Discoballs - the original #Bokehlicious :)

Happy #FridaysAreBokehlicious everyone!

+Leo Deegan +Art through the Aperture Photography +Sean McLean +Shelly Corbett +Betty Habesch +Kal Pant +Elizabeth Hahn +Michael B. Stuart +Paul Moody +Toshinori ABE +Winnie Young +Graham Knights +Keith Elliott +Jacek N. Kozioł +Jasbir S. Randhawa +Darion Jackman +John Balboni +April L Hill +Shannon Adelson +Dylan Johnson +Shelly Gunderson +Robin Griggs Wood +Kathleen Kent +Angie Smith +John Getchel +Uwe Duwe +Magdalena MadZ +Wendy Baker +Dawn Siadatan +wolly wolly +Berit Schurse +Tom Tran +Eve Aebi +Isabelle Fortin +Cooksterz Littlefield +Chris Draper +Wendy Verboom +Janice LaMere +ᙅYᙖᙓᖇ ᗪOᙅ™ +cobalt please +Saji Saju +Rosie Nixon +Joseph Cowlishaw +Marilou Aballe +Tony Simons +Cliff Wade +Nancy Battis Vita +John Catral

I'm sure the #bokeholics may be able to find a #FunkyGoat in here too!

Double Dome Rock

This is another view from last week's trip to see the #DonnellFire. I found this interesting because it shows 2 completely different burn behaviors. In the foreground there was just low level burning. Some of the manzanita, and other low grasses and plants were burned, but the trees are all fine. (the snag in the middle left was dead before the fire).

But the middle section of the hill in the background was where the big wind/fire even swept through. It's hard to see through the smoke, but trees are just gone. All that's left are stumps, in some cases, just holes where the stump burned all the way to the roots underground.

#MountainMonday +Mountain Monday +Michael Russell
#LandscapePhotography

Mt Dana & Mt Gibbs

I frequently stop at this little lake - it's hard to resist. At least until you get out and immediately have a multitude of mosquitoes land on you!

It is a beautiful spot though with lovely views of these two peaks. Nestled between the two is the headwaters of the Dana Fork of the Tuolumne River.

#MountainMonday +Mountain Monday +Michael Russell

Lone Pine Peak

I sometimes feel bad for this peak, it's often passed up by people so focused on it's neighbor, Mt. Whitney. But it's really beautiful on it's own and still quite high at 12,949ft (3947m).

This was shot shortly after sunrise in the Alabama Hills.

#MountainMonday +Mountain Monday led by +Michael Russell

I don't understand why anyone still trusts 500px after all of their serious blunders.

https://petapixel.com/2018/07/10/i-opted-out-at-500px-but-getty-image-is-selling-my-photos-anyway/

A couple weeks after the fact... but I finally had the time to write up about the #DonnellFire.

This morning my dad and I drove up to see what the #DonnellFire left. I've seen a lot of fires, but this was an odd one. It behaved differently than most in the area, which is what made it such a challenge. One of the commanders at the first community meeting had also been at the Santa Rosa fire last year - and he said this was worse. Like the #CarrFire this also spawned firenados, and it was clear where the fire went from sleepy and smouldering to an intense, fast moving fire.

This photo is from the tail end of the big firenado runs. It moved 5 miles in under 3 hours! Just to the west it took out dozens of cabins, and a great old general store and campground that was nearly 100 years old. In total 135 cabins and buildings were lost.

I don't normally geotag my photos, but this is approximately the view of the photo https://www.google.com/maps/@38.3407015,-119.8001896,3a,41.7y,148.56h,94.32t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sIrBDDncwmt8Q2qJbBvB_RQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656
It's a bit different looking now!

Just on the other side of the far ridge is the Bennett Juniper - the largest juniper in the United States. It's HUGE. And it's old, more than 3000 years old. While helped by being in an open flat, the tree received extra protection from the fire because of it's status.

For all of the destruction, there were already many signs of normalcy. There were chipmunks running all over gathering seeds from the lodgepole pinecones - they need intense fire to open. Woodpeckers and nutcrackers were also busy. In many of the areas the fire burned normally - it cleared out the undergrowth and duff, leaving the trees to live on. The other areas where the fire was more intense will need more time. In the meantime the views have opened up, and the fascinating rock formations are now visible. I look forward to seeing the forest develop post-fire.

The ridge in the background is unnamed, but the basalt formation on the right edge is part of Column of the Giants. ( https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/stanislaus/recarea/?recid=15071 )

#MountainMonday +Mountain Monday +Michael Russell

This is a throwback post for #MountainMonday - something I found on my phone from a couple winters ago. It looks so much more refreshing than the hot, humid, smokey I have today.

#MountainMonday #TinyFormat +Mountain Monday +Michael Russell

I'm late again for #FridaysAreBokehlicious but Saturdays are still a little bokehly, right? This isn't the best example of bokeh, but it does have cuteness factor to make up for it. :) Have a fun weekend everyone!

+Leo Deegan +Art through the Aperture Photography +Sean McLean +Shelly Corbett +Betty Habesch +Kal Pant +Elizabeth Hahn +Michael B. Stuart +Paul Moody +Toshinori ABE +Winnie Young +Graham Knights +Keith Elliott +Jacek N. Kozioł +Jasbir S. Randhawa +Darion Jackman +John Balboni +April L Hill +Shannon Adelson +Dylan Johnson +Shelly Gunderson +Robin Griggs Wood +Kathleen Kent +Angie Smith +John Getchel +Uwe Duwe +Magdalena MadZ +Wendy Baker +Dawn Siadatan +wolly wolly +Berit Schurse +Tom Tran +Eve Aebi +Isabelle Fortin +Cooksterz Littlefield +Chris Draper +Wendy Verboom +Janice LaMere +ᙅYᙖᙓᖇ ᗪOᙅ™ +cobalt please +Saji Saju +Rosie Nixon +Joseph Cowlishaw +Marilou Aballe +Tony Simons +Cliff Wade +Nancy Battis Vita +John Catral

It's #CowAppreciationDay Peoples!! MOOOOOOOOOO!! ♥