Reflections at Lake Lahontan

World Water Day and memories of the Ancient Lake Lahontan

To commemorate World Water Day on March 22nd, I focused my photo-explorations on a day at Lake Lahontan.  Located in northwestern Nevada, the present day Lake Lahontan is named for the ancient Lake Lahontan which during the Pleistocene era covered 8,500 square miles (22,000 km2) of the western U.S.

Today’s Lake Lahontan is a reservoir that was first constructed to provide irrigation for the surrounding farmlands.  During the past years of drought the water in Lake Lahontan had all but vanished.  However the wet winter in 2016 increased the water level back along the lake’s 69 miles (111 km) of shoreline. 

Present day Lake Lahontan with its willows and cottonwood trees provides a sanctuary for many types of wildlife and also offers a peaceful setting for people to enjoy nature.  

During the summer, the lake is busy with camping, fishing and boating; on this early spring afternoon, I had the lake all to myself except for an eared grebe that floated by in the calm water. 

A knocking up overhead and a red headed woodpecker was busy searching for insects on a giant cottonwood tree.

Along the dead leaves, a robin scurried around hunting for dinner. 

As the shadows grew long, the light began to fade and more birds flew in to settle for the night.  What a better way to appreciate World Water Day than enjoying the moments at a lake that takes one back to earlier times in the Earth’s evolution.  

With the forecast of a wet spring, I am hoping that Lake Lahontan will continue to rise.  It will be interesting for a return visit in late spring and note the changes.   

  

Photography has the ability to transport one to another world or dimension if only in their mind.  Take a trip with me as we embark on ever new photo-adventures.  

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What an exciting and interesting photo-adventure this day has been.  I love it when I am drawn to an area and not knowing what to expect I get treated to new experiences. 

Sign up and follow my blog to see where my next photo-adventure will be!

Photography places me in the moment where I can share that moment in time. It becomes a life story as represented by my interaction with the scene. The happiness and beauty or the sorrow and strife; how I focus leaves a lasting impression that might touch the viewer on a spiritual level.

 "Reflecting Nature's Artistry" 

Many of these images are available on my website:

 http://www.bonnierannald.com/ 

For custom matted and framed images:
Off The Wall

No images on this blog are within Public Domain or are available for free download. 

 All rights reserved, world-wide and images protected by Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). All photography, graphics, text, design, and content is copyrighted by Bonnie Rannald and should not be copied, down-loaded, transferred and re-created in any way without the express consent, in writing to Bonnie Rannald. For information on Bonnie Rannald licensed, right-managed images, please submit a written request.

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Spring Comes to the Great Basin

First Signs of Spring with the Vernal Equinox

Winters in the Great Basin Desert can be very drab with only the deep blue sky to brighten up the landscape.  As the Northern Hemisphere begins to tilt toward the sun bringing longer days, the desert begins its transition and slowly awakens with the first signs of spring.  

 A bee gathers pollen from one of the rosemary flowers.  Rosemary is the first plant to have blooms and is always buzzing with bees or butterflies. 

One of the few remaining robins lands on the fence, a winter visitor to brighten the dull landscape, they will move further north as the temperature warms.

 

 Filaree storksbill comes alive as the days first begin to warm. 

 The tiny lavender flowers provide nectar for the brown argus butterfly where an egg for each larva is laid on the underside of a leaf.   

The yellow blooms of wild mustard begin to accent the ground, often considered a weed; the entire plant is edible from the root to the flowers.  The young leaves make a nice addition to salads, while the seed pods add a peppery accent.   

Daffodils or Narcissus, a true sign of spring, have slowly poked up and are just about ready to open. 

 Symbolizing rebirth and new beginnings, the yellow fragile flowers are one of my favorites, reminding me of my grandmother's yard. 

Sharp leaves of bluish green spring up, the tulip is coming out from its cool dormancy.  Soon a brilliant red flower will appear.

In just a few days, the Earth's axis will tilt to 23.4 °, bringing equal hours of day and night.  The Vernal Equinox comes to the Great Basin at 3:45 PM PDT on March 20th.  As with ancient cultures, the Vernal Equinox to the High Desert of Nevada is also a symbol of returning food supplies and renewal of new beginnings from the drabness of winter. 

 Follow me on my future blog posts as I explore more of the new beginnings as spring slowly turns to summer.  

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What an exciting and interesting photo-adventure this day has been.  I love it when I am drawn to an area and not knowing what to expect I get treated to new experiences. 

Sign up and follow my blog to see where my next photo-adventure will be!

