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This morning I had planned on telling a different story, but the photos below captured my attention. The changes in the thermal features fascinate me, and the record keeper part of me wants to keep finding and pairing up these types of images. They aren’t stunning images that will take your breath away, but sometimes the story they tell or the record they keep is the focus.

Another change in a thermal feature – I think. I had asked a couple of more knowledgeable folks about Variable Spring (in the Upper Geyser Basin – it’s located sort of ‘behind’ Grotto) when I was there in June.  This year it had a small bubbler next to it. I’ve searched my photos, but haven’t found another one with the exact same view. The folks I talked with in June weren’t sure if that was new or just larger, but we all noticed it.

Here’s how it looked in 2009:

And here’s how it looked this June:

Then I enlarged the area in question. Here’s the 2009 photo cropped:

Is that depression there a small spring already? Maybe. Maybe not. Here’s that same area in question from the June 2010 photo:

Sigh. I’m not sure if we’ll ever really know for certain, but if I can get back up there before the snow flies this year, it’s one thing on my list to check on again.

OH! And speaking of changes…there was an email yesterday saying that a disturbance is going on over at Norris Geyser Basin. That means there’s more activity and things that haven’t been erupting now are. No idea of how long it’ll last, but if you have a chance, Norris would be more fun and interesting to visit right now.

Happy Friday, everyone!

It’s been awhile since I shared a page from my nature journal. I’m still struggling to find the size that will work for me, but I’m going ahead with the journal that’s the same size as my other journal. However, I think I’m coming around to agree with Susan Zwinger who taught the class I took with the Yellowstone Association – larger is better.

I did this sketch in pencil while waiting for Mike who had a meeting in Fairplay – I rode along to just get out of the house for a bit. The drive through South Park is so pretty anyway. During the wait, I took the time to get to know Curly Cup Gumweed a bit better. Later, I went over the pencil lines with pen for the most part, though the rest of the text wasn’t finished when I took the photo.

Photography – it leads you down some darn interesting paths.

Yep, that’s a guy, in a skirt running through a mountain stream barefoot. But that’s only the beginning. He’s also suffering from Brain Injury where he really only remembers days back before details fade completely, leaving him with just the concepts. AND has intense vertigo. Yep, he runs trails that have steep drop offs.

Meet Deacon Patrick.

I met up with him because he wanted some photos for his website of him doing his barefoot or primal running. He walked up to the truck where I waited – wearing a skirt. I’ve known Patrick for awhile now and honestly, it really didn’t phase me. I knew there was a reason for it. We talked for a bit, but I noticed he wasn’t able to follow the conversation well – something was distracting him. I hoped it wouldn’t call off the photo shoot.

“Are you wearing perfume? Used flowery soap? Something scented?”

“No – I go as scent free as possible.” I said.

“Well, you smell very…flowery.”

I know Patrick is sensitive to various things – sensations that rob him of his brain energy, and it can be something as small as flickering light, or an uncomfortable chair or a scent. It’s what makes photographing him interesting because you can only use natural or steady light – no flashes. He stopped and investigated, going over to more closely smell the petunias about 10 feet behind me. I couldn’t smell a thing.

“That’s it!”

He identified the smell and we continued on. We took a few shots near a small lake and then headed up to the trailhead. Well, he headed up – I wimped out and went back to get the truck. I started up the hill and soon realized I’d not make it without shifting into 4WD.  He actually just ran up – like it was nothing. hmmm – I said, thinking of how I really need to get in better shape.

Why barefoot? I’ve been reading the fascinating book, The Brain That Changes Itself, and it makes sense. What he’s effectively doing is using his feet to tell his body which way is up. There’s an early chapter that talks of using the tongue to replace the part of the brain that tells you how your body is positioned on this earth – letting gravity be the sensation to tell your brain which way is up (turn your head to the side and pay attention to what gravity does to your relaxed tongue).

Patrick lets his feet figure it out – they feel the land beneath him as well as the center of gravity of Patrick’s body above them and his feet communicate with the rest of his body and it works – he stays upright. The photo above was of a stumble he took. I gasped after taking it, thinking he would fall, but he had told me that his body just takes care of it and it’s many steps later that he realizes he may have stumbled – if he notices it at all. And that’s exactly what happened. He just kept on.

