Light, color and darkness

This canna lily flower was lit by the early morning sun coming through the smoke from a fire in the valley.  So it's normal orange is accentuated (naturally, so to speak) and it speaks to the world with its' beauty. Enjoy.
Happy Birthday Sharon!

Church going birds!

Not sure why but I always think of church when I see this photo of the American Avocets. Taken as we drove over to Antelope Island, I am always struck by the dignity of these birds.  Perhaps they are Episcopalians! :-)

Our friend, Christina, had this photo mounted on canvas and it is exquisite!

Goofy mountain stuff

You never know what you might see in the mountains!  From goofy sheep to golf balls in the middle of nowhere - all part of a day of wandering around in the sage.  Maybe it is the sage that makes the mind goofy - whatever?!

Is he brave or is he dumb?!

Once in a lifetime!

Once a month I usually shoot photos for a story for the Utah Artists e-mag, 15Bytes (15bytes.org). Yesterday I had a once in a lifetime opportunity to photograph the premier violin maker, Peter Prier, and his shop/sales building.  Fascinating and wonderful energy in the building; lots of love for the instruments.
Here's a couple of photos - plus Peter played for us!!

Uinta's again

Murphy and I took our weekly trip to the Uintas to refresh our brains and get some exercise. We started later in the day and were hoping for a great sunset.  However not to be, as the clouds covered the sun.  Nice and cool, tho' and worth the trip.  Kestrels were on top and accompanied us along the road, flying from post to post as we drove along the road.
We saw lots of deer, and the sky was pretty dynamic at times, which I worked at capturing. As usual, I captured a scene of the bald mountains - this time with a neat rain cloud in front of it.

Hanging out in these mountains provides a real sense of "nothing to worry about" - everything seems in its place and in its process.

Wonderful light on the yellowing plant leaves. 

This redtail followed us around for about 30 minutes - finally got a decent shot of him.

This little guy ran up this tree limb and then saw me, and froze while I took a few shots.

Looking up on our way home - big sky country.

This was one of two young bucks ambling through the sage.  Beautiful.

A multiple exposure to capture the dynamic range.

Miscellania

The time at our friend's cabin was filled with conversation and food and lots of restful time.  Here's a few photos of the miscellaneous that is life.

Off to fish with a faithful companion

Chaco - a wonderful and fun companion.

Decks are for wine and cheese and crackers.

There was no doubt who was in charge

Western Sunsets

The cabin decks are placed to look slightly Southwest.  This provides a wonderful view of sunsets, when there are ones, without forcing you to sit in the setting sun all the time. It works.
Predicting sunsets is often risky in the mountains as clouds can and do appear at the darndest times.  Both Saturday and Sunday we had gorgeous ones and here's a sample of some of the views. Sometimes the view below or to the east was the best one at the moment. The reflections from the various bodies of water in the meadows added drama to the scene.
Enjoy!