Naturescapes

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In Search of Tulips

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Spring has arrived, but the Pacific Northwest hasn't been informed of it. Cold damp conditions continue to persist, and sunlight barely manages to peek out through the dense cloud cover. The long halcyon days of warm sunshine that took over a few weeks ago seems to have gone back to hibernation mode, a cue that up in the mountainous Northwest, cold unpredictable weather is always around the corner.

I went around in search of colorful tulip fields of Skagit Valley opening up their buds to the embracing grace of morning light, but that was not to be. The reversal of the weather fortunes seem to have delayed the opening by a few more days. This image from last year was what I was hoping to find this year, but I never made it.

Skagit County

WA USA

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Sunstars

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While a part of my weekend time is spent looking at my photo archives for jogging my memories, a part of it is also spent gathering inspiration for future travel. And sometimes, looking at my archives can motivate me to seek new destinations.

This was one such archival set - a backpack I did into the coastal range of British Columbia into the heart of Garibaldi Provincial Park. While exploring opportunities to shoot by the lake at sunset, I found a small patch of fireweed catching the fire of the last light. This inspired me to start booking backpacking trips in this beautiful part of Cascadia.

Garibaldi Provincial Park

BC Canada

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Morning by the lake

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I could see my own breath condensing in the fresh cold air. The faint October sun had still not penetrated the towering peaks and deep valleys, leaving me shivering even with the layers I had adorned. Across the lake, the fringes of the conifers caught this cold morning light, glowing with a vibrant gold color.

All around, the morning forest was waking up. A thick scent of mountain pine and earthy tones permeated around. Songbirds, eagerly awaiting their winter migration, started their wake-up calls. And a lone kayaker took off from the tiny dock, hoping to get a lucky catch. This poignant scene lasted for but a moment. The roaring sounds of a dozen vehicles soon echoed through the valley - early morning hikers eagerly dashing off to the trailhead on a beautiful fall day in the North Cascades National Park.

I am eagerly awaiting the summer hiking season in this gem of a National Park so close to home.

North Cascades National Park

WA USA

Blessed by the crescent

In the pre-dawn light, the landscape around was ethereal. Long rows of bright yellow daffodils stretched to the horizon, culminating in bare birch trees. A low-lying fog hovered above the horizon, lending a mystical aura to the pastoral scene.

I sleepily dawdled outside from the warm confines of my car into the crisp cold atmosphere. I had left home at a time when most of the city was still sleeping, or recovering from shenanigans of a Friday night. But that meant I had this scene entirely to myself. But misery deserves company, and hence I pinged Chris Gering Photo to join me there.

While waiting for the sun to rise up, I found the crescent moon waiting above the field with a tinge of pink morning glow hovering above the horizon.

Skagit Valley

WA USA

Wildflower Season

The longer days of warm sunlight and the rising temperatures of spring leads to the remarkable transformation that is the vast California wildflower display. Tiny seeds in the rolling hills, meadows and open grasslands all over the golden state await for the right conditions before sprouting with early spring shoots and young buds that lead to colorful displays of wildflowers every year like clockwork. Colors range the specturm, from the vibrant orange state flower (the California Poppy) to the bright yellow of the Coreopses and the blues of the Gilias and baby blue eyes.

I long for the days when I would go hunting for wildflowers during its month-long migration northward, and where I would sense joy in seeing nature come alive in a grand spectacle for the birds and insects that pollinate the tiny plants. Here is one such memory from the Antelope Valley Poppy preserve from a bloom a couple of years ago

And if you want to ensure that future generations get to see this amazing spectacle, please give these hardy plants a little space and lots of care when you go to admire them.

Antelope Valley Poppy Preserve

CA USA

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Dawn on the Jailoo

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I stepped out from the warmth of the dark yurt to a freezing cold outside. In the gentle pre-dawn light, I spotted the beautiful rolling hills covered with a thin crust of overnight snow. A cold fog was flowing down from the heavens along the smooth contours of the surrounding hillscape. High above, the sky was aglow with a bright pink, while down below, horses and cattle gently grazed on the fresh summer grass.

This is life on the jailoo, a harsh, silent and beautiful landscape in the heart of the Tien Shan mountains of Kyrgyzstan.

Songkol

Kyrgyzstan

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The Wildflower Season

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The vibrant spring greens of California are an annual occurrence, turning the rust brown to a delightful shade of emerald green, post the unpredictable rainfall that quenches the thirst of the parched golden state. But it is the accompanying wildflower blooms that brigthen the rolling green hills with shades of pastel colors; bright yellows, oranges, pings and whites dominate the sun-drenched landscapes, growing along winding highways, gentle valleys and lush green meadows.

The next wildflower season is upon us. Happy hunting photographers, and don't trample on the delicate blooms; they are needed for the future wildflower seasons.

Pacheco State Park

CA USA

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The Simple Life

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To be exhilarated by the fresh air and refreshed by the sweet water of the mountains,
to be woken up by a brisk morning walk or relaxed by evening saunter on the grassy alpine meadows,
To be thrilled by the snow in the winter and elated by wildflowers in spring,
To crave for a simple life in the wilderness....

When I spotted this herd lazily grazing by the rolling summer meadows in the heart of the breathtaking mountainous terrain of Kyrgyzstan, I craved for the simple life these herders had. Tough though it may be, this simple life seemed so much more fulfilling. I guess grass in always greener on the other side.

What do you crave for in your ideal 'simple life'?

At Bashi

Kyrgyzstan

A Figment of Color

With a winter armageddon bearing down on Seattle, where a few inches of snow can bring the city to a standstill, it was time to look ahead a couple more months to spring. And nothing heralds the arrival of spring in Seattle more than blossoms of tulips in Skagit Valley.

Last spring, I managed to take an early morning trip to the colorful fields of Skagit Valley where vibrant unopened buds were getting ready to be plucked out. This was one such quiet scene from a gem of the Pacific Northwest.

Skagit Valley

WA USA

Spring Greens

The golden hills of California stay golden for a reason - the lack of rains through summer and fall. So when the rains do appear, the golden hills of California turn green, the barren oak trees sport new leaves, and colorful wildflowers sprout across the state. And as a nature photographer, hunting around for such idyllic Californian landscapes was an endeavor I looked forward to every spring.

I found this beautiful scene while on one such trip out to the Table Mountain Ecological Reserve near the town of Oroville. Here is to hoping that this year is just as colorful.

North Table Mountain Ecological Reserve

CA USA