Bitterroot and Bergamot

Ranch mosaic, originally uploaded by Bitterroot.

Dear faithful blog readers,

Another hiatus while I hie myself back to Montana, take myself some pictures, and then find a place with broadband to upload them. See you soon!

# posted by Bitterroot @ 9:16 PM 2 comments

Forget-me-nots, originally uploaded by Bitterroot.

Wildflowers of Wisconsin - each of these tiny flowers is only half the size of my little fingernail, so these are massively enlarged!

# posted by Bitterroot @ 10:55 PM 1 comments

Under a country bridge at sunset, originally uploaded by Bitterroot.

Springtime meditations... Wish I could also reproduce here the chorus of the courting bullfrogs and the call of the whippoorwill at this magical hour. Taken in Iowa County, Wisconsin.

# posted by Bitterroot @ 12:34 AM 2 comments

Stream in springtime glade, originally uploaded by Bitterroot.

Taken in Iowa County, Wisconsin.

# posted by Bitterroot @ 7:44 AM 0 comments

Nestled flowers in spring wreath, originally uploaded by Bitterroot.

Springtime meditations...

# posted by Bitterroot @ 12:21 AM 0 comments

Evening rainshower, originally uploaded by Bitterroot.

Springtime meditations... I love to see weather coming along, and I try to take myself to the highest point I can find with an unobstructed view so I can see the full panorama of a spring storm.This was taken on a hill in Madison, Wisconsin.

# posted by Bitterroot @ 8:32 AM 2 comments

Solitude, originally uploaded by Bitterroot.

Springtime meditations...Taken in Allen Gardens, Madison, Wisconsin

# posted by Bitterroot @ 12:48 AM 0 comments

Musical notes, originally uploaded by Bitterroot.

Springtime meditations... Looking like notes on a musical staff, these meadowlarks are singing their heart out in a Montana twilight. The song of a meadowlark stops me in my tracks every time; it is the purest, most melodic sound I've ever heard.

# posted by Bitterroot @ 8:11 AM 2 comments

Sweet shapes, originally uploaded by Bitterroot.

Springtime meditations... I've become quite fascinated with buds, those tiny tight little packages waiting to unfurl all manner of delicate, intricate petals. And the flowers! They fling themselves open, drink in the light, begin to brown around the edges and are gone in a few days. This hydrangea is a lovely Mother's Day gift, so I'm watching this drama day by day at close hand on my kitchen counter. Again, it's the photography that really makes me see and reflect on this cycle. This little hobby is good for the soul.

# posted by Bitterroot @ 10:11 AM 4 comments

Reflections, originally uploaded by Bitterroot.

Springtime meditations... Crystalline air and clouds on a spring evening - breathe deeply. This was taken from a dock looking east on Lake Mendota in Madison, Wisconsin.

# posted by Bitterroot @ 12:24 AM 0 comments

Interplay, originally uploaded by Bitterroot.

Springtime meditations... A back yard contemplation: the commonplace made rare in a moment of afternoon light.

# posted by Bitterroot @ 12:14 AM 0 comments

Reflection after rainstorm, originally uploaded by Bitterroot.

Springtime meditations... Taken in Allen Gardens, Madison, Wisconsin. All the rain here in the past two weeks has made everything absolutely shimmer. These leaves still retain the raindrops from the many thunderstorms we had today.

# posted by Bitterroot @ 12:02 AM 0 comments

Snow, rain, sun..., originally uploaded by Bitterroot.

Big Hole Valley log ~ Last week, I spent a brief time in Montana's Big Hole Valley, a glorious place in the southwestern part of the state that remains utterly unspoiled. The next few photos will chronicle my brief visit to the Big Hole. In this high mountain area, snow, rain, and sunbeams took turns swirling around the Beaverhead Mountains on a recent day. The Beaverhead Mountains are part of the Bitterroot Range in southwestern Montana. This was taken between Jackson and Wisdom, Montana.

# posted by Bitterroot @ 10:08 PM 0 comments

Shining ribbon of stream at twilight, originally uploaded by Bitterroot.

Here is one of the many little streams we found winding throughout the valley carrying spring runoff; the Beaverhead Mountains are barely visible in the distance.

