Janet Brien's photos with the keyword: fire

(+2 map insets!) Hello everyone!! We're finally home, safe and sound! Steve and I arrived a week ago from our epic 3-month "Covid Summer" RV trip around western Oregon, and with a few days to settle in, I'm finally ready to start posting again! What a blast we had! :) To be honest, if we didn't have a bunch of upgrade projects lined up for the next few months, we'd have been happy to just turn around and head out and find out what it means to be a "snowbird!" Wow, what a difference from last year's camping season! A year ago we returned home from our six-week trip to Vancouver Island, Canada, and both of us were totally wrecked. The trailer was damaged and we were totally exhausted from the stress of the many problems we experienced along the way. It took us months to recover from that trip…despite all the fun we managed to have between the worries, the negatives hung over us for a long time. As I've reported in the past, we didn't think travelling would be in the cards for 2020, what with Covid-19 taking over and throwing a wrench in the works. Staying safe was our priority and our rural home was our sanctuary. As summer approached, we learned that Oregon State Parks were opening up for reservations in June and we wondered if camping was a crazy idea. Then, when Steve's sister reported that camping in California was working out just fine, we pulled our heads out of the sand and made some reservations at nearby campgrounds. Who knew if the campgrounds would be shut down again? We prepared ourselves with the understanding that we might have to turn around and go home at any point but it was worth a try, right? Our Covid-19 Camping Trip Was a Complete Success! Our adventure started at the end of June and lasted through the beginning of October and included a two-week pitstop at home to add upgrades to the truck and trailer. We drove over 1500 miles on Oregon's scenic highways and back roads, enjoying breathtaking settings along the coast as well as deep forest and high-desert alpine forests too. We managed to avoid many threats and stressful situations during our adventure: Covid-19: First of all, we kept out of the corona virus' reach by staying away from people. Steve was our shopping hero and braved the stores when needed, being sure to protect himself wherever he went with a mask, rubber gloves and sanitizer. Whenever we were out hiking or biking, zooming around on our scooters, making the rounds with Pumpkin or just going on my morning walk, we made wide berths around passersby and never left the trailer without a ready-to-use mask in a pocket. Chatting with people was always done at a 6-feet distance, though we did have to gently remind folks who forgot when they wanted to see Pumpkin up-close in her hiking cage (we don't blame them, she's amazing! :D). Wildfires & Smoke: The fire season in Oregon (and California too) has been historic, with over one million acres burned so far. And, even though we're headed into the fall rainy season, there are still six huge wildfires that aren't completely contained. Thankfully, Steve and I were able to avoid the fires and smoke, though it did require the cancellation of several campsites and unexpected stays in other areas. It seemed like the entirety of Oregon was socked in by literally the worst smoke on the planet, but we got lucky. Our perfect oasis was found at lovely Fort Stevens, where we spent 14 blissful days in an idyllic escape from Oregon's troubles and only the rare whiff of smoke on one day! Our House Didn't Burn Down! On September 8, the Willamette Valley became socked in with smoke and caused us to flee the campground at Champoeg State Heritage Area and stay at L.L. Stub Stewart for a few days. That day, one of the biggest wildfires in Oregon erupted just a few miles from our home and would go on to burn almost 33,000 acres (they are still drenching hotspots as I type this post). Once we became aware of the fire, we watched the news nervously and worried more and more as the size grew quickly and marched in all directions--including towards our home. The Rogue River created a protective line but if wind combined with bad luck, embers could have easily jumped over and burst into flames. After a couple of very tense weeks, the first containment was underway…and it was the side headed towards our home! We were so relieved. We also learned a very important lesson about making sure our most precious valuables were safe-guarded if we were away. Our pictures. My journals. Priceless sentimental keepsakes. Our important paperwork. Irreplaceable files. What a terrible loss all of this would have been. We count our lucky stars that we have a chance to fix these issues for the future. Fun Was Had! With three months out, we had a lot of great adventures! Hiking together, going on my wonderful morning walks/hikes, walking around campgrounds with Pumpkin, taking pictures, riding our bikes, taking our boat out on lakes, fishing, hanging out in our hammocks and in our "easy-up" in our "easy-up" shelter, reading, playing video games--the list goes on and on! So much to chat about, so many pictures to post…it's hard to know where to begin. I'll try to keep it simple, though I've already included a book to read here, heh! Today's Picture (and map graphics) Our last campground stay was at LaPine State Park and one morning I took my Sony along to capture some of the gorgeous things I saw when I stepped out of the trailer to start my day. Oh, Those Darling Chippers! Near the end of my walk I made my way along a trail that hugs the Deschutes River, keeping my eyes open for "fluffy buddies." I caught glimpses of the many resident squirrel species that were always nearby--the elegant mink-chocolate Douglas Squirrel with its light-colored underbelly, the huge Western Grey Squirrel and smaller introduced Eastern Grey Squirrel. But of course there were also chipmunks! At least two of these small, striped squirrel species were found in great numbers around the park, including the larger Townsend Chipmunk and everyone's favorite, the tiniest of all--the Least Chipmunk! I was lucky enough to get pictures of little chippers along the way and then, to my great delight, I saw a pair of tiny cutie-pies jump onto a log and stand nose-to-nose, just for me! What luck that I got a nice image of this pair to share with you today! I am also sharing a couple of graphics which show the places that we stayed during our trip this summer. You'll notice that we didn't get to the eastern side of the state but certainly enjoyed the west coast and central parks to our fullest! I hope everyone had a safe and wonderful summer. I apologize for my sporadic posting over the past few months and lack of visiting! I'm looking forward to stopping by to say hi in the next few days! Explored on 10/20/20; highest placement #5.

