zen sation

@zen-sation

Amateur photographer, Pacific NW scenes, some birds and other critters, nature, bits of travel; camera handy, wherever, whenever. Catching moments with my lens.

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zen sation@zen-sation· 10h

#ForestFriday #EastCoastKin #ECK Just a quickie to let y'all know I'm still alive and breathing....

Redwood burl...
A burl or burr is a tree growth in which the grain has grown in a deformed manner.
Then again there's...

(Also found on Wiki:)
Redwood burl stealing, also known as burl poaching, involves illegally cutting and removing burls from coast redwood trees, which can severely damage or kill the trees. This practice has increased in recent years, threatening the health of old-growth redwoods and prompting legal action to protect these trees.
....
They can be quite valuable to make exotic slabs for furniture and sold at some jaw-dropping prices on eBay and Amazon!
It seems as though poachers are rarely caught or punished.

zen sation@zen-sation· 2d

Perhaps I'm getting cynical, but that moon looks all too perfectly situated.

Note the people for a sense of scale. There's at least 3 in this shot. (Definitely NOT AI.

zen sation@zen-sation· 14d

Somewhere in the Redwoods.... #ForestFriday #EastCoastKin #ECK

An example of a Mother Tree where a younger Redwood tree takes root from an older fallen tree.

zen sation@zen-sation· 17d

It's harder to deny reality as each year brings a new never seen before increase in wildfires and droughts. We were damned lucky that time. The rain came and the wind shifted and our blessed fog returned.... That sort of luck seems to be dwindling. Mother Earth is trying to tell us something.

Fog creeps into the river valleys, cooling for most of the summer. It's a blessing for those such as me who don't do well with summer heat.

zen sation@zen-sation· 18d

A group of crows is **called a "murder**," while ravens are referred to as an "unkindness." #AlphabetChallenge #WeekDForDark

I never did figure out what the attraction was (a family get together?) But I did get a picture.

zen sation@zen-sation· 19d

If you go for "Depth" tomorrow, I have a series from Hells Canyon I was just sorting through. Said to be even deeper than the Grand Canyon! We never did get down to the river, but roamed the cliffs and mountains above. A memorable visit.

Wallowa Lake with the Wallowa Mountains beyond. Claims to be Oregon's Alps. ;-) Though it does have its own charm. Over a decade ago it was uncrowded near the end of the summer season. Quiet with spectacular scenery and not too many tourists. One of the serene artist colonies that I enjoy visiting. Off the beaten path. But the river is difficult to get to except by river rafting.

zen sation@zen-sation· 19d

Dare I? #AlphabetChallenge #WeekCForCurves Perhaps a bit late for you folks to the East? Still Sunday here. 😉 I bet some of you are already off to #WeekDFor???? It occurred to me that these 2 shots might just work for "C for Curves"?

During a visit to Hell's Canyon (2014) we wandered the nearby town to view the amazing statues along the Main Street. Here's a sample from a collection of bronze statues scattered throughout the town.

Hang onto your hat!

A quote from their website: "Not many towns can say they have a world-class art foundry operating right in their backyard. Valley Bronze of Oregon has been casting large-scale bronze sculptures since 1982, and it is essentially the engine behind Joseph’s entire art identity."

That was when we took a break from exploring the hills along Hell's Canyon. Some great memories.

zen sation@zen-sation· 23d

👍❤️

zen sation@zen-sation· Jul 12

Thanks, Alina... It's not often I catch a sunrise, but this trip was truly special in so many ways. Me and my beloved Husky, Sam! This one pretty much tells the story ---> [Camped at Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada.]

The trusty Orange VW bug (my chariot) with the little pup tent while Sam (tied to the picnic table) is on guard against any wild critters... Certainly top of the list for my most memorable trips.

zen sation@zen-sation· Jul 11

A #Quiet early sunrise morning near Jasper in the Canadian Rockies... fond memories from 1979. #BlueSkyArtShow #EastCoastKin #ECK

A glowing mountain top peeks above a closer mountain hidden in fog. A River shyly shows through nearby trees in the foreground. The misty morning scene was utterly peaceful and quiet.

zen sation@zen-sation· Jul 5

Came across this one for a a quick post for #Stunday. Still making progress on sorting through photos, but yet a long way to go. Takes me back to some glorious trips we had back then. #EastCoastKin #ECK

Looking south from Cape Perpetua along the Oregon Coast. One of the moody sort of days I love. The ocean is calm and the cloud cover is just right to avoid too much squinting. There are still some wisps of fog creeping inland on the coastal mountains. A bird hovers above it all.

(May 2015)

zen sation@zen-sation· Jul 3

It's #ForestFriday and I happened to come across this image during my massive photo sorting project. How could I possibly resist posting this lovely hike through all that green? #EastCoastKin #ECK Then it's back to my daunting project of organizing which has been way overdue... sigh. 😕

Take a deep breath of all that fresh air (at least imagine it!)
This.... taken a bunch of years ago on a hike through the woods along the Oregon Coast. (2018)

zen sation@zen-sation· Jul 2

Thank you, Tia. 🙏 Crepuscular rays peeking through the clouds over a surly ocean... what's not to love? It's been fun digging back through the jumbled mess and finding some worth keeping... Now to get back to it before I run out of steam and motivation. 😉

Approaching sunset along the Oregon Coast!

zen sation@zen-sation· Jul 2

In case anyone has missed me..... I thought I'd pause in the monumental task of sorting, deleting and/or editing a remaining 25,000+ images. I'm trying not to get distracted so I can FINALLY get this dreaded task done. In the meantime, here's one I came across. Enjoy! 🤗

Stormy skies above a ominous looking sea. the sun still manages to light up the horizon in between. Then there's the rocky seastack pretending to be a whale.

