It had been years since I had been camping when my sister and I decided to trek out to the beaches of Oregon last September. It was overcast the whole weekend but we got lucky and missed the rain. It was really nice to get to spend time with her away from our crazy lives and out in nature. On the second day out there, her gothy outfit made for some really dramatic photographs. I can’t wait to do more stuff like this again once the weather warms up a little.
After spending a little over a year in Fort Worth, Texas we were finally really to make West to Portland, Oregon. We packed up our life and chose to take our mini caravan through a route that cut across New Mexico, the corner of Colorado and up Utah. Needless to say, it was one of the most beautiful drives I have ever been on. I had never seen the giant rocks of New Mexico or the red canyons of Utah and I was more than impressed. I could not have asked for a better view while we physically drove away from one chapter of our life and into the next, half way across the country. It seemed as if these wild, expansive landscapes that looked empty of any human activity, were never-ending. A few times I felt like I was looking on the path to Mordor with the rocky hills that led into peaked mountains. If I ever have the opportunity in the future, I would love to visit those red rocks in Utah again and really explore that otherworldly landscape.
These photographs were taken when I first moved to Fort Worth, Texas back in February 2014. I was taking time off from working for the first few months of being there, so I filled my time with exploring what the city had to offer. The Fort Worth Zoo was like most zoos. A little sad to see the animals cooped up and bored, but a great opportunity to marvel at the beauty of so many creatures up close. The primates were by far my favorite. Their faces were so expressive and uncanny. I stood and watched each group of them for probably over an hour combined. The following photos were taken with my DSLR Canon Rebel Xti.
When my mother came to visit for just one night, we chose to spend our afternoon at the Portland Japanese gardens. The moment we walked up to the entryway we knew we had made a good decision. After a steep but beautiful walk up a winding hillside path lined with thick moss and stone markers, we were brought to the garden’s main entrance. Held within the walls were traditionally styled tea houses, sand and rock gardens, koi fish ponds and terraced water features. Each turn around a bush or tree revealed something new and harmoniously beautiful. Every inch of the gardens was serenely perfect. Water fountains trickled quietly in corners or hidden under a bush. Large colorful koi fish moved effortlessly under the glass like surface of a pond in which a waterfall found its end. Moss covered every inch of ground, a majority of the tree’s trunks and branches and could even be seen growing between the grates of water drains. Despite the few tourists we encountered, we still found it all to be a very special, relaxing and refreshing experience.
Taken at the Portland Japanese Gardens, 2015.
Today we made our first journey out of the city and over to the Portland International Rose Test Gardens. I have to say it was easily the most scenic and beautiful rose garden I’ve ever been to. The sections of the garden were tiered one on top of the other on a hillside overlooking the city of Portland. It had recently rained, as it often does so in Portland, so all the flowers held small water droplets in their petals and the smell of fresh earth and the fragrance of the flowers was thick in the air. We strolled slowly along the rows of flowers, admiring the colors of some, the petal shapes of others and the unique smells of a few. To top it all off, there was even a harpist playing, which added to the peacefulness of the place even more so. Due to the cloudy skies, I was able to capture some very soft and very bright and beautiful pictures of some of the roses. If you’re ever in Portland this time of the year, this place is a must-visit location.
Taken at the International Rose Test Garden in Portland Oregon.
