An unapologetic plant geek shares advice and opinions on gardening, the contrived and the natural landscape, as well as occasional topics from the other side of the gate.

December 27, 2014

My Ten Favorite Photos of 2014

     As seasonal as fallen fir needles on carpet, it is time once again to share my favorite photos from the past year. When I started this post, I thought this might be the year I could finally actually limit the number to 10, and that the exercise would somehow force my eye to see the photos in a new light, but that didn't happen, and I could only get it down to 15.

Gulls 
(1/29/2014)
Like much of the rest of the country, our winter last year was unusually severe. Fortunately the snows afforded me some photo opportunities, and during one of our worst storms I was able to capture the moment a neighbor joyously fed ever-greedy or ever-grateful gulls.
Gulls (4)

Cormorant 
(2/16/2014)
During my 2014 Winter Walk-Off, I was able to get a picture of a cormorant just before it dove below the surface of the water. This photo speaks to me on a couple of levels. I love the juxtaposition of this humble seabird with the aircraft carriers in the background. Also, whenever I see a cormorant I think about my friend Joellen, who died way too early leaving many of us to fix our own problems.
Cormorant

Gull
(2/16/2014)
This shot also came from the Winter Walk-Off, and yes I know the first three photos have all been birds and two of the three have been gulls, and yes I know this is not a bird blog, but look at his attitude and how close I was able to get without a zoom lens.
Gull

Nockamixon Cliffs
(3/2/2014)
On the way home from a visit with my brother and the Philadelphia Flower Show I stopped at Nockamixon Cliffs along the Delaware River, where I took what I think were some very artistic shots of the icefalls flowing down the cliffs. However, this photo of two insane men climbing one of the larger icefalls would sell more newspapers.
Nockamixon Cliffs (3)

Chippokes Bovines
(4/12/2014)
In April I paid a very photo-productive visit to one of my favorite getaway spots, Chippokes Plantation State Park, and the next two photos made my top ten/fifteen. Parts of Chippokes have been a working farm for nearly 400 years, and they have a herd of well-cared-for cattle grazing there. I gave up eating meat over a year ago, and seeing the eyes and lashes of this black beauty reconfirmed my choice.
Chippokes Bovines (10)

Ipheion Lawn
(4/12/2014)
I know, I know, it's about time I showed a plant photo, especially since this is ostensibly a gardening blog. The lawn in front of the plantation house at Chippokes is carpeted with Ipheion, and the only way to really appreciate them, or to photograph them, is to from your belly.
Ipheion Lawn (2)

Allium ampeloprasum
(6/1/2014)
On the way back from a kayaking trip I happened to take the Colonial Parkway just as the locally celebrated Yorktown onions (really a wild Eurasian leek) were in full bloom. As long as I have lived in this area, I have never seen this plant bloom, and to see fields of them was a real treat, even if they aren't native.
Allium ampeloprasum (1)

Summit Lake
(7/27/2014)
The next four photos are from our trip to Colorado this past summer. The first one was taken at Summit Lake on the way to Mt. Evans. What you can't see in this photo is obviously the crystal clear lake, or the mountain goats jumping around on the snow capped mountains surrounding the lake. You also can't see my eyes welling up from the absolute and severe beauty of the place, but you can see a group of dedicated volunteers who were happily restoring the ecosystem with plants they grew themselves.
Summit Lake (10)

Roxborough Park
(7/28/2014)
One of my co-workers is from Colorado, and I asked him for some recommendations for places to visit, and one he suggested was Roxborough State Park just south of Denver. You enter the park on the prairie, but most of it is in red-rock formations at the edge of the Rockies, and it is a stunning place. I have yet to complete a blog post on Roxborough, so consider this a tease.
Roxborough Park (14)

Kenosha Pass
(7/29/2014)
Kenosha Pass is a high mountain pass that looks down onto the basin of South Park, Colorado. It is a beautiful, but lonely, dry, cold (even in July) place. At the top of the pass are a series of impromptu memorials along a barbed wire fence. These offered some of the only bits of color on an otherwise gray day.
Kenosha Pass

Pet Cemetery
(7/31/2014)
Continuing in this morbid train of thought, a few days later we made a quick stop at a roadside pet cemetery near Salida, Colorado. The surrounding landscape was unusually green for summer in this part of the world, as rains had been above normal, but the pet cemetery was mostly brown except for the plastic flowers. I assume someone had sprayed the growth with weed killer, but you can never be sure what will and what won't grow on hallowed ground.
Pet Cemetery (5)

Yarmouth Creek Black and White
(9/21/2014)
This photo is the only black and white in my favorites this year. It was taken from my kayak on Yarmouth Creek, a tributary of the Chickahominy River close to its mouth near Williamsburg, Virginia. This area has become one of my favorite places to paddle, as I feel like every bend in the river and every old cypress have several stories to tell.
Yarmouth Creek Black and White (3)

