Mortar Geyser

Magnifique

Je croyais que ces couleurs venaient des éléments minéraux...

SUPERB !!

Stupendous! Such a lovely variety of images which show the splendor that is Yellowstone. Such a gorgeous field of lupines--reminds me of the many amazing fields I've seen this past season traveling in the RV but none sported steam from thermals nearby!--the sight is breathtaking and wondrous. The awesome gyser which sits there steaming with an ever-present threat of eruption is marvelous to see. And the main picture with its Mother Nature paintbox of colors all in shades of rust...fannnnntastic!! :) Such a fine show, Ron. I love it!

Now. Where was I? Ah yes, the amazing creepy face in the burned trunk that you commented on! That is probably the best face I've found in the woods and the perfect representation for how it should look, burned up and screaming. When I saw it, I was chilled by the experience as I imagined that tree burning and eventually reduced to a shrieking face...*shakes head*...I'm so glad you got the chance to see it too! Your remarks of walking through a forest of charred ruins with all of the eerie shapes makes me think it would be wonderful to do a photo study of them sometime. It's really hard though, if you feel that trees are just another form of person and you can feel their presence...

Just a couple of days ago I walked up on the charred hill to see if I could find the huge quartz outcropping I discovered once--I was unsuccessful but had a nice time up there nonetheless. I wanted to take a closer look and also look for anything loose that might be nearby. The quartz was deeply imbedded in a large mass and pretty much at ground level so I'm not surprised I didn't find it--especially since the trees which might have helped direct me were mostly burned up. Anyway...every time I go up there it's so hard because of all the dead trees. It's so sad and very difficult to push away my feelings of sorrow at the loss of them all. The only saving grace is all of the new growth up there. Zillions of little saplings of all sorts--mostly manzanita, but pines and madrones too, along with buckbrush and the lot. The hillside is going to be just fine. But this doesn't trivialize the destruction of the past in any way.

I really appreciated what you had to say about sympathising with my dad about your children's futures. It does make sense...we would hope for them to avoid mistakes we made and to aim in directions that would be beneficial to them. I love that you've learned to be reasonable in your desires to help and guide. My dad just couldn't do it. There's a reason he had no friends and his family dealt with him at arm's length. Father would try to force every issue...one of his favorite sayings was "My way or the highway" and this gem, "Let's compromise, we'll do it my way." At the end though, he finally gained some wisdom about not being so forceful and pig-headed and horrible but if only he'd been able to do this a zillion years before. He couldn't help viewing people around him as his own private lab rats to manipulate and mentally mess with...not that he was always that way but it's hard not to remember how cruel he could be. If you didn't do things as he wanted them to be, he'd rake you over the coals in a variety of ways. So interesting to contrast my feelings about my Hero when I was growing up. Dad would use his wiles to reverse the damage from my mom and make me feel worthy and great. He made a point to rejoice over my intelligence and spectacular grades (usually straight As or with a sprinkling of B's...always on the Honor's List, often in the top 10 or higher), and he let me know that mom was wrong when she was so mean and cruel to me (if you remember, she didn't want girls and when she got drunk she took a lot of her Evil Lyn persona out on me)...it was only when I became an adult and started getting independent that dad began to exhibit the normal behavior that he dealt to his sons regularly. Oh brother. Dysfunctional families are so cool, aren't they?! HAH! Whatever!!

Oh what FUN IT WAS to read about the twins fishing for grammy and grampy! :D :D Laughing til you cried INDEED! That sure sounds like a fabulous time for one and all! Father used to toss a mom-crocheted brown and black blanket over himself when we were toddlers/little kids and play Spider with us...crawling around on the living room floor and roaring menacingly we'd shriek and run around him until...ZAP! Out would come a clawed hand to grab an unwary child's leg and they would be dragged mercilessly under the blanket and tickled furiously! When the Spider was done with its victim the squirming child would be pushed out behind him and the hunt for another child would commence! Mom would have to calm us all down after a while with all the screaming, but she loved to watch the show... great memories...hmm, I have a picture scanned in of dad under the blanket...I'll have to post it so you can see! :D THREE CHEERS FOR GRANDPARENT FISHING!! :D

LOL on the stolen pack of gum too and the totally not-cool orange philandering...every kid will do these things and it's hilarious to watch from afar...but aren't we glad we're not having to deal with the repercussions of teaching kids to behave. Oh man, no thank you very much!! And for you...what a relief!

Books and interruptions...heh...doesn't work AT ALL. One of the biggest reasons I decided to axe RIFT was that I want to actually READ the six books I bought, not just look at them or read a sentence in each. Every time I sit down and absorb a paragraph or page I am richly rewarded (Did you know that, when exerted with insane amounts of pressure, the then-unproven theory that hydrogen was properly placed in one of the groups of metals resulted in reality?! Yes! Hydrogen becomes metal with enough pressure and low temperature! AND apparently it may actually STAY in metallic form when the pressure is released, though I don't think they've removed the pressure yet, as they are still studying this precious thing...anyway, lots of conflicting information on that but yet...THAT is just ONE thing I've learned from my reading and I love it!!)!

Re: your trip planning. We are the very same! Find out many things to do so when the time comes, there is plenty to pick and choose from that fits the day's reality in energy and time available. I USED to try to be rigid with doing everything planned. Now, with your guidance I have totally stopped that and all is better than ever in those regards. :) It's imperative though, to have an understanding of the area being visited so that informed decisions can be made about what or what not to do for the day. :) You two are great role-models for how to Do It Right! :)

Ok, you posted another note on a dif picture but I think this is quite enough for now! :D Plus, I'd like to post some pictures of Newcastle Island if I can today...and there are rocks to change from Step 1 to 2, and cabbage chicken to make too! And READING! Heh...

Have a great day! :)

Impressive Yellowstone shots!

Admired in:
www.ipernity.com/group/tolerance

Always these fabulous colours...

Sehr schöne Aufnahmen,der PiP mit den Blaauen Blumen,gefällt mir besonders gut.
Gruss Hansruedi!

Beautiful image

Happy new week:)

un parc splendide pour les couleurs

What a beauty, Ron!
Captivating and simply breathtaking!

Vu et admiré/Admired in
www.ipernity.com/group/nous.-nature
NATURE et Biodiversité..!

Bonne semaine.

C'est beau à voir et je dirais au feu :-)