dndement

Attending the church of the Juniper and Sagebrush

This morning a friend and I both shared a post on Facebook about mother earth being a church. I have always thought of the forest as a church and a place to rejuvenate. A place to talk to the trees work through issues and in general calm my restless soul. Plus, the trees never tell your secrets. When I came to Central Oregon, I lived near a place I could hike in the pines. And those pines heard a lot. A few years later I moved a few miles east and my hiking place was in the Junipers. Honestly it took me a few years to find the right place that calmed my soul.

This area is big an open it has canyons and buttes I can climb up or go down. I hike the area so much I am not likely to get lost because I have many visual landmarks that guide me. I call this area Sage Ranch rd. butte and canyon, I also refer to it as my church of the Junipers and sagebrush.

This area has ancient history, it holds secrets since the beginning of time in Central Oregon.

Today’s hike was not to calm my soul or to vanquish things that anger me. It was simply a good winters day to get out and enjoy the old beings that have lived here for 500 -1000 years or more. My original plan was to hike down into the canyon climb up the canyon wall close to where the Sage Ranch canyon, Deep canyon, and Fryrear canyon seem to meet. Those plans changed when I noticed someone parked in the parking area for the main trail. I drove a few yards further and parked across from the butte, deciding to climb it instead. It doesn’t matter to me which direction I go in this area it is so big we can all enjoy it. I can let my German Shepherds run without bothering anybody.

You will notice in most of these photos large piles of cut juniper. For many years we have let this land go natural except that we put out all the fires. So natural wasn’t natural and the area is overgrown with dead sagebrush, tall bitterbrush, and young flammable juniper trees. At one time I had found a plan for this area that BLM had been working on. It involved making a new trail head closer to Fryrear road and adding more horse trails. It wasn’t specific enough for me to determine but I had hoped that it included this area. Because lets face it My Church of the Junipers really needed a make over. A rejuvenation. This year is the year for that to start, and I hope next year these piles are burned.

in the mean time I am enjoying all of the views opening up that I couldn’t enjoy because there was a tree in the way…

After an hour up on the butte it was time to work my way down into the lower area and the main trail.

Time to go back to my car feeling refreshed by a good hike in the Junipers

My Original Plan for this Blog…

The purpose of this blog is to share my work. It is a many pronged process where I plan on sharing my hiking adventures, my photography visions while out and about, my creations in my little photo studio, and the notecards I had made several years back when I was planning on retiring from retail. It is a way to keep my photography going and to keep me going. And hopefully a way to sell my notecards, on eBay.

It starts with the camera a simple tool used to record things around me in this world. I started with a simple to use manual camera, as my experience grew, I went up to the much larger and clunky 6×7 camera to supplement the much smaller 35mm SLR camera. Then I quit for 20 + years. I got too busy.
My photo journey started again when I got a simple digital SLR 35mm camera, and on my days off from work going hiking with my German Shephard.

That simple digital camera only survived 2 hikes. It was too simple, I couldn’t use my many, much loved vintage lenses, and I accidently spilled some Gatorade on it, short circuiting the electronics. But I was hooked on photography again. I bought another used digital camera that was more advanced. I photographed anything and everything to share on Facebook. A power outage was an opportunity to get out and take photos of my dilemma

After a couple years I decided to step up my game and I had some notecards of my favorite shots made. I knew that I would be retiring from retail soon and wanted to have an avenue to support myself.

I had a website created and hoped to blog and sell my photo notecards maybe even my photographs. I left my retail job a couple of years earlier than I had planned. It opened me up to explore and enjoy. Everything was paid for, and I didn’t owe anybody for my work. It was freeing…. but my cards were not selling on eBay, or Etsy, or even on my website. I heard from many people Why should I buy notecards when I can use e-mail or Facebook? My website got hacked and I was constantly removing scams, I had pulled my notecards from eBay and Etsy. Tried relisting them again and nothing was selling. I became frustrated and angry, and the blog was reflecting that. Then Covid hit. I let the blog go because I didn’t feel it was doing what I needed.
I was following a photographer whose books I had read, and in one of his articles he mentioned another photographer that was a local to Oregon. I soon started following her and at the end of covid she offered to Do a 52 week photo challenge. I jumped on it and did some of my best most creative work over the next 4 years… I also wore out 5 cameras. Pretty easy to do when you are trying to come up with new ideas for the weekly challenge, and there are no limits… taking 100 photos a day was not unusual. I put together a small photo studio on my back deck where it was protected from the weather in the winter. If I had an idea, I grabbed the camera and started putting it together…. It didn’t matter that it was 25 degrees outside or 85 degrees outside…. While working on the challenge I ran across this troll doll with pink hair and he became a major influence on my photographs and the challenges.

