Impression Evergreen

Courthouse and Jail Rocks On a wintry morning in western Nebraska, I wandered around Courthouse and Jail Rocks, photographing the countryside in bad weather. The megaliths were like ghosts of the Great Plains as they were barely visible during an extreme whiteout. It was no easy task trudging through a foot of deep snow but any type of moisture is a blessing for the parched prairie. The blizzard could only be truthfully documented in black and white because there wasn’t even the slightest hint of color. During a cautious approach across the bleak landscape, the formation was a gray apparition that flickered in and out of view. Just as resilient as the first settlers, a solitary tree was somehow still standing fast in the face of fierce, northerly winds. The return to the roadside was a gloomy venture provoked by bitter cold. Along the way, a cheerful robin singing in the tangled brush was a surprising ray of hope that brightened the dreary day - spring may actually be closer...

An extraordinary snowscape The morning after our latest blizzard, I wanted to photograph open water set against the extraordinary snowscape. I trudged down into Beaver Brook and discovered a wilderness that had been reduced to nothing but white space. The stoic pine trees were smothered with heavy snow, resembling an eternal landscape frozen in time. The vista was incomplete as an oppressive, gray fog had lurched into the valley and erased the big peaks from view. The placid lake was encrusted with a thin layer of textured slush while the rocky shoreline was smoothed over by two feet of fresh snow. After receiving so much precipitation this season, the mountain environment has become a wetlands. The swollen reservoir had flooded into the forest’s edge, creating an arctic swamp of tangled trees and small islands. The frigid water was perfectly tranquil as it reflected the unusual scenery with stunning precision. The place was saturated with peace and solitude as glittering ...

Houston during a monsoon Mid-April, we flew to the nation’s fourth largest city for a hoops tournament and survived a truly treacherous travel experience. We departed Denver during a blizzard and landed in Houston during a monsoon. H-town is a polished metropolis distinguished by sweltering heat, high humidity, heavy rain and unexpected u-turns. Punctuated by a profusion of palm trees, the spring greenery seemed especially exotic. A network of elevated highways weaves its way through the glittering domain of glass and steel. While I don’t have anything against the urbane and sophisticated, I just feel more at home in the high country. The basketball jamboree was a dream come true for my son who played against some of the best players in the nation. Getting out of town on Monday was a nightmare as bad weather forced the cancellation of our pre-dawn flight. We frantically scrambled to find a way back and after a long day filled with worry, we luckily managed to board a plane...

Reflections April was even more difficult than I could imagine as it was marked by snow, the A to Z Challenge, limited artwork and a travel adventure in Houston, Texas. I wasn’t able to get much drawing done but my hand is still sore from all of the writing. My theme was travel photography so most of the posts were about places we’ve already been but I had to use GPS to find Xenia’s location. X always seems to present problems as we made a special trip in order to truthfully document the abandoned townsite. Posting every day is difficult enough but keeping up with the commenting is a struggle so that’s something I’m still trying to finish. All in all, it was another great experience because I met lots of creative people and discovered some inspiring blogs. Formatted below is a list of my favorite sites from the last month. If you get the chance, please check them out: Courtney Turner Maui Jungalow Giving real information for people who live on Maui or people who are curi...