Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Procrastinating with Pristine Pictures

Lone Pine Lake on the way to Mt. Whitney
I'm supposed to be working on my last summer thesis submission for my MFA, with 20-30 pages due ten days from now. But after three glorious weeks in the Eastern Sierra and the Southwest (including 8 national parks & monuments) with my partner in crime, Kristen, I'm experiencing wilderness withdrawal & a serious case of writer's block. The transition from stargazing leaves me staring at the computer screen in a befuddled daze. I miss holding an acute awareness each day of weather and geologic and color patterns, from the infinite landscapes to the puniest alpine petal.


Monument Valley, Navajo Nation



So, to serve my creativity and in the spirit of procrastination, I've been playing with pictures instead of papers, pencils and pens. I hope that wherever you are writing, you can armchair travel with me back to some of these wondrous places.


Click to enlarge:

pollinator in Escalante National Monument

Bryce Canyon: end of sunrise hike

Middle Palisade, 10-mile hike
The Narrows, Zion National Park

Lower Calf Creek Falls, Escalante National Monument

A cool summer day in Death Valley

Death Valley's Furnace Creek Ranch

First Lake, Big Pine

Alabama Hills, site of many movies
Sierra Wildflowers
 
Heading to the Eastern Sierra from the White-Inyo Mountains

2 comments:

Virginia said...

Nicole, these photographs are just beautiful. Makes me want to go there - not immediately, as it's so excruciatingly hot - but sometime cooler. Good luck with your thesis deadline. ~ Virginia

Nicole R. Zimmerman said...

Thanks for your comment, Virginia. I was also afraid the heat would get to me, but we acclimated quickly and also happened to be in cooler regions (like the mountains or in water) on the hottest days. Death Valley's Furnace Creek Ranch is just wonderful--with a huge, spring-fed pool, a bar/cafe with afternoon cocktails, and a cottage with A/C. Of course, it was 100 instead of 120, so that helped! But I'd suggest going to the Sierras and/or SW in the fall for the temps and colors.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...