Sunset from Awbrey Butte

Another beautiful sunset today in Bend, I hope they keep coming! With Spring right around the corner (thanks for the heads-up, Punxsutawney Phil!), my guess is that the colors will just keep getting better!

Sunset Over River's Edge Golf Course

Tonight's sunset was another stunner. The sky lit up with beautiful tones of blue, pink, orange, and yellow. Sights like this are unbeatable. How can you *not* be happy after experiencing this every evening? Just another reason to love Bend, Oregon.

Winter Sunset

I've been in a funk lately. I'm not sure if it's the time of year, weather, or what. Now that I think about it, it probably is the weather; I want either sunshine or snow (preferably sunshine), not this in-between stuff! However, nothing can brighten my mood faster than a pretty sunset.

Juniper

Sometimes it's hard for me to appreciate the little things that surround me. The warming weather (even if it is still cold), the peacefulness of our neighborhood, and the abundant presence of Juniper trees that surround Central Oregon. Some people love these trees, others hate them; for once I took a moment to just appreciate their beauty.

Simple Beauty in Bend

I'm sure everyone knows by now how I am a huge fan of Bend sunsets. I'm sure sunrises are nice too, if I ever woke up in time for those. I just cannot get enough of the natural, simple beauty that surrounds this wonderful city!

Foggy Bend Sunset

If you are in the Bend area right now, you know that the last few days have been foggy (REALLY foggy). As the sun began to set tonight, some of the fog seemed to clear up (at least where I live). What resulted was beautiful; cloudy pink and blue skies, and just a bit of fog in the distance. I'm not sure if this will still give the same feel as a "single" photo, but I thought this was beautiful enough for a panoramic photo.
Hopefully you got to see this for yourself, because it was truly a beautiful sight.

(Yes, some of the clouds were purple)

Beautiful Sunset

I'm not sure if I've mentioned it, but I hate how early it gets dark now. It usually catches me completely off guard now, and I have to scramble to grab my camera (if I think it's worth it). Today I looked outside as it was getting dark, and thought there might be potential. I stood on our deck with a mug of peppermint hot cocoa, just waiting for some colors to appear. Just as I was giving up and going inside, I saw it. Where I was looking had gotten dark, but behind me there were beautiful colors above the neighborhood. I rushed inside, put on some shoes and scampered out to the street. I'm sure there's a lesson involved in that somewhere, but for now I'll just post the picture.

It's Beginning to Feel like Summer

It was a wonderful 81˚ today in Bend. With a light breeze, I really couldn't ask for better weather. As the sun began to set, the clouds started drifting in a bit. Here is an image made by merging 3 photos (3 different exposures) so the foreground doesn't appear as dark. I haven't experimented with merging images much, but I'm pretty happy with how it turned out.
Feel free to let me know what you think!

Supermoon Over Pilot Butte

I've heard over and over that the moon tonight is supposed to be as close to Earth as it will get this year. So, I went outside after sunset to observe and admire its beauty (and take pictures, of course).

Moon-rise over Pilot Butte:

Honesty, I was expecting the moon to look a little bigger than usual, which it didn't seem to be (in my opinion). But, there is no denying that it was still a beautiful sight!

Moon-rise Over Bend

I love evenings like this. When we have a full moon (or nearly full moon), the sight is stunning as it rises over the hills as the sun sets; tonight was no exception. The moon revealed a beautiful golden color as it came into view:

Happy New Year

Sorry if I haven't responded to e-mails and comments lately, I've been away for the holiday. But, I'm back - With a tripod (finally) and a new lens!
So, I decided to test those out tonight, and came up with this photo over Awbrey Butte. It's a little blurry, and a little blown-out around the houses, but all in all, I'm pretty pleased with my first night shot with a tripod!

Sunset

Well, I really wasn't sure about posting this photo. The sunset was gorgeous tonight, but I really liked the full mountain view. In order to get that range I had to take the photo from the deck, but the trees are partially blocking the view. After getting some friends' opinions, I decided to post it anyways.  The trees are obstructing the view, but it was still an extremely pretty sunset.

Sunset from Awbrey Butte

Sunset from Awbrey Butte

Mt Jefferson

When driving around Awbrey Butte, I always get excited as I approach what I consider "the back side". That part of Awbrey where the mountains start to peak into view, and you cannot help but be amazed! The first time I saw this, I literally pulled my car off the road so I could just stare in wonder. It's a view that I hope I never get tired of appreciating. Here is just one of the magnificent mountains to be seen.

Prospective Around Sunset

Awbrey Park in July

Awbrey Park Sunset in July (Bend, Oregon)
As I was driving around the neighborhood, there is a view that made me literally stop and say "wow!". Awbrey Park, a neighborhood on Awbrey Butte, has some amazing views. I made a point to drive back there around sunset, knowing the sight would wow me. Despite having park in its name, there was no good place to sit and view the sunset. I parked my car on the side of the road and climbed on the roof of my car. I probably looked a little strange to those who drove by, but based on the photos I was able to get, I think it was worth it!
I took over 150 photos, all equally as colorful and beautiful. This fiery sunset was one of the most beautiful sunsets I have ever seen.