All photos by Barbara Matthews

Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Spring in Yosemite

+Colby Brown posed the question "What does spring mean to you?" in his latest photography contest here http://www.colbybrownphotography.com/spring-2014-photography-contestgiveaway/ .  The following was my response and the first photo was my entry. #Spring2014Contest


The meaning of spring is forever intertwined with my memories of living in Yosemite Valley. It is a time of color and contrasts. It comes on in a rush with the flow of water tumbling down the valley walls. The thundering rumble of water impacting the valley floor is the sound of spring. Warm sun, chilly breezes, gentle rain, and pelting hail, spring brings it all. It is an exciting time of change and the unexpected. While snow dusts the valley walls as a last kiss of winter, the Dogwood trees erupt in white blossoms brightening up the forest understory. The earthy smell of the sun warming last season’s pine needles, signals the return of new growth on the forest floor. Chunks of ice float down the Merced River while the birds sing their songs of spring. Vibrant greens of new leaves almost glow in the spring light, the most visible sign that spring is here to stay. Wherever I may be in the world, when I think of spring, it is those sights, sounds and smells that surface in my memory and pull me back to Yosemite.


What Spring Means to Me- Spring in Yosemite



Tunnel View in Spring


Yosemite Spring

Saturday, April 12, 2014

Birthday Travels

I can't really think of a better way to celebrate 
my birthday than outside enjoying nature.
I spent my birthday and the day after exploring and photographing 
some of my favorite nearby spots in the Sierra.


~Lake of the Sky~
Lake Tahoe


~Hope Valley Changing Skies~
Hope Valley, CA


~Sierra Skies~
Hope Valley, CA


~Release~
Somewhere east of Tahoe in the Nevada desert


~Roadside Waterfalls~
Hampshire Rocks Rd, Emigrant Gap, CA