Images of the Week

Late Night under Skydance

Tue, 15 May 2012 03:51 +0000

The legs of the newly completed Skydance Bridge's tower frame a moist skyline view of downtown Oklahoma City. This scene was late at night, after a heavy rainfall and after the bridge's garish internal lights went off, lending the unusual view of the structure's being lit from the outside--from all sides, by city light reflected off low clouds and wet surfaces.

Caution: Tornado Crossing

Wed, 09 May 2012 12:14 +0000

In a memorable moment from my slide-film era, a classical Sunflower State tornado crosses one of the white-limestone side roads characteristic of north-central Kansas. Unlike their human observers, damaging storms need not follow traffic rules, nor even the highways themselves.

On the Keweenaw Shore

Thu, 03 May 2012 04:14 +0000

A light, gently chilled breeze blew from the blue waters of Lake Superior, its small waves audibly swishing and tumbling the red sandstone pebbles at water's edge. This was a scene both rugged and comfortable, harsh and halcyon, framed by the clean northern sky overhead, the forest's verdant edge, and the swirling iron minerals in slopes and ledges of gray sandstone smoothed by wind and water. One could spend a day or three here, entirely immersed in some esoteric amalgamation of photography, painting, sketching, reading, and wandering contemplation.

Mirroring the Foggy Sun

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 21:17 +0000

On a mild and moist morning, a quiet little lake reflected the fog-enshrouded sunlight, serenity and tranquility lingering in a most welcome way from the fog's overnight provenance hours.

Sharp-edged Sunset

Sun, 22 Apr 2012 03:50 +0000

A keenly edged altocumulus deck frames yet another glorious Oklahoma sunset--one among many, each uniquely beautiful.

Doorway to the Past

Wed, 11 Apr 2012 01:58 +0000

Not long for this world, an abandoned house tilts and teeters in a slow but inevitably losing struggle against the forces of decay. As it creaks in the prairie winds, the structure tells stories from when the house was a home--tales of the bygone days when hard work rightfully earned honor, when craftsmanship mattered, when assiduity was its own reward. Is the house a metaphor for the status of those virtues?

A "Ghost Riders" Sky

Thu, 05 Apr 2012 17:08 +0000

One dark and windy day, on the back side of a cluster of West Texas thunderstorms, an eerie light framed both a butte and the cold stratus above. That old Johnny Cash song, which was going through my head, seemed written just for a sky like this.

Menacing Minatare

Thu, 29 Mar 2012 11:21 +0000

From ground upward, the looming storm--a bow echo on radar--displayed layers of dust, scud, midlevel striations, and bizarre mid-upper level strands of translucence that reminded me of atmospheric Silly String. Through all my years of storm observing, I hadn't seen this sandwich of tones and textures in the sky. For the attentive and appreciative eye, every minute of every storm offers a fresh discovery.

Three Icicles Drip

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 07:58 +0000

A trio of melting icicles dangles from an unseen precipice, dark and gently rippled lake waters forming the abstract background.

Columbia Lilies in the Cascades

Tue, 13 Mar 2012 04:12 +0000

A pair of Columbia lilies brilliantly adorn the rainforest understory near Mount Rainier. Native tribes used the plant's bulbs as food, usually roasted or dried.