White Adirondacks
(10/17/2014)
In October I was fortunate enough to attend the Perennial Plant Conference at Swarthmore College, which is situated within The Scott Arboretum. The conference was wonderful, but so was the chance to tour the arboretum, which is just beautiful. Though there were many carefully designed garden spaces and beautiful plant specimens there, my favorite photo from the trip is of these three chairs with morning light falling on them.
White Adirondacks (1)

Traugers
(10/18/2014)
This photo was take at a farmstand in Pennsylvania, and after some of the other photos I have posted here, it may seem a little "schmaltzy", but I like it.
Traugers (2)

Frosted Marsh
(11/29/2014)
Like many of my favorite photos over the years, my last photo was taken on the shore of Metompkin Bay near my parent's house. When I visit I usually try to walk there in the mornings to catch the sun as it rises from the Atlantic. This has always been a special place to me and easy to photograph.
Frosted Marsh (2)

I have a collection of all of my favorite photos of the year on my Flickr page, and if you find yourself icebound or bedridden with nothing else to do, then click here for the full set. And if that is not enough, you can click on 2013's, 2012's and 2011's top ten collections respectively.

Do you have photos from 2014 that you are particularly proud of, or that speak to you in a special way? If so, then I welcome you to share them on your own blog or Facebook page. If you do, come back and leave a comment with a link please. I would really appreciate it. Thanks, and I hope all of you have a happy new year filled with many photo ops!

24 comments:

  1. Every one of these is awesome. I live in Colorado and know Kenosha pass, the Mt. Evans drive, and Salida well. The arid plantlife here is indeed awe inspiring - a different kind of beauty from where you are. I lived in VA for several years as well and miss that botany - your blog reminds me of it! Thank you.

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    1. Thanks for the comments Pamit. I loved the startkness of some parts of Colorado, and was surprised by the fullness in others. And yes, it is indeed different from here.

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  2. All of these are great! Thanks. (One day I hope to cross your path. We have a house on
    Chincoteague & plan to visit the Botanical Gardens in the spring. Also kayak.)

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    1. Look me up when you come to the botanic garden. You are lucky to have a house on Chincoteague. There is still enough of the old charm on the island that is sadly missing from many touristy places.

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  3. Les, thanks for the re-post and great photos of the Palisaides and Trauger's Farm

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  4. Always working on my photo skills. Liked the cow picture. Always disappointed in the shots I take but will continue to work at it.

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    1. Tom, just keep taking photos, take photos of things you like, and experiment. Everything else will follow.

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  5. Oh these photos are ALL lovely Les.

    Must confess to being amused by all those "Christian" pets ...

    I may just rise to your challenge about posting my own favourites. I'll let you know ...

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    1. I was surprised too by the Christian pets. While I didn't expect to see any Star of Davids, or Crescent Moons, I did expect to see more non-denominational grave sites.

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  6. Ohhhh, that shot at Roxborough Park! Yr top photo for 2014 IMO; eagerly looking forward to more images from that visit.

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    1. Thanks Nell! I hope to get to that post at some point in January.

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  7. I saw those wonderful Yorktown Onions too, Les. I always admire all your photographs, but I think my favorite is the Adirondack Chairs. I would enjoy trying to paint that scene. Happy New Year!

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    1. Lynn, if you paint that scene, send me a shot of it. Happy new year to you as well.

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  8. Your photos and comments are always a treat, Les. Thank you for sharing them. Your photos have made your local waterways a place I would love to visit.

    I wish you and your family a beautiful 2015.

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    1. You are welcome HB, and thanks for the kind comments. I hope you also have a beautiful 2015!

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  9. Les, I always enjoy the 'end of year' posts. A trip down memory lane for all of your followers, and most of all for you. I wonder how long it takes to pick your favorite. You must linger and reminisce; I surly do. Looking forward for a great 2015!

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    1. Chav, it took me a couple of days this year. I like to make the list then re-visit it to see if changes are needed. Happy new year to you!

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  10. I love your photos! Frosted Marsh is simply dreamy. I look forward to your end of the year post. Your gorgeous blog inspired me to reach for a camera. Thanks! Here's a link to my post. http://www.gravylessons.com/journal2/2014/12/27/my-ten-favorite-photos-from-2014

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    1. Gravy, thanks for the link. I will be paying a visit soon.

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  11. That ice cliff is something. We get that at the Niagara gorge, but I never saw anyone scaling it like that.

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    1. Apparently the same people were coming and climbing the same sections of icefalls every day they could, and my brother said they were getting quite territorial about it.

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  12. These are wonderful! I particularly like the plantation flowers from the ground.

    I think my favorite photos this year were those I took during travel. We went to Istanbul, Naples, Rome, Oregon, and Washington, D.C. this year. Here's a link: http://enclosuretakerefuge.com/category/travel/

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    1. Cindy, when I first saw that shot, I knew it was a winner. Thank you for the link, I look forward to seeing your photos.

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