The good news is that the photo sorting project is moving along nicely except for the times when I forget what I'm doing and ALMOST delete a whole stack of images meant to go to the external hard drive (for back up) and nearly lose the whole precious batch!!! I need to be careful when I start getting tired.

I miss each and every one of you I follow! Hope to be back soon!

zen sation@zen-sation· Jun 21

#Stunday indeed! Looks like my iPad died overnight. I'm about to attempt a (VERY) long overdue upgrade on the desktop, so if I disappear for awhile... chalk it up to one who doesn't keep up with the time these days! 😉🥴 #EastCoastKin #ECK

Can't help it. It's probably AI, but it seems apropos for the moment.

A bedraggled rose looking a bit damp during the rainy season.

Sometimes, the way I feel........?

zen sation@zen-sation· Jun 21

Somehow your image brought this to my mind.... Wish I could remember what bird it was.

Catching a bird in flight hiding behind its outstretched wings.

zen sation@zen-sation· Jun 19

A visit to the Redwoods... always a pleasure. #ForestFriday #EastCoastKin #ECK

Shafts of sunlight streaming through the Redwood trees.

Off the beaten path through Redwood trees. Provides a bit of a sense of scale with the hood of the pickup as shot through the windshield. A road less traveled making it seem like we have the place pretty much to ourselves.

zen sation@zen-sation· Jun 18

#ThickTrunkThursday with a some bonus buzzing bees you may need to click on the image to see them (the shot was taken from quite a distance with a telephoto and then cropped. #EastCoastKin #ECK #AlphabetChallenge #WeekforXyloid

A couple of bees about to fly into a tree cavity in a dead tree. Sorry, they're just tiny specks shot from a hefty distance with a telefoto lens and heavily cropped... or you'd miss them entirely.

zen sation@zen-sation· Jun 18

Driftwood in the sand. Possibly even petrified. #AlphabetChallenge #WeekforXyloid #wood #ColorADay #Yellow

Strange patterns (growth?) on a piece of driftwood found on the beach.

zen sation@zen-sation· Jun 15

A triple with a minimal twig (of #wood) floating in a bit of ( #blue) water. #AlphabetChallenge #WeekforXyloid #MinimalMonday #BlueSkyMonday Not wishing to show off, I didn't wait for #TidesOutTuesday #EastCoastKin #ECK

A small twig caught in what's left of a high tide on a sandy beach. A blue sky is reflected in the water creating abstract patterns.

zen sation@zen-sation· Jun 10

Trickles of water appear as rain begins to fall. You can see the dark stains on the red rock canyon walls from previous downpours. #WaterfallWednesday #EastCoastKin #ECK #AlphabetChallenge #WeekWforWater

The start of a rain storm as it works its way down the red cliffs of a deep canyon in Arizona.

A better view of how the rain leaves its stains on the canyon walls.
The next day the weather turned to snow.

~Canyon de Chelly, New Mexico, April 2016.

zen sation@zen-sation· Jun 9

#TidesOutTuesday #RockinTuesday #EastCoastKin #ECK

Another Sunset Bay sunset. Stepping stones (#Rocks) leading toward the setting sun in the distance with painted skies above.

zen sation@zen-sation· Jun 8

#WorldOceansDay Almost too many photos to choose from...

Shafts of sunlight peeking through clouds over a moody ocean.

The Oregon coastline looking out toward the Pacific Ocean.

A crumbling, rocky coastline dropping down to the ocean. A drift of clouds hovers just above the horizon.

A broad sweep of sandy beach sweeps out toward the ocean with clouds hovering near the horizon.

zen sation@zen-sation· Jun 4

I may have posted this before, but I was searching for #Yellow and I've always liked this one. #ColorADay #EastCoastKin #ECK

Yellow reflections of a setting sun show up delightfully amongst rocks scattered on a beach.

zen sation@zen-sation· Jun 2

Hells Canyon, OR 2014 #BlueSkyMonday #EastCoastKin #ECK

The Wallowa Mountains seen in the distance, under a sulky sky. Somewhere down below is Hells Canyon - a deep river gorge in the Western United States, along the border of Oregon, Idaho and Washington.

zen sation@zen-sation· Jun 1

I recognize that spot... (taken 10/9/12)

Close to home back in the day.... caught many a sunset there.

zen sation@zen-sation· May 29

Ferns and oxalis (?) growing in the understory of the redwoods highlighted by a splash of sunshine. #BlueSkyArtShow #Growth #ForestFriday #EastCoastKin #ECK

Ferns and Oxalis lit up by the sun in the understory of Redwoods.

May the Forest be with you!

zen sation@zen-sation· May 25

#BlueSkyMonday with something that might pass for #MountainMonday #EastCoastKin #ECK @alinagrafik.eurosky.social Thank you once again for the weekly cheat sheet. Now if I could only remember what day of the week it is? 🤔🤣

An amazing hard to describe cliff face with a moon floating just above it in a saturated blue sky above.

zen sation@zen-sation· May 24

Reaching toward the sky.... #BlueSkyArtShow #Tall #EastCoastKin #ECK

Dead center is a broken stump pointing to the sky with tall redwoods in the background their tops lost in fog....

zen sation@zen-sation· May 24

Fog... marine layer? Not entirely sure what the distinction is. How does one see through it all? #Stunday #EastCoastKin #ECK