.
: February Photo Challenge Day 5: pets, which turns out to be a contraction of “Parade of …
: Mt Tom in pre-dawn light, the morning after the big snow.
: February Photo Challenge Day 4: layers. A photo from late August 2020. Smoke from the wildfires …
: Wheeler Crest, when the clouds come below 13,000’.
: February Photo Challenge Day 3: comfort. A woodstove in winter.
: February Photo Challenge Day 2: morning beverage. Breakfast shot.
: My neighbor, out looking at the big show.
: February Photo Challenge Day 1: close up. Nature’s xylophone. Icicles form as snow melts from …
: A Merlin feeds on a California Quail. The deep snow has exposed the smaller birds to predators, …
: Wheeler Crest, not to be outdone, also put on its Sunday best the morning after the snow storm.
: Mount Tom always looks its best the day after a big snowstorm.
: Low-lying juniper covered in snow. The storm has passed, at least here, but 8-9 feet fell to the …
: We got 12” yesterday, 8” overnight. US 395 is closed from Bishop to the Nevada state …
: We interrupt this sequence of photos around the west to bring you the current weather report.
: Navajo country. Looking towards Tuba City.
: America’s new look: Amazon Prime truck crossing the Colorado River on the bridge at the Glen …
: Paria Canyon, 14/14. I hope you have enjoyed the trip. This shot remains my favorite, because my …
: Paria Canyon, 13/14. Just outside the canyon, up on the surrounding bluffs, this pattern is a …
: Paria Canyon, 12/14. Nature’s knick-knack shelf.
: Paria Canyon, 11/14. Walls of a different color. Lots more Rorschach tests in this section, with …
: My song for the day: Is It Like Today, by World Party. And the cover by Eliza Gilkyson.
: Paria Canyon, 10/16. Just the pure wave of the sandstone, as a palate cleanser.
: Well, these past four years have been the most engaging history class I’ve ever taken. I …
: The Rainbow Girls posted a topical video today including their Lodi cover. Apparently, John Fogerty …
: Paria Canyon, 9/14. The northern canyon seemed to be full of Rorschach tests. I see an old-timey …
: Paria Canyon, 8/14. North of the junction, the walls are darker, rougher, scored. This triangular …
: Paria Canyon, 7/14. The arch at the junction of two slot canyons. Perhaps when the two flows meet, …
: Paria Canyon, 6/14. Near the junction, the slot widens and the walls change character as they meet …
: Paria Canyon, 5/14. Closeup of a pattern that appears all over this area. I am no geologist, but it …
: Paria Canyon, 4/14. The next stretch of the canyon was very narrow. When I felt like my shoulders …
: Paria Canyon, 3/14. Below the shelf. At the end you can see the wooden ladder attached to a …
: Paria Canyon, 2/14. At first, I was just mesmerized by the curves. It was a cloudy day and I was …
: Paria Canyon, 1/14. In December I visited this sandstone slot canyon on the border of Arizona and …
: Sunset over Montgomery Pass, the end of the long journey home.
: As I approached the Nevada-California border near sunset, the signs of population centers began to …
: More vast ranchland in central Nevada.I wonder if a rancher sees those beautiful background hills as …
: Peaceful? Lonely? Yesterday’s question recurs. But after the violation of our capitol by …
: Miles from nowhere. This ranch is set alongside a beautiful range of small hills, seventy miles from …
: Mt Taylor and High Peak, I believe, at the north end of the valley that leads to Ely, Nevada. The …
: Entering north-east Nevada. State boundaries may seem arbitrary, but I often find they mark where …
: On a long road trip, it pays photography dividends to be on the road before sunrise. My car took an …
: See the flow. Clouds form as air pressure changes around the mountain. South-central Wyoming.
: Full moon at dawn, New Year’s Eve, North Platte, Nebraska. I was sleepy and facing my third …
: Held up by snow, freezing rain. Spent two hours the next morning freeing the car from an inch of …
: Solitary tree, reflection. A frozen pond at sunset shows a diffused copy of a tree with evening …
: Solitary tree, sans plumage. As 2020 comes to an end, it occurs to me I’m way behind on my …
: Cattails in winter. Frozen pond in the backgroud, light from a winter sunset. Urbana, Illinois.
: Barbara in her Christmas best, trying on her new bracelet.
: Lynn and Caroline. Cracking jokes instead of posing. Varmints.
: My brother, Sam. Looking much more refined than usual.
: I was teasing my step-mother, a very organized woman of German origin, that she had fallen from …
: The family elder, 92, keeping warm on Christmas Eve with a blanket and cup of tea.
: Light snow on a cold Christmas eve. A pale, cloudy moon and a naked tree lit by a spherical street …
: Unplanned stop in Hannibal, Missouri. I missed getting over the tracks by about ten seconds. But I …
: Panhandle sunset. The colors are different here. And the cloud patterns. Oddly, they remind me of …
: A phalanx of wind turbines in the Texas panhandle. The turbines are quite prolific there and keep …
: The remnants of several weather patterns combined for a striking sunset.
: Trailing edge of the snow storm. For a while everything was grey, but the storm was moving quickly …
: Past the mist, into the snow, I found a small burn area at the crest of the hills. All the …
: Edge of the snowstorm in the high desert. I kept expecting something to appear out of the mist. …
: Leaving Las Vegas. Well, leaving Nevada, via the Virgin River canyon at sunset.
: Approaching Las Vegas. The Nevada landscape really comes to life on partially cloudy days.
: Golden morning light on Wheeler Crest. When a storm hangs low on the crest, you can sometimes see …
: Fifteen miles down the road, yesterday’s warning sign begins to make sense.