Meet Pinx whom I have mentioned in the earlier blogs as my alter ego.

After a while there were 3 Trolls

and a few plastic dinosaurs they called lizards.
And Now

there are 8 of them and a whole bunch of dinosaur lizards

My whimsical side has evolved and maybe, new plans for notecards. But first I need to sell the older note cards, and the two new notecards I had printed this last summer.

So if you are interested in my notecards you can find them on eBay at deannedementphotography

And Thank You for taking the time to read my post.
Deanne

Things that bring me joy

These are things that are sitting on my desk that bring me Joy. But frequently are buried behind stuff on my desk.

So Today I unearthed them and took them out to my studio, I really only wanted the inspirational glass stones, but everything needed dusting so why not photograph them and then concentrate on my idea.
A couple of years ago for a photo challenge group I photographed the inspirational glass stones with some peacock feathers… I liked it so much I used the photo for my phone screen. Today, I felt it was time to rephotograph them especially since I had replaced the peacock feathers this last month.

This is similar to what I shot a couple of years ago but different because I now have more feathers… and a studio area to work in. From this basic shot I began to add things.

I started simple with dried bracken ferns and pine needles. things that bring me joy in the forest.

Then I added a little chartreuse moss that brightens up a drab juniper forest.

Added some fairy lights

Then got some closer shots.
My plan for these shots are, to pick a few of them have them printed by a local printer into Notecards, and eventually try to sell them on Ebay.
It all starts with an idea from things that bring me Joy

An Icy start to 2026

Hello 2026 I see you decided to come in with a bit of freezing rain.

I hope you are not giving us a slippery slope for the next upcoming year.

Happy New Year 2026
Lets Hope for Health Happiness and an Adventurous Year

The End of 2025 Making plans for 2026

For the last three days the Troll family tribe has been on exploring trips. Poppa T, Pinx, and Aqua have been taking Lime, Pumpkin, Gemma, Blew and Pinky on tours of a couple of their favorite places to hike.
Monday it was Reilly Ranch Preserve.

They enjoyed the views towards the mountains over the meadow.

The different views from the overlook.

and the lizards wanted to see the views too

There were views of the Deschutes river below,

Pinky and Blew were assigned to make sure Aqua didn’t decide to go swimming again.
After their tour of Reily Ranch they decided to explore the area closer to home. So Tuesday it was Sage Ranch Canyon and Butte. they decided to warm up with a little rock climbing in the parking area.

Soon we were on our way down into the canyon a bit so we could do some more rock climbing up

Poppa T chose this route because he likes the view of the mountains as they climb the rocks to the top of the canyon. Because this area has coyotes, he also hired a couple of guards…

Well truth is that Nova and Aurora insisted that we were not going hiking without them.
After we got to the top of the canyon we headed south up to the top of Sage Ranch Butte.

There were a lot of trees to climb, and every snarly snag had to be checked out, soon though we were at the top of the butte.

After they climbed some rocks and checked out the flat areas it was time to head home. We chose the path that took us down the easy slope and overlooked the canyon wall we climbed up earlier.

For today Wednesday, Poppa T wanted to go to the mountains…. Yeah Right…. I simply explained that I had other plans and was going to the pool…. They thought that would be a good trip, but I said that they didn’t have swim passes and couldn’t go… Plus we had to clean up the photo area so we could start the new year with a fresh blank slate…..

So Good Bye 20….
Hey wait What are you all doing???

What do you mean we are not done photographing???

All right one last portrait session for 2025
Good by 2025…. Time to make photo plans for 2026

Merry Christmas to my family and Friends

I am wishing you all a Merry Christmas

From the Troll family and me
Deanne

Aqua Troll is back home from his adventure.

For those of you who read my post a couple weeks ago, and those of you who didn’t, this story is Aqua’s big adventure story. For some reason Aqua decided to jump off the bridge at lower bridge campground across the Metolius River. He very quickly floated down river and out of sight around the corner.