(+13 insets!) *sheepish grin* Sorry, I got a little carried away but I think you'll like them! :D (please view large for all the neato details!) It rained and it rained and it rained, rained, rained! On and off all day yesterday and then into the evening. And as I fell asleep last night, I was lulled into dreams by the pattering of droplets on the windows. Before opening my eyes this morning I was gently guided into wakefulness with the tap of rain on the panes of glass. Will it ever end? Walking down to the gate this morning to open the gate for Steve's drive in a little while, I surveyed the damage to our road repairs. Enough rain has come down that our work to fix the road has been reversed in some places. I fixed the worst spot and was pleased to see the water flowing off the road again. There were many other places that needed attention though. Hmm. Steve will need to do some touch-ups at some point. The next week promises to continue the ongoing series of spring storms and waiting on ruts in the road is never a good thing. Steve left early to take the RV trailer into a professional shop today! He rescheduled once due to the rain but decided to go ahead today, rain and mud be damned! We hooked up the truck yesterday and today he drove carefully and confidently down our driveway and on to Medford. I got a cheerful call from him to let me know that everything had gone great and they'd have the trailer's maintenance completed by mid-week. Hooray! This is a crucial step before we go on our first camping trip. We need to know that the undercarriage is ship-shape. They will be repacking the bearings and doing a variety of other work which we'd like seasoned eyes to carry out. Steve's extremely handy but all of this is new to him and we both agreed that it should be looked at by a pro who knows what they are doing. (As it turned out, all of the brake pads were worn almost down to the plates--it was a good thing we had everything checked!) Did you happen to notice that it's Macro Monday?! YES!! This week's theme is "bark" and bark is what you'll get! When I was up on the top of our ridgeline yesterday at one point I noticed the time and told Steve I'd be right down, "10 minutes max!" Silly wabbit, I had a camera in my hand! I need to remember that if I have my camera I need to add more time to my estimation! Heh. As I headed back along the ridge to the trail down to the house, I took lots of pictures of different bark that I saw. Is it my fault there were so many interesting bark pictures to take?! Ponderosa pine and oak bark on healthy trees, charred bark on dead trees, burned bark on the ground, and the insides of bark too! I even found some bark that has termite trails on it and a woodpecker hole! It was twenty minutes before I scurried in the door with a bashful expression on my face...heh. :D Along with my main picture--which shows charred oak bark and a bit of bare trunk--I'm sharing an embarrassing number of insets! I hope you enjoy the show! Pam, I thought it would be fun to look in your photo stream for "bark" and I found one that would work for Macro Monday! Your ice-covered Redbud bark is wonderful and so interesting to look at with its fine, glossy coat! Many kinds of lichen are visible too, so pretty in all their many colors! I hope your day is going well and your house isn't floating away in the rain! :D *BIG HUGS* Explored on 4/9/19, highest placement, #2.