Photography places me in the moment where I can share that moment in time. It becomes a life story as represented by my interaction with the scene. The happiness and beauty or the sorrow and strife; how I focus leaves a lasting impression that might touch the viewer on a spiritual level.

 "Reflecting Nature's Artistry" 

Many of these images are available on my website:

 http://www.bonnierannald.com/ 

For custom matted and framed images:
Off The Wall

No images on this blog are within Public Domain or are available for free download. 

 All rights reserved, world-wide and images protected by Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). All photography, graphics, text, design, and content is copyrighted by Bonnie Rannald and should not be copied, down-loaded, transferred and re-created in any way without the express consent, in writing to Bonnie Rannald. For information on Bonnie Rannald licensed, right-managed images, please submit a written request.

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Winter Solstice, a Time for Reflection

Welcome to 2012 Winter Solstice

Winter Solstice, a period of so much darkness, to me is a time to turn inward. A time for quiet reflection and as the earth slumbers, inner peace is restored.  The video, “Winter Solstice” is my reflections of special moments over the past year.

Winter Solstice 2012

 

Winter solstice occurs on December 21st.
When the sun shines directly over the tropic of Capricorn.

  The sun appears at its lowest point in the sky, 

marking the shortest day and the longest night of the year.
  The word solstice from Latin, solstitium, sol, sun.  

  A balance between the forces of day and night.
 Nature's reprieve from summer follies,

when nature lies dormant all around us and stillness settles over the land.
  A time for quiet reflection, to reflect on the passing year.
 The longest night surrenders, the light shines on a new day, 

renewing our inner light, and focus for a new year.

 

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What an exciting and interesting photo-adventure this day has been.  I love it when I am drawn to an area and not knowing what to expect I get treated to new experiences. 

Sign up and follow my blog to see where my next photo-adventure will be!

Photography places me in the moment where I can share that moment in time. It becomes a life story as represented by my interaction with the scene. The happiness and beauty or the sorrow and strife; how I focus leaves a lasting impression that might touch the viewer on a spiritual level.

 "Reflecting Nature's Artistry" 

Many of these images are available on my website:

 http://www.bonnierannald.com/ 

For custom matted and framed images:
Off The Wall

No images on this blog are within Public Domain or are available for free download. 

 All rights reserved, world-wide and images protected by Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). All photography, graphics, text, design, and content is copyrighted by Bonnie Rannald and should not be copied, down-loaded, transferred and re-created in any way without the express consent, in writing to Bonnie Rannald. For information on Bonnie Rannald licensed, right-managed images, please submit a written request.

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Chasing the Sunrise

 Morning Walk

There is something so peaceful and inspiring about getting up early and watching the earth come alive from the night's slumber.  I guess in a way it has become an obsession because I never tire of watching the sun come over the Gillis Mountains on the east side of Walker Lake. 

When there are interesting clouds, I grab my camera and tripod to rush out with coffee in hand for an early morning walk.  If I time it just right, sometimes I catch the transition just as dawn rolls back the curtain of night.  It is a wonderful feeling, almost like witnessing the earth's creation.

As dawn begins to light the eastern sky, the stars are still visible over the silhouetted tall elm trees.

 

Silence fills the earth as the early rays of sun begin to warm the still lake; the first inland gull begins its morning quest.

The sun ascends; a star-studded sky is now an artist's pallet of color.

A lone owl watches and waits for an early morning snack.

Standing quietly on the bank's edge, the camera catches a falcon flying overhead.

Mr. Robin warms overhead as the sunlight breaks through a dense layer of cloud.

A flock of inland gulls scurry with wings warmed by the morning sun.

A contrail appears to shoot from the sunlight blushed moon as it descends, giving way to the start of a new day.

  

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What an exciting and interesting photo-adventure this day has been.  I love it when I am drawn to an area and not knowing what to expect I get treated to new experiences. 

Sign up and follow my blog to see where my next photo-adventure will be!

Photography places me in the moment where I can share that moment in time. It becomes a life story as represented by my interaction with the scene. The happiness and beauty or the sorrow and strife; how I focus leaves a lasting impression that might touch the viewer on a spiritual level.

 "Reflecting Nature's Artistry" 

Many of these images are available on my website:

 http://www.bonnierannald.com/ 

For custom matted and framed images:
Off The Wall

No images on this blog are within Public Domain or are available for free download. 

 All rights reserved, world-wide and images protected by Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). All photography, graphics, text, design, and content is copyrighted by Bonnie Rannald and should not be copied, down-loaded, transferred and re-created in any way without the express consent, in writing to Bonnie Rannald. For information on Bonnie Rannald licensed, right-managed images, please submit a written request.

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