June is Outdoors Month and this month Terri’s Sunday Stills challenges are all focused on the great outdoors. This challenge is Sunrises and Sunsets in the great outdoors.
The featured image and the next one are of recent sunsets in my neighborhood in coastal Georgia. The rest are from various places around the United States.
Sunset over the salt marsh, GeorgiaMount Redoubt sunset, Ninilchik, AlaskaSunset at Devil’s Tower, WyomingSunset over the Mississippi RiverSunrise in Everglades National Park, Florida
June is Outdoors Month and this month Terri’s Sunday Stills challenges are all focused on the great outdoors. This challenge is Paths and Trails in the great outdoors.
I more of a wanderer than a hiker but I enjoy being out in the great outdoors. I like to take my time wandering on a scenic trail or path looking at the trees and searching for birds, wildlife, and wildflowers. The featured image is from the McKenzie Head Trail at Cape Disappointment State Park in Washington. The following are a few others that I have enjoyed.
We read the warnings and started on the trail anyway. We turned around after rattlesnakes were sighted on the trail in Palo Duro Canyon State Park, Texas.The trail leads to Landscape Arch in Arches National Park, Utah.Swamp Trail, Silver Springs State Park, FloridaBoardwalk Trail at Stephen C. Foster State Park in the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge in GeorgiaWalking through fire weed in AlaskaTrail at Eagle Creek, Ketchikan, Alaska
I am very excited and honored to present my first challenge as a member of the Lens-Artists team. This week I’m challenging you to show us your stormy images. Think about stormy weather, stormy feelings, or maybe stormy situations.
It’s June and Hurricane Season has just begun. Where I live in coastal Georgia thunderstorms are a normal occurrence all summer long and we keep a close watch on updates from the National Hurricane Center. The featured image is what we saw through our windshield as we were headed into a thunderstorm on our way home from a recent trip. We were grateful to arrive home safely.
The following images show different kinds of stormy conditions we see during the summer months in coastal Georgia.
Water Spout over the Atlantic ocean
Before a hurricane the red flags indicate high hazard conditions and the beach is closed to the public.
Angry Seas from a Tropical Storm
We have often encountered stormy weather during our travels.
Storm over the Blue Ridge MountainsStormy day in JamaicaDriving through snow on the road to Hurricane Ridge in Olympic National ParkOur bear watching excursion in Ketchikan, Alaska started out in the pouring rain but that didn’t stop us from braving the weather. We didn’t mind getting wet – we saw 8 black bears.A violent thunderstorm cut our day short with grand kids at a Florida water park one June.Sometimes we are rewarded with a rainbow after a storm
We ran into some scary storms when we traveled around the U. S. and Canada towing our fifth wheel trailer. I’ll never forget traveling through snow and sleet with icy road conditions as we drove through Minnesota in early April one year. We ended up getting off the Interstate and spending the night in a motel. The next day when the roads were clear enough to travel we continued our westward trek. We found an open state park in South Dakota and were the only campers in the park.
Terrifying icy road conditions in MinnesotaWe had the park to ourselves at Blue Mounds State Park in Luverne, Minnesota
What does stormy look like to you? For stormy weather, think about rain, blizzards, sleet, snow, hail, wind, dark clouds, angry seas, lightening, a storm rolling in, or people out in the weather. Some other options would be to show stormy feelings or stormy situations. Be sure to tag your post with Lens-Artists and include a link back to this post. I’m looking forward to seeing what you come up with.
Last week I really enjoyed your creative and calming responses to Sofia’s Mellow challenge. Be sure to look for Anne’s challenge next Saturday, June 21 at noon Eastern Time.
For information on how to join the Lens-Artists challenge please click here.
I went to a local Farmer’s Market on Saturday to buy some native Milkweed plants for my butterfly and pollinator garden. I found this caterpillar on one of the Swamp Milkweed plants I brought home.
Egidio has challenged is to find serenity in our photos. He asks us to “look for serenity to lift our spirits and calm our minds”. In the featured image above I find serenity when I stop to enjoy the beauty of flowers.
Here are a few of my favorite things that bring me serenity.
A beautiful SunriseA deserted beachWatching the birds at my back yard bird feederWild Dogwoods in the Georgia WoodsSpotting a fawn on a morning walk in the woodsA north Georgia waterfall
I learned a long time ago that life can change in the blink of an eye and none of us know what the future will bring. I have learned the importance of making the most of every moment. Taking the time to enjoy the simple things in life brings me peace and serenity. Every day is a gift.