(+7 insets!) (please view large!) Last night I poked my head out our upper deck door and couldn't believe what I heard. Frogs singing. It's below 30 degrees out there and there are so many froggies singing at the pond that I can hear them loudly all the way up here! I told Steve and he didn't believe me until he opened the door and listened. We are amazed. Those frogs just don't care if it's ski season for them, they're determined to find dates for Winter Froggy Prom! I woke up today and looked out to see a lovely dusting of snow over everything. How beautiful it was. And COLD! It's not supposed to get over 40 degrees today, and when I stepped out for my walk it was 27 degrees again, brrrrr!!! At the beginning of my walk I took a picture of the snow in our meadow, the golden glow of the sun trying to warm the world up. You'll see this as a panorama inset which I thought turned out very nicely! It was so pretty to see the snow lightly blanketing everything as I walked up and down the driveway. I was only doing three laps today because it's just too cold, but I also knew that I needed to brave the cold for another 15 minutes. The fact was that I really did need to take pictures. Snow is forecast for several more days this coming week but I've noticed that reports are usually wrong. So, if I wanted pictures, I had to take them right away. Even now, at 8am, I could see that the snow was already melting. I didn't have a moment to waste! I was ready to go in five minutes, swapping my shoes with my rubber boots and adding knee pads. I already had my macro flash on my camera in preparation, so out the door I went, bee-lining it to the burned shed as I'd planned. My my my...all the cool pictures! I scoped the scene and immediately found a screw with a snowy hat! Snow balanced on a burned hole in the plywood! A lovely whorl of knot-centered plywood with a dab of snow balanced precariously on an edge...a rusty nail sticking out with a frozen droplet on it...many other wonderful things to take pictures of too, it was fabulous. I will need to go back for more, many interesting opportunities but not enough time! Time...fifteen minutes came and went...and I was away in my photographic dream. I knew I'd passed my time-limit when my toes started yelling at me. But...I heard the gentle call from the sporophytes rising out of the moss on the nearby Oak trees...and I couldn't resist them. I strayed from the shed and drifted into the woods...so many lovely pictures to take...so many wonderful scenes to find. My toes were hurting more with each passing moment but...there were little mounds of snow on the moss with sporophytes topped with droplets! How could I not take pictures? Finally after about 45 minutes my feet refused to go anywhere but towards the house, yelling and screaming all of the way. My hands were also cold, though the rest of me, bundled up nicely, was comfortable. Immediately upon entering the house the boots flew off and I stuck my feet on the heater. If they had a voice they would be groaning with pleasure to feel that warmth directly applied to them. I know, I know...I should be ashamed of myself for being so mean to my poor frozen feeties! Well, they warmed up just fine...it took fifteen minutes of frying them on the heater but finally they were warmed up again. Heh. I'm horrible. But what can I say? Sometimes I am but a mere puppet controlled by my passion, without a choice in the matter! :) Today I'm sharing a bunch of pictures from the burned shed--I hope you enjoy the show! (I got some wonderful sporophyte pictures too, but they will have to wait for another day!) Pam, I bet you know all about what it's like to lose yourself in your passions. I can see the "creative crazy person" in many of your presentations...when we make things like this I think you have to lose yourself in the moment! It's a wonderful feeling though, isn't it? To just "become" part of the passion that drives you...it's a delicious thing. Kind of like being on a different level or dimension...I don't know. It can't really be described in words but all creative people know what this is and we all crave it! I hope that you are able to get some creativity into your life, Pam...the conditions have to be right but I sure do hope you have them or get them sometime soon! *BIG HUGS FROM SOUTHERN OREGON* Explored on 2/7/19, highest placement, #2.

