Palmer Archives ~ Rambling ranger

I tried to keep it down to 12, but I couldn’t. Here is a baker’s dozen of my favorite photos of 2021.

It was really hard to cut it down to just a baker’s dozen. Reviewing the images I’ve captured over the last year, I realized that what I had were favorite photographic moments, not individual photos.

Alaska alpenglow in the Chugach Mountains — Purple Mountain’s Majesty, a favorite photographic moment.

You know, when you’re really in the zone, actively practicing the Art of Seeing? You might take a whole series of shots and not be able to choose one in the series as the best. That’s how I felt about a lot of these images.

I tried to disqualify images I’d already published in this blog (mostly!) So if you read my last few blog posts, you’ll find a few more favorites I wish I could include.

Alaska alpenglow Chugach Mountains — Knik Glacier

Despite all the darkness and cold, there are some things about winter in Alaska that are really special and that I miss when I’m not there, kind of a reward for those who tough it out. One is the aurora, of course. Another is the special pink sunset/twilight glow in the sky on certain cold, clear nights. Although I got lots of great alpenglow, I didn’t see as many pink light evenings as I have in past winters. But I did get it one evening when I photographed the Knik Glacier.

I went to Homer to see a few birds this spring. The migration was a bit disappointing, but I did get some wonderful eagle shots!

This is my favorite flower shot for 2021. I didn’t shoot nearly as many flowers as in years past, since I stayed in Alaska and didn’t follow the bloom. But I saw two brand new flowers I’d never noticed before in a few ponds along the McCarthy Road, White Water Lilies and Wild Calla.

Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico — Sunrise on the Bosque

It was October. It was not yet prime time for birds at Bosque del Apache. Due to the drought, the ponds on the edge of the refuge that are usually the go-to spots for bird photographers trying to catch the spectacle of the Bosque were dry. I wasn’t expecting much. I only had one day to spare. But the Bosque is a magical place and doesn’t disappoint. Having fewer sources of water concentrated the birds that were there. I was surprised to realize that three of my favorite photos for the entire year were taken on that day.

Even though I published the sunrise photo in a prior post, I had to include it since it was probably my second-most favorite photo for the year. Also, I processed it a little differently this time and think it does a better job of capturing the feel of sunrise on the Bosque.

Vesper Sparrows — Every leaf on this tree is a bird.

As I slowly drove by, I realized that all those “dead leaves” on that tree were birds. Then they took off and I was swept up by a cloud of birds. The Bosque is bird heaven!

California Coastal National Monument — Sunset on the beach at San Simeon

This might be my favorite photo of 2021. Except it’s one of those photographic moments, one of a series… I like the vertical images I captured of this scene a lot, too! Both this image and the feature image were taken on the beach at San Simeon in California. The island the cormorants are roosting on is part of the California Coastal National Monument. It is usually just offshore except during a very low tide, like this one.

I absolutely fell in love with the manzanitas and madrones of southern Oregon in November and December. I can’t choose my very favorite madrone/manzanita photo. I have about 20 favorites. But they were my favorite thing to photograph all year. So here’s one I haven’t published.

Cathedral Hills, Oregon — Manzanita Bark

I couldn’t choose a favorite detail shot of that forest, either. I have about a dozen favorites of bark, lichens, mushrooms… But this is definitely one of those favorites.

Skyline Trail, Cathedral Hills, Oregon — What is it?

This is definitely my favorite abstract of the year, though. Can you guess what it is?

Williams, Oregon — Wishing you all a great 2022!

This final shot conveys my thoughts and hopes for 2022, that the light burns through the fog of the last couple of crazy years and brings us all many happy blessings. Welcome 2022!

Thank you to Tina Schell of Travels and Trifles for hosting this week’s Lens Artists Challenge, Favorite Photos of 2021.

These days my world is pretty chill. As in –

Chill

1. an unpleasant feeling of coldness in the atmosphere, one’s surroundings, or the body: “there was a chill in the air” synonyms coldness, chilliness, coolness, iciness, crispness,…more

After all, I AM in Alaska this winter. Due to concerns about corona virus and civil unrest I consciously chose to stay here, even though I’ve really come to hate the cold and fear the ice.

It hasn’t been an easy winter. One challenge after another. But I don’t think I made the wrong choice. My concerns were very real. It was a conscious, well-thought-out decision.

There are three ways wild animals deal with winter’s cold – adapt, endure or avoid. I’ve TRIED to embrace the cold. To adapt. Really, I have. But I find I’m just enduring much of the time.

I have avoided winter for the last dozen or so years the same way some birds do, through flight. Call me a snowbird, I don’t care. I paid my dues. Ten winters in Alaska, five of them hauling wood and water for survival in McCarthy. And another fifteen or so in the mountains of Colorado. I’ve simply had my fill.

Palmer, Alaska — Alpenglow on Matanuska Peak

Another way to avoid winter is through hibernation. I’m doing a little of that this winter. Not the sleeping all the time, but I rarely go out and about. I’m definitely more interior-focused. Which brings me to another definition of

Chill

2. A versatile slang word that means calm, relaxed, easy-going, or cool, as well as a hang out. Other definitions of Chill: When used to describe a person, place, or thing, typically means relaxed or level-headed, with no ill intentions. Can be a verb that means to “relax or hang out” together.

It took me a while to really land this year. I knew where I wanted to be when I left McCarthy in October, but for various reasons, the housing situation did not gel until January. But I am FINALLY settled for the winter in Palmer.

Palmer lies in a great glacial river valley right at the base of the Chugach Mountains, which means I have the vertical topography I need and love, but the roads are mostly flat and easier for me to negotiate when they get icy. It means I can stay here warm typing this post while watching the alpenglow on the mountain in my backyard.

I’ve been very introspective lately. I am spending a lot of time learning this winter, and many hours are spent processing images and writing. I spend a lot of time thinking as I contemplate where and how I will move forward into the next chapter of my life.

I’m also spending a lot of time hanging out with an old friend. The last few winters I’ve lived a solitary lifestyle, traveling and housesitting. I visited a lot of friends in my travels but didn’t stay in any one place for too long, or spend much time with any one person.

It’s been rather serendipitous, my hanging out in Palmer for a winter. I’ve been able to help my friend out after a recent surgery and also just be there for her when needed for emotional support. SAD syndrome is real, and sometimes a person just needs company.

Cow moose — Hanging out with one of the neighbors

So even though the challenges continue (this week I had to throw down nearly a thousand bucks to repair my poor little desert truck, who hates the cold even more than I do), and even though the Alaska winter is more than just chilly – it’s searingly, bitingly cold – I’m feeling pretty chill about my life right now. I’m feeling I’m in a good place.

Sometimes you just need to chill.

Thank you, Sheetal Bravon of Sheetalthinksaloud, for this week’s Lens-Artists Photo Challenge, “Glimpse Into Your World”.

Tag: Palmer

My Favorite Photos of 2021

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A Glimpse Into My World – Chill

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