STILL MEANDERING!

Having "collected" barns of just about every style, color, and state of stability, we have decided that we will now stop only for the ones that make us say, "Oh WOW!"  We thought those would be few and far between, but the old characters are everywhere here in the Oregon back country.

On this stunner, we didn't count the windows, but they are on all sides:

( I have noticed on my previous posts that the color of the post pics is washed out in comparison to the original photos; I don't know why, but it is disappointing to put up a photo and have it not represent the actual work.)

We drove the Hells Canyon Byway, feeling the calm of being in Ponderosa pine country.  This moment was so rewarding!  There is something magical about seeing elk in the wild country as opposed to the pasture and backyard-grazers we have at home.  To be able to catch them on the run as if they were directed, "Lights! Camera! Action!" was thrilling.  This photo is not cropped to bring the elk closer; we were that close:

It was refeshing to leave our backroad to explore an intriguing back-back road into a campground  in the Payette National Forest.  The galloping Whitehorse River provided natural air conditioning in the deep woods.  I didn't have my macro lens on, but I still had to catch this stand of teasel while the sun shone, so-to-speak:

Guess what the name of our road was today?  "Journey Through Time Byway"!  It didn't take us long to understand why. We drove through old-growth forests and towering rock fossil beds.  And everywhere were old  buildings in various stages of collapse, the hand-hewn logs sadly playing out "dust to dust". The grand prize of the day was a collection of original homestead buildings displayed in a verdant valley not far from the road.  We couldn't believe our eyes!  But it was on private property.  We drove through the narrow gate and down the long sloping road, looking for someone to approach about taking photographs.  No one. So, we blatantly trespassed.  Yes, the barn was irrisistable, but this photo is the one I post today:

MEADOW AND MOUNTAIN ROADS

Our host, my cousin D (my cousin traveling companion's brother) is making this trip way more than we had ever expected it could be.  He actually enjoys just driving and taking turn-offs.  He has become our personal chauffer; he simply expected he would be the one behind the wheel while we are visiting.

 We discovered only 2 photographable barns today because we were headed across the New Meadows valley to drive in the mountains, and these were on the way:

I detest metal roofs, but the siding on this one was fabulous; plus there remains a peek-a-boo spot of original roof:   (Click to enlarge)

A scenic view of why the area is called "New Meadows", with Mt. Pollock in the distance:

D will even stop for wildlife! Click to enlarge to see the orange crown on this guy:

In the mountains, the little forest service road we took was at 5,000 feet elevation.  These are dog-toothed violets.  Snow still covered the road in places, but the alpine meadows where the sun hit were covered in yellow miniature polka-dots:

... and tamarack trees!  I LOVE them in the fall when they defy the rules of evergreen trees and the needles turn golden.  I had never seen them in the new-growth stage before.  The lime-green, oh-so-soft needles looked like watercolor paintbrush tips:

IT ALL BEGINS! THE GREAT BARN-HOPPING TRIP!

Here I am at my cousin's home outside of Redmond, Oregon.  This is what I saw first thing this morning, my first full day here.  This photo of 2 of the Three Sisters was taken from her front porch.  Lucky me, huh?

We officially begin our travels on backroads tomorrow, working our way in whatever pattern we are inclined to take.  We are headed in the general direction of east/north east.  I only "captured" one barn today, but hey - this was during our errands:

DANDY IN DEW-ELS

Every year, when I am tempted, I tell myself I do NOTneed more macro shots of dandelions.  But, like this morning,, I usually pay no attention to myself and point my camera at yet another specimen.  

I love the way two seed heads on the one "blossom" here are facing 2 different directions: front, and sideways:

Focusing out a little bit, I get more seed heads, and I call this one "Fireworks":

I really shouldn't be posting these at all, as I was disappoined to see (after I got home) that I forgot to change some settings. This is a "could-a-been".  Even so, I think the dandelions were lovely,

all bedecked in sparkling dew-els.

CHANGING OF THE (SEASONAL) GUARD

Before the next rains hit, I spied this one last stalwart tulip in the garden.  The previous rain storm had left the other tulip stems bare, the ground littered with pathetic curls of faded color.

I wanted to get a photo of the  needle-points of yellow pollen resting on the black center of this tulip. 

I didn't even see the miniscule white spider taking refuge from the wind, deep down inside.

Click on photo to enlarge and see what you can see!

Even as this tulip was barely hanging on, in another part of the garden

baby pink buds are showing on the blueberry bushes.

These are as small as my pinky fingernail.

I hope they will hold tight against the storms!

VANCOUVER B.C. TEMPLE OPEN HOUSE

Our first impression of the new temple in Vancouver, B.C. was "Oh so small!"

Next impression was the bright-whiteness of the exterior.

This was especially striking because the sky was also bright white.  My eyes watered the whole time I took photos, and I couldn't really tell if I was getting what I wanted.

Imagine my surprise when I down-loaded these pics and saw a bonafide blue sky.  I was not using a polarizing filter.

I was trying to get angles and shadows, but I couldn't tell if I was successful because of the brightness of the temple exterior.

This does not show much of the temple, but I wanted to show the proximity

to the Canadian North Cascades

I had to get down low on the ground for this photo.

 I was in a very uncomfortable (and unbecoming!) position, waiting for a break in car traffic

and pedestrians passing between the tulip garden and the temple.

This is a sweet, sweet temple; a gem of the Pacific Northwest!

YIPPEE! A BACK-ROAD DRIVE

From east of Vancouver, B.C, we went by way of a small border crossing to return home on back roads. This great old barn sits alongside the Nooksak River.  The best of bucolic!

Does it seem like something is missing in the above picture?

Indeed there is!  The background! 
The Nooksak Valley lies at the feet of these foothills
of the North Cascades:

This is the same barn.  I was so excited to see its many faces!
Here barn and orchard show their age - and steadfastness:

Barn owners have little consideration for photographers when they repair the roof with metal.

In my book, that negates the barn altogether.

Going back, around a corner and up a hill made it possible for me to photograph

this barn head-on, with no metal showing.

What a face!  What a personality!