(+3 insets!) Another cold and drizzly day, I enjoyed looking at the mist crawl around the valley on my walk this morning. I did a lot of thinking about the pictures I took down in San Anselmo and the fun of processing and sharing them here on ipernity. The San Anselmo photo shoot has a seemingly endless variety of subjects which adds so much interest. Also, I had a lot of luck with usable images so I'll be able to post images for quite a while. For me, this project has been such a delight. I know that our property is overflowing with photo opportunities but change is a nice thing. I'm also really happy that I've been able to process so many of them. I worried that I would be pulled away from the project without getting to finish at least a handful. But as it turns out, I've processed over 50 pictures! I still have dozens of subjects I want to finish up but I'm enjoying every moment I get to work through each picture. When I got inside today I was very cold. In fact, I was so chilly that I decided to climb into my bed and bundle up under my fluffy blankets while I visited my contacts on ipernity. By the time I got through all of my comments I was so cozy and warm that I wanted to take a nap! Lunchtime saved me from snoozing and Steve cooked up amazing sausages to go with our fried eggs. I also had half an avocado which I heat up, mash into guacamole and add garlic salt. It's fabulous! Steve is totally horrified that I warm it up…lol…I know it sounds odd but it's YUMMY! :) Since I have been so cold today, I'm sharing pictures of one of the magnificent nightly log fires that my brother Brian made to heat up their beautiful living room. One evening I was admiring how pretty the fire was and it occurred to me that it would make a lovely picture. I ran and got my camera and clicked away! I am including two more fire images as insets along with a candid picture of Brian that I took while he was watching a YouTube video one afternoon. It turned out so well that I just had to show everyone how handsome my little brother is! :) Pam, I did a search on your photo stream and discovered that you have a fireplace in your home! We do not. When we moved in there was a free-standing log-fueled heater but we hated it. There is a place for a proper fireplace but we never got it going because we have a bird and smoke is an issue we don't want to chance. Do you use yours? They can be the most wonderful source of heat, and so cozy too. When I was looking in your pictures, I found this wonderful collage of your Fire Dragon Dance. It's just terrific!! Yearly burns may be necessary jobs but they are so pretty too. Here's hoping that you are having a comfortable, warm and cozy day my dear! :) Explored on 1/26/19, highest placement, #2.

(2 inset images) A few years ago a horrible tragedy happened on our property. A squirrel climbed up one of our power poles, chewed into a power line and got electrocuted. It fell into the dried grass and started a wildfire. The fire roared through the meadow, totally destroyed our huge shop and then raced up our hillside where it was finally stopped. We were so thankful the fire department was able to save our house. Nobody was hurt and few things of true sentimental value were lost. Except...the trees. More than half of our hillside had burned, and almost every tree had perished. To me, trees are another kind of person. So it totally wrecked me when all of those trees were killed. I'd spent countless hours up there with my camera, navigating the deer trails and exploring its nooks and crannies. Now, every time I looked up there it just hurt. I've been up there only a few times since the fire because I can't bear the pain. But the past few days I've been looking up there, wondering how things are doing. Forest fires are part of the cycle of life and very important to the ecosystem, revitalizing the soil and allowing the forest to "reset". As much as I knew it would hurt me, I decided on this beautiful, sunny day, to get my camera, put on my boots and knee pads, and take a walk. As I carefully made my way up the hillside I was hit once again by deep sorrow when I saw all of the burned trees. Charred trunks were everywhere and I watched my footing so I didn't trip on any of the downed trees. But then I saw something I didn't expect. There was a small Manzanita plant growing in front of me! But it wasn't just one. As my eyes scanned the hillside in front of me, I saw a CARPET of young Manzanitas! It was incredible! Then, as I reached the top of the hill and walked along the ridge line, I suddenly stopped in my tracks. The most heartbreaking loss of the fire was a magnificent 80-100 foot tall Madrone tree which I'd come to love over the years. It stood sentry at the top of the hillside trail, its massive branches spreading out in all directions. I had photographed its leaves, its lovely flowers, and the mushrooms that grew on moss which lived on its trunk. When I saw that it had burned, the sight made me cry and cry. In fact, it was the death of that tree which was the main reason I couldn't stand going up there anymore. Today as I stood gawking, a feeling of elation washed over me because my wonderful Madrone tree was completely encircled by a huge mass of growth at its trunk! Many of the branches were taller than me and covered with lush green leaves. I was overjoyed as I neared my dear old friend, admiring the new growth and realizing that my favorite tree hadn't died after all!! Looking around, I could see that ALL of the burned Madrones were ringed by new growth and I had to watch my step so I didn't step on the young Manzanitas. I even saw a couple of Oak and Ponderosa saplings here and there. As I made my way back down the trail to the house, I noticed the dead flowers from Mule Ears, and wild iris plants were there to see as well. I felt so much better. It would take many years for our hillside to recover completely, but it was going to be just fine. My smile was warmer than the sun. Today's picture is a resin droplet that I photographed today. It was found on one of the burned Ponderosa pine trees and symbolizes both a tear of sorrow for the loss of our hillside forest, but also a tear of joy because the trees are going to recover, and the other plants are going to be just fine too. Pam, this resin droplet also represents a tear of joy that you are ok and slowly recovering. It is also a tear of joy because I have found my passion again, and I have you to thank. Let there be many more happy tears in our future! Explored on 12/7/18, highest placement, #4.