Now he is back safe and sound.

Nobody is happier to see him then Poppa T. Except maybe me.
And what an adventure story he has to tell.

It all started with a handwritten note.

and a delivery from Fed Ex.

Apparently Aqua is the sibling finder and Blew had come from Texas with a message…

On the day Blew arrived we had a trip planned for the Metolius and just before we left for our hiking trip, he whispered the message to Aqua. There were more siblings lost in Florida…. and they too were trying to come back home.
So Aqua dove into the river in hopes of finding them.

I don’t know how he thought he would make it to Florida from Oregon, but he did.

According to his story he hopped a ride on a swan, that took him down river to lake Billy Chinook. He was ever so grateful for the swan coming along because that water in the Metolius was freezing cold.

At Lake Billy Chinook he managed to catch a ride on the Canada Goose Express heading south. He said it was quite a ride across the United States and was glad that the geese had charted a course south through Texas and Louisiana.
They had heard that there were some lost trolls in Florida, it would be no problem to find them.

and there they were hiding in the ferns.

They were so glad to see Aqua that they came running out to surround him. He told them that his plan was to book them all on a one-way flight through Fed Ex and that they would all be back home with Poppa T soon.

So, Poppa T’s Tribe is growing and while he knows there are other kids out there, he can be patient because they will find their way home.
Meet our new cast of Troll kids

Aqua with formally introduced Blew (on the left.)

Pinky (Pinx twin) And Lime

Pumpkin or Kin for short and Gema.
Looking forward to what adventures we can all get into this next year.

When the personal challenge changes mid photo shoot.

I had challenged myself to do another Christmas style photo shoot using the greenery I picked up last week, and some of the items from the first personal challenge. Somehow when you involve the trolls things don’t always go as planned.

Here are my items that I planned on using for the challenge. Lights were suggested from the first challenge, and I had some small white led lights, but I could not find them, so I threw in the red lights. But I don’t know it just wasn’t right.

and the trolls agreed with me, so we removed the lights

Much better but… Maybe some fairy lights? Could I go find some of those?

Now we are ready to start the photo challenge. Let’s get down to the basics and start.

We will start with the crocks and the manzanita.

Add the red velvet cloth, the fake and wooden apples and the feathers.

More feathers and the dried ferns

Perfect girl but…. You know…. Those gourds that we got last month?…. Maybe we need them too…

Yes, those are perfect…. Now photograph it…

Now add more twigs and branches

Ok girl we need….. You know that pretty turquoise vase? Go get it, let’s add it to the photo.

Now close in, get closer

Better now one more step forward….

Yessss…. Girl …. We like it… Your challenge is done.
What shall we photograph for our Next Challenge…..?

Impressions of a tromp through the woods

There is nothing better for me than a tromp in the woods. I love both the moist Evergreen forest and the dry gnarly juniper high desert. I also love collecting things with the idea that maybe I can photograph it. This blog is about the Evergreen forest. I love challenging myself or accepting challenges from friends on making photos for this blog. This specific idea came from another idea that evolved yesterday into nothing close to what I started with.
I blame the trolls for that. They can lead me astray from an idea with just a giggle and a suggestion.

Their suggestion this time was we needed my hiking boots and warm fuzzy socks.

Put some of the sticks and branches with berries in the crocks. Add some sparkly mini lights

Put in a cup of coffee and a couple of those vintage thermos’s I have. Don’t forget the hand clippers.

Yes, I think we have the photo now shoot it…

There is nothing like the good memories of a good tromp in the woods

A little on the wild side Christmas arrangement challenge

After our trip to the Camp Sherman Metolius river area, I came home with some good nature to use in flower arrangements. Thinking about what greenery and other natural items I had gotten and wanting to use them in several different arrangements to photograph, I searched in my own cupboards and photo prop areas for accessories that fit my vision. The initial idea to use more natural fauna from mother nature came from a couple books written by Ariella Chezar. I had read two of them and bought a third to inspire me. But I never got back to that book. The ideas though still hung out in my mind.
This first photo is all of my supply for this personal challenge. I could not use more than this, but I could use less…

I asked my 3 assistants to help me with this challenge, and they were all in. They love a good challenge. Poppa T keeps our schedule on track, Pinx really get’s into the project and our little Blew, well he is pretty shy but soon warms up.