As I was driving around the afternoon after a drifting thunderstorm, I found many of the classic pastoral scenes inspired by this region, such as the rolling green hills anchored by a lone cypress or a farmstead, of red barns framing green fields of wheat, of puffy white clouds marching endlessly into the horizon.
Here is one such scene from the byways that crisscross the Palouse region.
Palouse
WA USA
Once upon a time...
Once upon a time, I found myself roaming around the vast green fields of the Palouse, searching for pastoral scenes with rustic farmsteads, hidden barns and picturesque landscapes under a bluebird sky filled with sweeping white curves. That was earlier this year, and the summer I spent roaming in the mountains of the Pacific Northwest is almost over.
Here is one image to rejig my memory of the Palouse region of Cascadia.
Uniontown
WA USA
Of Barns and Clouds
The joys of exploring Palouse remain in getting lost in it's vast hinterlands, and finding an abandoned shack amidst the rolling hills and pastoral landscape. This joy is extra special when the clouds, the light, and the landscape come together for a beautiful visual symphony.
Palouse
WA
A Different Bliss
As I was looking through my archives for images that portrayed the theme of bliss, I realized that the perfect location was the lush green rolling landscape of Palouse in eastern Washington. I often describe this location as a place known by only two kinds of people - farmers and photographers. In fact, during my 3-day exploration of this place a few years back, those were the only living souls I met in this blissful landscape.
I spent many an hour exploring lonely dirt roads winding their way along and up curvy hills carpeted with green, and dotted with the occasional oak tree, a rustic yet colorful barn, an old farmstead, or even the infrequent windmill rusting away. This dilapidated shack was awaiting me at the end of one such dirt road. But perhaps what captivated my attention then was the blissful combination of lush green landscape and the puffy white clouds suspended in the robin egg blue sky. That was a scene that became etched in my mind as the ideal pastoral landscape.
The transient lighting conditions necessitated quick photography to time the exposure correctly. This was one such exposure showcasing the beauty of the wheat bowl of USA
Palouse
WA USA