Tag Archives: water

Juniper Tree, Water-Stained Cliff

Juniper Tree, Water-Stained Cliff
“Juniper Tree, Water-Stained Cliff” — A Juniper Tree, Water-Stained Cliff solitary juniper tree grows at the base of a water-stained sandstone cliff.

Several things about the scene caught my attention as we passed through this area in of Capitol Reef National Park. The background is one of the thickest and most monumental strata in this area of the park. The surface of this solid rock is, however, marked in all sorts of ways. Notably there are stains from flowing water, and in a couple of vertical bands the flow has been regard enough to encourage the growth of lichens.

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Alfama, Tagus River View

Alfama, Tagus River View
“Alfama, Tagus River View” — Buildings of Alfama overlook the broad Tagus River, Lisbon

Lisbon, Portugal is a city of hills. (It is sometimes called the “City of Seven Hills.”) Deepening upon which direction you go, even short walks can involve some significant climbs. There’s a reason for the Elevador de Santa Justa, the famous elevator structure, and for cable cars or funiculars. A positive result of all of this climbing is that there are some spectacular views.

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Desert Reflections, Lake Manly

Desert Reflections, Lake Manly
“Desert Reflections, Lake Manly” — Desert mountains and sky reflected in Lake Manly, Death Valley.

Looking at this aquatic scene it is hard to believe the normally here we would be looking at arid salt flats extending toward the horizon, not the reflective surface of a very large lake. But this is Death Valley, a place of astonishing variety, and sometimes that arid landscape is full of water.

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Stained Sandstone, Lichen

Stained Sandstone, Lichen
“Stained Sandstone, Lichen” — Lichen grows along a water stain on a Utah sandstone cliff face.

I recall the first time that I became truly aware of the variety of patterns and texture found in the Sandstone faces of The Southwest. I was photographing deep in a canyon in the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument with friends when I got the idea to keep my eyes open for petroglyphs, something I had not previously thought much about. Before long, I started imagining petroglyphs everywhere. Eventually, realizing that was impossible, I figured out that the rocks and erosion processes themselves produce remarkable patterns.

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