waterfalls – Barefoot in Bluejeans

I’ve always wanted to explore, or at least see Alaska. I did go to college for Wildlife Biology and although that is not the degree that I graduated with, it was not a lack of interest nor passion that made me switch majors. What I really wanted to be was a National Geographic Photographer, but exactly how was I to do that and have a family and be a wife/mom? So, especially because I was going to marry a pilot who would also be gone because of his career, I had to make a choice between struggling to do that and having and raising a family. I chose the latter and a career that would navigate me through the fjords of human emotion. Last week I was blessed to be able to take a cruise on a ship that navigated me through a fjord in Alaska and was blessed again with being able to experience the beauty that made me want to be a wildlife biologist. I saw whales and sea lions and seals and eagles, all in their natural habitat. I saw glaciers that came right down to the ocean or river and I saw a glacier calve in the silence of a fjord in the wee hours of the morning. Seals/sea lions were floating on little icebergs that broke off of the glacier. I saw unspoiled gorgeous landscape that can only be accessed by boat and/or plane. Some of this I captured in photos and some is only imprinted on my memory. I only saw a smidgen of Alaska and some of Seattle and Victoria, BC. I met some wonderful people and had the best time with the best traveling buddy ever. I learned about bible journaling and diving into the word of God with paint in hand. God painted this gorgeous world and it’s OK to paint gorgeous pages onto the Word of God! As a matter of fact, I’m sure that it makes him happy. So, here are a few photos that cannot begin to do the lovely works of God justice, but I continue to try! I look forward to keeping in touch with the wonderful people that I met on the cruise and delve more into the word of God in my journaling bible!

July 3, 2016July 3, 2016 by Renee Categories: Alaska, animals, bible journaling, illustrated faith, Nature, travelTags: fireweed, flowers, glaciers, humpbacks, ice, inside passage, lavender, mountains, nature, photography, seattle, Sunsets, waterfalls, whales 2 Comments

If you read my last post, you will see that I said that I was worried when fall ended that I wouldn’t have much to photograph outside in the winter. Not only is it cold, but sometimes it’s just white…. white…. white… and white…. and I LOVE color, so I thought I wouldn’t find much to inspire my outdoor photography. I have been wrong. Today I left the only footprints at this park that I frequently go to in the summer and fall. I was the ONLY person there, enjoying the quiet stillness found after a newly fallen snow. The temperature was below zero, but there was no wind and the snowstorm yesterday created a beautiful landscape. Although this is just around the corner from my house, I have never gone to see the waterfall in winter. Shame on me. It was gorgeous. Not only was the snow from yesterday beautiful, but so was the ice all over the trees and rocks from the freezing mist of the waterfall. The photos do not do this justice. I think the only way to do that would be to get to the bottom, but the trail is closed off in winter. Also, the clouds were moving in and the sun was going down behind the hills, so the color really started to wash out on the falls/ice. I will go back the next time I see the sun peek out in the morning and if the sun is shining off of the ice, I am determined to capture it! No, I was not barefoot today, yes I was in blue jeans, and yes, my toes were very cold at the end of my hike, even in my warm boots with wool socks, but it was worth it! I hope you enjoy! Beauty is everywhere!