: This road looks like fun. They left off, ”Snow storm on the horizon.” Please and thank you.
: Grapevine in winter, outside the back door of my airbnb.
: A fluffy layer passed by, but did not stay for sunset.
: Sunset jazz. For your Friday Happy Hour.
: Not everyone wants to be singing from the highest perch. This House Finch looked very meditative, …
: Fighting for the top perch. A Robin fends off two White-crowned Sparrows, all of whom want to sit on …
: “Typical heroic posture.” That is what my brothers and I would say in the moment of …
: A robin was hanging out in my back pine tree this weekend. I managed to get one closeup. The robins …
: Winter spotlight. When the sun moves south for the winter, it shines through a narrow gap in the …
: Daily patterns. I make sure to stop and photograph patterns I see every day, but do not really …
: Rooting basil. All of this year’s basil plants have suffered trauma and the stalks are all …
: Granite erosion. Granite atop a shear boundary (one side rising, the other falling) erodes in …
: Say what? The pinyon jay does not believe me.
: Pinyon Jay, in a rare visit to my pine tree. They are the only social jay, travelling in loosely …
: More granite spires. They don’t move at all, yet they change appearance dramatically as the …
: Study in granite. What I call the “shark’s teeth” looked somewhat different than …
: Exploring a new location, Coyote Canyon. The light wasn’t great but the opportunities for …
: Rush hour. The biggest dilemma they have is when the dogs want to explore opposite sides of the …
: Happy Thanksgiving! Except for Diego, who did not get his bird on the wing. He will have to adjust …
: Fall peaked while we were covered in wildfire smoke, so I missed most of it. But yesterday after …
: One more look at the big cloud event from last Friday. These show up unexpectedly and do not last …
: Capture the moment, free your imagination. A bit of cloud filigree the evening of big clouds. I see …
: The combinations of sun and cloud are the landscape photographer’s equivalent of studio …
: Slice of sunrise. When the winter clouds from the Sierra Nevada come thickly, they float over the …
: I photograph this cloud formation all the time, but I’m not sure it speaks to others. I love …
: Sometimes the smooth clouds generated by the Sierra Wave develop horizontal striations, making them …
: Last night’s wave cloud, a little closer and later. The fierce winds forced a precautionary …
: One of the great things about the Eastern Sierra is the big winds. Currently experiencing gusts of …
: The parade. This ridge often produces a train of fluffy little clouds, like a dragon puffing smoke.
: Another bit of Sierra Wave from that same evening. The standing wave creates stable clouds that …
: The Sierra Wave made a big appearance Friday night. The last one seems far in the past. It is good …
: This is a dog in my neighborhood named Bismarck. As in Otto von Bismarck. Because eyebrows. …
: When the clouds form over the White Mountains, they can be endlessly poofy. At this point, I can …
: This year has definitely caused some wear and tear on the psyche. Part of my cure is making sure …
: Say, were you up at 6 the other morning when the storm came from the west? The clouds covered the …
: I talked with a Hermit Thrush at Pine Creek this weekend. Well, I talked, he foraged. I waited for …
: The view from above. The Creek Fire and surrounding mountains covered in snow.
: Many of my mentors are getting quite elderly. One died last Monday from COVID-19 at the age of 94. I …
: Some days, I really want force feedback in the browser. Not my browser, that guy’s browser. …
: The vistas are visible again. It sounds like a tautology, but two months of smoke at unhealthy …
: The Creek Fire is out, the election is done, snow is falling on the mountains, and we even have …
: I grew up in the greater NYC area. I escaped, repeatedly and finally. But the best of the place …
: I can feel everything inflate today: mind, body, belly. Two out of three ain’t bad.
: The fire is under control. For now. Yesterday, gusts shook the timbers of this old house, ripping down from the heights., threatening …
: The wildfires are running out of fuel, smoke is clearing, the election is resolving. Suddenly I …
: Cats can be cute, but they are always plotting and will not hesitate to stoop to murder if …
: Near relapse? Have a cat photo. This is Greybear. He is not my cat, he and his brother visit when …
: Today’s absurdity is the election of a Republican brothel owner to the state legislature of …
: NEOWISE arrived as a smudge on the horizon to find and photograph. Its departure exerted more force …
: Have you rehabilitated yourself, kid? Have you voted? Do you have a plan to vote? Concentrate! Cross …
: My post for the day had too many characters for #mbnov and editing it to get picked up proved dreary …
: Time Change The semi-annual time change usually leaves me dreary for a week, but this morning I rolled with it …
: Happy Halloween. I think there’s nothing scarier than waking up to a black cat watching the sun rise …
: Dawn of the apocalypse. Smoke from the Creek Fire blanketed us for nearly two months. The extent of …
: Doves of the apocalypse. Eurasian collared doves, an invasive species, sit on the dead cedar tree …
: Smoke, at dawn, filling the Owens Valley.
: Smoke signals. When the hills are reduced to profiles receding in the distance, I always think they …
: The Tungsten Hills stood out more than usual with the smokey background. The White Mountains, …
: These photos of smoke in the valley are from two weeks ago, but the Creek Fire continues to burn, …
: Sun streaking through clouds and smoke, sapping the colors and details from the scene. Tungten Hills …
: Smoky sunset over Mt Whitney and the Alabama hills.
: Driving home through the smoke, Owens Lake had a very muted look. Oddly, as a result, I saw the …
: My house was not endangered by the wildfires in California, but the smoke was (and still is) so …
: I post a photo per day on Facebook. I’ve been looking for an alternative for a while. Blair …