High Sierra Dreaming

The foothills are wonderful, but sometimes you got to get outta Dodge. Luckily, if you head East or North from Grass Valley, it is only about 15 minutes until you are in the true wilds of the Sierras. Yesterday, I felt the urge very strongly, and took a long  up the highway 20 to this beautiful nature trail at the head of the road to Lake Bowman. I know the tiger lilies in the wetland bloom sometime around now, but it changes every year, so I was crossing my fingers... and I was in luck! It was so gorgeous up there, above any last traces of smog which may have crept up from the Sacramento Valley, and totally temperate even though it had been 100 degrees at my house. It was so nice to take pictures with a different backdrop. Natural light can be soooooo frustrating (I had to wait a half hour for the sun to go behind a distant pine tree so I could capture this one shot perfectly... talk about being in the moment!), but the results can be magical. I certainly felt the presence of a multitude of Nature Divas (aka fairies, brownies, elves, etc.) in the crystalline air, and there were many, many voices mixed in the sounds of the Bear River. I didn't see any bears (I kept singing and snapping my fingers loudly, so that I wouldn't see any bears, don't worry, mom, I was thinking of you-- for some reason the soundtrack to A Clockwork Orange, which actually has some lovely ancient music on it, was what I was using as my self-defense!) but I did see tons of beautiful birds... and flocks of mosquitos, at dusk, when I literally had to run for my car to get away from them! I counted five on my arm at once. Argh! Maybe they liked the banana chips in my blood? I did eat a lot on the way up there... these days I am trying not to have any caffeine, except in emergencies, because it tweaks me out so badly, and I re-remembered that bananas give me a true boost of energy and stamina. Better than caffeine, actually. Anyway, here are some of my favorite shots... I hope you enjoy! The feather, incidentally, was waiting for me on a tree trunk on my path down the to tiger lilies. Serendipity!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I hope you all are having a beautiful summer... I have been blogging a lot less, cause I have been making outdoor Rest and Relaxation a top priority. After this endlessly rainy winter, I am not taking the sunshine for granted! Sending good wishes to my readers in all corners of the globe. Wait, isn't a globe round? Hmmm. Must be a holdover phrase.........

Comments

[heather]

these are incredibly gorgeous sasha, what a magical place full of tigerlilies...i didn't even know this happened in the sierras! and i just have to say, you have some of the best pieces EVER in your shop right now. that vest, the embroidered dresses, and that amazing prairie dress with the open back, and in this setting, good lord i swoon.

[*winter]

sooo pretty, love the orange flowered dress and the orange flower **

[bellisimama]

absolutely gorgeous photos. i love your blog! just discovered it, and i'm so glad i found it!

http://bellisimama.blogspot.com/

[Sfbohemianraphsody.blogspot.com]

spectacular pics, as always! you live in some beautiful country up there! wow.

also, i featured one of your etsy items on my own blog today. :) check it out if you have a moment.

[sally]

i messed up the link somehow i think...agh! trying again...

http://sfbohemianraphsody.blogspot.com/

[Mousevox Vintage]

These are all so beautiful and the tiger lilies really are remarkable!

It looks like I'm going to get to go back to Northern California in a couple of weeks! So excited!

[runic rhyme]

Great photos, Sasha. Thanks for bringing us along ;]

[RootRealm]

You have done a marvelous job with these photos capturing your beautiful soul in the splendor of your colorful dresses and the flowery meadows. The photos are enchanting, and convey a quality of sprightly delicacy and wonder. I can almost smell the flowers and trees, and hear the streams...I'm inspired to get out to the Sierras again myself and bask in these quiet, magical places.