After a wildfire raged over one of our meadows, through our shop and up our hillside, I finally had the courage to take a closer look. With camera in hand I wandered up the ravaged hillside and took pictures of what I saw in the aftermath. Here is a heat-scorched madrone leaf laying on the burned soil.

On the afternoon of October 1, 2016, a fire broke out on our property. It raced across one of our meadows, completely destroyed our shop, and roared up to the top of our ridge before finally being put out. One day, when I could bear to witness the aftermath, I wandered up onto our hillside and captured some of the things that I saw. This is a dying leaf on a Manzanita that was burned too badly to survive. Even still there is beauty as it glows warmly in the late afternoon sun.

Have you ever wondered what happens to a green leaf that is exposed to extreme heat but isn't burned? You are looking at a leaf that had been green. Fire approached but only the extreme heat hit these leaves, causing the water within to boil and create the blistering of the surface. Although this leaf did not burn, it turned black and was dry as a bone. These leaves look to me as if they are cast from bronze.

The fire fighters cut down many smoldering trees and I found droplets of resin in the cuts of some of them. Catching the light just so created a pretty star!

Walking on our hillside among the ashes and burned trees and bushes, there glimmers the stark white remains of snails, their shells bleached from the damage. This contrast was very interesting to me and beautiful in its own way.

Ravaged by the fire that roared up our hillside, the forest that grew there was totally devastated. So many old trees, all gone. It is a horrible tragedy, but when I look at the ruin around me there, I am reminded that this is all a part of nature and an important part of the ecosystem. (There are also dead madrone trees behind and to the right.)

It was a curious thing to look at the trees and to find that the fire didn't burn everything in its path. Instead, the damage came from the incredible heat from the fire, which singed the leaves and left them totally dry, and yet with a beauty of their own.

This is another ruined shell that I found. So many are scattered on the hillside in every size from the head of a pin to a quarter.

2 more pictures above ! :) This morning I awoke to the sun shining brightly through the windows on this crisp autumn day. After lunch I took the dogs up to the ridge for a walk, and when I got to the edge of our property, the trees opened up to the view below and across the valley. What a sight! Over the hill that separates our valley from the next over, it was obvious that they were having many autumn burns. The smoke was so thick that it looked like mist climbing the sides of the far hill! It also gave me a very rare opportunity to take a picture which illuminated the trees on the hill which sits in the middle, and all the smoke which looked so cool as it drifted through the trees. Chanakya (c. 370–283 BCE) was an Indian teacher, philosopher and royal advisor. Wikipedia: Chanakya

Yesterday's collage included a picture of Steve pouring water on the burn pile at the end of the day. However, I realized that unless you KNEW what you were looking at, the picture was completely confusing. After all, how many people use a tractor's bucket to pour water on a burn pile?! In fact, before we start our burn, Steve puts our tractor nearby, raises the bucket up, and fills it with water as a standby in case of an emergency. (The people next door have had run-away burns TWICE; just last week they had the fire department come out to douse a burn...YIKES.) We also have a hose there and I routinely spray around the edges of the burn if I see any indication of scorching. Steve discovered last year that dumping a bucket of water from the tractor is perfect for dousing the fire! Using a hose works ok, but dumping a massive amount really drowns and cools the whole burn area. We have discovered that using a hose to douse a fire isn't thorough and even when you're SURE you put the fire out, DAYS LATER, the embers will sometimes burst into flame again. It's hard to put the base of a fire out completely, but this method really works! It's also fun to photograph! This collage shows pictures of two separate water dumps. (He put three loads of water on just to be sure the fire was completely out.)

You can also find me on Facebook ! Today is our annual "Burn Day," which is when we pile up all our saved up brush, twigs, leaves and other vegetation, and set it on fire. Once the fire dies down, I spend the day outside, keeping an eye on it while I enjoy myself by relaxing, taking pictures, and reading. I thought that creating a collage would be the best way to represent the day for my 365 image! Enjoy! :) If you liked this collage, you might like to see the blog I did a couple of years ago! :) Burn, Baby Burn Alexander Graham Bell (March 3, 1847 – August 2, 1922) was an eminent scientist, inventor, engineer and innovator who is credited with inventing the first practical telephone. Wikipedia: Alexander Graham Bell