So, why the skirt? Again – sensations that take over his brain. He’s tried various outfits, but the skirt (he often wears – and looks fabulous in – a kilt) gives less sensation which in turn allows him to run farther. And for him, it’s all about what works to let him live life as fully as he possibly can.

THAT’s Living Deliberately.

Taking action, no matter what, to live your life as fully as possible. Do what works. Figure it out. Don’t let anyone convince you it’s not right if it works. Ignore critics. Sweep the stumbling blocks out of the way. Find the joy.

I have to say that the progress he’s made in the past year or so based on paying attention to God’s Engineering really wakes me up to find that I need to pay attention a bit more. My fibromyalgia has taken a toll on me lately – and so much of what he writes about on Mind Your Head Co-Op applies to me as well. I think it’s time that I start formulating my own long term recovery from FM.

You can read more about his amazing story and his latest project (to run 20K for 20 days – check out the video of him running barefoot there ) on his website – which I manage for him (disclaimer).

Success begets success. By co-creating with God, we connect with our God-given worth and that helps us heal all the more.  ~Deacon Patrick

And this is just too fun – join me on twitter!
http://isparade.jp/329126

Sponge Geyser – this is about it most of the time over the past few years. It simply cycles between low and high water – ‘a cyclic geyser.’ When at high water, it boils – ‘a boiling eruption.’ When I took these two photos I had a gentleman ask me what it does and upon learning this was it, he was visibly disappointed. The size of the cone does suggest maybe it does something more.

But then when I walked up to Sponge Geyser this year, it was different. Still not big, but different, and those differences capture me. There’s a bench to sit on at Sponge Geyser, and I sat for an hour or so – it’s really a great spot to watch much of the action on Geyser Hill. This time, at high water it bubbled and overflowed. Then as the water level dropped, the boiling began AND water spurted out some side vents I had not seen before. Some eruptions spurted water out these back or side vents fairly high, while others just splashed up a few drops. There might be a pattern to it – or there might not be any pattern. But a change definitely happened. And this change is the reason for the clicks.

Happy (photo) Friday!

I’ve been spending a few hours each morning just working on the backlog of photos I have to process. Right now I’m focusing on all the thermal features (geysers, hot springs and such) of Yellowstone that I took in June and July. Some are more striking than others, but I try to add in a few more each day to a gallery just for the geysers, hot springs, fumaroles and such and often will feature at least one of the new ones on my P365 blog. Normally the saying goes, “2 hours of processing for every hour of shooting.” My trips to Yellowstone, though, seem to generate more of a 4 to 1 ratio. I’m starting to wonder if I will actually ever be done with my Yellowstone photos and I can see why with each trip up there, I get farther behind. That’s both a tad terrifying and a bit comforting.

I adore taking panoramic shots – you know, where you merge them in photoshop into one long (or tall) image. If you haven’t tried them – give it a shot – once you figure it out, you’ll start to see possibilities all over the place. The one above of Chromatic Pool came from five vertical shots merged together. The one below of Morning Glory Pool is of three (or maybe four) vertical images. Taking vertical images gives you more space so you end up with more to look at than a thin strip (though 15-20 verticals can get pretty skinny).

To do these well, I really should use the tripod, and I’ve had to toss some because I didn’t have it with me. Normally, though, just planting my feet solidly, and twisting at the waist, they usually come out. You need to put it in full manual mode to get the same exposure across the whole scene – if you’re not sure about what the settings should be, use whatever mode you’re used to and get a general reading. Use that f-stop and shutter speed in manual mode. And when you’re done – remember to set it back to whatever mode you normally shoot with (guess how I know that…).

But, if you forget to ‘go manual’ you may still salvage your work. Here’s one example that I finally found the PSD file for – I needed to look up again what I did exactly in case it can be a solution for you.

These ten vertical photos merged together well – except that I had it on Aperture mode, and that changed the exposure settings slightly for each photo where some were a tad lighter or darker, making the stitching rather obvious. But this was the only set I took of this view from the top of Pikes Peak, looking out on Colorado Springs on a bitterly cold and windy January day. So, to salvage this set, I chose the manual option to merge them in CS3 (in CS5 it’s Tools -> Photoshop -> photomerge -> Collage – uncheck blend seamlessly). Then on one layer I added the layer styles of Stroke (inside and enough pixels to create a border) and a slight Drop Shadow. Copying the layer styles, I pasted it to the other layers.

And it works! That bit of white is enough of a break for the eye so you don’t notice the slight differences in light, and the only comment I seem to get on these is, “Cool!”

