Signs of spring

Even though it's just at the end of January, there are signs of spring to come. Buds swelling, bluebirds and robins flocking, songs beginning.I saw a group of 8 Great Blue Herons last week on my morning walk along the dikes above Lake Hartwell.  Most unusual, as normally I'd just see one, or two. On...

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Woodpeckers, wrens, and others

Our birdfeeder in the mountains is a platform feeder, which my gardening companion FILLS high with black-oil sunflower seeds each morning (which we buy in 40 lb. bags at the local feed and seed -- in this case, a Southern States store).When we're there, it's mobbed with the usual seed feeders - tufted...

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Transitions

I've FINALLY got my camera (a venerable Nikon D100) and lens back after their cleaning and "spa" aka repair at the Nikon facility (in the lens' case).  It's been months, thankfully much of it filled with travel with a small Panasonic (my hubbie was the photographer), and many images to post...

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Flowers, mosses, and lichens

There was an extraordinary diversity of mosses, lichens, and flowers in Chilean Patagon...

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Queulat National Park

This is a wonderful national park along the Carretera Austral in Chilean Patagonia. I've already posted an image of the hanging glacier (spectacular!)Along another trail, the Bosque Encantando (Enchanted Forest), the moss diversity (and that of other bryophytes) was nothing short of amazing.along the...

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Carretera Austral and Queulat National Park

I've gotten totally out of sequence (travel-wise) with my postings, but here are some wonderful images that evoke the experience of Chilean (Northern) Patagonia along the Carretera Austral.Hanging Glacier in Quelat National ParkThe hanging glacier is a stand-out hike (in Quelat National Park). ...

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Wonderful rivers

We saw so many wild and inspiring rivers and streams in Argentina and Chile (Northern Patagonia).I thought we lived in the land of waterfalls, mountain streams and wonderful rivers, but these were remarkab...

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Chilean Patagonia and the Carretera Austral

Jumping around in our travels again, here are some images from a hike in Chilean Patagonia (off the Carretera Austral, a historically gravel road now being regraded and paved through much of its length.)The Chilean side of Patagonia is much wetter than the Argentinian side, so the vegetation is a LOT...

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Ruta 40 (Argentina)

Jumping ahead in our travels, here's an image on the Argentinian side, from our journey back north on Ruta 40, a legendary north-south route, stretching from far north to south in Argentina.Ruta 40It's largely paved now, but we bumped along some pretty remote graveled roads from the Chilean border crossing...

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Such fun

I returned today to a lovely mug (thanks to Society 6).  They artfully added my "evergreens and snags" watercolor to a coffee cup.How cool is that? I'd posted about this before, but there's something a bit magic about actually receiving a cup (!) with something created personally on ...

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Beyond Bariloche

Returning from the Ruta de Siete Lagos, we returned through Bariloche, and continued to head south.The next town is El Bolson, a remarkably pleasant town with a vibrant market. We almost missed it, in spite of guide book directions. The main highway skirts the main center of town, and evokes Patagonia...

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More waterfalls

 Waterfalls are on my mind; not only did we see a lot of them over winter break, but my gardening companion is currently sending off his talk descriptions for scheduled programs about waterfalls and wildflowers (hmm, I always get to "review" them before they go).Here's the same amazing waterfall...

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Amazing waterfalls

We live in an area of abundant and lovely waterfalls in the Southern Appalachians, but the ones in Patagonia --hmm.  They were both abundant and spectacular.Waterfalls draw us, wherever they are -- they're special.Here was the first we saw (still on the Ruta de los Siete Lagos).The lupines (everywhere)...

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More along the Ruta de Siete Lagos

views along the road - amazingkite-surfing in the brisk Patagonian windDigitalis (a European species) --self-seeding, but lovelySan Martin de los Andes (from an overlook above the town)The Ruta de Siete Lagos (Route of the Seven Lakes) was a great circuit to start our exploration of the Argentinian...

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Ruta de Siete Lagos

All of the seven lakes were perfectly blue.After flying to Bariloche, we headed north on the Ruta de Siete Lagos, a truly breathtaking circuit.Argentina is a (VERY) large country -- it was a two hour flight to Bariloche from Buenos Aires.The first lake was amazing. My companion had to take a swim (in...

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Traveling in Argentina

I've been sorting through photos, and thought I'd just post in sequence.Traveling with my buddy (and best traveling companion) didn't leave much time to fuss with Blogsy postings on the iPad, nor downloading photos, either. And dinner after 9 pm!  Hmm, that seems like hours and hours after...

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Returning to winter

It's been rainy, foggy, and dark since we returned from the Southern Hemisphere.Here with a diversity of mosses, ferns, etc.!We saw wonderful lakes and hanging glaciers (here in Quelat National Park in Chilean Patagonia).Not unexpected, but a bit of a transition, too, as our last few days had been in...

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