Week #47 - P52

This is one of my favorite go-to locations, just one mile from our back door.  It's Clark's Creek, which starts up in the hills and runs into the Grande Ronde River, just half a mile from this point. I stand on the bridge and aim my camera west.  Most of the time, whatever the season, I record an image that pleases me.  There is something special about a winter scene, though.  This was taken the morning after the first snow of the season; we had another day of snow, but it's no deeper than 2 inches.   (I have a set of photos in my Dec. 24 2015 post; just click on "Clark's Creek" in the labels under the post.)

Week #36 - P52

Once in awhile, we drive "up" into the timber that is southeast of town; much of it is owned by an investment company which bought all the timberland the local Boise Cascade mill once owned.  Local cattle ranchers lease some of the land for grazing.  This is the view looking north once we climb out of the valley.  

Living in the Country

There are many times that I complain about living so far from "anything" here in NE Oregon, but when I'm on a drive into the country any direction from my house, I admit that I love being able to access this part of Oregon.  Narrow dirt and gravel roads turn into narrower single lanes bordered by a variety of evergreen trees and wire fencing.  Spring is late this year...because winter was late, so the countryside is just now starting to green up.  This post features photos I took on a short drive this week, traveling just 16 miles round-trip from our back door.

Three Directions from Home

There is a lot of land surrounding the place that I live, and I drive the country roads often. Early fall was beautiful in color, but the cold settled in quickly and we got our first snow right after Halloween.  The following images were taken on two separate drives that I took, one north, one west, and one east.The latter was after the cold had moved in.

Clark's Creek Road

Early evening in spring is wonderful...and there's nothing I like better on such an evening than to take a drive on one of the many country roads leading from our little town.  The closest to our back door is Clark's Creek Road. It wanders several miles east, but we cut it short. Of course, along the way, I photographed things that appealed to me.

Clark's Creek Road

(I've already ordered two canvases of this image.)

Clark's Creek

Wild lupine and wild geranium

One of my favorite old gates beside the road

Apple blossoms 

A Simple Little Creek

We live in an area of creeks...Phillips Creek aka Dry Creek (for obvious reasons), Indian Creek, Gordon Creek, Shaw Creek, and Clark's Creek.   The first and the last are just blocks from our house, and Clark's Creek is often my subject when I'm looking for something to photograph. These two images were taken just 4 days apart.