Taking a sip of hot coffee freshly brewed, the air was brisk this July morning as I looked out across the Lamar Valley. I had come out to the back deck where the silence of the morning wrapped itself around me to watch the shadow of the Earth set as the fog from the river off in the distance began to lift. I’m a morning person and enjoy taking time to welcome the day. This time between night setting and day dawning pauses like a Gift. I said my quick morning prayer which on this particular morning was overflowing with gratitude – “Glory Be! I’m alive and God has work for me to do today! Thank you, God, for another day.” And then worked to capture the gorgeous scene before me as a means to seal the moment in my mind.

This day I was at Lamar Buffalo Ranch for a class with the Yellowstone Association. Three days to learn and explore a few more creative rabbit trails. The class was a gift from my sister for my birthday – Susan Zwinger‘s Illustrated Journal for Heart, Art and Science. Here I was, on the porch of the Bunkhouse, welcoming the third day.

The class awakened something deep that I’m still getting to know better, but it also gave me definition to how I create with my camera – and that definition gives me a framework and structure to allow the creativity to flourish. As Susan guided us through her process for observing and sketching, I began to see parallels with my photography – how I connect with the subject before me, and then find how to best present it. Here, in the Lamar Valley, it’s easy to connect. Scenes present themselves for easy captures with the shutter release. Distractions are cut to a minimum. No cell phone service. No internet. Regular daily responsibilities are handled. It allows us to just be in the moment.

The trick, though, is to carry that home in the pocket of our hearts. All of us need that centering – and it takes practice – especially when the normal pace we’ve accepted is rocket speed. Since being home, I’ve deliberately taken regular breaks from rocket speed, and I can feel it becoming more comfortable and familiar to do. I just stop for a few minutes here and there throughout the day to connect with the world around me. Giving myself the gift of a rest stop of sorts. Blocking off yesterday and the next hour’s work.

This photo brings me right back to greeting that morning, and reminds me to slow at regular intervals.

Happy Friday!

Click to see more Yellowstone Scrapbook Pages

Since I’m often found for Scrapbooking Yellowstone, I’ve pulled together my layouts in a gallery at my Photoshelter account and embedded a slideshow here. I’ll be organizing and working to include credit for kits, templates and such over the next few days, but most come from DSP.  Hope you find some inspiration in there! If you have photos you would like help pinpointing a location or identifying a thermal feature or animal or whatever,  I’m happy to take a stab at it – either post in the comments or email me.

And if you’ve got layouts of Yellowstone, I’d love to see those! Post links in the comments so I can take a peek and find inspiration as well.

Good Friday Morning to you!

Last weekend, I finally opened the bird box since I was sure it was vacant. As much as I would have loved seeing the babies I knew were in there, that’s too much stress and I’d rather know that the babies would have a better chance at life and left it closed until now.

This is the combination of two nests. In March, I went on the Hunt for Spring and found the White Breasted Nuthatches taking up residence. Last year a pair of Mountain Chickadees successfully nested here, using moss and dog fur and bits of this and that to create their nest. We left it there over the winter as some birds use the box to stay warm during our cold snaps. I planned on cleaning it out in the spring, but the Nuthatches beat me to it. I watched them clean it out completely, saving the bits they liked by stuffing them in cracks in the tree bark.

Then they started over, using tree bark as a base. I didn’t get a photo of it when they were done as we were in Yellowstone then. And, by the time we got back and I thought about it, a pair of Violet Green Swallows were working on their nest which they obviously just built on top of the Nuthatch creation. In my research on the swallows, I learned they used feathers in their nest – and watched them carry feathers they found into the box.  And I waited. The Swallow babies fledged just a day or two before I left for the class with the Yellowstone Association. That was the same time the young squirrels discovered the bird boxes and were dive bombed by the parents constantly. Not sure if they had fledged or been too stressed and died, I asked Mike to check on the box. They had fledged. I don’t think we really saw them much after that.

Other birds who have successfully nested somewhere around here, though, have stayed close – Mountain Bluebirds, Evening Grosbeaks, Stellers Jays, Pygmy Nuthatches, Williamson Sapsuckers and possibly a Townsends Solitaire – though the T.S. immature (I think that’s what it is) is by itself.

Sitting outside each morning and just watching all the life that surrounds us relaxes and rejuvenates me in a way nothing else can.