a NEW thought Thursday

Happy Thursday!

I used to think photography in November-January was just plain boring because of the lack of color in the world. But I recently decided to play around more with Black/White photography and it’s amazing what a difference it makes.

I still have a few hydrangea blooms hanging on. I love them in B/W because I totally notice the detail in each little leaf a lot more.

And even my poinsettia, left over from a holiday party, is more interesting to look at when it isn’t overpowered by vibrant red. But, just so I can enter Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge, which is the color red, I’ll include the original shot:

A different perspective is always welcome in my world. Sometimes it can even be captivating. (See how I slipped the JusJoJan24 prompt in there :o)

Have a terrific day and I hope you do or learn something NEW!

a NEW Thursday Doors entry

Happy Thursday slash Thanksgiving!

I’m entering this door at Prinsengracht 263, Amsterdam for my Thursday Doors entry. I’m sure you all are familiar with what happened behind this famous door, if not the address. This is the Anne Frank Huis.

On this Thanksgiving Day, I’m very grateful and thankful for my freedom and I absolutely don’t take it for granted because I know there is still war, oppression, and overall hardships in many places around the world.

I thought I’d also include this statue of Anne Frank (1929-1945) that is around the corner from the museum…since this photo also has doors it in! Ha!

Have a great day! I hope you do or learn (or eat) something NEW today!

a NEW collage of our most recent waterfall chase

Happy Saturday!

I thought I’d better hurry and post all the waterfalls we saw on our recent trip to northern California before I forgot the names or can’t remember which were which in my photo stash. So here goes:

Top left: Burney Falls, (#51 on my Waterfalls Bucket List)

Top middle: Potem Falls (#50)

Top left of top right quad group: Lower McCloud Falls. (#52)

Top right of top right quad group: Upper McCloud Falls (#52)

Lower left of top right quad group: Lower Kings Creek Falls (#54)

Lower right, top right quad group: Hedge Creek Falls (#53)

Lower left: Whiskeytown Falls: (#55)

Lower middle, top of double group: Crystal Creek Falls (#56)

Lower middle, bottom of double group: Upper Kings Creek Falls (#54)

Lower right: Middle McCloud Falls (#52)

Have a terrific day! I hope you do or learn something NEW!

a few NEW photo challenge entries

Happy Tuesday!

When I saw Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge topic today of “Sticks and Stones”, I knew I should have an image or two from our recent trip to enter. I remembered snapping quite a few “tree art” photos.

As we hiked to a waterfall on our trip, we passed by a burn area and I snapped another “tree art” photo that I thought would work well for Leanne’s Monochrome Madness photo challenge.

And lastly, here is my son having a stone skipping contest while we were visiting Grand Teton National Park. I’m pretty sure this is Jackson Lake. So, obviously, this image is for Cee’s “Sticks and Stones” challenge also.

Have a great day! I hope you do or learn something NEW!

a NEW update to my National Parks bucket list

Happy Friday!

Today I’m updating my National Parks bucket list since we visited Lassen Volcanic National Park on our trip last week.

First, we stopped at Manzanita Lake and walked all the way around it, then hiked the Kings Creek Falls Trail, and lastly, we hiked down to Bumpass Hell (see photos…that’s where all the hot steam comes out). There were warning signs to stay on the path, so we wouldn’t end up like Mr. Bumpass who had to get his leg amputated because of burns he’d received from falling through. We were, of course, very careful to do so!

We’re up to 19 out of 63. Many more to go!

LIST OF US NATIONAL PARKS IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER (63 total)

  • Acadia National Park {done}
  • Arches National Park {done}
  • Badlands National Park
  • Big Bend National Park
  • Biscayne National Park
  • Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park {done}
  • Bryce Canyon National Park {done}
  • Canyonlands National Park {done}
  • Capitol Reef National Park {done}
  • Carlsbad Caverns National Park
  • Channel Islands National Park
  • Congaree National Park
  • Crater Lake National Park
  • Cuyahoga Valley National Park
  • Death Valley National Park
  • Denali National Park and Preserve
  • Dry Tortugas National Park
  • Everglades National Park
  • Gates of the Arctic National Park
  • Gateway Arch National Park 
  • Glacier National Park
  • Glacier Bay National Park
  • Grand Canyon National Park {done}
  • Grand Teton National Park {done}
  • Great Basin National Park
  • Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve
  • Great Smoky Mountains National Park {done}
  • Guadalupe Mountains National Park
  • Haleakala National Park
  • Hawaii Volcanoes National Park {done}
  • Hot Springs National Park
  • Indiana Dunes National Park
  • Isle Royale National Park
  • Joshua Tree National Park
  • Katmai National Park and Preserve
  • Kenai Fjords National Park
  • Kings Canyon National Park {done}
  • Kobuk Valley National Park
  • Lake Clark National Park
  • Lassen Volcanic National Park {done}
  • Mammoth Cave National Park
  • Mesa Verde National Park {done}
  • Mount Rainier National Park
  • National Park of American Samoa
  • New River Gorge National Park 
  • North Cascades National Park
  • Olympic National Park
  • Petrified Forest National Park
  • Pinnacles National Park
  • Redwood National Park {done}
  • Rocky Mountain National Park {done}
  • Saguaro National Park
  • Sequoia National Park {done}
  • Shenandoah National Park
  • Theodore Roosevelt National Park
  • Virgin Islands National Park
  • Voyageurs National Park
  • White Sands National Park 
  • Wind Cave National Park
  • Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve
  • Yellowstone National Park {done}
  • Yosemite National Park {done}
  • Zion National Park {done}

Have a great day! I hope you do or learn something NEW!

a NEW favorite waterfall

Happy Tuesday!

We returned home from a fun trip where we chased a bunch of waterfalls, rode e-bikes, and hiked and hiked and hiked! So, I need to update my Waterfalls Bucket List. I believe I’ve found my NEW favorite waterfall. Burney Falls in Shasta County, California was amazing! Here are some more views from the trees as we walked down to it, and then hiked up the other side of the creek.

And here’s a longer shot of the area.

We hiked to 7 different waterfalls on our trip. I’ll try to show the other photos in upcoming posts. I debated counting more than 7 because a few had lower falls, then we hiked to the middle falls and then to upper falls, but I guess I’ll just count one falls per creek. I’m at 56 out of my bucket list of 100! Many more to go!

Have a great day. I hope you do or learn something NEW today!

NEW photo challenge entries

Happy Thursday!

The NEW image above, taken recently in Amsterdam is my entry for Dan’s Thursday Doors challenge. The image below is for Cee’s CWWC challenge. As I was trying to capture the storm on the mountain this week, I was a bit perturbed with the ski lift right smack in my way, but I guess it works for this challenge. There’s always a bright side to everything eh?!

Have a great day! I hope you do or learn something NEW!

a NEW photo of my week

Happy Tuesday!

I finally went out for a short photo walk this week. My favorite capture from that walk is of all these white pumpkins. I like the lighting, I like the fall theme, and I like that I got a photo I like. Cuz that doesn’t always happen. haha! I wish I had more time to go on photo walks more often. I’ll just have to make that time, right?!

Well, that’s my NEWness for today. I hope you do or learn something NEW today too!