# posted by Bitterroot @ 8:58 AM 1 comments

Spring day in the Bitterroot Range, originally uploaded by Bitterroot.

The Beaverhead Mountains, part of the Bitterroot Range, have the look of a stage set when seen through a mist of spring clouds and rain. Taken near Jackson, Montana.

# posted by Bitterroot @ 12:41 PM 0 comments

Path to glory, originally uploaded by Bitterroot.

Scene between Jackson and Wisdom, Montana - Bitterroot Range in the background.

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A curtain of spring rain, originally uploaded by Bitterroot.

Big Hole Valley, southwestern Montana

# posted by Bitterroot @ 7:31 AM 0 comments

Sweet spring reminders, originally uploaded by Bitterroot.

Pussy willows near the Big Hole river in Beaverhead County, Montana

# posted by Bitterroot @ 12:11 AM 0 comments

Sunset over the Beaverhead Mountains, originally uploaded by Bitterroot.

"High, wide, and handsome"...this is a perfect description of the Big Hole Valley in southwestern Montana. It's wide open with plains of sagebrush sweeping up to dramatic snow-covered peaks.

# posted by Bitterroot @ 12:15 AM 0 comments

Fresh snow in May, originally uploaded by Bitterroot.

Part of the Bitterroot Range seen from the Big Hole Valley in western Montana. Errant rays of light late on this very gray day gave this peak an unearthly glow.

# posted by Bitterroot @ 4:01 PM 0 comments

Wisps of cloud, originally uploaded by Bitterroot.

Due to some unforeseen happenings, I was able to spend only 36 hours in these magnificent valleys bordering the Bitterroot Range in western Montana. But I have a few shots that I will post in upcoming days.

The plan was to meet two cousins for explorations in and around Jackson, Montana, in the Big Hole Valley, a pristine place if there ever was one. On the way to the rendezvous, I drove down the Bitterroot Valley. These lush green foothills were a nice contrast with the jagged peaks that rose in the distance. This is the mountain range that almost destroyed the Lewis and Clark expedition before it could find a path to the west coast.

# posted by Bitterroot @ 12:31 AM 0 comments

Sky full of blossom, originally uploaded by Bitterroot.

To our beloved Ruby

1922 - 2006

Resquiescat in pacem.

# posted by Bitterroot @ 7:43 AM 1 comments

Japanese garden, Washington, DC, originally uploaded by Bitterroot.

Miniature worlds: Here is a little set piece: a gem of a Japanese garden on Marjorie Meriweather Post's Hillwood estate in Washington, DC. Every bit of rock, wood, and greenery in this little corner of the world is integrated with the aesthetic purpose of pleasing the eye from every angle.

# posted by Bitterroot @ 12:41 AM 0 comments

Sunlit steel in Chicago, originally uploaded by Bitterroot.

Miniature worlds: When I first became seriously interested in photography,I would never have noticed or photographed this sunlit pattern. I would have regarded the underside of this bridge as a grubby, clanking urban monstrosity, to be ignored in favor of any greenery I could find anywhere in the city. Looking at it now, I see it's quite beautiful in its own way, removed though it is from my usual haunts of mountains, woods, and streams. My Flickr* experience has caused me to stretch a bit and find beauty in patterns of light and structure that I would have ignored heretofore. (This is the Columbus Street bridge over the Chicago River.)

*Flickr is the highly interactive photo-sharing program where the originals of the photos on this blog are stored. If you click on any of the photos on this blog, you will be taken to Flickr for the option of viewing the photo in a larger size. There are many forums on Flickr that address various techical and aesthetic aspects of digital photography, and I have learned a great deal from participating in these.

# posted by Bitterroot @ 11:46 AM 0 comments

Omaha Beach, Normandy, originally uploaded by Bitterroot.

Miniature worlds: This silent rock has seen the tides roll in countless times since D-Day, 1944. When the Allied troops landed on this beach and began the excruciating struggle of pushing back the enemy from this part of Europe, my dad was part of that historic event. I think of him so often, particularly in these difficult and different times.

# posted by Bitterroot @ 10:43 AM 0 comments